Review: PHIRO CHANTE PIAF returns to Birdland Theatre

Red wine. A flourish of changing leaves. A crisp autumn evening giving way to the warmth of a cozy supper club in the den of a bustling metropolis. How often these elements must have set the stage for Edith Piaf, the chanteuse whose trembling voice and tremulous visage are perhaps the personification of the art form of cabaret.

Floating across the stage of the Birdland Theatre, on a similarly gorgeous occasion, Myriam Phiro doesn't so much conjure the physical Piaf as she does the striking profile of John Singer Sargeant's portrait of Madame X. And her voice - an elegant, throaty cello - perhaps brings more to mind the instrument of long time Piaf ami, Marlene Dietrich than the 'little sparrow' herself.

But in a welcome return engagement of PHIRO CHANTE PIAFF, the French-Canadian vocalist uses her unique gifts to paint a rewarding and reverential jazz infused impression of Piaf's life and loves that are, at their heart, the essence of authentic chanson.

Weaving through a dozen songs, mostly performed in French, and mostly, though not all, associated with Piaf, Phiro's exudes a superb blending of musical tastes that recreate, without attempting to replicate, the mood and the world of Piaf's reign.

It is right, and indeed fortuitous then, that Phiro is surrounded in such a musical travelogue by three of the finest international jazz musicians currently on the cabaret scene: Elias Bailey on upright bass, Grammy award winning, Linus Wyrsch on clarinet, and the singular Hyuna Park on piano and accordion.

Sharing the stage in equal collaboration, and allowing for the kind of inspired multi-instrumental jazz improvisation that generates genuine audience fireworks, Phiro and her musicians create intoxicating and effortless new renditions of perennial Piaf staples like "L'Effet Que Tu Me Fais," "Menilmontant," "Sous Le Ciel de Paris" and "Le Foule / Amour De Mis Amores."

A playful and charming leader throughout, Phiro's solo approach to her subject can, at times, perhaps be too respectful - too reserved. Piaf was, after all, known more for her excesses than her restraints. But when center stage and sure footed, flourishing Piaf's greatest anthems, "Padam..Padam," and "Non Je Ne Regrette Rien," Phiro unleashes a throbbing power and Gaelic vocal fire that are unexpectedly transformative and transporting. In those moments, catching your breath before applause, indeed, you might just wonder if you've awoken from a Parisienne dream.

To learn more about Myriam Phiro or to purchase Ms. Phiro's recording, PIRO CHANTE PIAFT visit www.myriamphiro.com.

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