Sandy Sasso’s lifelong connection to music began when she was six.  She remembers hearing Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” at the age of twelve, and it was at that moment she knew what she would be doing for the rest of her life.  After three CDs, constant touring and gigs with the big bands — Dorsey, Goodman and Riddle — she made her debut at Kitano and left the audience wanting more.

Ms. Sasso has always surrounded herself with exceptional musicians and she’s especially generous in allowing them long and frequent solos.  The singer wasn’t on stage for the first number, “Stella by Starlight” (Ned Washington and Victor Young), in an elegant arrangement of the great old standard.  Joined by Daniel Fabricatore on bass, Desmond Norman played an appropriately dreamy solo on vibes while Steve Elmer’s piano supplied dramatic flourishes, finishing with a few lines from “I Hear a Rhapsody."

Striding in on a burst of energy, Sasso opened with “The Darktown Strutters' Ball” (Shelton Brooks), capturing the audience right away.  Her voice has acquired a richer, more resonant tone over the years and she made good use of her talents. She improvised a phrase once or twice (“…those Jelly Roll Morton blues…”), injecting the tune with lowdown funkiness.

“Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” (Ted Koehler and Harold Arlen), practically a jazz anthem, is on Sasso’s second CD, All My Men, one of her best. The solos were flying as Fabricatore provided a playful response. It’s worth mentioning that “Midnight Sun” (Johnny Mercer and Sonny Burke) was sung beautifully by Sasso in a rich, honey-like tone, her rendering perhaps inspired by the well-known vocals of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. Norman performed a fantastic solo on the vibraphone, doing justice to Lionel Hampton’s premiere recording.

Steve Elmer’s distinctive interpretations on piano were not surprising, since he’s been playing for more than fifty years and has his own trio. His musical instrument had originally been drums, and in his early twenties he got to perform alongside two jazz legends — Benny Morton, formerly a trombonist with the Count Basie Band, and Bobby Hackett, the stellar cornetist. His best moment, and undoubtedly Norman’s, was “It’s All Right with Me,” (Cole Porter from Can-Can). Playing at mach speed, their performances were electrifying. Neither Fabricatore nor Sasso missed a beat, holding on to every note; her reading of the lyric..."if some night you're free, yes it's all right with me..." suggestive of a royal command.

Now that Sandy Sasso and her fabulous team have successfully ventured into the midtown environs, one can hope they’ll spend more time in New York City. It would be a welcome development for jazz lovers.

Jerry Osterberg
Cabaret Scenes
March 9, 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org