Veronica Swift
Veronica Swift
Birdland, NYC, February 16, 2017
Reviewed by Ron Forman for Cabaret Scenes
Veronica Swift
The precocious, very young, very talented jazz vocalist Veronica Swift made quite a splash in her Birdland debut. She displayed her remarkable range and the ability to bring her own interpretation to each of the numbers that she performed. Her talent and confidence on stage tells me that she is destined to join the top tier of today’s jazz vocalists. With more experience, I believe that she will master the art of making contact with the audience. It might have been nervousness, but there could have been more eye contact. The show was a mix of jazz classics, Great American Songbook standards and originals. An integral part of the performance was the very swinging Matt Wigler Trio, all of whom were given frequent solo turns.
The show opened with the trio playing a lengthy “Cheek to Cheek.” Swift began with a June Christy tribute, “Gone for the Day.” Swift can belt them out, but also has a soft, pretty sound that she used on a slow, but jazzy “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road).” Continuing her tribute to great jazz singers of the past, she paid homage to Anita O’Day with a really swinging “But Not for Me.” Paying tribute to Peggy Lee and Benny Goodman, Swift sang a very soft and sweet “Where or When,” which include an amazing interlude where she vocally created the sound of a trumpet. A super-fast “You Don’t Know What Love Is” allowed her to show off her ability to scat and was followed by a very personal “Let’s Fall in Love” accompanied only by the bass. “Speak Low” opened with a light Latin beat, but then started to swing as Swift stretched the vowel sounds to create a memorable performance. The show closed with a song Musical Director Matt Wigler wrote at the age of 14, “Swaging,” featuring a Wigler solo on piano and very impressive scatting by Swift.
Category: Cabaret Reviews, New York City, New York City Cabaret Reviews, Regional
