Harold Sanditen’s Open Mic Highlights: Triple Threats

Harold Sanditen’s Open Mic Highlights

Triple Threats

Live at Zedel at the Crazy Coqs, London, UK, May 17, 2022

Reviewed by Thanasis Kalantzis

(L-R) Ava Nicole Frances, Anaïs Reno, Eliza Leng

During the past few difficult years, Harold Sanditen “zoomed” his way out of the tunnel with his virtual Open Mic Night, a platform that brought together viewers on lockdown with some talent from all corners of the map. Triple Threats emerged from the heart of those virtual shows when Sanditen handpicked three truly amazing young female vocalists to appear on his Open Mic Highlights night, finally live and back on stage at the iconic Crazy Coqs, which these days celebrates the town’s return to normalcy. The idea was simple: each performer was to showcase a song list inspired by her particular genre. So, for this evening, we’d be in the company of a Broadway baby, a jazz bird and a soul sister.

First on stage was Broadway baby Ava Nicole Frances, an 18-year-old San Franciscan. For her debut in London town, she took off with “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” from Mary Poppins, which meshed artfully with “First You Dream” (Kander & Ebb from Steel Pier), and followed that up with a powerful execution of “Woman” from The Pirate Queen, hitting those high notes with all the confidence and precision they demand. Another medley—“N.Y.C.” from Annie with “All I Need is One Good Break” from Flora the Red Menace—put Frances’ abundant vocal capabilities to the test and got her a standing ovation. “One Perfect Moment” from Bring It On: The Musical was performed with the pathos typically reserved for a real anthem, but then she lifted the mood with “Good Morning Baltimore” (Hairspray), giving us a superb Tracy. A powerhouse belter with a bright and youthful voice, Frances sounds perfectly capable of breezing through every impossible Broadway song out there.

Anaïs Reno, the evening’s jazz bird, is also a debutante on our shores and also, just 18. She stormed the stage with a sizzling “Caravan” (Duke Ellington/JuanTizol/Irving Mills) that blew my mind with its masterful scatting, while, on piano, her accompanist Pete Malinverni played the first of his amazing solos in Reno’s set. The fully developed, husky quality in Reno’s voice came into full force when she sang “Les Feuilles Mortes”/“Autumn Leaves,” which displayed all the rich colors in her palette as did her “I Ain’t Got Nothing But the Blues” (Ellington/Don George).  The room stood still for her velvety “’Round Midnight” (Thelonius Monk/Cootie Williams/Bernie Hanighen). It was a great rendition at a memorable point of the evening, and the crowd went mad with excitement for this exceptionally gifted vocalist, who showed she was in full control.

The final set of the evening was by the UK’s own 23-year-old singer/songwriter Eliza Leng, the soul sister of the party. She started with an exquisite “Feeling Good” (Leslie Bricusse/Anthony Newley) that allowed her crystal-clear, robust voice and excellent elocution to shine. She continued with the lovely country tune “Pearl’s a Singer” (Leiber and Stoller/Ralph Dino/John Sembello), and her rendition of “At Last” (Harry Warren/Mack Gordon) justified her place in the soul category. She really enjoyed the upbeat “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” (Etta James/Leroy Kirkland/Pearl Woods), as did the dancing crowd. With guest pianist Alexander Strong, she also performed “The Girl with a Vision” (Alexander Strong/Tom Katon), a storytelling, evocative ballad. She closed her set with “That’s Life” (Dean Kay/Kelly Gordon), bringing the house down. Not only can Leng sing beautifully, she can also tell a story.

Sanditen wrapped up the show by inviting the young ladies back on stage and all four sang “I Hear Music” (Burton Lane/Frank Loesser), a happy conclusion to an all-around brilliant event.

Blessed each with a superb vocal ability and a charismatic personality, each one of the Triple Threats excelled in her chosen genre and the result was an evening full of wonders. One has to be totally oblivious not to realize the extraordinary potential of the three young artists and their likely bright and secure future in the spotlight. I can only wish we’ll be seeing more of these three gems gracing and enriching the London stages. Watch this space!  

It is always an exhilarating experience to witness fresh talent of such caliber in one go, so kudos to Harold Sanditen for producing and hosting this mesmerizing night. It was all the more exciting with the excellent Carl Greenwood on piano, Robert Rickenberg on bass, and Jonathan “Kitch” Kitching on drums.

Thanasis Kalantzis

Thanasis started reviewing for Cabaret Scenes in 2012. He started by reviewing primarily jazz and cabaret artists visiting from the U.S., but these days, he concentrates on British talent. Recently, he added covering musical theater to his duties. He was born in the heart of rural Greece in 1967. He studied Archaeology at the University of Thessaloniki, worked as an excavator in the prehistoric town of Akrotiri, Santorini, and then spent two years on the beautiful island of Crete excavating a Roman village, among other sites. In 1991 he moved to London to study for his MA in Archaeology at University College London thinking that, upon completion, he’d return to Greece and continue with his excavation work. Nevertheless, he gave this amazingly diverse city a go, and started working with various companies, including the Horniman Museum, Sotheby’s and, most recently, the Big Lottery Fund, the organization that allocates lottery funds to arts and charities. His been in London for 26 years, and is happily married to his husband and runs a small, successful business.