Camille Diamond
Camille Sings Tennille
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, May 9, 2026
Reviewed by Alix Cohen
Photo by Jeff Harnar
Based on my recollection, it’s difficult to imagine an entire presentation built around Cathryn Antoinette “Toni” Tennille. Eighty-six years old this week, the honoree is most remembered for being, with husband Daryl Dragon, “the sunny half” of The Captain and Tennille. It turns out she had a much wider career.
To say Camille Diamond’s cabaret tribute to Tennille was successful minimizes the pleasure and surprise of the well-crafted evening. A MAC Award winner for her debut, Diamond may secure a second with this captivating piece. She was warm, focused, and refined, though not too much for what’s predominantly pop music. Out of the gate, her personality sparkled. She “gets” the era and the material.
Her phrasing and movement emerged rhythmically infectious. Arrangements by MD/pianist Tracy Stark, in one instance with vocalist Kristoffer Lowe, reeled us willingly in to the best advantage of both song and performer. Back-up vocals by Stark and director Lennie Watts enriched.
Having misheard “Tennille” as “Camille,” Diamond was attracted to her subject early on. There’s charm in this personal reference. “1954 Boogie Blues” (Tennille/Dragon) bounced in. The artist’s left arm swept, knees bent. Temperament might be described as “oomph.”
Apparently Tennille also sang back-up, wrote a musical, and recorded American Songbook standards. A tandem “Teach Me Tonight” (Gene De Paul/Sammy Cahn) and “The Way I Want to Touch You” (Tennille) arrived with womanly flirt from a base of self confidence. Phrasing is sensuous. Relevant, though a bit too much intermittent patter, carried us through Tennille’s history.
Tennille also played keyboard for The Beach Boys. One of them, Bruce Johnston (who wrote “I Write the Songs”), gave her “Disney Girls.” Perched on a stool, Diamond’s expressiveness created musical cursive tails. The song showcased her ease with octave changes without hesitation or frayed edges.
Photo by Jeff Harnar
A “Torch Song Medley” originally performed on television by Tennille and Ella Fitzgerald, was transcribed with updated harmonies by Stark. Tonight we were treated to that duet when Diamond was joined by guest vocalist Gabrielle Stravelli. Whether longlined and breathy or modified swing, the women sang beautifully together, palpably enjoying their collaboration.
The quirky “Muskrat Love” (Willis Alan Ramsay) was served with an anecdotal side about Tennille’s performance at The White House. The audience (unfamiliar?) laughed aloud. Diamond wisely delivered it straight with no camp.
Neil Sedaka’s “Sad Eyes” and the Harold Arlen/Johnny Mercer “Blues in the Night” followed. The second, with a hard beat, showed Diamond’s further talent for the soulful, perhaps meriting an entire show. Sedaka’s “You Never Done It Like That” was suggestive without being salacious.
The inclusion of “Le Jazz Hot” (Henry Mancini/Leslie Bricusse) was rationalized by Tennille’s starring in Victor/Victoria in the touring company. From atop the piano, Diamond sizzled, but the song didn’t quite fit.
“I Keep on Singing the Good Songs” (Tennille) projected the commitment of a veteran entertainer: “Lord, I just can’t make it tonight/Too many things today just didn’t go right/And I just can’t get that glow on/I just don’t think i can go on, tonight.” The singer (the lyric) does, of course, go on, gathering joy. Tennille was a trooper.
1975’s gold-record-winning “Love Will Keep Us Together” was the perfect encore. The audience chimed in robustly. This was a grand show.
Caveats include: the artist’s looked straight ahead rather than connecting with the keen audience, which robbed us of an essential element; leaving the distracting microphone stand front and center; and the length of the piece.
In addition to Stark on piano, Diamond was backed by Owen Yost on bass and Don Kelly on drums.
