For anyone who grew up and came of age listening to the unique, mellifluous sound of Johnny Mathis's voice on songs that defined a genre and a generation, it would come as no surprise that putting together a tribute to one of the most distinctive crooners of an era could present a formidable challenge. But our editor in chief here at Cabaret Scenes, Frank Dain, has risen mightily to that challenge. After a thirteen-year absence from the stage and heroic efforts on behalf of this magazine, it would appear that his time has been well spent. He has managed to not only breathe new life into these beloved pop standard classics but also to go one step further and illuminate them in a very fresh and personal way. And isn’t that exactly what this art form of cabaret is all about?

His show opened with a mood setting overture of Mathis songs played by his lovely and exceptionally gifted pianist and musical director, Kathleen Landis and the ubiquitous Saadi Zain on bass. When Dain took the stage, he immediately connected with his audience and the magic continued! Their collaborative arrangements of “Chances Are” (Al Stillman/Robert Allen) and “Wild Is the Wind” (Ned Washington/Dimitri Tiomkin) were simply breathtaking and by including the rarely heard verse to “It’s Not for Me to Say” (Al Stillman/Robert Allen), another of Mathis’s signature songs, was immediately rejuvenated.

It’s one thing to listen to Johnny Mathis; it is another thing to watch him perform. Some of his facial expressions and, in particular, the way he produces his sound can often be distracting. Not so with Dain. Appearing extremely dapper in a tailored tux, black tie and silk handkerchief and, with that ever-present glint in his eyes, he’s as engaging and easy to look at as he is to hear. Like Mathis, his voice has a warm and smoky quality, but it’s Dain's interpretive skills that make the songs his and his alone.

His song list covered all the romantic Mathis moods with the more familiar “A Certain Smile” (Paul Francis Webster/Sammy Fain), “The Twelfth of Never” (Paul Francis Webster/Jerry Livingston) and “Wonderful, Wonderful” (Ben Raleigh/Sherman Edwards), but he also included, while weaving bits and pieces of Mathis’s life story throughout, lesser-known gems like “Let Go (Canto de Ossanha; English lyrics by Norman Gimbel and music by Baden Powell) and “Photograph”(lyrics by Tracy Mann and music by Dori Caymmi).

For those readers who only know Frank Dain as an award-winning editor, writer, graphic designer and “one of the good guys” in our cabaret community, avail yourselves of the opportunity to see and hear him do what he does best...sing!

In a word, Frank Dain and The Magic of Mathis is “magical!”

Lynn DiMenna
Cabaret Scenes
September 21, 2012
www.cabaretscenes.org