Review: AISHA DE HAAS AND JON WEBER Talk The Talk At The West Bank Cafe

Listening to a jazz singer perform is like having a conversation with a computer programmer. They each have a unique language, germane only to their vocation, a language intimately understood by others who share in that vocabulary, and while you are with them, you may find yourself experiencing feelings of inadequacy. Are they smarter than me? Will I be able to understand what they're saying? Will I be outed as a dilettante? Why aren't I this good? Why aren't I this smart? Why don't I have this talent? Such is the impressive nature of the work that these two types of craftspeople embody. Aisha de Hass is a jazz singer - bona fide, authentic, acknowledged and admired by many who understand jazz; while you are with her, though, you will experience no feelings of negativity, none at all, because Aisha de Haas is a lovable lady who makes everyone feel welcome, and who makes the music she performs accessible.

Ms. de Haas, a star of theatrical and concert stages, has been biding her time as show business slowly reopens, awaiting the offers that will roll in for an artist of her stature. In the meantime, she and her friends at The West Bank Cafe have been languishing in each others' company and industry. When Steve Olsen began offering dinner music to his patrons, he and longtime friend and associate Michael Kirk Lane surveyed the lay of the artistic land, extending offers to the talented folk of the industry, and Aisha was quickly booked into the series, one that does not charge the patrons of the restaurant but, instead, offers them two different ways to tip the talented artists brightening up their mealtime. De Haas has been a repeat visitor at The West Bank, which should surprise no one, and last night's 7 pm set provided clear evidence of why ... crystal clear, like Aisha's oft-praised voice. A nicely populated room of diners appeared more than appreciative as de Haas and her Musical Director Jon Weber (more regularly known as The Ingenious Jon Weber) spent a jovial hour performing jazz arrangements of standards everyone knows - and if they don't know them, they looked them up to put them on their Spotify playlist. The only drawback to that is that the recordings in that playlist are unlikely to sound as spiffy, fresh and new as the de Haas/Weber performances.

One of the joys of watching a jazz singer work is hearing what their vision is for a song we have already heard, allowing us a peek at what is inside their head. No jazz singer follows the composer's chart or shadows another singer's treatment of the song - to do so would be sacrilege, it would go against the credo of The Jazz Singer. This is an art form without constraints, one based on improvisation and being in the moment - though there is always a framework before a jazz band (even one as small as a boy pianist and a girl singer) steps onto a stage, there is also an understanding that surprise melodic exploration will make the journey more enjoyable for everyone. We may hear the story of "Teach Me Tonight" (a stand-out in last night's de Haas/Weber set) a hundred times, and the words may not change once, but in the jazz singer's hands, the story is completely different. The crowd at The West Bank was lavished with all-new stories last night, courtesy of this predisposition of the jazz music art form, especially when Weber and de Haas let loose upon the crowd one of the cheekiest and most playful renditions of "Sweet Georgia Brown" ever to be heard. The playfulness of the rendition was made possible, entirely, by the trust that Aisha and Jon have in one another.

There's a beauty in the way that the duo works together. Like a petal on a breeze, Ms. de Haas's voice may take off in any new direction, inspired by something, anything, that happens organically, and Jon is able to follow because of his instincts and because he has an understanding of her and of her musical vocabulary. Similarly, Weber himself had occasion to take off with his hyper-skilled fingers on the keys as de Haas stood aside and laughed at the madness of his virtuosity. Their support of one another is spectacular, and spectacular to witness. One would be advised to look up from their wonderful West Bank dinner plate and look at the twosome from time to time, as the camaraderie is a joy to behold.

There is an additional benefit to a live Aisha de Haas performance that one may not always get with any random jazz singer. Sometimes a jazz treatment can feel intimidating to listen to because of the sophisticated journeys upon which the arrangement can take a person, dropping you right smack dab into the middle of a conversation with a computer programmer. As Scooby-Doo would say: Ruh Roh. But don't fret, dear friends who don't listen to a lot of jazz, for so amiable is the lady's presence, so visible is the friendship between her and Jon, that every moment of her time onstage is steeped in benevolence and goodwill, and as you watch these two scallywags play on their musical jungle gym, that complicated jazz treatment floating slightly over your head will run its course, making way for a more traditional treatment of, say, "When Sunny Gets Blue" that will soothe your soul as the lovable (and maybe slightly sneaky) Aisha de Haas makes a jazz fan out of you, one conversation at a time, making you musically multi-lingual.

The West Bank Cafe dinner music series is a cover charge-free series occurring Wednesday through Saturday from 7 pm to 9 pm, and Sunday from 5 pm to 7 pm and 8 pm to 10 pm. For information please visit the West Bank Cafe website HERE.

Aisha de Haas and Jon Weber return to The West Bank on June 13th, from 8 pm to 10 pm.

Artists may be tipped in person during the show or digitally via Venmo or Paypal.

Visit the Aisha de Haas website HERE.

Visit the Jon Weber website HERE.

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