By Michael Barbieri***Every so often, a performer comes along who wins you over the minute they hit the stage and you just know that you’re in for a fantastic show. So it was with the incandescent Gabrielle Lee in her show, A Tin Pan Alley Celebration of Black History Month, honoring African American artists and composers at Feinstein’s/54 Below.
Gabrielle Lee is a multi talented performer who has appeared in theaters around the country, including The Fabulous Fox Theater, the Wang Theater, and the Paper Mill Playhouse. She has worked with likes of Steely Dan, Natalie Cole, Harry Belafonte and Michael Bolton, among others. In Lee’s winning show at Feinstein’s/54 Below, she paid tribute to many of the iconic Black singers and songwriters of Tin Pan Alley and Harlem’s Golden Age.
Entering through the house wearing a gorgeous vintage red dress with black beaded fringe and peeking out from behind an ostrich plume fan, Lee opened with the fun, frisky “I’m a Little Blackbird Looking for a Bluebird” (G.W. Meyer, A. Johnston). Making her way through the crowd, flirting with several male audience members, myself included, she then hit the stage with “Hot Time in the Old Town” (T. Metz, J. Hayden), serving u
p a fabulous Cotton Club vibe. One of the aspects of Ms. Lee’s performance that impressed me instantly, was that she is clearly a strong, modern woman, who nonetheless understood the time-honored Tin Pan Alley style of music she was presenting.
Lee continued the jazzy, uptempo energy with classics like “Darktown Strutters Ball” (S. Brooks), “Half of Me Wants to Be Good” and the sassy “He May Be Your Man” (H. Humes). After giving us a brief history of Bert Williams, the groundbreaking African American vaudevillian entertainer, she proved that she also knows her way around darker material by giving us a lovely rendition of Williams’ signature song, “Nobody” (B. Williams, A. Rogers). Lee’s delivery of this trailblazing piece was vampy, yet sad and tinged with irony.
Joined by her special guest, Jennie Harney-Fleming, Lee served up more risqué humor with “My Handyman” (A. Razaf, E. Waters). These two dynamos brought the house down, hitting every naughty double-entendre and playing beautifully off each other, gathering plenty of laughs along the 
way. Lee left the stage, giving Harney-Fleming a wonderful solo moment with “Squeeze Me” (G. Mill, N. David Williams), during which she exhibited her own exceptional vocal control.
When Lee returned, now dressed in a sleek silver satin gown, she brought us more of her toe-tapping, lively and never overly didactic history lesson. We got such standards as “Bill Bailey” (H. Cannon), “Them There Eyes” (M. Pinkard, D. Tauber, W. Tracey), and a saucy duet of “Butter and Egg Man” (P. Venable), where she was joined by drummer Colin Hancock, who brought not only a spirited tempo, but sang and scatted, holding his own beautifully with Ms. Lee!
Easily one of the most emotional moments of the evening came when a glorious, clear soprano voice rang out from the audience, where, sitting at a table in a single, elegant spotlight, Lee’s aunt, Marion Moore, sang the opening strains of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (J. Weldo
n Johnson, J. Rosamond Johnson). This moving hymn, known as the African American National Anthem, was then taken up by Ms. Lee and also, spontaneously, by several people in the audience, who stood in solemn reverence to this important piece of music. The number was given a standing ovation at its conclusion, and rightfully so!
Everything about this Tin Pan Alley Celebration of Black History Month seemed picture perfect to me—from the smart, entertaining song choices, to the period-appropriate costuming and even the vintage-look carbon spring microphone used onstage by Ms. Lee. I also need to mention her amazing band: Musical Director Peter Yarin at the piano, Mike Davis on cornet and trumpet, Vince Giordano on bass…and tuba, no less, and the aforementioned Colin Hancock on drums. Not only did they provide a flawless jazz era, jumpin’-jive sound, but they controlled their dynamics beautifully, so as never to o
verpower the vocalists.
This splendid show was Lee’s first solo cabaret act, and I hope to see more from her in the future. Also, although this was a one-night-only performance, it’s the kind of show that deserves to be seen by a wider audience. There is so much amazing material and history here that everyone should experience—not just once a year, but over and over again! Needless to say, I’m now a fan of the fabulous Gabrielle Lee!
Photos by Michael Barbieri
