By Andrew Poretz***The New York Pops, under the direction of conductor Steven Reineke, presented a fabulous evening of songs in Get Happy: That Nelson Riddle Sound—a long-delayed concert to celebrate arranger Riddle’s 2021 centennial. Featuring vocalists Tony DeSare and Broadway star Capathia Jenkins, the concert presented some of the best of Riddle’s extraordinary output from 1950 to 1985.
Riddle’s importance to the resurgence of the Great American Songbook cannot be overstated. His work with singers, particularly Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Rosemary Clooney and Judy Garland, created some of the most memorable, top-selling albums in history. His approach gave his arrangements a signature sound that made their identification unmistakable.
The concert kicked off with Riddle’s sprightly instrumental of “Get Happy” (Harold Alren, Ted Koehler), complete with the familiar muted trumpet. Capathia Jenkins, resplendent in a glittery black gown, opened her segment with “Strike Up the Band” and “They Can’t Take That Away from Me” (both George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin), from Riddle’s legendary Songbook series with Ella Fitzgerald. Jenkins is an excellent singer, though, unlike Ella, she does not improvise, which on a later song tripped her up when she forgot some words and had to start a section over. There would be no Ella in Berlin magic there.
An instrumental, Cole Porter’s “The Lady is A Tramp,” was a masterful adaptation by Reineke of the Sinatra/Riddle recording, with its famous piano introduction and unmistakable vamps.
Classic Riddle uptempo charts are orchestrated like great sex, with a bit of foreplay, some dancing around, a building excitement followed by wild abandon and a climax, with some pillow talk to end the piece. When you mix this quality with the sex appeal of a swinging Sinatra, you get fireworks. Tony DeSare stepped into 
Sinatra’s shoes, appearing in a charcoal suit and black bow tie. DeSare has a smooth baritone, with a vocal timbre similar to Harry Connick, Jr. He doesn’t impersonate Sinatra, but borrows much of Sinatra’s specific phrasing and techniques. He’s an excellent singer and performer, if missing Sinatra’s combustible energy.
DeSare sang “Nice ‘n’ Easy” (Lew Spence,Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman) with the legato lines of a young Sinatra. “Mona Lisa” (Jay Livingston,Ray Evans), Nat King Cole’s 1950 hit, included the Spanish guitar introduction, here played by seven-string guitarist, Edward Decker. DeSare’s singing here is fine, though bland compared to Cole’s.
Things picked up with DeSare and Jenkins’ first duet, the Gershwins’ “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off,” originally orchestrated for Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. A clever update of the song included references to Siri and Alexa. DeSare and Jenkins made a formidable duo.
After intermission, Riddle’s son, Christopher, guest-conducted several songs, starting with “The Route 66 Theme,” which Riddle wrote for the television show of that name. Christopher resembles a shorter Nelson Riddle, and currently conducts the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. He’s funny, and told a great story about how the “Theme from Route 66” came to be written and used rather than the Bobby Troup song made famous by Nat King Cole—“(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66.” With this brilliant, evocative orchestration, one could almost feel that iconic Chevy convertible speeding around the USA.
Tony DeSare, now in a sparkling dinner jacket, returned for “It Happened in Monterrey” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” both from Sinatra’s seminal 1956 album, Songs for Swingin’ Lovers. Riddle’s greatest works were created with his “back to the wall” on a tight deadline. “Skin” is one of those, written late one night by an exhausted Riddle. DeSare here mostly followed the smooth phrasing of the record over the Sinatra concert style. The Pops trombonist played the Milt Bernhart solo note for note. DeSare’s original tune, “Paris Always Will Have You,” was orchestrated in the style of a cut from the album. He played piano for half the song. Here, DeSare truly shined and totally nailed the album’s vibe.
Capathia Jenkins returned with arrangements from Riddle’s final albums with Linda Ronstadt, with a gorgeous arrangement of “When You Wish Upon a Star,” the last chart Riddle wrote. Starting rubato with solo piano, it became a slow jazz combo waltz before the strings came in. Two modulations brought this arrangement to two climaxes, with a surprising soprano finish by Jenkins.
A terrific duet of “Zing Went the Strings of My Heart” used the same arrangement Judy Garland sang on the same Carnegie Hall stage in 1961. The standing ovation was enough to get a short encore duet of “When You’re Smiling” (Larry Shay, Joe Goodwin and Mark Fisher).
With Nelson Riddle’s extensive body of work, it would be impossible to cover his entire career in one concert. Still, skipping The Concert Sinatra, an album Riddle arranged for an orchestra virtually the same size as this one, was a bit of a lost moment. That said, Get Happy: That Nelson Riddle Sound was a spectacular homage to one of the most important arrangers in popular music history.
Photos by Richard Termine
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