Julie Benko & Jason Yeager
Hand in Hand
Birdland, NYC, August 29, 2022
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
One of the new jazz/Broadway music power couples, Julie Benko and Jason Yeager, have spent their time in pandemic quarantine creating a YouTube series of musical videos that led to their first combined album, Hand in Hand (Club 44). They made their Birdland joint debut in celebration of the release of their recording with a charming show of the same name. Their song list was definitely eclectic, ranging over much of the 20th century, mixing together both theater and jazz standards. What held the evening together was that each selection meant a great deal to the twosome, which they elaborated on in their charming patter that linked the numbers.
One of the major differences between their recording and being on stage was that in their recording, the couple played all the instruments as well as providing the vocals. Live, had three excellent musicians—Patrick Laslie on an assortment of woodwinds, Michael O’Brien on bass, and Jay Sawyer on drums, as Yeager (keyboards) and Benko (vocals) restricted themselves to their usual roles. In those roles, they both ruled. For example, “It Might as Well Be Spring” began as a duet for piano and voice, and as in all these moments throughout the show, there seemed to be a real intimacy between them. The number grew as the other musicians glided in, giving a jazz flavor to the standard while Benko delivered the lyrics in a conversational style. The same kind of silent communication was evident in the more contemporary “All I’ve Ever Known” from Hadestown, which made it another emotional highlight. A third Broadway tune, “If I Were a Bell,” allowed the singer to show a sexy side, complete with an intoxicating growl, and O’Brien and Sawyer showed off their talents with explosive solos within the arrangement.
Of course, Funny Girl could not be ignored given that it has moved Benko up several levels in the Broadway hierarchy. A very different version from the stage rendition of “People,” complete with an intriguing piano interlude, allowed the singer to explore the lyrics without needing to make it a showstopper as it typically is in the theater. Later, she had great fun with a number that was not in the Broadway score but was actually introduced by the real Fanny Brice, “Second Hand Rose,” which gave her a chance to show off her humor and playful side and gave Yeager an opportunity to play some fine stride piano work.
The show certainly moved away from Broadway in some surprising and contrasting ways: from Janis Joplin’s “Mercedes Benz” (which showed off Benko’s big top notes) to Randy Newman’s “Gainesville” (which revealed her to be a lovely singing actress with great vulnerability) to Billy Strayhorn’s “Sweet Pea” (performed in tribute to that matchless songwriter). There was also Yeager’s own composition, “Just Begun,” written for the couples’ wedding; it overflowed with sentiment and had a moving simplicity.
The warmth and power of these two lovely people was evident throughout, as was their confidence in performing their material before a sold-out room. Yeager was especially touching as he explained what the venue meant to him since he first visited it as a young teen. Benko showed her enjoyment of the talents of her musicians, focusing on each one as they took their solos. The evening’s climax was an intimate and pure delivery of the classic “The Nearness of You,” which had an emotional impact; we all fell a bit more in love.
