Joanne Tatham & Sean Harkness

Tom Rolla’s Gardenia, West Hollywood, CA, September 16, 2015

Reviewed by Les Traub for Cabaret Scenes

In a voice/piano show, there is room for a singer to hide figuratively behind the piano if his or her voice isn’t quite all there. With a voice/guitar duo, the singer is a lot more exposed, as the audience picks up everything. No worries here, though, as the voice and guitar of Joanne Tatham and Sean Harkness (respectively) paired beautifully together.

Many of the songs in the show came from Tatham’s previous outings or her CDs with arrangements originally made for a larger musical group, which necessitated a reworking or fresh approach to the material. She prefaced a number of songs with explanations of why they were chosen or how they first came to her. Her opener of Kenny Rankin and Ruth Batchelor’s “Haven’t We Met” set the relaxed tone for the evening. Voice and guitar are a natural for a bossa nova and the Antonio Carlos Jobim/Ray Gilbert “Dindi” sounded delightful. A few of the songs came from recordings that had an impact on her, particularly Nilsson’s version of “Without You” (by Pete Ham and Tom Evans, a.k.a. “Without Her” and “Without Him”) and Rosemary Clooney’s version of “Tenderly.” Tatham’s voice displayed a rich tonal quality as she reached for some of the lower notes.

Harkness’s sound on the guitar was sublime and Tatham wisely gave him a song on his own. He played an original called “Nod to John,” a tribute to fellow guitarist, John Scofield, which had the room enthralled.

The closer of “We’ll Be Together Again” (Carl T. Fischer/Frankie Laine) is a wish that one hopes will be fulfilled.