Clint Holmes

Rendezvous

Birdland, NYC, April 20, 2017

Reviewed by Ron Forman for Cabaret Scenes

I first experienced Clint Holmes more than a decade ago, when he was the star attraction at Harrah’s in Las Vegas. I recall saying after his performance, back then, that he was the performer most like Sammy Davis, Jr. that I was likely ever to see. Now, all of these years later, I still believe that statement is true.

The multi-talented Holmes is not only a great singer, but he moves with grace, mimics instruments in the band, is hilariously funny when he wants to be, and is extraordinarily good looking at age 72. The energy and dynamism he brings to the stage is contagious, and it is impossible to take your eyes off him. Special mention must be given to Holmes’ musical director Christian Tamburr whose work on piano and vibes is amazing to listen to and watch.

The energy that Holmes brought to the opening number, “I Got a Woman,” set the stage for the next almost 90 minutes of non-stop entertainment. After a background story for the song “Nature Boy,” he did a very different up-tempo version of the song that had him mimicking both saxophone and the vibes. He displayed his ability to move an audience emotionally with “Stop This Train” (John Mayer). He introduced “At the Rendezvous” by telling a story about  his dad’s jamming every Sunday at the Colored Musicians Club in Buffalo. Holmes walked into the audience slapping high fives with audience members and scatted wonderfully through the number.

He introduced his closing number by saying, “I can’t do a show in New York without doing this number,” and got a big laugh when he began his swinging “Chicago.”