Steve Tyrell
Café Carlyle, NYC, December 3, 2019
Reviewed by Ron Forman
It is not surprising that this is Steve Tyrell’s 15th year
at the Café Carlyle. His shows are always 90 minutes of pure crowd-pleasing
entertainment. He is supremely relaxed and confident on stage.
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His voice is powerful, he delivers the lyrics with perfect enunciation, and he has a stand-up comedian’s ability to deliver a funny line. This edition of his twice-annual Carlyle appearances featured selections from previous shows along with songs from his forthcoming Ray Charles tribute CD, Shades of Ray. He is backed by an all-star jazz quartet: Steven Peifco (piano), Lyman Medeiros (music director and mass), Bob Mann (guitar and arrangements), Bryan Carter (drums), and Lou Marini (saxophone and flute), all of whom had solo shots.
Tyrell opened with a swinging “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm.” He then recalled his arrival in New York as a 19-year-old and almost instantly working in recording sessions with Burt Bacharach, Hal David, and Dionne Warwick. He paid tribute to Bachrach and David by singing “This Guy’s in Love with You” and telling the story of being at the original recording session for “I Say a Little Prayer” before singing his unique version of it. He then paid tribute to Berry Gordy with a soulful “To Be Loved,” Gordy’s first hit song. The Ray Charles tribute contained “Hallelujah I Love Her So,” “Georgia on My Mind” (with a dazzling saxophone solo by Marini), and a thoughtful and moving performance of Percy Mayfield’s “Danger Zone.” The band members got to show off their skill in a jam-session-like “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.” Tyrell jokingly remarked that growing up Italian, there were two deities in his home—God and Sinatra, not necessarily in that order. His Sinatra tribute began with “I’ve Got the World on a String,” which Sinatra often used as an opener. He told an amusing story about Sinatra’s recording session for “That’s Life,” and then belted his own version. Before performing “The Way You Look Tonight,” he told how he went from producing CDs to singing on them when he sang that number on the soundtrack of Father Of the Bride II. He closed this vastly entertaining show with “Stand By Me.”
