Will and Peter Anderson: The Andersons Play Irving Berlin

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Will and Peter Anderson

The Andersons Play Irving Berlin

Birdland Theater, NYC, October 11, 2022

Reviewed by Ron Forman

Anderson Twins

Over the past six years, the only time that I have missed a show by the Anderson Twins was either when I was out of town or when every parking lot in the vicinity of Symphony Space was filled because it was the night before the New York Marathon. Their shows are always very informative, very interesting, and most important of all, very entertaining.

Both Will and Peter Anderson are virtuosos on clarinet, saxophone, and flute. What makes their shows different from other jazz shows are the wonderfully droll comments from the deadpan Will, that invariably produce much laughter from the audience. Between numbers he told interesting anecdotes drawn from Irving Berlin’s life. Vocalist Molly Ryan’s cheery demeanor and unique sound and style worked perfectly on the half-dozen songs that she performed. Also on hand were three wonderful jazz musicians Jebb Patton (piano), Alex Raderman (drums), and Neil Miner (bass), who were given ample opportunity to perform applause-producing solo turns.

The show opened with the ensemble playing the song that made the immigrant 23-year-old Berlin one of America’s richest celebrities, “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” followed by one of his biggest hits, “Cheek to Cheek.” Ryan performed a very lively “Blue Skies,” after Will had recalled how the producers of the Rodgers and Hart musical Betsy had snuck the song into the score, and how the star of the show, Belle Baker, had to perform 20 encores of it. Ryan followed it with a lovely “Always,” featuring Will on flute and Peter on saxophone. With just a piano accompaniment, Peter performed a poignant clarinet solo on “What’ll I Do?” The group played a very jazzy “Let’s Face the Music and Dance,” with each of the five musicians having lengthy solos.

Ryan offered a really great vocal on “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” that included applause-producing solos on saxophone by both brothers. She then sang the female part while the Andersons played the male part on their instruments for a very amusing “Anything You Can Do.” Next to closing, Peter offered a solo saxophone performance of “How Deep Is the Ocean (How High Is the Sky).” The closing number of this vastly entertaining show was “Putting on the Ritz,” which included a dazzling piano solo by Patton.                                              

Ron Forman

Ron Forman has been a Mathematics Professor at Kingsborough Community College for 45 years. In that time, he has managed to branch out in many different areas. From 1977 to 1994 he was co-owner of Comics Unlimited, the third largest comic book distribution company in the USA. In 1999,after a lifetime of secretly wanting to do a radio program, he began his weekly Sweet Sounds program on WKRB 90.3 FM, dedicated to keeping the music of the Great American Songbook alive and accessible. This introduced him to the world of cabaret, which led to his position as a reviewer for Cabaret Scenes.