A Review of the 92ndSt Y Concert of Jan 9, 2012.

Albert Haim

 

The theme of the 2012 Season at the 92nd St Y is “Lyrics and Lyricists.” The first concert, titled “Makin’ Whoopee: Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn and the Jazz Age,’’ had its premiere on Jan 7, 2012 at 8 pm at the Theresa L. Kaufman Concert Hall. There were four encores, two on Jan 8, and two more on Jan 9. I attended the matinee concert on Jan 9.

The Program.

 


 

 

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Donaldson and  Kahn.

Walter Donaldson (Feb 15, 1893 Brooklyn, NY – Jul 15, 1947 Santa Monica, CA) composed about 600 songs for Tin Pan Alley, Broadway and Hollywood. Some of his best-known songs are My Mammy; Carolina in the Morning; Yes Sir, That’s My Baby; My Blue Heaven.  Donaldson was inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.

Gus Kahn (Nov 6, 1886 Koblenz, Germany – Oct 8, 1941 Beverly Hills CA) was a lyricist who wrote about 350 songs for Tin Pan Alley, Broadway and Hollywood. Some of his best-known songs are Pretty Bab;, It Had to Be You;  Makin’ Whoopee; San Francisco. Kahn was inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.

Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn collaborated in more than 100 songs. Bix recorded several songs penned by Donaldson, Kahn or by both: Oh Baby! (D); Susie (K); I Need Some Pettin (K); There Ain’t No Land Like Dixieland (D); Changes (D); Mary (D); A Shady Tree (D); Chloe (K); Coquette (K); My Ohio Home (D&K; Fox Movietone News); Japanese Mammy (D & K); Because My Baby Don’t Mean Maybe Now (D); Borneo (D); Out Of Town Girl (D); I’m Bringing A Red Red Rose (D & K); Reaching for Someone (D).


<>The Songs.

 


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It will be seen that the songs span the range of years from 1915 to 1940, with a majority being from the 1920s. Christina Andreas, Laura Osnes, Jason Graae and Howard McGillin took turns, individually, in pairs or as a group, to sing the songs. Jason and Laura were quite amusing in their interpretations of such songs as Yes Sir! That’s My Baby, Pretty Baby, You’re Driving Me Crazy. Christina and Laura sang the more romantic songs such as It Had to Be You, My Blue Heaven, I’m Through With Love. There were fast numbers (Toot Toot Tootsie), ballads (Swinging Down the Lane), a waltz (My Buddy), Broadway hits (Makin’ Whoopee), songs from classic Hollywood films (San Francisco, Flying Down to Rio).  Vince, with his usual flair, sang several of the numbers played by the Nighthawks: Borneo, T’Ain’t No Sin (To Dance Around in Your Bones), All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm. Adding to the variety, William Bolcom and Joan Morris (as a duet, piano and vocal) sang At Sundown and Little White Lies. For their interpretation of Sam, The Old Accordion Man, they had Vince Giordano accompanying them on accordion, another instrument in Vince’s arsenal. < style="font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif;"> <>

A couple of general comments. There were no pauses between songs: as soon as one was finished and the applause subsided, the next song was on. The pace of the show was breathtaking. Rob, who was sitting next to me during the concert, remarked that every song was complete, with verse and chorus, as it should be.

The Music: Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks. <>

As I indicated above, the numbers featured a wide variety of styles and periods, clearly a huge challenge. The singers did well, but behind all, there was the genius and enormous versatility of Vince Giordano and of the musicians in his band, men who understand (and can reproduce faithfully) the stylistic changes that took place in going from the nineteen teens to the twenties and to the thirties. The concert started with the Nighthawks playing a medley that included the beautiful Hiawatha Serenade and the relatively unknown You. . The musicians could bring out, in an authentic manner, the call and response of Bix (played by Jon-Erik Kelso) and Tram (played by Dan Block) in Borneo, the sound of three clarinets (Dan Block, Mark Lopeman and Dan Levinson) playing in huge horns a la Hal Kemp, a bit of Charleston in Yes Sir, That’s My Baby and a Dixieland interpretation of San Francisco. Individual musicians took some solos - Vince on bass saxophone, Andy Stein on his Stroh violin, for example. But the whole band also played songs that sounded fresh today although they were composed decades ago - ballads, jazz, a waltz. It was like jumping into a time machine, going back through the years and stopping at various times to see and listen what was in fashion at that moment. The band was right in front or quietly went into a supporting role or even stopped playing altogether, except for the rhythm, as the numbers required. It takes a first-class outfit to know when to go into the background and when to come into the foreground.

 

Coda.

Kudos to all the people involved in the production: those who conceived the idea, those who developed it, and those who executed it. A rare display of artistic excellence with music and lyrics created in the first decades of the 20th  century and brought back to life, by highly talented individuals, in the second decade of the 21st century.