By Bart Greenberg***Vocalist Jeff Harnar. Songwriter Cole Porter. A match made in Shubert Alley heaven. With the invaluable assistance of music director Alex Rybeck, the singer has returned this thrilling show to Birdland jazz club in front of an 
admiring packed house. When he kicked off the evening with “Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love,” those who hadn’t already fallen in love with the crooner were hooked.
Sliding through the composer’s catalogue, Harnar delivered deeply felt ballads and clever patter songs in a well-arranged song list; and he showed respect for the Indiana songwriter by presenting them without undue embellishment. Well, he did have a bit of fun by updating the lyrics of “I’m Throwing a Ball Tonight” after presenting the very much-of-their-time originals.
Harnar excelled with the incredibly wordy patter songs with which Porter seemed to challenge actors’ memories and enunciation abilities while spreading wit and satire. “It’s De-Lovely” and “Let’s Not Talk About Love” brought out the singer’s happiest spirit and flexibility. Ironically, the only lyric flub of the evening came with one of the ballads, which Harnar dealt with with his customary class. He also had great fun with the one obscurity of the evening, “A Little Skipper From Heaven Above,” an 
absurd comedy number that may be the first lyrical treatment of transvestism written for Jimmy Durante, with Harnar throwing a bit of the Schnozzle’s trademark voice into the mix.
As a crooner, Harnar is in the great tradition of the likes of Dick Haymes and Tony Martin—and so he has a natural affinity for Porter’s ballads. A medley of some of his most distinctive love songs: “Do I Love You?,” “True Love” and “Easy to Love,” glowed in his deeply-thought interpretations within a gorgeous arrangement by Rybeck. And from his appearance at Carnegie Hall for Porter’s Centennial he offered another big medley that stretched from the exploratory “I Am in Love” to the celebratory “You Do Something to Me” and 
“You’ve Got That Thing” to the more romantic “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To” to the comically doubtful “Let’s Not Talk About Love” and ending with the bombastic “From This Moment On.” What a journey!
Rybeck provided some surprising arrangements such as the bolero-ish “Begin the Beguine” and the throbbing “What Is This Thing Called Love?”, which began with just the bass played by the excellent Ritt Henn. Dan Gross on drums greatly contributed to the musical fabric of the evening. Rybeck also joined Harnar on a friendship medley including the witty “Well, Did You ‘Evah.” And, to end the evening on a truly joyous note, the singer celebrated that racy dance come-directly from Paris, France, every verse of the “Can Can.” He made sure to send the audience out on the happiest of clouds.
Photos by Maryann Lopinto
