Review: Karen Mack & Elliot Roth Jazz Up The FRONT LOUNGE at Pangea

Saturday night, as I was leaving the closing performance of Dorian Woodruff's STUDIO MUSICIAN: THE MUSIC OF MANILOW, I was delighted to find a throng of patrons in the front lounge at Pangea. The cabaret room for the Woodruff show had been so nicely populated that it was a pleasure to see that, on the other side of the velvet curtain, the rest of the restaurant was equally popular on a weekend night. In the center of the crowded room, I spotted a pair of legs as famous to me as Betty Grable's were to the servicemen of the second World War: Doris Dear was in the house. It wasn't actually Doris herself, it was the man behind the myth, Ray DeForest, dressed in his signature mini-(fill in the blank) and sky-high pumps.

"Were you at the Woodruff show? I didn't see you in there."

No, quoth he, pointing in the direction of his choice of musical entertainment for the evening: Karen Mack and Elliot Roth.

Ah. 'Nuff said.

Karen Mack and Elliot Roth have been testing the waters as a lounge act, of late, first getting their feet wet at the West Bank Cafe and, now, settling into a monthly residency at Pangea. Owner Stephen Shanaghan (who deserves a medal, a blue ribbon, or at least a pat on the back) has managed to keep live music alive during the last nightmarish two years by having artists perform on the sidewalk during the early days of the pandemic, before moving them just inside the front door of Pangea, after the re-emergence. There, on a funny little stage that isn't a stage, he has had club acts turned lounge acts performing throughout the week free of charge. Let's say that again: FREE OF CHARGE. The patrons of the restaurant and lounge at Pangea can enjoy quality musical entertainment throughout the week, the performers can get their art on, and there can be a discreet remuneration between the patrons and the performers by way of mason jars for cash and QR codes on the tables for digital transfers. The system Shanaghan has created has been a boon to the lovers of live music and the artists who need to make that music, in order to feed their souls - and Elliot and Karen are the latest in a growing list of artists being put on display just inside the door.

The ambiance of Pangea is cozy, from tip to tail, and guests of the establishment on Saturday night could be seen to cuddle on the couch or huddle at the bar, enjoying eye-catching cocktails and taste bud-tantalizing cuisine - this teetotaling vegan was in a world of wonder, gazing at the pretty presentation of the beverages, and there was a nearby plate of spaghetti bolognese that had me considering an unmentionable straying from the path. Guests reveled in the comfort and the company, as Mack and Roth casually captured the attention of all with their free hour(s) of jazz and folk stylings.

It has, long, been believed by many (this writer included) that Karen Mack should be doing solo shows. One of the four fabulous females that make up the groovy girl group THOSE GIRLS, Mack has a special quality as a performer, and a special standing in the community. Thanks to her fiery presence in every show in which she appears and her benevolent ubiquity in the audience of many acts around town, Karen Mack is a woman and an artist that garners much respect. By joining forces with Elliot Roth, he of Brandy's Piano Bar popularity, Karen has gone out onto a limb that is in no way at all shaky. The winsome twosome are, in fact, the boy-girl act that everyone has been waiting for, as evidenced by the cessation of all conversation during the quietest moments of their first set on Saturday night. It might seem like a risk to sing quiet, emotional, tender tunes in a lounge full of imbibers, but Mack and Roth took the challenge, and it paid off.

Performing everything from Cole Porter to Sting, from Mancini to Sheik (with some original Karen Mack thrown in for good measure), the duo played their jazz arrangements and folk treatments for the appreciative crowd for one solid hour, with Mack taking opportunities now and then to step aside so that Roth could show off his solo-songboy vocals for the crowd. Both accomplished vocalists, Elliot and Karen show particular skill with their duets, whether trading off on sentences and stanzas or harmonizing on the choruses. The whole thing was like a Mickey and Judy MGM musical, set in some glittering New York City salon - only it's real-life in 2022, more down to earth, less glamorous, and more downtown, which is just fine because these days a casual night out with your gals or your gays is just what the agenda should be. And with their friendly, laid-back connection to the crowd - to say nothing of Roth's inventive arrangements (like a Duke Ellington/Peggy Lee mash-up) and their pleasing vocals - it wouldn't surprise this reporter if one of three things were to happen... or maybe all three, in short order.

1). The monthly Pangea residency will be upgraded to more than one appearance a month.

2). Mack and Roth are offered similar club dates in other venues around the city

3). Karen Mack and Elliot Roth debut a nightclub act on a nightclub stage, complete with cover charge, advertising, lighting design, show title and art, and an eager audience, thankful that they (finally) got their wish: a Karen Mack solo show.

I know which one I'm pulling for.

Karen Mack and Elliot Roth will play two sets in the front lounge at Pangea on March 19th and April 25th, starting at 8:30 pm each night. There is no cover charge, though tipping is strongly encouraged. This is a monthly residency. For details on this act and others, please visit the Pangea website HERE.

Karen Mack has a website HERE and Elliot Roth's website is HERE.

To post a comment, you must register and login.