Review: Tom Wopat Brings Magic And WEDNESDAY'S WITH WOPAT to The Beach Cafe

Uptown on a Saturday night, on Manhattan's fashionable Upper East Side, in a quaint little eatery can be found a most intimate and enjoyable cabaret experience at The Beach Cafe. The Beach Cafe isn't actually a cabaret room, it's a restaurant in which a stage was installed for the sole purpose of bringing live music to the neighborhood that it services, and owner Dave Goodside has, since, been inviting artists like Karen Akers, Nicolas King and Karen Oberlin to spend their weekends entertaining New Yorkers and the folks who visit our fair berg. The room hasn't the glittering glamor of 54 Below or The Carlyle, and it isn't backed by the prestige of Birdland or Joe's Pub. What The Beach Cafe has is far more valuable, much more important. The Beach Cafe has ambiance, it has character, it has charm. The Beach Cafe has true intimacy between the performer and the clientele - it has every inch of the mood and feeling of the 1960's saloons frequented by New Yorkers who wanted to get a bit drunk on a late Saturday night and listen to a saloon singer into whose eyes they could look while reclining in the crook of the arm of someone with whom they were going out, or maybe with whom they were staying in. The Beach Cafe is the real New York cabaret nightclub experience.

And last night, at The Beach Cafe, magic was made.

But last night wasn't a Saturday. That is because last night Tom Wopat began a five week series of concerts titled WEDNESDAY'S WITH WOPAT. These very personal concerts Wopat is doing are less cabaret show and more jazz session. They are less nightclub act and more living room jam. These concerts are so personal that they feel like that New Year's Eve you were hanging out in the home of your musician friend and someone said "Tom play us a song" and before you knew it, an hour had passed of everyone just hanging out, having fun, making music and getting to know one another. That is the level of comfort to be found at Wednesday's With Wopat. It is a magical New York moment, completely relaxed and casual, totally lacking in pretension and self-consciousness, and absolutely enjoyable (not to mention easy to get to, since the Q Train stops AT The Beach Cafe's DOOR).

There is something so satisfying in watching a true musician at work. Their knowledge of their craft is so admirable and visible, their love for their art is so palpable and pure, their respect for their trade is so exposed and elevated. Watching Wopat communicate with the (exceptional) members of his band is like a peek inside of the world of the craftsman. Wopat, not Tedd Firth (pianist extraordinaire), counts off the band for each number, setting the rhythm as their leader, a knowing look passing between the four musicians (Ed Howard on bass and Peter Grant on drums) as they kick off one amazing number after another. Wopat knows what he needs from his technical director, casually calling out "Dave, could I have a little more vocal?" or "Easy on the reverb, Dave" whenever he feels a particular change is warranted. Last night was an elegant musical dance between Tom, the boys in the band, Dave, and an audience that was having the best night of their week.

The concert that kicked off Wednesday's With Wopat was a mix of songs that truly reflect Tom Wopat's (superb) musical tastes, his career and his personality, with some good old country tunes (the first man I've ever heard sing "Ode To Billy Joe"), some pop/rock (James Taylor and Delbert McCLinton), some Broadway (his excised number from "Catch Me If You Can"), some expertly performed jazz, and even some self-penned songs from his past CDs and his current CD "WOPAT" (Wopat's own music being music I would play in my home). And Tom Wopat's is a voice that was created to be listened to. The smooth and euphonic sound is like the flow of a mountain creek, the occasional emotional rasp bringing storytelling texture, and the cavernous power of larger notes adding color to the canvas. With ease, the two-time Tony Award nominee switches musical styles, making it an eye-opening pleasure to hear jazz music the nature of which he provides, singing everything from Gershwin ("But Not For Me") to Joni Mitchell (OMG! "Twisted"), and then shifting gears into a microphone-free, emotion-filled rendition of Jimmy Webb's "The Moon's a Harsh Mistress." This set was a cornucopia of musical treats and treasures, and each one of Wopat's offerings featured some casual chat, an entertaining story, an off-the-cuff comment, a self-deprecating remark, or a joke at John Schneider's expense (lovingly!) -- he makes his shows personal, and in doing so, it becomes personal to the audience. This was an utterly authentic experience with a master journeyman whose goal on the stage is simple: fun. Tom Wopat wants everyone to have a good time, from the men on the stage to the people in the audience, the employees of The Beach Cafe, owner Dave Goodside - anyone in the room with him when he is playing out should have a good time.

And they will.

At a quiet moment during last night's show, Tom Wopat ceased tinkering with his guitar and looked out into the eyes of his audience and asked "Are you having any fun tonight? We sure are."

And the audience called back Yes. And they meant it. It was one of the most fun nights.

And fun is not overrated.

Wednesdays With Wopat will play The Beach Cafe for the next four Wednesdays. His lineup looks like this:

10/20 Songs By Frank Sinatra

11/6 Broadway Tunes

11/13 Singer Songwriters

11/20 Highlights of all shows

For tickets and information on Wednesdays With Wopat and all The Beach Cafe shows, visit their Website

Follow Tom Wopat on Twitter @wopatofficial and Instagram @tomwopatofficial and visit his Website

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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