[Dixielandjazz] Dave Frishberg

[Steve Barbone]

No doubt to many of us, Dave Frishberg plays/sings/writes OKOM. His shows
are always a kick. I gigged with him on Long Island and in NYC, with a band
called The Beale Street Stompers, when he was a teenage jazz pianist we
called Davey. We were all in our mid 20s, (50 years ago) and marveled at how
well this kid played Dixieland in a 4/4 swinging style.

I'll never forget his answer to a question posed by a wealthy dowager at a
high society party. She said "Young man, you play beautifully. What are your
future plans . . . to become a band leader or composer?"

"No", he replied, "I just want to play better in future."

Cheers,
Steve Barbone

NY TIMES - October 19, 2006 - By STEPHEN HOLDEN

Jessica Molaskey and Dave Frishberg
Her Voice, His Tender, Cruel Songs

As a cynical pop commentator on the games people play, there is no more
ferocious wit than the jazz songwriter Dave Frishberg, who is making a rare
New York appearance at Feinstein¹s at the Regency with the singer Jessica
Molaskey. His most famous song, ³My Attorney Bernie,² is a scathing portrait
of a high-powered lawyer by a client who is simultaneously horrified and
tickled by the legal eagle¹s ploys and affectations. The song¹s funniest
punch line:

He buys wine from the rare imported rack
That¹s ¹cause Bernie is a purist, not your polyester tourist
Bernie waves the glass around a while and takes a sip and always sends it
back

Singing with Mr. Frishberg at the piano at Tuesday¹s opening night (the show
runs through Oct. 28), Ms. Molaskey flavored this song with a healthy pinch
of lemon zest. Like Mr. Frishberg, she has the gift of being jazzy and deep
at the same time. 

Mr. Frishberg plays the piano the way he writes lyrics, with a sharp edge.
Notes are never wasted. His is a lean, aggressive style that avoids flowery
embellishment. And when he sings in his characteristically sarcastic tone,
his voice and piano create the musical equivalent of the perfect martini: a
lethal concoction that¹s extra-dry and made with gin.

The show, ³Quality Time,² whose title is taken from a wonderful Frishberg
song the pair didn¹t perform on Tuesday, may be the smartest cabaret show
you¹ll see all year. The two take turns singing. Mr. Frishberg growls ³I¹m
Hip,² the portrait of a poseur he wrote with Bob Dorough, and Ms. Molaskey
follows with ³I Won¹t Scat,² a Frishberg spoof of ³I Won¹t Dance.²

The show¹s most amusing moment, ³Can¹t Take You Nowhere,² is a scornful
dismissal of an acquaintance who is a social embarrassment: ³You stagger,
you sag, you¹re half in the bag, one glass of beer and you¹re a total drag.²
As sung by Ms. Molaskey, it had me laughing aloud.

Beneath the misanthropy, there is a profoundly tender side to Mr.
Frishberg¹s songwriting. ³Heart¹s Desire,² written to his children, with
music by Alan Broadbent, is to my mind, one of the two greatest American pop
songs of the last 20 years (the other being Adam Guettel¹s ³How Glory Goes,²
from ³Floyd Collins²), and Ms. Molaskey¹s brisk but insightful
interpretation did it proud.

It could be described as a contemporary answer to ³When You Wish Upon a
Star,² pared of sentimentality but not love. A parent imparting wisdom to a
child declares, ³If you should decide to seek your special dream, your
heart¹s desire/ Nothing you can ever do will bring more joy to you,² then
cautions: 

But if you seek your heart¹s desire, your heart may break.
That¹s the risk your dreams require, the chance you take,
The choice you make.

Expressions of devotion and truthfulness rarely coincide in popular songs.
Here they do.