Lina Koutrakos
One Night Only
Birdland, NYC, February 20, 2023
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Before an overflowing and enthusiastic crowd, Lina Koutrakos claimed the stage at Birdland like an empress staking out her kingdom (despite the fact that this was her solo debut at the famed location). Backed by a trio of superb musicians with whom she seemed to have individual relationships—adoring with music director Tedd Firth, flirtatious with drummer Matt Zebroski, and dryly teasing with bassist David Finck—the diva offered up a wide-ranging repertoire of jazz, blues, rock, and pop standards. For once, the lack of a central theme didn’t harm the evening, perhaps because it was filled with such high energy and passion.
After launching the show with two raucous up-tempo numbers, “Small Day Tomorrow” (Bob Dorough/Fran Landesman) and “Ahmad’s Blues” (Ahmad Jamal), which certainly fired up the audience and unfortunately pointed up the one flaw in the performance—occasional indistinct lyrics, Koutrakos brought the mood down to soft and gentle with two gorgeous ballads “But Beautiful” and “That’s All,” delivered with perfect simplicity and great emotional depth. As the evening proceeded, she shifted between high-octane numbers and terrific ballads, occasionally mixing the two as in her dynamic “Luck Be a Lady.” She also brought a freshness to the standard “Lazy Afternoon” by transforming the usually seductive song into one about finding complete contentment in nature.
The evening also featured two songs co-written by Koutrakos: “For Now” (with Johnny Rodgers and Dan Gross) and “Mess Outta Love” (with Dave Fields), both of which featured witty and fluid lyrics and strong melodies. Another highlight was when Tom Wopat, in very fine voice, joined the diva on stage for an electric duet of “For Now.” But the night was really about the star as she thrilled the celebrity-packed audience with her warmth, her humor, and her voice.