By Marilyn Lester***The title of Susan Mack‘s show at Birdland Theater, Music in the Air, is a great indication of what the show’s about and how much Mack loves jazz. The eponymous tune, as she explained, was originally written in 1951 by composer-arranger-saxophonist George (Gigi) Gryce as an instrumental. Singer-lyricist Jon Hendricks added words in 1959. The version sung by Mack was arranged for vocalese for this occasion by vocalist-trumpeter Benny Benack III. More than that, “Music in the Air” was inspirational for the birth of this show, an outing that served as a terrific showcase for Mack’s talents and for the nonpareil world of jazz music.
Another tune originally an instrumental, by pianist George Shearing, with added lyric by George David Weiss, “Lullaby of Birdland,” was aptly perfect. Mack’s smoky vocal tone lent itself well to the number in which she demonstrated a fine ability to scat. Scat was also well-applied to the quirky and ironic Cole Porter tune, “Get Out of Town,” often associated with Ella Fitzgerald. Many of Mack’s choices were ones in the Fitzgerald repertoire, as was a Latinized “The Midnight Sun” (Lionel Hampton, Sonny Burke, with lyric later added by Johnny Mercer). Amusingly, Mack told of an original list of 70 tunes under consideration for Music in the Air, and the not-so-easy task of whittling the selections down to a compact set. The result was eclectic and thoroughly enjoyable.
Another strong suit of Mack’s is her phrasing, which makes up for sweet vocals, but not a lot of outright power behind them. Phrasing is key to having that mystical “feel” for jazz, which she unmistakably possesses. Another tune originally an instrumental, “Spain (I Can Recall)” (Chick Corea, Joaquin Rodrigo) with lyric later added by Al Jarreau, was impeccably delivered. Singing jazz standards that were not written with vocalists in mind is often a challenge. Chord structures and harmonics are, therefore, more demanding. Mack aces that task. She also showed especial creativity in a brightly unique phrasing of “You and the Night and the Music” (Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz). Another highlight was a song written for “that great philosopher,” Kermit the Frog: “Bein’ Green” (Joe Raposo).
In the varied set list, what jumped out time and again was the originality of the arrangements—and no wonder, for they were created through the genius of pianist-arranger extraordinaire, Tedd Firth. Although there were times when tempos were too unvaried, by and large the charts were beautifully executed by a first-rate band of an agile Ted Rosenthal on piano, David Finck on bass and Ray Marchica on drums. The Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm” was a powerhouse of rhythm, with Marchica making forceful statements through his drumming magic. Finck demonstrated his prodigious skill with playing forward on a deeply anchored “I Keep Going Back to Joe’s” (Marvin Fischer, Jack Segal).
Mack’s intent in Music in the Air, directed by Lina Koutrakos, was to celebrate the “power and magic” of music in our lives, rejoicing in the “forever music” of American Songbook/jazz standards. Unlike cabaret, there’s no thematic narrative in jazz, where musical numbers dominate. But in the setups and brief comments, delivered with charm and just a hint of nervous energy, Mack surely made her case with care, love and dollops of humor. With this combination of assets, fortunate are we who hear the music in the air.
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