Bryce Edwards: The Bryce Edwards Frivolity Hour

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Bryce Edwards

The Bryce Edwards Frivolity Hour

Birdland, NYC, February 24, 2025

Reviewed by Jacqueline Parker

Bryce Edwards

There are many songs that encourage us to just get away, whether it’s on vacation, to the sea, or even to the moon. But an easier way to experience the thrill and excitement of escape is to attend one of Bryce Edwards’ Frivolity Hours. There you will feel swept away by a time machine back to when people had pep in their step and females were occasionally called “Toots” without consequence. Fasten your seatbelt and get ready to be immersed in the carefree joy of the years that followed the Great War and preceded the Great Depression. But the program was not frivolous—this was music that was intended to tickle you with a silly conceit (“So the Bluebirds and the Blackbirds Got Together”; Harry Barris/Billy Moll) or tug at your heartstrings (“Nobody’s Sweetheart”; Billy Meyers/Elmer Schoebel/Gus Kahn/Ernie Erdman).

This happy feeling was most palpable when Edwards picked up one of his many instruments (he played five, plus a slide whistle!) and began warbling and scatting to “Fascinating Rhythm” (George & Ira Gershwin), written in 1924. His scatting produced sounds that were completely new to my ear and sounded a bit like Tiny Tim, but more pleasing. Edwards’ charm is undeniable; he’s like a fresh-faced boy who rings your bell to sell you something you don’t really need but want to buy, just to see him smile. He was perfectly matched with his “steady girl” Reilly Wilmit, who joined him in a few numbers. Clad in a black strapless dress with just a whisper of white across the top, she was the quintessence of glamour from the middle of the past century. The pair brought to mind all the fun of the Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland movies.

His selections from that era were certainly a change of pace from the usual cabaret fare; there were songs that made you want to shake your shoulders and tap your toes. All one needed was a fringe dress to begin doing the Charleston! While Edwards played half the instruments on that small stage, his quartet of masterful musicians provided the accompaniment that elevated the entire experience. Gratitude goes to Scott Rickets on cornet, Ricky Alexander on clarinet and alto saxophone, Conal Fowkes on piano, and Jay Rattman on bass saxophone.

Edwards performs regularly at Birdland; keep an eye on its schedule for the next Frivolity Hour!

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Jacqueline Parker

Like Ethel Merman, lifelong New Yorker Jacqueline Parker began her career as a stenographer. She spent more than two decades at the city's premier public agency, progressing through positions of increased responsibility after earning her BA in English from New York University (3.5 GPA/Dean’s List). She won national awards for her work in public relations and communication and had the privilege of working in the House of Commons for Stephen Ross, later Lord Ross of Newport. In the second half of her career, Jacqueline brought her innate organizational skills and creative talents to a variety of positions. While distinguishing herself in executive search, she also gave her talents to publishing, politics, writing, radio broadcasting and Delmonico's Restaurant. Most recently, she hosted Anything Goes! a radio show that paid homage to Cole Porter and by extension the world of Broadway musicals and the Great American Songbook. Other features of the show were New York living, classical music, books, restaurants, architecture and politics. This show highlighted the current Broadway scene, both in New York and around the country through performances and interviews with luminaries including Len Cariou, Charles Strouse, Laura Osnes, Steve Ross and Joan Copeland. Her pandemic project was immersion into the life, times and work of Alfred Hitchcock, about whom she has written a soon-to-be-published article. Jacqueline has been involved in a myriad of charitable causes, most notably the Walt Frazier Youth Foundation, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Sisters of Life, York Theatre, and the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival. She is a proud Founder of Hidden Water. Her greatest accomplishment is the parenting of her son, a lawyer specializing in mediation. She has many pretend grandchildren, nieces and nephews, on whom she dotes shamelessly, as well as a large circle of friends to whom she is devoted. Her interests in addition to theater and cabaret are cooking, entertaining, reading, and spending time on Queen Mary 2.

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