Steve Ross

Cole Porter and Beyond
Davenport’s, Chicago, IL, November 24, 2019
Reviewed by Carla Gordon

Just when Chicago cabaret fans needed a fine dose of classy salon cabaret, Steve Ross showed up, bringing his wing collar and his grand homage to the Great American Songbook. Ross asked to reposition the piano on Davenport’s cozy stage in order to have a panoramic view of his sold-out crowd. That was an effective choice that other singer/piano players may want to explore in that wide venue. Ross then served up his special recipe of musicality, humor, and heart to his full house of devoted Windy City fans.

He communicates a lyric from a true place with an occasional dash of show-business panache. He has smart instincts for juxtaposing familiar and less familiar tunes. For example, he opened with the lesser-known “I’m Throwing a Ball Tonight” (Cole Porter) and then closed with “True Love.” “Puttin’ on the Ritz” was followed by Milton Ager and Jack Yellin’s quirky and funny “Hungry Women.” (Ager and Yellin wrote hits and funny novelty tunes in the 1920s for various artists including Eddie Cantor and Sophie Tucker. Their body of work is a treasure trove for cabaret performers.) Joe Keenan’s clever parody of Porter’s “Anything Goes” shoots the notion into the electronic age, helped by the well-delivered verve that is Steve Ross’ stock in trade. Ross flexed his vocal chops best in his encore—Kander and Ebb’s “Nowadays,” adding excellent rich tones to his sophisticated interpretive brew. Featured guest Joan Curto graced the crowd with several well-delivered Porter tunes, including a thoughtful and sensual “In the Still of the Night.”