Is there something in the water in Philadelphia that accounts for all the successful male vocalists that have called it home, from Mario Lanza, Al Martino and Bobby Darin to Bobby Rydell, Frankie Avalon and Fabian? If so, Jarrod Spector has benefited from it as well, and he joins a growing list of younger interpreters of the ever-expanding Great American Songbook.

Naturally, for one currently playing the lead role of Frankie Valli in Broadway’s smash hit, Jersey Boys, Spector opened his show at Feinstein’s with his solid, signature falsetto in full force, tying together a rousing medley of John Stephen’s “Where Did My Baby Go?,” Gordy, Perren and Richards’ “I Want You Back” and Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke.”

The packed room was rocking to his eclectic song list that included many memorable hits from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s —Bobby Darin’s “Splish Splash,” Paul Anka’s “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” and McCartney and Lennon’s “Oh! Darling,” plus a couple of contemporary standouts—Macy Gray’s ”I Try” and Maroon Five’s “Misery.” From song to song his smile got broader, his “bedroom eyes” got sexier, and his voice found multiple comfort levels.

While a group of red hot musicians and two female back-up singers were all cookin’ with gas behind him, we learned that this former Star Search contestant (he lost to Countess Vaughan at age six) suffered a career crisis at fifteen, dropped out of Princeton University to join the Atlantic Theater Company and became a professional actor by the age of twenty-one.

Spector was candid about some of his challenges along the way, sharing personal stories that were admittedly heady stuff for a young fellow, but provided perfect set-ups for Led Zeppelin’s “Rock & Roll,” Barry Manilow/Marty Panzer’s “Even Now,” Smokey Robinson’s “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” and Leonard Cohen’s haunting anthem, “Hallelujah.” As a result of his honesty, each song took on even greater meaning and poignancy.

He joked that he thought long and hard about following a Led Zeppelin song with one by Barry Manilow. He felt it was justified, however, given his belief that he was conceived while his parents were listening to the latter. In introducing the rock/soul duo Hall and Oates’ “Kiss on My List,” he shared that he was born the same year that the song was #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 list.

Minor Fall, Major Lift highlights Spector’s career “ups and downs” to date. After paying his dues and demonstrating strong survivor skills, he fortunately landed in Jersey Boys where he has been telling the story of that legendary group, The Four Seasons, and its iconic leader, with over 1,000 performances under his belt.

Now that he can add several appearances at Feinstein’s to his resumé telling his own story, with skillful direction by Eric Michael Gillett, one would expect his career has been given another major lift. Stay tuned, there’s a lot more coming from this young man.

Lynn DiMenna
Cabaret Scenes
May 15, 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org