Margo Seibert‘s “Can’t Help Singing” proffers lyrics like satin ribbons whirling around her. Infectious exuberance warms, welcomes and buoys the room. (With EY Harburg from the 1944 western film of the same name.)

“Jerome Kern (1885-1945) was idolized by the Gershwins and Cole Porters of his time. He created some of the most melodic, sophisticated, popular and musical theater tunes ever written,” Deborah Winer tells us. Three distinctively different vocalists and a top notch band offer a glimpse of the composer’s considerable oeuvre.

Billy Stritch, Margo Seibert

Seibert performs a jaunty “Pick Yourself Up” bouncing and bubbling like uncorked champagne. One elbow pumps. On “…famous men, who had to rise and fall again…” she subtly dips. Expression is appealing, fresh. (With Dorothy Fields from 1936’s Swingtime.) “I’m Old Fashioned” arcs the word “love.” The artist’s sound is wrapped in stroked fur. (With Johnny Mercer for You Were Never Lovelier 1942.)

Robbie Lee savors every word, taking lyrics seriously. It seems like the cottony “Why Do I Love You?” barely makes it out, however. Lee is contained. Dancy drums (Mark McLean) and an embroidering flute (Aaron Heick) add texture. On piano, Billy Stritch perambulates. (With Oscar Hammerstein II for 1927’s Showboat.) “The Way You Look Tonight” (Swingtime) arrives mid-tempo brisk. Sax curls and weaves music into vines. “Long Ago and Far Away” (with Ira Gershwin for 1944’s Cover Girl) finds Lee’s eyes closed – a performance signature. One wishes he’d look out and communicate. Piano is supple.

Billy Stritch, Robbie Lee

Jerome Kern was born middle class in Manhattan. His mother taught him piano. The boy very much wanted to study music, but Kern’s father had other plans. He secured a job for his son at the department store he ran. Sent to buy two pianos, the novice was wined and dined by a vendor, returning with an invoice for 200. This, Winer tells us, was when he was allowed to pursue music.

Billy Stritch renders “The Folks Who Live on the Hill” in top crooner form. “We will make changes” he nods “yes,” “as any family would…” He’s implacably at ease. (With Oscar Hammerstein II for the film, High, Wide and Handsome.) “Nobody Else But Me” emerges insouciant. Eyebrows rise above an impish grin. Rocking back and forth, the sax swings. Stritch’s keyboard is a playground. The artist has fun. (With Oscar Hammerstein II for the 1946 revival of Showboat.)

Billy Stritch

“Yesterdays” (with Otto Harbach for 1935’s Roberta) was originally written operetta style, Winer notes. “It’s a good thing nobody paid attention to his edict that his music should be played exactly as written.” La Tanya Hall enters on an easy, head-bobbing rhythm. Phrases have tails. The sax zig-zags with wowza breath control. Stritch’s fingers work close and clean lending dark brio. Neal Miner’s bass communes with Mark McLean’s crisp drums.

Hall takes her time with “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man.” Lyrics rise and drift down like leaves. Tails turn to controlled trills. She’s absorbed, but we miss pain with the head voice. At the end, an arm falls as if expending too much energy. (With Oscar Hammerstein II for Showboat.) A jaunty “I Won’t Dance” (Roberta) animates the performer. She’s full of personality. Stritch comes down hard on keys, conclusive and rhythmic-pure. Hall steps and snaps telling a story. This, like many arrangements tonight, is by the great John Oddo.

La Tanya Hall

“For somebody who was so famous, Kern was really insecure,” Winer says. “Fred Astaire would come over and tap dance around the house so that the composer had a better sense of rhythm.” Among several idiosyncrasies, Kern kept a bust of Wagner on his piano and would turn the face around when he felt something unappreciated. In California, his flock of organically grass-cutting sheep would be shooed to his neighbor’s lawn when things became unkempt. A dash of biography and droll anecdotes are a given with Winer’s shows.

A finale of “The Song is You” (with Oscar Hammerstein II for Roberta) closes the show happy.

The Company

Opening: Left – Deborah Winer; Right – Jerome Kern 1934 (Public Domain)

Songbook Sundays: Can’t Help Lovin’ Jerome Kern
Hosted and Curated by Deborah Grace Winer
Vocalists: La Tanya Hall, Margo Siebert, Robbie Lee
Billy Stritch – Musical Director/Piano/Vocalist
Neal Miner-bass, Mark McLean-drums, Aaron Heick- sax and flute

NEXT: October 1 : Harold Arlen with Karen Ziemba, Allison Blackwell, Georgia Heers

Dizzy’s Club- Jazz at Lincoln Center

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