Even though she hasn’t released an album in years, vocalist Roberta Gambarini is still able to pack the house at Catalina’s because the appreciative audience didn’t want to hear anything necessarily new. No, they came to see the veteran vocalist because they wanted to hear something timeless. And Ms Gambarini delivered, teamed with the double octogenarian rhythm section of legends bassist Chuck Berghofer (86), drummer Roy McCurdy (87) and still relatively wet behind the ears pianist Tamir Hendelman (53).
Like all great things in Italian arts, Gambarini showed that underdressed and classic is best, as she opened up with a dreamy unaccompanied “Monk’s Prayer For Peace” that resonated like a Franciscan chant. In similar fashion, she had an uncanny presence with the most Spartan of support, whimsically teasing out the lyrics to “It’s A Lovely Day” with Hendelman and going delicately dramatic in similar fashion on ‘You Must Believe In Spring. Likewise, she and Hendelman exquisitely captured the wanderlust on her tribute to Ella Fitzgerald on Billy Strayhorn’s “Something To Live For”.
With the full trio, she swung and scatted out a bopping “Theme For The Eulipions” and asserted herself as she ad libbed lyrics to the feisty and spontaneously fun “You Taught My Heart To Swing”. A Jobim medley started with Gambarini in a bel canto mood before playfully making up verses on a double timed “Chega De Saudade”. Mixing vocalese and scat like throwing fruit into a Waring Blender, Gambarini swirled around McCurdy on a celebratory “On The Sunny Side Of The Street” before bluesing up the evening by closing with a simmering “Centerpiece/Everyday I Have The Blues”. Her effortless range, dynamics mixed with emotional expression was evident on each color of the prismatic songs, but the undercurrent of all tunes is that relentless thing we call “swing”, evidenced on the closing “Just Squeeze Me”.
Ms Gambarini promised that new albums are on the horizon, but judging by the audience’s response, no recorded invitations are yet needed.
Upcoming shows at Catalina’s include Bunny Brunel 01/19, Bernie Dresel 01/23, Mark Winkler 01/25, and Simon Phillips Protocol V 01/27