Deborah Silver
Basie Rocks!
Feinstein’s at the Nikko, San Francisco, CA, August 8, 2025
Reviewed by Steve Murray
Vocalist Deborah Silver blew into Feinstein’s at the Nikko, wrapped in glitter gowns and marabou feathers, to perform songs from her latest CD. It features the Count Basie big band and contains an eclectic collection of rock tunes reinterpreted in a jazz setting. Obviously, the Basie band wasn’t present here to flesh out the sound. Pianist Michael Orland, conductor to the stars, handled the music direction for the tight quartet of instrumentalists. Silver has a big-belter’s head voice and plenty of onstage charm, and she has big-name players behind her.
In this collection of rock tunes, she straddled the fence between smart reinvention and pure corn. There were some tasteful arrangements, such as 1975’s “Southern Nights,” a hit for Glen Campbell; it highlighted Silver’s Louisiana background and her country twang. A nice cover of Brenda Lee’s pop hit “Break It to Me Gently” and the standard “That Old Black Magic” (Arlen/Mercer) showed off her strong vocals. However, these songs do not appear on her new CD.
With two No. 1 Billboard Jazz chart CDs to her credit, Silver may have needed to stretch by taking on these beloved rock tunes to see what she could do with them. It was a huge gamble that both hit and missed. I see how The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” and Soft Cell’s seductive “Tainted Love” could be given a jazzy take. On the Beatles’ “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” she changed the tempo and succeeded, as she did (with Peter Frampton’s approval) on a cover of his hit “Baby I Love Your Way.” The misses included The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black” and Steve Miller’s “Fly Like an Eagle.” That was not because of her vocals but because of her failure to connect with the songs’ lyrics; they came across as false.
This show was a bold venture, and kudos to Silver for making the effort. Perhaps the CD, which features the great Basie band along with some fantastic guest artists, delivered the songs more successfully.
