Amy London
Women in the Great American Jazzbook
Pangea, NYC, April 16, 2025
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
The garrulous Amy London took the stage at Pangea to salute the great female jazz vocalist sisterhood. When she opened her show with “I Love Being Here with You” (Peggy Lee/Bill Schluger) it was clear that she honestly did as she filled the room with her warmth and her pleasure in the song. There were missteps during the show—a singalong of “God Bless the Child” (Billie Holiday/Arthur Herzog, Jr.)—was a bit of a mess), but it was still a personal success for London. Such gems as a haunting “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?” (Alan and Marilyn Bergman/Michel Legrand) and a moving “Ballad of the Sad Young Men” (Fran Landesman/Tommy Wolf) showed London’s wide range of emotions as she connected with the audience. She even redeemed the idea of an audience participation number with the highly successful “Throw It Away” (Abbey Lincoln).
Throughout the evening London received tremendous musical support from the fine trio of Sherrie Maracle on drums, Jennifer Vincent on bass, and music director Janice Friedman on piano. She was aware of her musicians at all times; she shared the stage with them, but she was never overwhelmed by them. The balance on such numbers as a playful swing medley that consisted of songs that had lyrics by Jewish women included “A Fine Romance” (Dorothy Fields/Jerome Kern), “Just in Time” (Betty Comden & Adolph Green/Jule Styne), “Witchcraft” (Carolyn Leigh/Cy Coleman) and “Close Your Eyes” (Bernice Petkere) was perfect. The last of these featured Maracle’s fine drum solo.
The show was enriched by the presence of some of the songwriters and singers, including Louise Rogers, Anne Phillips, and Paula Brody (“After All These Years,” a sweet tale of a long marriage), and Hillary Rollins who, with Ned Ginsberg, wrote “A Soft Place to Land” about mothers of grown children. London seemed to find a deep emotional connection with these songs. She is an assured vocalist and a fine interpreter of lyrics and seemed to take great pleasure in sharing her efforts with her audience. If only she would work with an editor.
