Billy Stritch & Klea Blackhurst
Dreaming of a Song: The Music of Hoagy Carmichael
Birdland, NYC, August 7, 2023
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Billy Stritch & Klea Blackhurst
Photo: Kevin Alvey
For one joyous evening, Billy Stritch and Klea Blackhurst brought back their tribute to the remarkable and prolific Hoagy Carmichael. The program may be about 15 years old, but it showed no signs of aging. With Billy and Klea being Birdland’s answer to Steve and Eydie, the show was as witty and shiny as if it were brand new. While the two veteran performers retained their individuality, they blended both musically and in their personas. It was simply a pleasure to see two professionals offer their talents to an enchanted audience. Adding to the glow of the evening were the bass playing of Steve Doyle and the drumming of Daniel Glass. And, of course, there were the musical selections, each one a classic, including the less well-known ones.
After kicking off with two upbeat duets on “One Morning in May” (lyric by Mitchell Parish) and “Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief” (lyric by Paul Francis Webster, both guaranteed to cheer the greatest curmudgeon, they moved on to a lovely and gently superior arrangement of the classic “Heart and Soul” (lyric by Frank Loesser). Blackhurst then took her first solo, an emotionally rich “Come Easy Go Easy Love.” Later she would soar with a sweet “Skylark” (lyric by Johnny Mercer) and a saucy delivery of the risqué “Ain’t There Anyone Here for Love” (lyric by Harold Adamson). The two singers joined forces on a clever counterpoint of “Can’t Get Indiana Off My Mind” (lyric by Robert De Leon) and “Georgia on My Mind” (lyrics by Stuart Gorrell), two of Carmichael’s collection of state songs; he even wrote about states that he never visited such as Georgia. They had fun explaining the background of some of the composer’s movie songs before performing with them, including “When Love Goes Wrong (Nothing Goes Right)” (lyric by Adamson) and “In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening” (lyric by Mercer). Blackhurst even shared the fact that she could find almost no tie-in between the composer and her own doppelganger, Ethel Merman, which brought laughter from the audience.
With the World War II classic “Billy-a-Dick” (lyrics by Webster), Blackhurst duetted with Glass on drums, giving him a dazzling chance to show off. Stritch demonstrated his dexterity at the keyboard with the intoxicating “Star Dust” (lyrics by Parish). Then there was the diva’s solo on Carmichael’s “love song for the ages”: “The Nearness of You” (lyric by Ned Washington). It was a performance for the ages as well. But then, the fine glow of the evening made everything shimmer; even the few slips handled with great humor just added to the delight of the show. It was an evening to treasure. Hopefully, the duo will find another reason to reunite soon.
