For the ninth season, Steve Tyrell ushers in the holidays at the Cafe Carlyle with gift packages of familiar songs and the stories they tell. This year focused on Wordsmiths: Lyricists of the Great American Song. Several years ago, Tyrell said in a Cabaret Scenes interview, “I just go out there and sing my songs. I don’t intellectualize them… these great composers, who were able to blend the music and the lyrics in such a tremendously emotional way. You don’t have to reinvent these songs.”
This collection of standard lyrics include the Gershwins’ “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” Rodgers and Hart’s “Isn’t It Romantic” (with a mention of Maurice Chevalier’s mischievous second verse in the film, Love Me Tonight), and the man he felt was the lyricist colossus, Johnny Mercer, who wrote “I Thought About You” to Jimmy Van Heusen’s tune.
Tyrell savors these songs and appreciates those who created them, giving full credit each time, the way Sinatra did, he says. Tyrell comments that often a song is famous for the person who composed the melody while the lyric writer might not be remembered. One example is “I Say a Little Prayer,” known best as a Burt Bacharach work, while Hal David, who wrote the words, is not as well known. The song was traditionally sung by a woman. When Tyrell wanted to perform it, the only way he could make sense of the meaning was to change an early line from first person to second: “Before you put on your makeup.
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Always in warm contact with the audience, he delivers the songs with a personal touch, creating a cozy intimacy and drawing fans who come regularly to his shows, some from Europe, others from across the country.
An engaging voice with a familiar warm, gravely quality, Tyrell’s range is not wide, but he sustains notes and he hits them on target. He sings with a light swing, his timing has strength and hangs just behind the beat. He credits his band of standout instrumentalists, and for good reason. They provide upbeat support for his vocals, adding color, sentiment and humor. Like Tyrell, they make it all sound natural and deceptively simply. It’s important to remember however, that Tyrell, who spent most of his life involved in the music business and producing hit recordings for others, is a hard-working professional with Grammy Award-winning albums to prove it. He makes sure his own product is as carefully arranged. At the same time, while he delivers the standards in a traditional style (vocals first, then musicians, back to the vocals and out), the musicians have some freedom in their allotted segments. Trumpeter Bijon Watson shone in some standout moments in “I Can’t Get Started with You” (Vernon Duke with George Gershwin) and in Gerry Goffin and Carole King’s “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.
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Tyrell’s musical director is versatile pianist Quinn Johnson, with Joe Allen on keyboards. On bass is David Finck, Kevin Winard is on drums and Tyrell’s longtime guitarist is Bob Mann, who wrote most arrangements.
Tyrell also told Cabaret Scenes, “I approach the songs from my heart. I just sort of take them into my soul, you know, and sing ‘em, as if I’m telling the story. People seem to enjoy hearing them and that gives me a good feeling.”
Steve Tryrell continues at Café Carlyle through December 31.
Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
November 26, 2013
www.cabaretscenes.org
