Paula West and the George Mesterhazy quartet set the bar for everything cabaret performances should be and this new show may be her finest yet. The song selection is exciting, her voice improving with age and the musicianship and orchestrations second to none. Mesterhazy’s brilliant arrangements present West with quick-paced swing beats complementing her upbeat style on gems like “The Darktown Strutters’ Ball” and “Everything but You.” A huge fan of Bob Dylan, she reinterprets “Maggie’s Farm,” adding a biting defiance to the lyric and a soulful reggae beat to “All I Really Want to Do.”

West imbues her deliveries with a sincerity and power, never strong-arming a tune or striking a false note. “Where Flamingos Fly,” a sad romantic ballad with Mesterhazy’s delicate piano accompaniment shows her at her finest, a blend of subtle yet powerful nuance and sensational showmanship. Lil Green’s “Romance in the Dark,” a racy tune for its day, as well as Cole Porter’s sophisticated novelty song, “Nobody’s Chasing Me,” are revitalized with West’s modern jazz sensibilities and joy in the lyric.

The set covers the gamut from swing, reggae, jazz, standards (an amazing “My Romance”) to zydeco (“Iko Iko”) seamlessly with tasteful instrumental breaks from Barak Mori on bass, Jerome Jennings on drums and Ed Cherry on guitar. The Peggy Lee /Cy Coleman hit “I’m in Love Again” builds giddily to a huge finish and the first of two well-deserved standing ovations. She seemed slightly overwhelmed with the response, but right now, with this show, Paula West is standing on hallowed ground in the company of the greats.

Paula West continues through March 14.

Steve Murray
Cabaret Scenes
February 2, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org