Ali Webb
Listen Here—The Music of Dave Frishberg
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, January 26, 2025
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Jazz vocalist Ali Webb made her yearly return to Don’t Tell Mama to celebrate the songs of Dave Frishberg (mostly). She seemed far more relaxed and far more in command of the stage than in her previous show, and this time she presented a more stylish appearance. She especially excelled in the witty novelty tunes often associated with cabaret legend Blossom Dearie, such as “I’m Hip” (Frishberg/Bob Dorough) and “My Attorney Bernie” (all songs by Frishberg unless otherwise noted). She made them fresh and uniquely hers. Her own original “Spam” (she is the granddaughter of the inventor of that food product), showed the same style of humor.
Webb is a jazz vocalist who also pays attention to the lyrics (which isn’t always the case), so her ballads were touching and effective. “Sweet Kentucky Ham” reflected her own Southern upbringing and made for a very touching moment. The emotional highlight of the show was “Listen Here,” which she tied to her own life experiences. In fact, she very cleverly linked most of the songs to her own life, such as the story about her father’s entitled personality, which moved easily into “Peel Me a Grape.”
Throughout the program, the fine hand of music director Wells Hanley was evident. In collaboration with bassist Randall Pharr and drummer Brian Caputo. One of the musical highlights was “Gotta Get Me Some ZZZ,” which had an arrangement that echoed and incorporated some themes from Johannes Brahms. Their imagination approach provided Webb fine support.There were some oddities in the show. Even though it was dedicated to Dave Frishberg, Webb mentioned of him only briefly. For her encore, she chose “There Will Never Be Another You”; she did a lovely job of it, but the Harry Warren/Mack Gordon tune had no connection to Frishberg, the man of the hour. Her personal stories would have been far more effective without her moving and fiddling while she told them. These minor eccentricities aside, the program was a great tribute to an important songwriter’s work that was beautifully delivered.
