How do a first-rate pianist/singer and talented crooner entertain in a hurly-burly restaurant? 

At Nino’s Tuscany in midtown Manhattan, Kathleen Landis and Frank Dain show you how it’s done.  Nino’s is a popular eatery with an active bar, a piano placed awkwardly between the reservation desk and the coat check, and waiters weaving around the performers to fill orders.

The challenge is handled with musicality, poise and a sense of humor.  At one point, as the decibel level reached its apex, Dain wryly began the soft opening lines of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars" (English lyrics by Gene Lees) with its droll, “…floating on the silence that surrounds us.”  He was backed by Landis’s sexy bossa nova piano rhythms.  While many appreciated the tongue-in-cheek moment, one couple was so overwhelmed by the song’s sensuality that they stood up to slow-dance against the wall. During Dain’s “Summer Wind,” a waiter parked his food cart a few feet away and began whisking up a zabaglione. As the whisking reached frenzy level, Dain smoothly stepped back, letting Landis’s piano take over. Only in New York, folks—the fun of a ballad and a brouhaha.

Dain has a charismatic smile, charm, and understands the heart of his songs.  His mellow delivery is never melodramatic.  A warm vibrato accents the nostalgia in ballads like “Autumn Leaves.”  Reminiscent of Johnny Matthis, he delivers several Matthis classics, adding a tangible sensitivity. “Moon River” reflects thoughtful meditation and “Wild Is the Wind” is outstanding, controlled with a soft urgency reaching for the release of passion. The subtlety and emotion make this a rendition that stands on its own.

Landis reigned as popular pianist and singer at the Café Pierre for over 20 years.  A five-star pianist, she melds unique expressive harmonies of jazz and classical music.  She colors her accompaniments with creative arrangements, shown in the Erroll Garner-style addendum to “Misty.” “Hello, Young Lovers” is sprightly in jazz waltz time, and special treats are the Argentine tangos that Landis performs with rhythm and ardor.

Both are fine musicians on their own and a matched pair together.  Nino’s Tuscany is pure New York reminiscent of a 1940s film noir—noisy, busy, popular.  Add Kathleen Landis and Frank Dain and you have a classic night on the town.

Kathleen and Frank are at Nino's through the end of the year, with Kathleen performing Thursdays-Saturdays and Frank joining her on Fridays & Saturdays. All nights from 9 pm to midnight.

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
October 22, 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org