Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Wednesday 3rd June 2015
My first foray into the Adelaide Cabaret Fringe, following the Gala Performance, was to
Midnight Soul, an evening of songs from actor/singer, Teresa De Gennaro, and singer/songwriter, Diana Scalzi, both of whom are from Adelaide, Scalzi making here her base, and De Gennaro working in Enland and America, coming home to reconnect with her roots. This performance, a brief journey through the history of Soul, took place at Adelaide's home of cabaret, the intimate La Bohème.
From out of the darkness came the voice of De Gennaro, with Billie Holliday's most powerful and challenging work, banned on every conservative radio station in America, and now accepted as one of the most important works of all time,
Strange Fruit. Personally, I would have categorised this as blues, rather than soul, but there are so many areas of contention that the easiest thing is to accept that there are some pieces that cross boundaries and fit under several headings.
There were a few solos but, for the most part, these two extremely talented ladies supported one another, in equally distributed duos, or acting as a backing harmonist to the others singing. This ever changing focus, coupled with the different vocal timbres and approaches to interpretation, made for a captivating hour of marvellous music.
The performance spanned the decades, with so many landmark songs marking the way, some simply stated, and others couched in metaphor. All along the way there were signposts, marking the importance of the songs, and explaining the popularity of the genre.
Nina Simone's arrangement of
My Baby Just Cares For Me, complete with a break for tap dancing, ensured that Scalzi was a hit with the audience. Who can resist a tap routine? A complete change of pace for
Walk On By, and then a touch of
R E S P E C T, and a host of other familiar songs were given an exciting treatment, rejuvenating and enlivening them.
There was power. There was energy. There was commitment. This was not just two singers presenting some songs that they liked. This was two singers deeply engaging with songs that had great meaning for them, and that came across strongly. This was a performance that meant a lot to both of them and that stood out from the start. Nobody opens with Strange Fruit, unless it has real meaning for them, stirring a sense of social justice. Soul music has an agenda, and it could not be expressed more eloquently than by these two performers.
One quick glance around the audience was enough to discover a good many local musicians of note. This is always a good sign, when musicians are turning out to hear the work of other members of the fraternity. The two singers were accompanied by a fine group of musicians, with Stephen Morel on piano, Fabio Pappalardo on guitar, and
Ellen Mitchell on drums.
There are two more performances, but there are only a few seats available so, with your fingers firmly crossed, try to get tickets.
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