Jeudi: Winter Was Warm
Jeudi
Winter Was Warm
Tom Rolla’s Gardenia, West Hollywood, CA, 11/19/15
Reviewed by Les Traub for Cabaret Scenes
Photo: Paul Hemstreet
Jeudi’s seasonal show at the Gardenia took the form of her fantasizing about doing one of those traditional holiday TV specials in the typical of the time, warm family home settings. She and husband, Paul Hemstreet, opened the show in a simulated sleigh ride singing Burton Lane and Ervin Drake’s “Suddenly It’s Christmas” from 1986. A lot of the rest of the show’s song list was comprised of vintage material from the ‘30s to the ‘50s, most of it seldom performed. Once home, they greeted a parade of visitors. First arrivals were musicians David Boswell and Yvette Holzwarth. Continuing with the TV special theme, Jeudi just happened to have musical instrument gifts for the pair, a ukulele for him and a violin for her. John Boswell on piano completed the trio. With David shifting to guitar and Yvette’s wonderful sound on violin and John’s always masterful work on piano, the accompaniment was first class.
The informality of the premise left plenty of room for Jeudi to banter with her musicians and with three carolers who showed up—David Lucky, Keri Kelsey and Paul Ybarra. Each had their turn with a song or two. Lucky performed a delightful original, “Christmas Comes Earlier Every Year,” Kelsey offered up a moving “After the Holidays” and Ybarra sang “My Favorite Things.”
Jeudi’s voice lent itself admirably to the vintage songs. It was a treat to hear such numbers as “It’s Winter Again” and “There’s Frost on the Moon.” The fun spirit that she created for herself and her guests made the evening a total joy.
Category: Cabaret Reviews, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Cabaret Reviews, Regional
