By Marilyn Lester***For those who know pianist Tedd Firth mainly as a crackerjack accompanist/musical director/arranger to stars such as Melissa Errico, Karen Akers, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Christine Ebersole, Marilyn Maye and many others, there’s a whole other Tedd persona that’s too seldom seen: Firth happens to be one of the most accomplished jazz pianists on the planet. Appearing at Birdland Theater with his trio (David Finck on bass, Mark McLean on drums) he mightily swung a program of jazz standards that begged for more, more—and in the bargain was totally transporting!
Firth has a toolkit full of style, technique and deep-down soul. For one thing, like many of the great vocalists he’s worked with, he’s an ace at storytelling through music. The trio’s “Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)” (Stevie Wonder) with its engaging forward motion, built an arc to a compelling conclusion. Throughout, Firth played a recurring riff that served as a defining leitmotif to this delightful piece. Among many musical treasures, the set also stood out for the inclusion of seldom-heard tunes (in the cabaret/vocal world at least), such as a delightful opener of “Sunday” (Chester Conn) and a George Gershwin trunk song, “For You, For Me, For Evermore,” resurrected by brother Ira, who wrote lyrics to the long-unheard melody.
Firth’s previous trio appearances at Birdland Theater, pre-pandemic, had featured guest singers. In this iteration of the show, post pandemic lockdown, the spotlight was on the musicians alone, with special moments going to Finck and McClean. Both of these players are stellar in their class, both having a decades-long relationship with Firth. That simpatico produces seamless, in-the-pocket renditions of the music with an uncommon, lush robustness. It was a treat, then, to hear Finck and McClean in their solo turns. McClean’s work on Thelonius Monk’s “Bemsha Swing” included an assertive tambourine introduction leading to crafty percussive hits, such as clave-inspired stick-work. Finck, who often works his instrument like a guitar or violin, played his own arrangement of “Christmas Time Is Here” (Vince Guaraldi) that was especially, beautifully melodic.
As to his own inspiration, Firth, a reluctant jazz player in his early youth, heard, was entranced with and converted by Oscar Peterson. The reason, he said, was that he heard joy in Peterson’s playing. Firth chose a very sturdy set of shoulders upon which to stand. His own playing style, with a penchant for glissando, is likewise consistently joyful. What’s more, Firth literally puts himself into it with animated, full-body gusto. It’s not just his fingers that lithely move over the keys! As a tribute to O.P., he played that master’s arrangement of “Swinging on a Star” (Jimmy Van Heusen).
Modest, charming and as authentic as they come, Firth joked of his jazz persona that he wasn’t going to give up his “day job.” We’re fortunate to have the two Tedd Firths, but of the jazz artist, we sincerely would like to see (and hear) much more. This was an evening full of enormous riches mining the jazz canon. The closer, “What a Little Moonlight Can Do” (Harry M. Woods), a fast-tempo tune most associated with a very young Billie Holiday and pianist Teddy Wilson, was played at super-speed, a tempo that positively proved the chops of all concerned on stage, and astonished with Firth’s flexibility and agility on the keys. More of Tedd Firth, jazz pianist, would be a welcome boon to a world that sorely needs more joy and more jazz.
Photo of Mark McClean by Kevin Ailvey
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