Steve Tyrell: One More for the Road
Steve Tyrell
One More for the Road
Café Carlyle, NYC, December 1, 2015 to January 2, 2016
Reviewed by Elizabeth Ahlfors for Cabaret Scenes
Swing’s the thing and Steve Tyrell has it all down pat and brings it in with experienced savvy at the Café Carlyle. Celebrating Frank Sinatra’s centenary, One More for the Road is Tyrell’s 11th holiday season show at the Carlyle. The mood is straight-out Sinatra spirit and swagger from the opener, “All of Me” (Gerald Marks/Seymour Simons) to the finale, “All the Way” (Jimmy Van Heusen/Sammy Cahn), with plenty of romance and heartache in between.
Tyrell has the songs to sing and the stories to tell and he shares them with gusto. He lets the breakup tale of Sinatra and Ava Gardner lead seamlessly into Harry Ruby and Bert Kalmar’s, “Nevertheless (I’m in Love With You).” His natural sand-shuffle vocals sound smoother and the lines longer in “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” from Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart’s memorable Pal Joey songbook, where David Mann steps out on saxophone, heightening the emotion and letting the song build effectively. Musical Director Quinn Johnson adds his own piano accompaniment to the sultry meandering of Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer’s “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road).” Tyrell adds “I’ve Got a Crush on You,” one of the Gershwins’ most romantic songs.
Connecting the songs to Sinatra’s love life adds more emotion than Tyrell usually gives lyrics, but the show moves beyond Sinatra’s wrist-slashers. The Sinatra family and Quincy Jones had requested Tyrell to perform with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra’s opening concert when Frank Sinatra was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame. This honor, and the repeat of the performance at Carnegie Hall, lead to Tyrell’s enthusiastic “Fly Me to the Moon” (Bart Howard), and other major Sinatra swinging hits by Van Heusen and Cahn including “(Love Is) The Tender Trap.” The Sinatra family has shared many of Ol’ Blue Eyes’ arrangements with Tyrell who mentioned he could change the show every night with new songs from the vast Sinatra canon.
Tyrell comes with musical roots from Texas and New Orleans. Tradition is tucked in his pocket with deliberate phrasing and respect for the songwriters. He brings along a commendable septet which includes the above-mentioned as well as David Finck on bass, Bob Mann on guitar, Kevin Winard on drums and Jon Allen on keyboards.
Tyrell continues at Café Carlyle through January 2, 2016.
Category: Cabaret Reviews, New York City, New York City Cabaret Reviews
