Paulo Szot
54 Below, NYC, August 29, 2014
Reviewed by Joel Benjamin for Cabaret Scenes
Suave, handsome Paulo Szot slipped smoothly into his saloon singer persona, singing a program that combined selections from his Brazilian origins, musicals and even a bit of opera, sculpting his rich instrument to fit the intimate 54 Below.
“Summertime” (Gershwin/Heyward) and “Too Darn Hot” (Porter) were perfect openers for this summer night and, certainly, all his Brazilian repertoire kept the temperature “way up.
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” Jobim was the major Brazilian composer represented with his “One Note Samba” (Newton Mendonça), “Sad” (Romero Lubambo/Norman Gimbel), “Wave” and “Desafinado” (Mendonça), all of which he performed with a quotidian feel for the lyrics and their subtle rhythms. Add to these the classic “Bésame Mucho” (Consuelo Velázquez/Sunny Skylar) and the sensual quotient of the evening was filled to the brim.
“Nature Boy” (Eden Ahbez) had a lovely bowed bass solo that added to Szot’s sensitive interpretation.
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The Bricusse/Newley classic, “What Kind of Fool Am I?,” had with a quiet intensity, ending on a surprisingly effective falsetto note.
The sole operatic aria, from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, was included because of its similarity to “Lover, Come Back to Me” from The New Moon (Romberg/Hammerstein), his voice filling the room to its edges.
A quiet “Old Devil Moon” (Lane/Harburg) was contrasted with an emotionally rich “This Nearly Was Mine” (Rodgers/Hammerstein), a song which helped win Szot his Tony Award. Of course, he ended with that baritone cornerstone “If Ever I Would Leave You” (Loewe/Lerner).
Musical Director Matthew Aucoin led David Finck on bass and David Meade on drums with a finesse that belied his years.