Review: Mike Renzi And Nicolas King Master The Live Streaming Concert in MIKE RENZI LIVE AT SARDELLA'S

It's been going on for about three months and it is finally time to discuss it, in fact, it's long past time, but when the quarantine began, nobody knew how long it would last, and the online living room concerts were something entertainers were doing to raise morale and a little money. At this point, performers still don't know when they will be back in the clubs, and all of their hard-won efforts are going largely unacknowledged. This may not be cabaret in the usual sense of the word, but if an actor is going to show up, stand center stage and perform, attention must be paid. If all the lights in the city went out and Meryl Streep was standing in a parking lot reciting Shakespeare, a journalist would come out to write about it. No sets, no costumes, just a great actor telling stories.

Well, there is a great singing actor who has been telling stories for the last 12 weeks and he has been doing it alongside one of the great musicians of the industry. The two storytellers are impressive when performing alone, so when put together, they present a perfect and perfectly human online program that, frankly, this writer has not missed once in these last three months. It is, in fact, the only appointment Virtual Television that I observe (with apologies to all the other artists that I champion) -- it is just that good.

So what is it about Nicolas King and Mike Renzi that warrants tuning in every week, one might ask. If you are a lover of impeccable musicianship and timeless music, this is a surefire way to get your weekly fix. When Renzi and King started this adventure they were casually getting together in Renzi's apartment, on King's Facebook page, and spending some time putting on a virtual concert to which viewers responded to the tune of three thousand views on their first outing. These first few concerts ran anywhere from 26 to 40 minutes and were attended in numbers that stayed in the thousands, and one month in Richard Sardella reached out to the men with a proposal: he and his Rhode Island restaurant, Sardella's, would sponsor the duo for a show every Wednesday at 7 pm on the Sardella's Facebook page. Renzi and King, having played the room many times, immediately said yes and for the last two months they have been making magic for an hour every Hump Day. In the name of full disclosure, Sardella's is sponsoring Mike Renzi LIve and Renzi invites guest artists to sing with him - Mr. King is his most frequent guest, but twice Ida Senerchia-Zecco has joined him, bringing her vocal expertise and ineffable charm to the airwaves. Naturally, a musician possessing of skill and personality like Mike Renzi is going to walk among artists and persons of similar attributes - that is why it is not just the quality of music that makes the hour fly by so fast, it is the allure of the people on the monitor.

In the time that Renzi and King have been presenting their online show they have provided evenings of random favorites and they have performed theme-nights, focusing on Broadway, Hollywood, and songs of Summer, always with Renzi's incomparable arrangements and gasp-worthy ivory tickling. Friends for a number of years, King and Renzi have a shorthand with one another, possibly a telepathy, that makes their time together effortless and calming. Occasions exist when a singer and their music director lack communication and the act of observation can prove to be slightly stressful - nothing could be further from the truth here. Oftentimes, King will remark "That's the first time we've ever done that" and you just KNOW that he means they didn't even rehearse it! Clearly, they have been friends and colleagues for so long that they breathe in unison, which is perfect for musicians because it's all about the rhythm of the breathing. Renzi, the coolest cat out there, can be plainly seen from the vantage point of the webcam and he plays the piano the way a chef or a swimmer cuts a carrot or the water. The prowess flows from him as a fouette from a ballerina, and he appears unbowed by the effort.

Speaking of unbowed...

Nicolas King is a wonder. He's a marvel who will make you, repeatedly, shake your head in disbelief and cry out "WHAAAAAAT?!" Like Renzi, King appears to produce his vocals without breaking a sweat, though just listening to him will make YOU break a sweat. Yes, he is working without a microphone in close proximity with the camera, but you can, actually, hear his voice fill the room that he and Renzi occupy, and the force of his vocal power is enough to leave a viewer awestruck, as he just sits on his stool, head back, a cheeky Cheshire-grin on his face, having unleashed the tsunami of sound that makes one ask how it is possible for the human voice to do that. Then, he performs scat singing that equals (if not rivals) that of some of the greatest jazz singers in the history of the art form. He is as good as any singer working in music today, and much of the time, better. It's enough to make a person a little frustrated that he isn't more famous than he is - not because it's about fame and fortune, but because the notoriety would give more people in the world exposure to his incomparable gifts. During last night's hour-long concert, six times this writer wrote down the word WOW because of completely original, absolutely comfortable, thoroughly perfected performances of classic songs like "Summertime" and "Too Close For Comfort" or an epic "MacArthur Park" that Nicolas sings like nobody else ever has, Mike providing piano solos that belong on the stage at Carnegie Hall. In an evening of insanely splendid music, the duo's performances last night of "The Summer Knows" and their Esther Bernstein dedicated "That Face" were enough to make any new viewer a fan, but it was their closing number "You're Nearer" that really put the show on the Top Shelf - it was the kind of exquisite that music lovers point at, years later, and say "THAT is the way it's done."

It is not only the musical talents of the twosome that makes their show the joy that it is, though. King is unfathomably comfortable in this medium. He was born to be in front of the camera, hosting the show with a complete lack of self-consciousness, something that can be difficult when, in place of an audience applauding you after each number, you have a camera up your nose. He runs the show like a radio DJ, jumping off of each song and into his conversation with an audience that answers back only through messages in the scroll, which he is able to read and respond to as quickly as a seasoned newscaster reading their copy, never once distracting from the music, only bringing himself and Mike closer to the viewers. For every song, he has either an anecdote or an observation that keeps the flow moving to the next tune-filled moment in which he and Renzi will make happy their appreciative audience. As for Mr. Renzi, he is content to stay at the piano with his cocktail, all laid-back and groovy, occasionally making a dry, witty remark that lets the audience into his personal world for a mischievous moment in time. This is a new medium for performers and for this terrific twosome it's been like coals to Newcastle, right out of the gate; other performers doing streaming shows would be well advised to check out Renzi and King if only to get a feel for how best to present their own programs.

But those other performers, like any other audience member, should tune in to Mike Renzi Live At Sardella's just because it's damn fine entertainment. That's something to celebrate any day of the week.

Mike Renzi Live At Sardella's can be seen every Wednesday at 7:00 pm EST on the Facebook page for Sardella's RI HERE. While Nicolas King is Mr. Renzi's most frequent guest artist, on nights when Nicolas is off, artists of skill, style, and taste can be found in the singer's spot.

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