Review: Jonathan Karrant Suavely Presents ECLECTIC Songs at Chelsea Table + Stage

Singer Jonathan Karrant first caught my ear about a decade ago with his debut CD On and On. I liked his sound and style and the fact that he mixed standards, jazz, pop, and blues. He made a James Taylor song (“Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight”) a comfortable companion with something from decades earlier. He’s still mixing it up, this time pointing it out by naming his new release Eclectic, which he’s promoting with live shows, now, like the one I caught in Manhattan at Chelsea Table + Stage. For the record, there’s another Taylor tune on the record, “The Secret o’ Life,” but he didn’t include it in this live set.  He was about to do so, late in the set, when an audience member that October night requested “When October Goes” and, so, that was done instead.  Coincidentally, I had both songs lodged in my head because I’d been at Marilyn Maye’s show the night before and she sang them both. Jonathan Karrant hasn’t seen as many Octobers go as the veteran Miss Maye, but he did a sensitive interpretation that captured the right wistful mood of the lyric.  Other numbers were weighed more towards the potential of exploring, expanding, or otherwise doing something extra with the melodies. He seems to have fallen in love with the jazz stylist’s go-to method of twisting, slicing, dicing, and splicing things so that one syllable/note turns into a few-ooh-ooh, which can get to be-ee-ee-ee sometimes so-oh-oh much less effective, especially if the bigger picture of a lyric risks being obscured. However, Jonathan Karrant’s smile, grace, and charm help assuage any fears that the suave, slim, sleek singer will be a one-trick pony, or even a five-trick pony, when racing through fleet or crisp tempi. "Mr. Bojangles" gave him a chance to paint a poignant portrait of a sympathetic character. 

I’m all for finding new and refreshing ways to reinterpret the oldies.  Taking the Motown hit “The Tracks of My Tears” more seriously and pensively is a great success and a revelation.  It is now redolent of true melancholy and maturity. Throughout the evening, there were sotto voce passages that, at their best, could be hypnotic, lovely lines showing control with a silky sound. At other times, the vocalist let loose with oomph and welcome energy to go big.  Patter didn’t reveal much autobiographical information; it was focused on comments regarding the recording of Eclectic and mentions of his other CDs. 

Mr. Karrant was joined by a trio, and he gave its members much well-deserved praise:  John Di Martino on piano, Woshi Waki on bass, and Rogerio Boccato on drums.  They are not the same players who were aboard for Eclectic and, in some cases, comparing the studio and live versions is a striking case of contrasting approaches and stylings.  The recording seems more straightforward, bolder and brighter, with tighter time frames, while the in-person presentation explored jazz sensibilities and could be languid or cerebral, making melodies elastic, embellished with ornamentation and let the musicians, each a dynamo, share the showcasing. 

I noticed several vocalists in the audience, including those appearing in the current and past seasons of the Cabaret Convention.  Jonathan Karrant joins their ranks for the first time this week (Thursday), in the Jazz at Lincoln Center building. The theme that night is “Timeless Tunes” – a subject he proves he knows something about. 

More info at the singer’s website HERE.

Great shows can be seen at Chelsea Table + Stage, the website of which is HERE.

Photo of Jonathan Karrant provided by Fortune Creative.