By Michael Barbieri****At the start of her Ella Fitzgerald tribute, Natalie Douglas told us Ella had delicious taste in music. And Natalie sang that music deliciously!
Natalie Douglas is a two-time Backstage Bistro Award winner, a ten-time MAC Award winner, as well as the recipient of a Nightlife Award, the Donald F. Smith and Margaret Whiting Awards from the Mabel Mercer Foundation; plus, her portrait hangs on the Birdland Jazz Club Wall of Fame! She’s performed across the U.S. and around the world, doing tributes to legends like Nina Simone, Nat King Cole, Shirley Bassey, Barbra Streisand and Dolly Parton, among other shows. But this night, it was all about the First Lady of Song, Miss Ella Fitzgerald.
From the moment she took the stage, Natalie had an air of exuberance and happiness about her, and her bouncy rendition of Cole Porter’s “Too Darn Hot” made that joy contagious. In her polka dotted black tulle party dress, she looked too darn hot herself—beautiful, confident, and ready to entertain us. After the opener, she gave us a little background on Fitzgerald, starting with the fact that Ella was known to go a bit off track, occasionally, during her live shows. She told us that Ella would say “…tonight you’ll hear some old ones, some new ones—and some we don’t know.” Continuing, Natalie said “So in that tradition….” indicating that she herself might miss a lyric here, or stray from a melody line there. Of course, that anything-can-happen feel is part of the fun of live music, and we were happy to go along with Natalie, no matter where.
We learned how Ella got her start when she auditioned for the Apollo Theater’s amateur night, originally intending to dance, but after watching two amazing dancers ahead of her, she decided to sing instead. Natalie pointed out that if Ella hadn’t changed paths that night we would’ve missed out on all this glorious music. With her next number, “How Long Has This Been Going On,” Natalie began with a sly ad-lib verse that transitioned into a romantic, subtly sexy refrain. Pianist Billy Stritch accentuated the sultry mood with a light-fingered, jazzy instrumental break.
We also heard a toe-tapping “Cow Cow Boogie” and an arrangement of “Love For Sale” that was dark at first, but then brightened; Natalie’s body language sold the song beautifully, as she ran her hands lightly up and down her body while singing “who’s prepared to pay the price, for a trip to paradise?”
One of the most dramatic moments of the evening came with “I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good),” by Ella’s favorite composer, Duke Ellington. In it, Natalie’s acting came to the fore, with a heart-tugging strain of melancholy in her voice and a face that spoke volumes as she sang the Paul Francis Webster lyric, “Lord above me, make him love me the way he should.” The longing on her face and in her eyes just made her gorgeous vocal even more poignant.
After a smooth, swinging “Learnin’ The Blues” that demonstrated Natalie’s lovely control of a melody, we launched into what might’ve been called the “some we don’t know” section of the night. In “I Found A New Baby,” Ella was known to go off the tracks a bit, riffing, scatting and improvising. This was Natalie’s version of that Fitzgerald style—loose and lively, which prompted her to remark on the fun and terror of making live music; but for her, she said, music makes her feel like home. She then gave us one of Ella’s signature songs, “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” which called for a bit of audience participation. While the “call and response” section with the audience didn’t quite work, as we never really knew when to come in, and Natalie flubbed a few lyrics along the way, it was all great fun and nothing bad happened; the sky didn’t fall and we all adored it! That’s jazz!
After a wistful “But Not For Me,” with sensitive piano work from Billy Stritch, he joined Natalie for a duet of “Can’t We Be Friends,” by Kay Swift and Paul James. In it, the bright, jazzy timbre of Billy’s voice matched Natalie’s perfectly and their interaction was as spirited as the arrangement.
Toward the end of the set, we learned that Ella loved to record all styles of music and that in the 1960s she tried her hand at rock and roll. While “Imagine My Frustration” was hardly what most of us think of as rock music today, it had an irresistible, rocking, bluesy feel, and I once again found myself tapping my feet and bobbing my head along with them. We also heard a hot bass solo from Mimi Jones, which just added extra jump to the song. (Editors note: “Imagine My Frustration” was written in 1965 as a doo-wop mimicry for Ella, by Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn and Gerald Wilson.)
After introducing Stritch, Mimi Jones, and drummer Shirazette Tinin, all of whom had created a big band feel, but with jazz club dynamics that never overpowered, we heard one more rock song famously recorded by Ella—Lennon and McCartney’s “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Natalie had fun with the swinging arrangement and at times, with the lyrics, and closed the show on a happy high note!
I have to admit, sheepishly, that this was my first time at Birdland, but it won’t be my last. I found the club to be terrific—good food, tiered tables with plenty of room (even with a sold-out house), a neon accented bar, and a good sized stage with excellent sound and lighting. I also admit that it’s been too long since I’ve seen one of Natalie’s full shows, but knowing that this talented lady has other tribute shows in store, including one for Cher, I know I’ll be seeing her again soon!
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