Sharón Clark: The Swing Set
Sharón Clark
The Swing Set
Iridium, NYC, July 19, 2016
Reviewed by Ron Forman for Cabaret Scenes
Since her first appearance in New York, I have been a huge fan of Sharón Clark. She continues to grow as an artist, and the proof was her truly dazzling 90-minute show The Swing Set at Iridium. Clark is a pure jazz singer bringing her own interpretation to each number she performs. What makes her a very special jazz vocalist is her incredible vocal range, great sound and delightfully charming persona on stage. Adding to the fun of seeing Clark is the Chris Grasso Trio—Grasso (piano), Michael O’Brien (bass) and Jason Brown (drums). Clark has the confidence to give each of these musicians solo turns in which they shine.
The trio opened with “Big City” allowing each musician to showcase his skills. Clark, attired in bright red, then belted another New York song, “Sunday in New York.” I am usually hesitant to compare one vocalist to another, but when the comparison is to Sarah Vaughan, I think it must be mentioned. Clark’s voice, range and breath control on the third of the New York songs, “Autumn in New York,” was reminiscent of Vaughan. Clark then switched gears and did a super fast “I Cried for You” which showed off her ability to scat. She blended nicely with only O’Brien on “A Foggy Day” that had her scatting slowly. Her ability as a true jazz singer was on display with “’Round Midnight,” enhanced by a brilliant piano solo by the classically trained Grasso. Her facial expressions added to a soft and sweet and very slow “Over and Over Again.” Her subtle sense of humor came through on “Nice Girls Don’t Stay for Breakfast.” Clark closed with “‘T’ain’t Nothing to Me.” The encore number, “Take the ‘A’ Train,” featured a breathtaking drum solo by Brown.
Category: Cabaret Reviews, New York City, Regional
