Bryce Edwards
The Bryce Edwards Frivolity Hour
Birdland, NYC, December 15, 2025
Reviewed by Jacqueline Parker
Photos by James Gavin
It was quite a change of pace at the legendary jazz club Birdland last night. We had syncopation, scatting, and a fortuitous blending of ragtime and jazz, all delivered by the Master of Music from the beginning of the past century, Bryce Edwards. There was enough musical horsepower on that stage to propel the audience to Chicago, and we happily landed at the beginning of the 1900s. Dressed in a (faux) raccoon coat and strumming a ukulele, Edwards made a Rudy Vallée-esque entrance with an impish smile on his face that was infectious. I can’t imagine a more welcome contagion than to be immersed in the music that helped people get through the Great Depression. As proof of how effective this was, many audience members were swaying, tapping toes, and slapping thighs in response. I even spotted some shoulders shaking!
Edwards began with a tune that had become Vallée’s signature—“My Time Is Your Time” (Eric Little/Leo Dance). Dressed like a gentleman from the decade that roared (the 1920s), he established himself as an expert on the music of that era and its practitioners. He explained how “Doin’ the Raccoon” (Raymond Klages/J. Fred Coots) was a popular number from 1928 and then played and sang it, leaving no doubt as to why it was loved in its time.
This performer had a controlled energy that was a joy to witness. He never oversold a number, nor did he make a movement that was not relevant. His face was expressive to a delightful degree, and, like the rest of him, it never stopped moving. This could have been unnerving done by a less-talented performer, but Edwards managed to exude an earnest desire and commitment not only to entertain his audience but to impart through his patter the history and his love of the music. He even tap-danced a bit to “Happy Feet” (Jack Yellen/Milton Ager), and at one point he played his ukulele holding it over his head. It seemed like there was nothing he wouldn’t do to entertain us.
I feel secure in saying that nowhere else that night could one hear “’Tain’t No Sin (to Dance Around in Your Bones)” (Edgar Leslie/Walter Donaldson). Lucky us who got to hear some of the silliest lyrics ever written delivered impeccably.
Edwards is a handsome fellow who is lucky to look like no one else. His “steady girl” as he refers to her, Reilly Wilmit, matched him in the looks department and resembled the pure beauties from that long-gone time of iconic simple pulchritude—Evelyn Nesbit for example. (Nesbit was considered one of the most beautiful women in New York during the early 1900s; Stanford White clearly agreed!) Together they performed “Shine On Harvest Moon” (Nora Bayes/Jack Norworth) with a genuine charm that was heartwarming and endearing. They even sealed the number with a kiss!
The aforementioned horsepower was supplied by a team of superb jazzmen: Scott Ricketts on cornet, Ricky Alexander on clarinet and alto saxophone, Conal Fowkes on piano, and Brian Nalepka on tuba and upright bass.
As was said in the 1920s, this was a show that was “good for what ails you.” Strangers chatted together after the show about how much they enjoyed it. One visitor from Mississippi told me that it was the best thing she had seen on this trip to NY, and she had just seen the Rockettes!
