Eric Comstock & Barbara Fasano
Birdland Theater, NYC, September 17, 2024
Reviewed by Jacqueline Parker
For lovers of the Great American Songbook, there can be no better way to spend an hour than with two masterful interpreters of that canon, vocalist/pianist Eric Comstock and vocalist Barbara Fasano. Birdland’s downstairs theater is a gem, and in that setting they glittered and shined while presenting songs we love and some we may have never heard before.
Starting the evening with a jaunty song by John Kander and Fred Ebb is always welcoming, and “Nowadays” set the tone for a jazzy evening. Comstock’s intelligent patter is always more anecdotal than academic, which makes it likely to be quoted at everyone’s next cocktail party. By my account, there was nary a major composer not represented. A Sondheim song followed by one from Noël Coward that led into “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby” by Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn let you know how extensive their knowledge of this music is, and how playful they can be.
A medley of songs that were standards for Margaret Whiting followed, another indication of how the interpreters of these songs need to be remembered as well as the songwriters.
Fasano took a turn into more recent music, highlighting Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, and others. While I usually eschew music created after I was, Fasano’s carefully curated interpretations were the perfect way for me to find them palatable. The evening concluded with “New Sun in the Sky” and “A Shine on Your Shoes” by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz.
Comstock and Fasano have a new CD coming out soon, as well as several previously released recordings you’re bound to enjoy. Check out their websites (ericcomstock.net; barbarafasano.com) for further information on the CDs and their future engagements.