ON THE RECORD: Feinstein & Jackson's "Power of Two," Luker's "Greenwich Time," Plus Barbara Cook
By Steven Suskin
November 8, 2009
This week, we listen to Michael Feinstein and Cheyenne Jackson's club act "The Power of Two"; Rebecca Luker's new collection, "Greenwich Time"; and a six-disc box of Barbara Cook recordings.
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Just what is the power of two? When the duo consists of Michael Feinstein and Cheyenne Jackson, it is a combination of vocal strength and personality. The pair merged in June for a smashingly good three-week gig at Feinstein's at Loews Regency, and they have now brought their act to Harbinger Records. "The Power of Two" spotlights their talents, individual and combined, and will surely thrill a large audience while making new fans for both.
"Power of Two" can be seen as two distinct acts intertwined, and I don't refer to the singers (who contribute equally to the proceedings). Numerous vocalists and bands have been recreating the Rat Pack sound for 50 years now, sometimes with effective results. But Feinstein and Jackson don't sound like a recreation of Frank and Dean; they sound like the real thing. No, they don't sound like them, but their act — built around Cy Coleman & David Zippel's "I'm Nothing without You" — has the same essence; not a nostalgic revival, the real thing. It's 1959 in 2009, and who thought contemporary artists could give us a modern-day equivalent? And who imagined that it would be so highly entertaining?
Feinstein has been singing in this style for years, of course, but as he has grown from bright young singer to mature leading man — from Jack Whiting to Billy Gaxton, in Broadway terms — he has developed an underlying humor to accompany that twinkle that has always been in his eye. Cheyenne Jackson, on the other hand, is a relative newcomer. He has displayed a warm and friendly personality since arriving in the lukewarm All Shook Up, back in 2005. In the last couple of years he has been developing his talent, as can be seen in the newly-opened production of Finian's Rainbow at the St. James. In "'The Power of Two," over at Feinstein's, he was able to hold his own against his more experienced partner — who as presenting proprietor seemed to have consciously built the act to showcase Cheyenne.
Before we move away from the Rat Pack, let's not overlook the contribution of musical director/arranger John Oddo. Feinstein and Oddo make a great team, as has been noted over the years, but it should be pointed out that Oddo and his quintet — Tony Kadleck, David Mann, David Finck, Bob Mann, and David Ratajczak — provide the platform on which Feinstein and Jackson swing. This band is clearly part of the act, and gives full value.
The other half of "Power of Two" might be considered the power of the Moment. When Feinstein and Jackson stood on opposite sides of the bandstand at the Regency and sang "We Kiss in the Shadow" (with strains of "I Have Dreamed" woven into the arrangement), an audible gasp could be heard from the opening night crowd. This was not the first time anyone ever tried something of the sort; the theatre has given us a few, if not overly many, such moments over the years. But there on Park Avenue, with a Cafe Society crowd (or what passes as such nowadays), a barrier did seem to break; and it was met with a long, rousing ovation. Other parts of the act, and of the CD, are in a similar vein. Standing out are two solos by Feinstein, "Old Friend" (Nancy Ford-Gretchen Cryer) and "The Time Has Come" (Michael Leonard-Marshall Barer). This last is something of a revelation; a little-known song of — what, liberation? — which seems to have all but languished on the piano bench for almost 40 years. Leonard is the composer who wrote "I'm All Smiles" and several other especially strong songs for the 1965 musical The Yearling; lyricist Barer is the man from Once upon a Mattress. Their "Time Has Come" is very good. Jackson, for his part, gives us one of his Finian songs, "Old Devil Moon," and two excursions into Feinstein's own personal Gershwin songbook, "A Foggy Day" and "Someone to Watch Over Me."
"The Power of Two," from Harbinger. When the two are Feinstein and Jackson, that power is substantial.
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Rebecca Luker, in the liner note for her new CD, tells us that over the years she has slowly collected a group of songs "like gems from the ocean." The opportunity finally arose to record them, which she has done under the title "Greenwich Time," and yes — this CD is quite a gem. The songs range from very good to much better; a handful of the 14 tracks we can call exceptional, which is a good ratio.
