Diane Schuur

Ron Forman | May 22, 2015

Diane Schurr

Birdland, NYC, May 18, 2015

Reviewed by Ron Forman for Cabaret Scenes

Unquestionably one of today’s top jazz vocalists, Diane Schuur is also a truly amazing jazz pianist, with exquisite taste in her song selection. Surrounded by Don Braden on sax, Ben Wolfe on bass and Donald Edwards on drums, they form an all-star jazz quartet. I have seen Schuur a number of times, but have never heard her in better voice than in her current stay at Birdland. When she is not scatting with the best, her enunciation is always perfect.

Schuur paid homage to the venue by slipping “Lullabye of Birdland” into her opening number, “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To.” Two Frank Sinatra classics—“Nice ‘n’ Easy” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”—seemed new and different when covered by Schuur. A slow bossa nova “How Insensitive” led into Miles Davis’s “Solar,” giving the quartet an opportunity to show off its ability to do be-bop with the best. It would have been redundant to say that almost all of the numbers featured a great sax solo by Braden, but he did two spectacular solos in “Taking a Chance on Love.” The closing, “For Once in My Life,” featured a bombastic drum solo by Edwards.

Tags: American Songbook, bebop, Ben Wolfe, Birdland, bossa nova, Broadway Musicals, Cabaret, Cabaret Reviews, Cabaret Scenes, Clubs, Composers, Diane Schurr, Don Braden, Donald Edwards, For Once in My Life, Frank Sinatra, Great American Songbook, How Insensitive, I've Got You Under My Skin, Jazz, Lullabye of Birdland, lyricists, Miles Davis, Musicals, nice n easy, Nightclubs, NYC, Popular Song, Revues, Ron Forman, Show Tunes, Singers, Songbook, Standards, Supper Clubs, Taking a Chance on Love, Venues, Vocalists, You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To