There are simply certain gigs that remind you why you fell in love with jazz in the first place.
Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater and pianomeister Bill Charlap did just that to me Friday night at Catalina’s.
The simple ingredients of timeless songs, interpreted, delivered and sonically acted out by a lady who knows how to weave a lyric like like Raphael and supported by the catcher’s mitt soft hands of Charlap created an 80 minute feast of melodicism and improvisation that will stand as a template for what this thing called ‘jazz ‘ can accomplish in the hands of the proper chefs.
Every song Bridgewater sang was as if she were taking on a role, and she was on a roll all evening, playing with the tempos and dynamics like Salt Water Taffy as she enunciated with crystal clarity “I’m Beginning to See The Light” over Charlap’s bluesy strides. She coyly teased the lyrics like a kitten with a ball of yarn over a clevery rambling Country and Western boogie on “Sometimes I’m Happy”. Her voice plunged like Bubber Miley’s horn as she wah wahed on an agonizing “Fine And Mellow” while glowing like a full moon in the desert sky as Charlap added understated delicacies during “On a Clear Day”.
You actually believed she was longing for her lover as she sighed and expired out wisps, parsing out notes as if she were paying by the pound on “The Man I Love”, volleying back and forth with Charlap like a badminton team before the two faded out and receding like a low tide.
Regrets, she had a few, well displayed as Charlap set ‘em up, Joe, for a late night salooned “Lush Life”. Bridgewater was able to take in the marrow of each song, giving each tune various movements, colors, dynamics, side routes and even squirrels to chase, adding a whistle of “Singing in the Rain” to a take of “The More I See You” that had Charlap’s fingers go from tender to frisky to feisty. She preached it like a Baptist minister on a riveting “Come Rain Or Come Shine” and went from Betty Boop to Marion Williams on a bouncy “Fascinating Rhythm” . The closing “Epistrophy” went from bop to free to frenzied food fight as Charlap’s fingers ricocheted off the walls and Bridgewater scatted like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.
Encoring with a tender “Here Comes That Rainy Day” , Bridgewater and Charlap reminded the audience that , like the best cooks, it’s best to trust in the simple ingredients. The flavors still remain in my mind.
Because shows like these are essential for the continuation for Western Civilization, we need to support venues like Catalina’s that make jazz possible. Go to their web site and join their Go Fund Me project.
Upcoming shows at Catalina’s include Sam Harris 03/25-26, Sharon Azrieli and Tamir Hendelman 03/31, Cathy Segal-Garcia 04/10 and Omar Sosa 04/17