Cabaret Scenes Review

José Promis is a singer and a prolific composer with an international performance background, so it’s no surprise that his cabaret show was a mix of songs in multiple languages plus eclectic originals on diverse themes. The problem is, the mix was so eclectic that the show had no clear through-line.

He saluted his native Chile with “Los Momentos” and “El Condor Pasa”; France with an Edith Piaf song; Greece with a Nana Mouskouri song; and the American West, where he grew up, with Stan Jones’ “Ghost Riders in the Sky.”

But while the connections among those songs was conveyed in notes to the reviewer, Promis did not make the flow all that clear to his audience, nor did he discuss the stories behind any of the ten original songs he included. In fact, there was very little audience interaction between songs.

Promis sings in a soft, relaxed style as he accompanies himself on piano. But with twenty songs, plus a song by a guest artist and two solos by his trumpet player, the show ran ninety minutes and could easily have been trimmed and tightened into a more focused effort.

One of his most entertaining compositions was his first song — “I Sing Off Key,” a bright, up-tempo tune that he sang on key throughout. Among his original songs, “29 Again,” about a person wishing he could stop growing older, was performed with energy, and “Drinking Alone,” about someone waiting for his fortune to change, was also effective, as was the contemplative love song, “Last Winter It Rained Every Day.”

However, the most effective performance of a Promis original was delivered by Yves Baron, a friend from France, who sang “Nostalgia” in a soft, dreamy, melodic style that fully captured the essence of the song about the uncertainties of love (”When you speak of him/You get nostalgia in your eyes”).

Promis’ set included excellent trumpet support from Peter Radinsky, who also scored on two solos: “You’ll Never Know” (Harry Warren/Mack Gordon) and a Hungarian csardis (traditional folk dance). However, when Radinsky put down the trumpet and added percussion by hitting drumsticks against the piano and a music stand, it was more annoying than effective.

Among songs Promis sang by other composers, one standout was “If I Could” — the English lyric by Paul Simon (“I’d rather by a sparrow than a snail/If I could …”) to the Spanish song “El Condor Pasa” that was also a hit overseas in a French version — with Promis opting to sing the English and French lyric. He also scored on “Children of the Stars” — an English translation of the Greek song, “Milisse Mou” by Nikos Gatsos and Manos Hadjidakis that was popularized by Mouskouri — which deals with the characteristics of each astrological sign. But his salute to France — “Hymn to Love,” the English version by Geoffrey Parsons of “Hymn a l’amour” by Piaf and Marguerite Monnot — lacked the emotion the song was written to convey.

He saluted his homeland, Chile, with “Los Momentos,” sung in honor of Chilean Independence Day, which happened to fall on the day of his performance. However, as with the other songs he sang in their original language, he didn’t explain their literal meanings to the audience so they could appreciate whatever emotions they contained.

José Promis is a seasoned entertainer whose show would have benefited from fewer songs and more information on those that were included.

Elliot Zwiebach
Cabaret Scenes
September 18, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org



	José Promis Tom Rolla's Gardenia West Hollywood, CA
José Promis is a singer and a prolific composer with an international performance background, so it’s no surprise that his cabaret show was a mix of songs in multiple languages plus eclectic originals on diverse themes. The problem is, the mix was so eclectic that the show had no clear through-line. He saluted his native Chile with “Los Momentos” and “El Condor Pasa”; France with an Edith Piaf song; Greece with a Nana Mouskouri song; and the American West, where he grew up, with Stan Jones’ “Ghost Riders in the Sky.” But while the connections among those songs was conveyed in notes to the reviewer, Promis did not make the flow all that clear to his audience, nor did he discuss the stories behind any of the ten original songs he included. In fact, there was very little audience interaction between songs. Promis sings in a soft, relaxed style as he accompanies himself on piano. But with twenty songs, plus a song by a guest artist and two solos by his trumpet player, the show ran ninety minutes and could easily have been trimmed and tightened into a more focused effort. One of his most entertaining compositions was his first song — “I Sing Off Key,” a bright, up-tempo tune that he sang on key throughout. Among his original songs, “29 Again,” about a person wishing he could stop growing older, was performed with energy, and “Drinking Alone,” about someone waiting for his fortune to change, was also effective, as was the contemplative love song, “Last Winter It Rained Every Day.” However, the most effective performance of a Promis original was delivered by Yves Baron, a friend from France, who sang “Nostalgia” in a soft, dreamy, melodic style that fully captured the essence of the song about the uncertainties of love (”When you speak of him/You get nostalgia in your eyes”). Promis’ set included excellent trumpet support from Peter Radinsky, who also scored on two solos: “You’ll Never Know” (Harry Warren/Mack Gordon) and a Hungarian csardis (traditional folk dance). However, when Radinsky put down the trumpet and added percussion by hitting drumsticks against the piano and a music stand, it was more annoying than effective. Among songs Promis sang by other composers, one standout was “If I Could” — the English lyric by Paul Simon (“I’d rather by a sparrow than a snail/If I could …”) to the Spanish song “El Condor Pasa” that was also a hit overseas in a French version — with Promis opting to sing the English and French lyric. He also scored on “Children of the Stars” — an English translation of the Greek song, “Milisse Mou” by Nikos Gatsos and Manos Hadjidakis that was popularized by Mouskouri — which deals with the characteristics of each astrological sign. But his salute to France — “Hymn to Love,” the English version by Geoffrey Parsons of “Hymn a l’amour” by Piaf and Marguerite Monnot — lacked the emotion the song was written to convey. He saluted his homeland, Chile, with “Los Momentos,” sung in honor of Chilean Independence Day, which happened to fall on the day of his performance. However, as with the other songs he sang in their original language, he didn’t explain their literal meanings to the audience so they could appreciate whatever emotions they contained. José Promis is a seasoned entertainer whose show would have benefited from fewer songs and more information on those that were included. Elliot Zwiebach Cabaret Scenes September 18, 2009 www.cabaretscenes.org

José Promis

Tom Rolla's Gardenia West Hollywood, CA

Tom Rolla's Gardenia
West Hollywood, CA