Review: Barbara Fasano Is Busy Being Glorious During Show Celebrating Her New CD Release at Birdland

Birdland was abuzz this past Thursday night in celebration of Barbara Fasano's fresh-off-the-press CD, Busy Being Free (see review at end of this piece). Industry types table-hopped among civilians--they know a good thing when they hear it--as anticipation swelled. Gift wrapped in tapestry blue, Fasano was accompanied by three of the six excellent musicians on her recording: Musical Director/Pianist/Arranger John di Martino, with Boris Koslov on bass, and Vince Cherico on drums.

Fasano began with a resigned, sweetly melancholy, "It Never Was You" (Kurt Weill/ Maxwell Anderson). Cherico's brushes soothingly circled. Di Martino's sensitive piano took its own coordinating path with a respectful nod--a beautiful version. The expectant bar immediately rose even higher. "Where Or When" (Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart) was seductive, beckoning. Should the object of affection walk away, however, this savvy woman might shrug, more experienced than uncaring.

Vernon Duke/Ogden Nash's "Roundabout," "all about pattern of life experiences," inspired the CD itself. A gentle cha-cha that repeatedly sings and slows like a wind up victrola or merry-go-round music box, the number found us swaying in our seats. Koslov's exacting contribution acted like humming clockwork. Fasano's few, expressive gestures felt natural. From the back of her throat, vibrato emerged with an airbrushed tail. I imagined a little girl dancing by herself.

"At the end of it all, I realized I had five women writers, mavericks who wrote about love, loss, and the price of freedom," introduced one of the highlights of the evening, a completely original interpretation of Joni Mitchell's "Cactus Tree." Instead of a young woman, we heard from someone who's been there, remembers it joyfully, and has vibrantly moved on. The performer took us back, took us with her. It's a jazzier arrangement than usual with music that propels and builds as if on a road trip of memories. Fasano was in glorious voice, every note assured. When she exultantly soared, notes unfurled but didn't, like many, careen off the walls. Warmth and luminosity filled the room.

Another highlight upending expectations, "Remind Me" ("Jerome Kern/Dorothy Fields), issued forth long lined instead of breezy, speaking to temptation rather than mere flirting. (On the disc, it's more of an out and out love song.) Only impeccable phrasing (and caressing piano) could carry the difference. "But Beautiful" (James Van Heusen/ Johnny Burke) arrived like the slow motion film of a fountain. Music and lyrics rose, folded over themselves, fell slowly, and splashed with balletic precision. Muffled drums quietly echoed. Wowza.

Nellie Lutcher's "Hurry On Down" started with a dancey, infectious bass turn that seemed to dip, twirl, and slide. Fasano sang with southern coloration and a wink; hips swiveled. Walking sideways across the stage, she extended an open invitation; rubbing up against Di Martino, she teased. Her MD's frequent stop/start effect showed up again, adding an upbeat, but bluesy aura. Exuding tenderness, the performer told a brief story about her romantic parents and one involving the exceedingly quotable Julie Wilson. Otherwise, patter was at an effective, conversational minimum. We're watching a real person, not a persona.

Di Martino is as physically demonstrative a pianist as you'll see outside of rock. Like Keith Jarrett, music moves through him. The musician raises his eyebrows, juts out his chin, hunches over, and makes facial expressions. A jazz man, he can be fulsomely balladic, eminently delicate, or hip and doodling. A group of the more Latin inflected, mid-tempo arrangements sound a bit too similar.

Barbara Fasano appears to be in second, shimmering bloom. Obvious talents have codified into this show. Fasano's acute control seems effortless. Her nimble voice moves as if choreographed. Theater training is reflected in the essential communication of lyrics. The lady clearly loves what she does and is grateful to be able to do it, a case of communal pleasure.

Photos by James Gavin

Barbara Fasano's new CD Review

Much of Barbara Fasano's new Busy Being Free CD is dance-in-the-living-room romantic. She can sigh a song without making it flimsy, declare sentiment without weighing it down. Jaunty numbers like her now familiar jazz rendition of "The Surrey With the Fringe On Top"(performed with 'a smile in the vocal') are also included. "Hurry On Down" adds Warren Vache's cheeky cornet to superb effect. However, "Where Or When" (in spite of Aaron Heik's very fine flute) loses intimacy and becomes a band number--a fine line. Production values are top notch. Additional musicians on the disc include Heik (soprano sax and flute) and Paul Meyers (guitar), both of whom add texture and dimensionality.

http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-Fasano-Busy-Being-Free/dp/B017CPIC64

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