Review: JUST IN TIME FOR JULE STYNE at Dizzy's Is More Than Fine

It was simply a good time attending  Just in Time for Jule Styne on February 2nd. Songbook Sundays, the program that’s been getting around to the giant composers and lyricists – one at a time – made the composer of Gypsy, Funny Girl, and many a Frank Sinatra classic the first honoree of 2025. Enjoying the music of the prolific, versatile Styne (1905-1994) is always time well spent. You might say we had “time” on our hands with songs like “Just in Time,” “It’s Been a Long, Long Time” and “Time After Time.” The last two have words by Sammy Cahn and were handled with warm, unfussy sincerity by the male singer du jour, Matthew Scott. Smoothly crooning, he brought out the grace of the melodies and the sense of valuing the presence of a romantic partner.  Conversely, another Cahn lyric, “Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out to Dry,” tells of the melancholy felt after a break-up and the difficulty in moving on. However, Mr. Scott was more wistful than weepy, certainly not drowning in those tears. Hands in his pockets, his controlled and calm demeanor radiated restraint. The implied resigned sigh in singing “Oh, well, I…” before the title phrase worked to emphasize acceptance of unwanted single status. But, mostly, songs stayed on the happy side. As repeat attendees of the mostly upbeat Songbook programs know, there’s a kind of a method to the gladness with the successful presentations. With the theory of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” the ingredients of the musical meal are familiar, even though the participants vary.

Here are some of the apparent guidelines: 

1–There will be three solo vocalists (joining forces just for a finale, though there may be a duet). Typically, two are performers who work in a decidedly jazz-oriented style, perhaps doing some scat-singing; after all, we’re at Dizzy’s Club and that’s part of the Jazz at Lincoln Center complex). LaTanya Hall and Kate Kortum were on the bill and surely fit the bill. 

2–A third singer tends to be not so jazzy, but more in the Broadway/cabaret mold (Matthew Scott, for example).

3–The smallish band is intergenerational, steeped in jazz, and the members get some generous-length solos midway during the vocal numbers and can be given a chance to shine even more in a purely instrumental tour de force.

4–Host/curator Deborah Grace Winer will give some context and bits of history, but sparingly, so as not to offer more 411 than than the desired quota that the more casual fan of The Great American Songbook standards might want (or that devotees came in already knowing). It could have been more effective to place more of the comments about Jule Styne’s personality and biography sooner, to give a sense of who he was near earlier (much of that came near the end), but our guide’s enthusiasm and respect for the material is certainly infectious. 

The aforementioned topic of “time” came up first in the opening number when silky-voiced LaTanya Hall sang of that magical place “where dreams are born and time is never planned…Never Never Land.” It was a pretty intoxicating invitation to log frequent flyer miles for trips to that lovely location. There was a glow that lingered, thanks to this sweet selection from the score of Peter Pan, with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. 

Another of the Styne/Comden/Green trio’s several collaborations certainly was in ample evidence – three songs were plucked from 1956’s Bells Are Ringing. One, chosen as the band’s spotlight showstopper, was a welcome surprise for this series that usually pulls overwhelmingly from the prolific writers’ very well-known, often recorded/performed standards. “I Met a Girl” is not in that category, but it was an invigorating instrumental, beginning with an exciting, exciting and creative drum solo by Cameron MacIntosh (no, not the Sir Cameron MacIntosh who produced Cats, Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, etc.!). The other two items from Bells Are Ringing might ring a bell even to those who don’t know that musical about an answering service operator: the aforementioned “Just in Time” and “The Party’s Over.”  The latter also mentions “time” in two impactful spots — “It’s time to call it a day” and “It’s time to wind up the masquerade”). 

Both of these vocals from the Bells score were assigned to clear-toned Kate Kortum, a very, very impressive young artist who knows her way around, inside, and through the routes and roots of jazz singing. She bends notes with ease, reshaping a phrase so that a word not usually stressed gets unexpected and worthy emphasis, surprising our ears, blithely zips through a breakneck tempo without breaking a sweat, and can scat-sing with panache. Arguably, such feats risk shortchanging a tender, dramatic lyric – but something like this simple, very familiar lyric survives when the melody is the star.  Kate Kortum’s arsenal of artistic touches here remind me of how I’ve heard some iconic stylists take lots of liberties taking on “Just in Time” (such a Sarah Vaughan and a jazz re-inventor I heard a lot growing up because she was my mother’s favorite: Anita O’Day). However, Kortum can command attention by scaling everything back with a heartfelt ballad, accompanied with just low-key piano, as evidenced by her radiant rendition of “People.” 

Although it’s not one of Styne’s most memorable masterpieces, and doesn’t have a rich lyric, LaTanya Hall brought plenty of  feel-good swing energy to “Sunday,” Jule Styne’s first hit, a number that seems right to have in this program. All the vocalists came together for “Together (Wherever We Go),” a cheery, albeit perfunctory, romp through the cheer-up number from Gypsy.     

Pianist/music director extraordinaire Jon Weber (his announced presence at the keyboard is enough to make me prioritize attending shows) was, as always, sublime. However, he didn’t get much spotlight in the first several songs, perhaps out of a sense of kind generosity to give more opportunities to the very fine musicians.  In addition to piano and drums, the band featured the cool bass playing of Jason Clotter and soaring sax sounds by Erena Terakubo, both of whom made strong contributions. 

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Next up for Songbook Sundays, mark your calendars for April 6 for Songs of Rodgers & Hart on April 6 (two sets, as usual).

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