Take a song like Maury Yeston's "Unusual Way," from Nine. This one's a natural for Ms. Luker, and she does as good a job with it as you might suspect. But then take "Killing Time," an almost unknown gem by the unlikely team of Jule Styne and Carolyn Leigh. This is what might be described as a late-night drinking song, along the lines of Arlen and Mercer's "One for My Baby" with the pathos of Larry Hart at his most unrequited. Leigh's words, in one of her final songs, are almost scathingly unhappy, bordering on bitter. ("Chilling drinks, spilling tears, killing time.") The supremely talented lyricist had a reputation for being difficult and destructive; I don't know that "Killing Time" was a stream-of-conscious self-portrait, but it would sure explain a lot. And the actress buried beneath Ms. Luker's bright and friendly facade rescues this all-but-forgotten song. Styne and Leigh wrote it in 1981 or so; Frank Sinatra — who had introduced so many Styne songs in the old days — was looking for material for the album released as "She Shot Me Down." Sinatra passed, and the song went on the shelf. "Killing Time" has been sung occasionally and recorded at least twice, but has never received the exposure it deserves.
Yeston, Styne and Leigh are on one side of the songwriter spectrum; most of the other songs come from the so-called younger generation. And some are equally worthy. "Ohio, 1904" (Paul Loesel-Scott Burkell) has an unusual point of departure — it seems to be about Orville and Wilbur, two brothers from another century altogether, but it is really a song of emancipation. ("If those boys can touch the sky, maybe one day so will I," the girl sings.) "Lovely Lies" (Jeff Blumenkrantz-Beth Blatt) is something else altogether, a Southern-themed examination of the mother/daughter bond. But it is full of truths, and packs something of an emotional wallop. Also highly emotional — and utterly gripping — is "What the Living Do" (Ricky Ian Gordon-Marie Howe).
That Luker sings these songs so well is no surprise; she has been entertaining us for years now, mixing a beautiful voice with intelligent acting and a touch of inner humor. The combination of songs, singer and emotions makes "Greenwich Time" a very special collection of — well, gems. She is supported by a fine ten-piece band, led by musical director Joseph Thalken on the piano. Thalken also provides most of the orchestrations, with single contributions by Sam Davis, Martin Lowe and Mr. Gordon.
Luker and Thalken save the best for last, and it is a true beauty: a new song by an old hand. "Summer with You" is the title, John Kander is the composer/lyricist; a song of remembrance and love (and loss), a lilting, bittersweet, deceptively simple waltz that warms the heart. Kander's mood is somewhat reminiscent of his best ballads in The Happy Time; his impressive lyric is filled with wonderful images. "I know that the seasons pass, I’ve looked into my looking glass, the leaves may fade and the years go by, but I’m content with one July." That's the bridge, and a stunningly musical one it is.
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"The Essential Barbara Cook Collection," a new box set from DRG, is something of a misnomer; the essential Ms. Cook is not a collection of six discs but the living legend who can be occasionally spotted around town. Essential and indispensable is our Barbara, and still entertaining any and all audience members lucky enough to get a ticket.
What this Essential Collection does bring us is four complete CD: "Close As Pages in a Book," a newly remixed version of the 1993 salute to lyricist Dorothy Fields (with guest Tommy Tune); "Live from London," from 1994; "All I Ask of You," from 1998, which includes a medley from She Loves Me; and "Barbara Cook at the Met," the 2006 concert that included guests Audra McDonald and Josh Groban. Also included is a DVD of Cook's 2001 concert, "Mostly Sondheim." These are essential, with a small "e"; Cook fans should certainly have these discs (but might well already own them). The collection comes in a simple cardboard box, the discs in individual cardboard slipcases. The enclosed 24-page booklet includes credits from each album.
Most special for those of us who already have Barbara on the shelf is the sixth disc, a four-track sampler of her forthcoming "Give Me the Simple Life," scheduled for a February 2010 release. These include Harold Arlen & Leo Robin's "It Was Written in the Stars," Cole Porter's "I've Got You under My Skin," and Fred Fisher and Billy Rose's "I'd Rather Be Blue." The real find here is Rube Bloom and Harry Ruby's "Give Me the Simple Life," one of those songs that you might vaguely recognize. Once Barbara sings it, though, you're not going to forget it.
(Steven Suskin is author of "The Sound of Broadway Music: A Book of Orchestrators and Orchestrations" (Oxford) as well as "Second Act Trouble," "Show Tunes" and the "Opening Night on Broadway" books. He can be reached at Ssuskin@aol.com)