Sandy Stewart & Bill Charlap
St. Peter’s Church, NYC, September 4, 2019
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg for Cabaret Scenes
Kicking off the new season of the long-running Ronny Whyte’s Midday Jazz series at St. Peter’s Church, the mother/son team of Sandy Stewart and Bill Charlap returned to offer a dazzling hour of delicious selections from the Great American Songbook. This duo has the ability to function as one creative unit, even though the singer favors simplicity in her interpretations while the pianist adores long piano runs with a seeming desire to swallow up every note on the keyboard.
The afternoon began with the very apropos “September Song” with Stewart caressing the rueful ballad and transforming it into a shimmering thing. This was quickly followed by a jaunty “How About You,” complete with a swinging piano solo and a lyrical reference to Perry Como that drew amused recognition from the mature audience members. Another pleasure of the afternoon was the lesser-known “I Was Telling Him About You,” with lyrics by Don George and music by Moose Charlap, beloved husband and father of the performing duo, adding an additional level of emotion to the poignant delivery.
Even a well-used song such as “Tea for Two” was delivered with lyrical sincerity; listening to Stewart injecting about a dozen extra “s” into the word “caresses” enveloped the audience in her embrace. Together the two found the sadness underiding the élan of “Just One of Those Things,” never forgetting that it is a song of parting, while “By Myself” was transformed from self-pity to a celebration of independence. Climaxing the show was a heartfelt “After You, Who?” dedicated to a missing friend of the vocalist, with a passionate delivery that allowed Stewart to show off the full power of her voice.
