BWW Reviews: Will Friedwald's CLIP JOINT Has Become One of New York's Most Entertaining Open Secrets

This past Thursday night, a group of die-hard music enthusiasts, vocalists, and musicians packed a private home in Chelsea for the latest iteration of Will Friedwald's Clip Joint. The monthly series, which was launched in the summer of 2013 by the Wall Street Journal columnist, night crawler, and music historian who has authored of eight books on music and popular culture, screens highly curated musical performance on film and video with every third session promoted as an "extravaganza," additionally featuring live performers.

Friedwald plans each evening with a meticulous eye and a sense of humor. "Sometimes there will be a distinct theme, sometimes not, but shows are never random," he explains. "They all flow deliberately . . . I like to mix things up while making logical sense. Cutting from a vintage 1936 film of a semi-classical tenor doing "September in the Rain" to a rock/pop version of the song 30 years later is an example, as is the intermittent inclusion of animated cartoons."

From jazz and Broadway to rock and pop, country & western, blues, opera, classical, comedy/novelty songs, world music, and the Great American Songbook, Friedwald leads an ersatz expedition through a history of priceless in-your-face footage. "Enjoyment is considerably heightened by making it a communal experience. My idea is to get people to pay attention as if the evening was a concert."

Thursday's show, Friends of Mabel--Heroes of Cabaret, a special tribute to The Mabel Mercer Foundation, was in full extravaganza mode. Settled onto folding chairs in musician/producer Sol Rubin's ("Zeb's") cozy, inconspicuous, second floor loft (really, it's almost as hidden as a speakeasy), the evening begins with two hours of screened performance garnered from private collectors or edited out of high definition video to maintain quality.

Blossom Dearie (in a 1972 clip) reminded us not only of that airbrushed, girlish voice but also of her essential phrasing. In his inimitable, iconoclastic manner, Friedwald followed this with Virginia Weidler as Katherine Hepburn's young sister Dinah Lord (see video, below) in The Philadelphia Story, singing "Lydia the Tattooed Lady." Go figure. Lengthier 1960 segments of the iconic Bobby Short and honoree Mabel Mercer (with Cy Coleman at the piano) in television's "Playboy Penthouse" were examples of timeless, unique, and influential musicianship. And oh the black and white setting, a young, skinny Hugh Hefner, "guests" in conservative cocktail attire! Context is part of the fun.

Clips from The Persian Room Presents offered such as an uber-cool, high spirited Kay Thompson (and her boys), and the sinuous Julie Wilson in their primes. "This is a living, breathing art form, not a museum," Friedwald reminded us. Early glimpses of long-time artists who are still performing came next. Among these, the most enjoyable was perhaps a 1974 clip of the indomitable Marilyn Maye--now in her 80s--packs New York clubs more often than any entertainer. Wearing a fringed flapper-like dress and tiara, Maye sang "Bill Bailey" with vivacity, skill, and the kick still synonymous with her high spirits. Miss Piggy's yearning "You Made Me Love You" (the Muppet dog, Rawlf, on piano) ended the sequence.

Every so often, Friedwald interjected a historical or anecdotal note but, for the most part, pieces spoke for themselves.

Live performance opened with KT Sullivan's (left in photo) adorably flirty "Everybody's Lookin" (Bill Zeffiro on piano). The charming song is by Bart Howard who said he only started writing because Mabel Mercer needed material. At Friedwald's request, Zeffiro then performed "Show Me a Rose (Or Leave Me Alone)" -unfussy and straight, as comedy must be to make it effective. Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano (far right in photo) respectively offered a jaunty, warm, and expressive take on "On the First Warm Day," and then "Remind Me" (from a 1940s Abbott and Costello film, One Night In the Tropics), which was lovely to hear as a thoughtful ballad rather than bouncy.

Friedwald defines "Alt Cabaret" as artists adopting personas. Bree Benton (far left in photo) aka Poor Baby Bree exemplified this with her alter ego, a down and out, turn-of-the-century performer. "I'm the First ("foist") Girl in the Second Row," she sang with wonderfully wry, Edward Gorey-ish singularity (Franklin Bruno on piano). Liam Forde (right in photo) celebrated Kay Thompson in the song "Eloise," for which he played narrator, the impish scourge of The Plaza Hotel herself, and Eloise's British nanny. The six-year-old came off well, nanny not so much.

With Zeffiro again on piano, Lianne Marie Dobbs sang a rendition of "Do It Again" that would melt ice cream and one of "Annie Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (a major hit during The Great Depression), which would have been more successful. Steve Ross once again showed his breath and depth by effervescing the room with Cole Porter's "I'm Throwing a Ball Tonight" (in which he makes anachronisms sound relevant), then, instantly, wrapping us in the deeply melancholy romance of "How Do You Say Auf Wiedersehen?"Perhaps the French could tell us what to do/I wish I knew ah liebschen/ How do I say auf wiedersehn to you? Nobody does it better.

Gabrielle Stravelli (far left in photo) oddly smiled through "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry," followed by a uniquely modulated, upbeat "I Thought About You" during which her grin was apt. Sol Rubin--Jeb-played a beautiful guitar). The four-hour evening came to a reluctant close (nights without entertainers run two-plus hours) with the extravagant Mark Nadler (right in photo) whom Friedwald introduced with the rhetorical riddle, "When is a one-man show like a three-ring circus?" Nadler's "Walkin' After Midnight" was an ebullient, melodic assault. Jerry Lee Lewis would cry at this piano work.

And that doesn't cover it all. Bang for your modest buck is minimizing entertainment value. The crowd is friendly and someone invariably knows the answer to a question you might have about the performer, writer, period, etc. Friedwald's right, the collective nature of the event enhances its experience. Fervor ran so high, people applauded after screened performances.

Clip Joint is now in residence at Zeb's 228 West 28th Street.

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