By Marilyn Lester***Vocalist Karen Mack got deeply into her jazz roots, performing in the coveted Monday night slot at Birdland—just before Cast Party. Well-known in the cabaret community (who packed the house to the rafters), Karen has “it” when it comes to jazz, a not-so-common commodity for many singers who aspire to jazz and who, like Mack, are cross-genre. The show also celebrated the recent release of Mack’s solo CD, Catch and Keep.
Amusing to a person with a foot in jazz and cabaret (c’est moi) is the reaction that jazzers have when at a cabaret show: “why are they talking so much?” The very relaxed, cheerful and talkative Mack was, after all, performing for an audience who loved her patter and might well have expected it. The main point: her sweet and informative narrative didn’t distract from the music, of which there was an abundance, with the singer fronting a kick-ass band: Pete McCann (guitars), Matt Aronoff (bass), Mark McLean (drums). Guest saxophonist Darmon Meader added texture to several songs and Mack’s frequent partner at other jazz outings, pianist-vocalist-songwriter, Elliot Roth, sat in for a closing number. Special kudos to Mack’s music director, Peter Eldridge pianist-singer and prolific songwriter.
In the versatility department, Mack aced ballads too, turning the standard “Imagination” (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke) into a reflective and effective story song. Lyric interpretation in the jazz world often is tangential to rhythm, but in her execution of the ballads in the show, Mack demonstrated she’s tuned into the words she’s singing. Humor and wit came in the Latinized “I’m So Repentant” (Dave Cantor) and the ironic and tongue-in-cheek master work, Nellie McKay’s ode to the Trad Wife, “I Wanna Get Married.” In this varied and well-chosen set, which offered the new (including Mack and Eldridge originals) Mack made all the tunes sound fresh and new and as comfortable to listen to as old familiar friends.
Photos by Natasha Castillo
