Barry Lloyd, San Francisco's Crown Prince of Cabaret, brought the music of the recently deceased Murray Grand to life at the Octavia Lounge as a tune-up before taking the show to NYC's Metropolitan Room. With both the wit and charm Grand's material exudes, Barry worked the room flawlessly, acknowledging acquaintances and often introducing the next song with a prefabricated personal anecdote reminiscent of Frances Faye. The audience ate it up.

Grand is best known for his song "Guess Who I Saw Today," introduced by June Carroll in the classic Broadway musical revue New Faces of 1952. The song was later recorded by Edie Gorme, Nancy Wilson, Carmen MacRae and Sarah Vaughan. He also wrote songs for the 1956, 1962 and 1968 editions of the New Faces revues.

Lloyd opened the show with a smashing rendition of "Not A Moment Too Soon," (recorded by Mabel Mercer and Peggy Lee), then launched into the comic "I Was Beautiful" and "Up Yours," songs that might be considered "special material" or "novelty" songs in '50s and '60s musical theatre, but great gems for cabaret performances. The show then proceeded from comic ditties; the sexual double entendres of "Deep Sea Diver," the mock earnestness of "April in Fairbanks" to "You Must Remember to Forget" to ballads like "The Years Haven't Changed You," "Thursday's Child" (recorded by Eartha Kitt), and a lovely "You Will Be Loved" (recorded by San Francisco's Paula West in 2001).

Accompanied by Daniel Fabricant on bass and Randy O'Dell on drums, Barry Lloyd and this tribute to Murray Grand's music sparkles -- inhabiting the lyrics, re-introducing us to a lesser known but much deserving composer, and keeping alive the Noel Coward-esque humor, wit and style that cabaret once was.

Barry Lloyd is at NYC's Metropolitan Room April 25.

Steve Murray
Cabaret Scenes
April 13, 2007
www.cabaretscenes.org