By Marilyn Lester***It’s hard to believe that it’s been four years since Nicolas King appeared at Birdland—but there was that interlude of the pandemic after all. Needless to say, it was great to see him back, revved up with characteristic high energy, swinging big and dispensing excitement with every note. “It’s like being shot out of a canon he declared,” finishing up his opener, a medley of “Yes, I Can” (Charles Strouse, Lee Adams ) and “I Can See It” ( Harvey Schmidt, Tom Jones). Indeed, that 
powerhouse delivery was a musical thrill ride, portending more delights to come.
Much of what King has been doing of late has been traveling. And as much as that’s a joy, being away from home a lot also calls up feelings of longing. That nostalgia was wholly captured in “New York State of Mind,” Billy Joel’s 1976 love song to the City from one who’s been away from it for too long. Another NYC-centric tune came with a double whammy—”Spring in Manhattan” (Anthony James Scibetta, Alice Scanlan Reach). The tune is an ode to our town most associated with Tony Bennett, but more prized among many is the version as intimately sung by the late jazz/cabaret legend, Blossom Dearie. King’s rendition melded both approaches into a ballad with jazz phrasing. Paying homage to another icon of jazz, Ella Fitzgerald, King certainly swung it to the hilt with “(If You Can’t Sing It) You’ll Ha
ve to Swing It (Mr. Paganini)” (Sam Coslow), with some fun Ella riffs thrown in for good measure.
Recently, King has been touring with Seth Sikes in a show entitled, The New Belters, which is, in truth, a semi-accurate description. While the two have a terrific stage chemistry and blend well harmonically, on his own Sikes tends more toward belt over King’s mature style of vocal presentation. Both well understand vocal modulation, but when it comes to using dynamics to tell a story, King is… well, king. Although he sang several ballads in this well-conceived and paced show, it was with “When You Wish Upon a Star” (Leigh Harline, Ned Washington) and “Children Will Listen” (Stephen Sondheim) that King’s ability to get to the heart of a song shone like a supernova. The former tune was also part of a Disney tribute that featured intense scat (he’s a master at that too) and a swinging band solo.
The trio backing King was in the pocket, wonderfully attuned to his style and song choices. When you see that the
musicians are having a great time on stage, that observation tells its own story. Daniel Glass on drums added creative beats throughout, particularly some Latin spice on the opening medley, with ace Steve Doyle on bass and the off-the-scale talented Russ Kassoff music directing and on the keys. A spotlight moment for both player and vocalist came with a piano-only accompaniment to the hauntingly emotive “Too Late Now” (Burton Lane, Alan Jay Lerner). A slow bass-only introduction to “I Will Wait for You” (Michel Legrand, Norman Gimbel) was an effective beginning leading into picking up the pace and adding swing to the tune.
A comic interlude also featured a whole new dynamic for King: singer-pianist—and it was a lovely surprise. Should there be a piano bar (the Algonquin Hotel comes to mind) in need of prime talent, management will know where to look. Starting with the premise, “What if Britney Spears wrote a jazz song?”, King la
unched into a jazz funk version of “Baby One More Time” (Max Martin). Britney might consider a reboot using King’s arrangement!
All too soon we arrived at the encore, another “hold-on-to-your-hair” swingfest of “Love Is Just Around the Corner” (Lewis E. Gensler, Leo Robin). Think Jo Jones (Count Basie’s longtime drummer), Eddie Condon or Benny Goodman on steroids. This bopping tune capped a show that offered plenty of high points. In the four years that King was last seen on the Birdland stage, he’s honed his already sophisticated abilities to create and deliver a product of excellence, but more than that, he has matured as a storyteller. Should that doyenne of the art, Mabel Mercer, have been looking down at King from her heavenly golden throne, she must surely have been smiling broadly in approval.
