BWW Reviews: CAROLE J. BUFFORD Takes the Helm as Hostess of Birdland's Jazz Party With Hoopla, Heat & Heart

On July 5, Carole J. Bufford erupted onto the stage at Birdland for her first Sunday evening as hostess of the club's weekly Jazz Party (which had been helmed most recently by Natalie Douglas and Jane Monheit). The formidable vocalist--who has been regularly dazzling audiences with one-off shows at 54 Below--was glamorous in clingy red, and aided and abetted by a top-notch (also well dressed-Bravo!) quartet featuring Joel Frahm on sax, Ray Marchica on drums, Tom Hubbard on bass, and Musical Director Ian Herman on piano. Special guests for Bufford's inaugural session were Janelle Velasquez and Lianne Marie Dobbs.

When Bufford launches, there are no warm up notes, no less-than-convincing phrases. It's as if we arrive mid-set. "Hit Me With a Hot Note (And Watch Me Bounce)" (Don George/ Duke Ellington) is a marriage of boogie and swing. Bufford is in the groove and has the moves (in spades.) Frahm's sax is sassy. The room feels carbonated.

"You've Been a Good Old Wagon," she tells us, was an 1895 ragtime song traditionally sung by a man. Thirty years later, Bessie Smith and Stuart Balcom had a hit with the woman's side of the story: . . . Nobody wants a baby when a real man can be found/You've been a good old wagon, daddy, but you done broke down! . . . Bufford takes us on in sections, purposefully crossing the stage, addressing the audience as if "him," showcasing exactly what he's missing. She plants herself at the edge of shouting with complete vocal control. The sax has a touch of hip swinging wah-wah.

Actress Janelle Velasquez (left in photo, who appeared in the musical Here Lies Love at the Public Theater) sings a duet with our hostess on a harmonized "Bei Mir Bist Du Schon" (Sammy Cahn/Saul Chaplin/Sholom Secunda). Roomates at Ithaca College, the ladies apparently trilled The Andrews Sisters "while other kiddies were singing Brittany Spears." Neatly executed fun. Next, Lianne Marie Dobbs (right in photo) offers 1940s renditions of "Day In, Day Out" (Rube Bloom/ Johnny Mercer) and "Gypsy in My Soul" (Clay Boland/Moe Jaffe.) The first has a happy, Latin churn; the second is sheer swing. Dobbs' effective lower octave and good phrasing are unfortunately buried in unnecessary volume.

"What a Difference a Day Makes" (Stanley Adams/Maria Grever) and "I Wanna Be Loved" (Billy Rose/Edward Heyman/John Green) are glimpses of soulful bandstands in the 1950s. Bufford's legato palpably ripples. Arrangements are uncomplicated, textural, lyric frames. Few vocalists display equal precision at lower volume. This one diminishes not a single transfixing note. Brushes caress drums, sensitive piano supports, tails, circles, the sax is smoky (how is this managed with brass?), bass is stroked. The last, lyrical loooove circles the club like mist. My single caveat is that the artist doesn't offer one or two songs entirely on powerfully low flame.

Phrasing is paramount in "I Love the Way You're Breaking My Heart" (Milton Drake/Louis Alter, popularized by Peggy Lee) and "All By Myself" (Irving Berlin). With the first, Bufford's creamy vocal rides in on redolent bass. It's terribly, terribly, terribly, terribly--pause, sighing breath--thrilling, she sings savoring every feeling. Melodic conversation with the piano ensues. The second begins bass and brush-centric. All--pause--by myself in the moooornin' . . . short phrases peek in and out of a thoughtful, rhythmic structure The piano sounds like musical haiku, sax is cottony. Fierce blues build. This lady is pissed off, not cowed. She stamps, growls, and wails.

"A Good Man Nowadays Is Hard to Find" (Eddie Green), another Bessie Smith turn, is ragtime blues. Notes slide, knees bend. The sax so clearly shimmies one can practically see fringe fly. Bass is a sinuous shrug and wink. Herman is so into his ragtime piano, I swear I see him mouth "aow." It's burlesque. Bufford's kewpie doll eyes go from wide to savvy as the song combusts.

The show crackles with energy and spirit. Hips swivel, subtexts are loaded, Bufford's band is tight and hot, then ever so cool. Arrangements make me further marvel at Ian Herman's range. With Bufford's audacious performance, smart choices, and attention to detail, Sundays promise to be a great deal more fun in midtown Manhattan.

"Birdland Jazz Party is a weekly celebration of Jazz, Blues, and the American Songbook," Bufford responds when after the show I ask about her intentions for the series. "The repertoire is ever-changing and each week will highlight a couple of invited guests. My intention is to shape our revelry into the musical equivalent of a champagne toast! By week's end we all deserve something fun, bubbly, and intoxicatingly mischievous."

The Birdland Jazz Party continues on Sunday nights, July 19, 26, Aug 9, 23, 30, Sept 6, 13. Birdland is on 315 West 44th St., New York, NY 10036. www.birdlandjazz.com

Photos by Gio Molla

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