Jackie Gibson
Songs of the Brill Building
The Gardenia, West Hollywood, CA, November 17, 2023
Reviewed by Elliot Zwiebach
It was a stunningly entertaining blast from the past when Jackie Gibson and her musical troupe recreated the good vibrations of an era gone by—the pop music of the baby boomers. Members of the audience reveled in the nostalgia as they tapped their feet, nodded their heads to the beat, and occasionally burst into spontaneous singalongs as song after song evoked memories from their collective youth. The show spotlighted music written by the composers and lyricists who populated New York’s Brill Building during the 1960s and 1970s—a kind of one-stop hit factory where a musical generation found its groove—and whose songs have left a powerful impression on listeners across the decades.
Gibson recreated several magic moments, ably abetted by crooner John Ciccolini, uber-sensual blues singer Larry Davis, and an unflappable trio of top-notch performers in their own right who provided steady doo-wop harmonies as a backup group calling itself The Aquanets—Tiffany Bailey, Lorraina Marro, and Kimberly Scott Mosely.
The singers were supported by a quartet of musicians under the direction of pianist Steve Rawlins (who helped Gibson develop the concept for the show). They included Craig Copland on guitar, John Hatton on bass, and Gordon Peeke on drums.
The focus of the show was established early on by Gibson and The Aquanets in a head-spinning succession of hits that defined the era and the evening in a medley that included “One Fine Day” (Gerry Goffin/Carole King), “Spanish Harlem” (Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller/Phil Spector), “Da Doo Ron Ron” (Ellie Greenwich/Jeff Barry/Spector), “Leader of the Pack” (Greenwich/George “Shadow” Morton/Jeff Barry), and a superb “Where the Boys Are” (Howard Greenfield/Neil Sedaka).
Ciccolini charmed the room with a passionate “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” (Greenfield/Sedaka) that started slow and picked up in tempo. He demonstrated the power of his rich baritone on “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’” (Barry Mann/Cynthia Weill/Spector); and offered a swooningly romantic take on “Save the Last Dance for Me” (Doc Pomus/Mort Shuman).
Davis, who defines suave, swayed rhythmically as he growled his way through a sensual “All Shook Up” (Otis Blackwell) and used sly innuendo to relate the secrets of “Love Potion No 9” (Leiber & Stoller).
The Aquanets took center stage on a spectacular version of “A House Is Not a Home” (Burt Bacharach/Hal David) and traded verses and harmonies to perfection on “Sweet Talkin’ Guy” (Doug Morris).
Scattered between the songs was a brief history presented by Gibson of the Brill Building that included backgrounds on the songwriters and stories about the inspirations for their songs. Then Judy Barrat, an extraordinary poet, took center stage to reinforce that history in blank verse to bring some perspective on the energy that emitted from the Brill building during its heyday.
With more than 20 hit songs, the show was a definite winner. Gibson has overseen several incarnations of it over the years, and the concept could easily thrill audiences in many venues for years to come.
