Years ago someone told me that I would love Barbara Cook. It took
me until last year to see her for the first time. The great
limiting factor to be upfront was the cost. It's about $100 minimum to
see her. That's a lot of money. Also, she performs in nice clubs, and
as I generally go out alone, it's somewhat intimidating to go into a
really nice club by yourself. It's easy to sneak into a dive bar/music
club on your own, but much more awkward to do that somewhere like the
Carlyle, where I saw her for the first time last year.
In the intervening years I had also had a change of heart about seeing older performers. In the past I had not gone to see a lot of older singers, because guys (meaning musicians) told me that they weren't as good as they used to be. Being a woman, I took someone else's not-so-good advice seriously, instead of making my own decision. In 2006, the year before my son was born, I was like eff it. Even if these people aren't exactly how they used to be, I still should go see them. As a result, I've seen Mark Murphy, Ernestine Anderson, Annie Ross, and Jimmy Scott a number of times. Unfortunately, I missed Blossom Dearie, Barbara Lea, and Freddie Hubbard, but hopefully I won't miss anyone else. I saw Barbara Cook for the first time last year at the Carlyle. It was a magical experience. When it was over, I was sad that I had to leave the club. I wanted to stay in that wonderful bubble following her performance for as long as possible, rather than go out into the real world.
Despite having loved her performance at the Carlyle last year, I still arrived at Feinstein's Tuesday night thinking, "Shit, this is a lot of money to spend." It's not easy to tell your husband that you are going to be spending over $100 to see a singer, whatever the state of the economy is, and no matter how wonderful the singer is. I also had lots of other things on my mind. I hadn't seen my husband all week, because he had been away on business. I've been really busy working on the promotion of my new CD, in particular getting in some gigs before I have my 2nd child in August. As to be expected, I was among a handful of people in the audience under the age of 50, which I always find depressing. I got there a few minutes before it started and was afraid I wouldn't be able to see well from where they sat me. I thought to myself, "What the heck am I doing here?"
Then, the show started. Through the first few songs, I still had that "What the heck am I doing here?" feeling, coupled with a fear that this year's experience would not compare to last year's. After a few songs, all of my anxiety dissipated. Barbara Cook is truly a wonderful singer. I could hear her sing "Where or When" 1000x. She also sings Sondheim so well. There are some people who are crazy about Sondheim, but I am not one of them. I think that hearing a very skilled, experienced performer like Barbara Cook sing these tunes outside of the context of the show, for which they were written, made me appreciate them a lot more. I also find it quite amusing how she calls him "Steve" or "Stephen".
Not only is she a fantastic interpreter with a lovely voice, but she also sets up the tunes so beautifully with her patter. At the show I saw this year she spoke a lot more in between songs than she did in the show I saw last year. She told a very amusing story about her obsession with an opera singer. She told a very funny story about staying up late watching You Tube. She spoke about how she never performed Cole Porter songs, probably because she didn't really identify with them. Throughout I had this laugh of recognition, because I could relate to everything that she said.
I remember in last year's show to set up a ballad she made a comment about how when you are in a relationship, you want the other person to tell you what you want to hear, but how that sometimes doesn't happen. Well, I'm paraphrasing her, because she said it more succinctly, but that was her point. At the time I was rehearsing my new CD, I'm in Heaven Tonight, and what she said really resonated with me, in particular in reference to one song on the album. Even now when I think about her comment and how true it is, it makes me somewhat emotional.
During the show I thought about the patter and the songs she chose and I couldn't help the feeling that as I watched her, I was looking at myself - the good side and the dark side - 40 plus years on, minus the Broadway shows. I've always known that I am a singer for a reason, but sometimes I can be sort of inward looking and forgetful that there are others who are singers for a reason as well. Then again, she does what a singer should do - allow the audience to see their own experience in the material. I only know my own life, but still in Barbara Cook I see a set of experiences and a way of thinking that are very familiar to me, a little too familiar.
In the intervening years I had also had a change of heart about seeing older performers. In the past I had not gone to see a lot of older singers, because guys (meaning musicians) told me that they weren't as good as they used to be. Being a woman, I took someone else's not-so-good advice seriously, instead of making my own decision. In 2006, the year before my son was born, I was like eff it. Even if these people aren't exactly how they used to be, I still should go see them. As a result, I've seen Mark Murphy, Ernestine Anderson, Annie Ross, and Jimmy Scott a number of times. Unfortunately, I missed Blossom Dearie, Barbara Lea, and Freddie Hubbard, but hopefully I won't miss anyone else. I saw Barbara Cook for the first time last year at the Carlyle. It was a magical experience. When it was over, I was sad that I had to leave the club. I wanted to stay in that wonderful bubble following her performance for as long as possible, rather than go out into the real world.
Despite having loved her performance at the Carlyle last year, I still arrived at Feinstein's Tuesday night thinking, "Shit, this is a lot of money to spend." It's not easy to tell your husband that you are going to be spending over $100 to see a singer, whatever the state of the economy is, and no matter how wonderful the singer is. I also had lots of other things on my mind. I hadn't seen my husband all week, because he had been away on business. I've been really busy working on the promotion of my new CD, in particular getting in some gigs before I have my 2nd child in August. As to be expected, I was among a handful of people in the audience under the age of 50, which I always find depressing. I got there a few minutes before it started and was afraid I wouldn't be able to see well from where they sat me. I thought to myself, "What the heck am I doing here?"
Then, the show started. Through the first few songs, I still had that "What the heck am I doing here?" feeling, coupled with a fear that this year's experience would not compare to last year's. After a few songs, all of my anxiety dissipated. Barbara Cook is truly a wonderful singer. I could hear her sing "Where or When" 1000x. She also sings Sondheim so well. There are some people who are crazy about Sondheim, but I am not one of them. I think that hearing a very skilled, experienced performer like Barbara Cook sing these tunes outside of the context of the show, for which they were written, made me appreciate them a lot more. I also find it quite amusing how she calls him "Steve" or "Stephen".
Not only is she a fantastic interpreter with a lovely voice, but she also sets up the tunes so beautifully with her patter. At the show I saw this year she spoke a lot more in between songs than she did in the show I saw last year. She told a very amusing story about her obsession with an opera singer. She told a very funny story about staying up late watching You Tube. She spoke about how she never performed Cole Porter songs, probably because she didn't really identify with them. Throughout I had this laugh of recognition, because I could relate to everything that she said.
I remember in last year's show to set up a ballad she made a comment about how when you are in a relationship, you want the other person to tell you what you want to hear, but how that sometimes doesn't happen. Well, I'm paraphrasing her, because she said it more succinctly, but that was her point. At the time I was rehearsing my new CD, I'm in Heaven Tonight, and what she said really resonated with me, in particular in reference to one song on the album. Even now when I think about her comment and how true it is, it makes me somewhat emotional.
During the show I thought about the patter and the songs she chose and I couldn't help the feeling that as I watched her, I was looking at myself - the good side and the dark side - 40 plus years on, minus the Broadway shows. I've always known that I am a singer for a reason, but sometimes I can be sort of inward looking and forgetful that there are others who are singers for a reason as well. Then again, she does what a singer should do - allow the audience to see their own experience in the material. I only know my own life, but still in Barbara Cook I see a set of experiences and a way of thinking that are very familiar to me, a little too familiar.
Leave a comment