[Dixielandjazz] Barbara Cook

[Steve barbone]

OKOM? Well, in her 2001 Carnegie Hall concert "Mostly Sondheim" of songs he
wrote and songs he "wished he had written", one that brought tears to his
eyes was "Hard Hearted Hannah".

If in NYC during March, you might wish to spend a few bucks at the Carlyle
and see this wonderful singer who is, . . . gasp, . . . older than both Bill
Gunther and Don Ingle.

God Bless The Great Grandmother as well as The Child.

Cheers,
Steve


A Voice That Gives Healing to the Wounded and Weary

Barbara Cook in a retrospective of song, both down-home and romantic.
NY TIMES - by STEPHEN HOLDEN - March 4, 2006

And once again, Barbara Cook: is there anything left to say about this
magnificent singer who seems to be everywhere at once these days, defying
age, gravity and musical category?

Of course, there is. There is always more to say about an artist like Ms.
Cook, who even in her late 70's never stops growing and revealing new facets
of a musical sensibility that embodies balance, groundedness and, above all,
a benign, unpretentious honesty.

At the Café Carlyle, where she is performing a retrospective of her 25 years
singing on and off there, Ms. Cook places more emphasis than usual on her
down-home side. But be assured that her stalwart romanticism hasn't taken a
vacation. Scattered throughout the show are several of those melting ballads
she uses like Proust's madeleine to open up the past and pour sweet
forgiveness and understanding on our emotional wounds.

But it is Ms. Cook's can-do spirit and welcoming Southern warmth that give
the new show its particular aura of hearthside comfort and joy. Early in
Thursday's performance, the singer, accompanied by guitar, bass and piano,
reminisced about her 2001 Carnegie Hall concert, "Mostly Sondheim," in which
she performed a mixture of songs he wrote and those he said he wished he had
written. Afterward, she recalled, Mr. Sondheim told her that the selections
that brought tears to his eyes were the 1924 vaudeville blues number
"Hard-Hearted Hannah" and the charging title song of the 1936 movie "San
Francisco." 

The new show's homespun quality came from her brisk, upbeat performances of
those songs and of Sondheim's "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" (delivered as
a friendly but emphatic lecture on bad behavior); Carol Hall's pop-country
ballad "Ain't Love Easy"; John Bucchino's bittersweet road song "Sweet
Dreams"; and a cute 30's novelty, "My Dog Loves Your Dog," which Ms. Cook
embellished with canine arfs and whimpers.

This playfulness threw the reflective moments into higher relief. She drew
out "The More I See You" into a breathless, ecstatic sigh of surrender.
"Bill" became a plain, eloquent statement of devotion, and finally, an
unmiked "Why Did I Choose You?" addressed not only a life partner, but also
the audience and music itself.

Barbara Cook's show continues through April 1 at the Café Carlyle, the
Carlyle Hotel, 35 East 76th Street, Manhattan; (212) 744-1600.