By Marilyn Lester***Auf Wiedersehen, Au revoir, Hasta luego, Arrivederci—phrases so much more delicate and hopeful than the implied finality of the English “goodbye.” These former are true expressions of “see you soon,” which we know will be true as we gathered in the Cutting Room to bid bon chance to Sue Matsuki. And it was a swell party indeed as she gathered her long-time collaborators, The Gregory Toroian Trio, for a nostalgic and joyous trip through their 30 years together. The repertoire was a collection of songs and styles, all arranged by Toroian, from their first show, “Speaking of Happines
s” to the most recent, “Kral Space.”
What better way to send a message than in song, and so opener, “Accentuate the Positive” (Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer) set the swingy tone for positivity… not that we needed convincing on that account. A sold out room full of friends and colleagues was veritably pulsing with good and loving vibes of well-wishes. And as the show progressed, the theme revealed itself through music and narrative; from Matsuki’s arrival in New York from her home state of Connecticut, to this present moment, this musical memoir was all about love in its many forms and faces. How special then, were the duets with Toroian on “The Glory of Love” (Billy Hill), “Because of You” (Arthur Hammerstein, Duddley Wilkinson) and “Night and Day” (Cole Porter).
The repertoire was varied and also included excellent choices off the beaten musical path. Matsuki revealed that in 30 years the collaboration had resulted in an amazing 300 charts. The Brazilian novelty song, “O Pato,” The Duck, was written in 194
8 by Jaime Silva and Neuza Teixeira and first recorded by Joāo Gilberto in 1960. English lyrics were devised by Jon Hendricks, yielding a vocalese samba that was plenty of fun for Matsuki and the rest of us, including a “quack, quack, quack” chorus. On the other end of the spectrum, in a serious segment of the show, Andrew Lippa’s ‘How Did We Come to This” perfectly aligned with the seriousness of our current political situation. Toward the song’s conclusion, a projected image of the Statue of Liberty in mourning said it all—and clearly what this choice turned out to be was cathartic, and a healing moment for a community of like-minded people.
A creative twist appeared in Carly Simon’s “Anticipation.” No catsup here (remember that commercial?), but the tune delivered as a slow-tempo story song. A touching segment was a personal remembrance of Matsuki’s close relationship with cabaret doyenne, the late icon, Julie Wilson. The musical tribute to her was “Autumn Leaves” (the English-language version of the French song “Les Feuilles mortes” by Joseph Kosma and Jacques Prévert, with English lyrics by Johnny Mercer).As a dedication to her husband, Kenro, she sang a lovely, upbeat “Nothing Like You” (Bob Dorough, Fran Landesman).
A
creative intertwining of “This Masquerade” (Leon Russell), “Happy Days Are Here Again” (Milton Ager, Jack Yellen) and”Get Happy” (HHarold Arlen, Ted Koehler) a la thhe Barbra Streisand arrangement, sung with guest vocalist Kati Neiheisel and with input from Toroian. Many thanks were dispensed before the finale, not the least of these to Toroian, of lush pianistic creativity along with arrangements, bassist Skip Ward and drummer David Silliman, first-call musicians whose skills ad support of the vocalist are nonpareil. For us all, Matsuki sang “There Will Never Be Another You” (Harry Warren, Mack Gordon) andd ending with Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” a sure signal that although Matsuki will henceforth be based in a Caribbean paradise, her connections to NYC remain unbroken.
Photos by Natasha Castillo
