Steve Ross at Birdland: Let’s Promote Him to “King of Cabaret”

By Marilyn Lester***Decades ago, he was dubbed “The Crown Prince of Cabaret;” it’s about time we promoted Steve Ross to “King of Cabaret.” The singer-pianist has astounded for decades, and more recently, with the grace of wisdom that comes from maturity, his shows are even more thrilling than before. In I Remember Him Well: The Songs of Alan Jay Lerner at Birdland, Ross was illuminative and inspirational. If you went into the club thinking you knew Alan Jay Lerner, you quickly realized how much more there was to know.

After a welcoming intro number, Ross segued into Paint Your Wagon‘s (Frederick Loewe) ” I Talk to the Trees,” with the quip, “When was the last time you heard a song about a plant?” Herein lies a core of a Ross narrative—entertaining and informative with delicious wit. Lerner and Ross make a delightful pair: both are tremendously literate. Lerner is perhaps best know for collaborations with Loewe (Paint Your Wagon, Brigadoon, Camelot, Gigi, My Fair Lady and more) but he also worked with other notable composers such as Burton Lane (Royal Wedding, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever) and Kurt Weill (Love Life). The focus on lyrics not only allowed the old and familiar take on new resonance (“How to Handle a Woman”, Loewe, Camelot and “Too Late Now,” Lane, Royal Wedding), but also gave Ross an opportunity to be creative and humorous. “Wait Till We’re Sixty-Five” ( a cut song from On a Clear Day You Can See Forever), included a riff of the Beatle’s “When I’m 64.”

Guest vocalist Maria E. Lane, a young operatic soprano, not only delivered her songs with verve and fine chops, but also revealed Ross as a superb accompanist (but we knew that!). Lane offered several tunes perfectly curated for her, including My Fair Lady‘s “Show Me” and “Say A Prayer for Me Tonight,” as well as Brigadoon‘s “Waiting For My Dearie” and a call-and-response duet with Ross of “If Ever I Would Leave You,” a Camelot staple.

All too soon the set ended; we probably could have “danced” all night in the richness of Ross’ exquisite talent and the depth that maturity has brought to his performance. An encore with Lane included “Almost Like Being In Love” (Brigadoon) with an audience sing-a-long and concluding with a rousing My Fair Lady number, “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?” During the set, Ross sang, from Love Life (Weill), “Here I’ll Stay.” We sincerely hope so.