Anne & Mark Burnell
Two for the Road
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, May 28, 2024
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Anne (singer) and Mark Burnell (singer/pianist), partners in music and in life, returned to New York City for the first time in 20 years to celebrate the release of their album Two for the Road. They brought with them two expert musicians—James Cammack on bass and Zach Brock on violin—both of whom were highlighted throughout the evening. Anne and Mark created a swinging evening of standards drawn from various sources. They never dug too far below the surface of the lyrics, but musically they were quite satisfying and seemed to be having a great time on stage. That led to to a similar experience for the audience.
Kicking off the show with “Little Joe from Chicago” (Henry Wells/Mary Lou Williams)—all the musicians involved had direct ties with the title city—they showed that they could really swing. A much lighter jazz feel followed in the highly surprising choice of “Baubles, Bangles, & Beads” (Robert Wright/George Forrest). It gave little suggestion of its Broadway roots, and even less of its classical origin, but it did allow for some brilliant violin playing by Brock and some Peggy Lee-like playfulness by Anne. The Burnells dueted on the title tune, which was given a surprisingly quick performance (once through and done) and an unemotional delivery.
They seemed to have much more fun with Dave Frishberg’s “Let’s Eat Home” and made it seem like a scene from their home life. Equally playful was their take on Cole Porter’s “Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love,” which had a dazzling piano solo by Mark. The group also drew on some mutual experiences at Wayne State University to imbue “Peppermint Tea” (written by Anne) to evoke some very sweet memories. The biggest surprise came when it was announced it was “mash-up time.” This led to the emotional highlight of the evening: a blending of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” (Ewan MacCall) and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” (Alan Jay Lerner/Frederick Loewe), which had Anne singing the first song and Mark the second. This unlikely pairing of songs was surprisingly effective; it was both erotic and gently passionate.
Other highlights were “Getting to Know You” (Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II) treated as a loopy waltz and a charming duet on “You Make Me Laugh” (Shelly Markham/Tom Toce). In honor of the month of the concert, “The Lusty Month of May” (Lerner & Loewe) received a Caribbean beat, and an a cappella duet on “Honeysuckle Rose” charmed. This was a charming evening filled with surprising delights. Hopefully, the Chicago couple will return to New York without waiting so long.
