ON THE RECORD: Stitt's "this ordinary thursday" Plus Kitt at the Carlyle

By Steven Suskin
02 Sep 2007

EARTHA KITT: Live from the Café Carlyle [DRG 91499]
Eartha Kitt slid into the Carlyle last year and rocked that venerable old nitery. The veteran entertainer wasn't bringing anything new to the table; she has seen it, and done it, all before. But Kitt was in fine form, with a self-deprecating humor that more than counteracted the image of an octogenarian doing material that can best be described as mid-century sex-kitten.

The act was captured by DRG's engineers and has been released under the title "Eartha Kitt: Live from the Café Carlyle." (They have seen fit to include present-day photos, rather than some old publicity shots, and that's a fine idea; we see — and hear — Eartha as she is today.) Kitt is accompanied by her Carlyle combo, under the direction of pianist/arranger Daryl Waters. The selections are pretty much old favorites, in English, French and an array of who-knows-what other languages: "Ain't Misbehavin'," "C'est Si Bon," "Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup," "Come On-a My House" and more. (The packaging, unfortunately, neglects to include songwriter credits.) Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love," Weill's "September Song" and Berlin's "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" cap the disc, and it is a good one.

(Steven Suskin is author of "Second Act Trouble," "A Must See! Brilliant Broadway Artwork," "Show Tunes" and the "Opening Night on Broadway" books. He can be reached at Ssuskin@aol.com)
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