By Marilyn Lester***To say that master storyteller and raconteur Steve Ross has never been better is to put the singer-pianist in the realm of what Duke Ellington classified as “beyond categ
ory.” Well, indeed, this rightly-dubbed “Crown Prince of Cabaret” was in the zone with his entirely new show, Moonlight and Love Songs: Steve Ross Sings Romance, at Birdland. The evening was a grand tour of some of the most delightful music of the International and American Songbooks, classic and new, and there wasn’t a misstep in the bunch.
Ross, with economical narrative—including setups, observations and interesting bits of knowledge—was able to include so many great and amazing songs in the show that yours truly lost count. That head-spinning tally was surely the feat of a superhero of the piano. Valentine’s Day had just passed, but love and romance is always in the air when it comes to popular music. Ross opened with an upbeat “Taking a Chance on Love”/”Let’s Fall in Love” (Duke, Latouche, Fetter/Arlen, Koehler), followed by “My Romance” (Rodgers/Hart), complete with verse. And that is one reason Ross is a master of what he does:
he includes the verse in most of the Songbook numbers he offers. More than not, this oft-eliminated part of the song is import to set the story up. And this is what makes the American Songbook so Great—the lyrics tell stories that define the human condition, not only in love/romance, but well beyond.
For “No Moon at All” (Mann, Evans), generally sung as an up-jazz standard, Ross slowed the number down, making the delightful lyrics pop. Not only is Ross a master of lyric interpretation and storytelling of the traditional kind, but he can mine the depths of his inner comedian, delivering the fun and funny with wit and wryness. Several light-hearted tunes were included, such as “That’s How Much I Love You” from One Touch of Venus, in which Kurt Weill’s music benefited by the lyrics by the master of light verse and humorous poetry, Ogden Nash (“The cow is of the bovine ilk; One end is moo, the other, milk”). “Any Little Fish” displayed the drollery of Sir Noël Coward; and in the ultimate of a little naughty and amusing, “Dolphin’s Song” (Lee Pockriss), was delivered by Ross with a devilish twinkle in his eye.
The range of themes, emotions and astuteness in Ross’ set list included a love song 
that’s also “an existential statement”— Dietz and Schwarts’ “Dancing in the Dark.” There was a large dollop of Cole Porter (“I’ve Got You on My Mind,” “I Concentrate on You”) and another of George and Ira Gershwin, via guest artist, the German-born vocalist Nina Wachenfeld, who offered “S’ Wonderful” and “Love Walked In.” In an homage to Marlene Dietrich and Edith Piaf, Wachenfeld offered in German, Friedrich Hollaender’s “I Don’t Know to Whom I Belong” and “Falling in Love Again (Can’t Help It),” as well as, in French, Louiguy and Piaf’s “La Vie en Rose.” The encore, with Wachenfeld, Norman Brooks’ “Somebody Wonderful,” capped a thrilling evening of entertainment that ticked off all the boxes of excellence: an uber-talented and charming host, extraordinary music presented with intelligence and panache and an energy level in the room that lifted the vibe to heights of inspiration and joy.
