In this age of hushed cabaret rooms and one-hour turnaround times, it is difficult (especially for us youngsters) to imagine a time when crowds chattered, glasses clinked, and—Heaven forbid—people smoked their way through a nightclub act. Some of that magic returns when you walk through the door of Bemelmans Bar—minus the cigarettes, of course. Naïve murals cover the walls, there are candle lights on little corner tables,” a pianist tinkles away at some lilting melody…and the customers are as boisterous as ever.

Chris Gillespie held forth valiantly at the piano against the babbling onslaught of the Upper East Siders, riffing through the piano bar bible of Gershwin, Porter and French chansons, and filling in the lyrics in case we forgot. It is hard work indeed competing with a room full of clamoring Hermès bags, and a wise musician should not try. Gillespie, with his natty look à la Bobby Short, need not work so hard. Keeping pace with the roar of the room left him pounding away at the keyboard and rushing through lyrics. “Old love, new love, ev’ry love but true love” (Cole Porter’s “Love for Sale”) lost all meaning and connection, even if it was probably happening two tables away. A sophomoric running bass line and a distressing number of songs played in the key of C only dug a deeper hole. A barroom pianist should encourage his audience to lean forward, and himself hold back.

Chris Gillespie is at Bemelmans Bar Tuesday-Saturday, 5:30-8:30pm.

Patrick Monahan
Cabaret Scenes
March 23, 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org