By Andrew Poretz
Performer Kay Kostopolous is a highly accomplished Bay Area jazz singer for whom New York is her second home. She regularly appears at Pangea with her Black Olive Jazz quartet. She made a return appearance there on November 1 for her latest show, Love Letters. On this date, the quartet consisted of pianist John DiMartino, bassist Sean Conly, saxophonist Peter Brainin, and drummer Vince Cherico.
Many of the choices in Love Letters appear on her upcoming album, Black Olive in the Big Apple. Most of the songs were arranged by DiMartino.
Kostopoulos opened with “I Enjoy Being a Girl” (Rodgers and Hammerstein), with a fascinating, somewhat off-kilter arrangement that evoked the “Nairobi Trio” song (“Solfeggio”) for this writer. Kostopoulos is a fine singer with a warm, embracing affect and solid jazz timing.
In an intriguing concept for the remainder of the set, Kostopoulos read excerpts of passionate letters from the likes of Bernhardt, Byron, Browning, and Beethoven (the four Bs, apparently) to set up song choices and arrangements that fit the content and tone of the letters. Kostopoulos began with a pairing of an 1116 letter from Heloise to Abelard with “Love Letters” (Edward Heyman/Victor Young), arranged as a slow jazz waltz, and featured Conly doubling some of DiMartino’s notes.
“All or Nothing At All” (Arthur Altman/Jack Lawrence) was Sinatra’s earliest hit (recorded in 1939). With an arrangement that switched back and forth between rhumba and swing tempos, this piece let both DiMartino and Brainin let loose with solos.
There was an exceptional trio of performances mid-show, first with “Enchantment” (Horace Silver). This number found Brainin on soprano sax, and gave Cherico his first real opportunity of the set to show what this Grammy-winning percussionist can do. Reading from a letter written by Emperor Napoleon to his Josephine in 1796, Kostopoulos performed Peggy Lee’s “Lover,” shifting between jazz waltz and swing.
The most unique and engrossing piece of the set came when Kostopoulos read a poem as the band played behind her, in a manner reminiscent of a1950s beat poet, which segued into Noel Coward’s “Mad About the Boy.” She followed this by reading an 1865 Emily Dickinson letter over a very rhythmic passage by Cherico. This number featured a suitably tempting DiMartino solo and an intricate passing off of solo segments by the quartet.
In a particularly humorous segment to close out the set, Kostopoulos read from a 1745 Benjamin Franklin letter to a young man, imploring him to seek older women, since they can’t have children, are “grateful,” and would “prevent his ruining his health and fortune among mercenary prostitutes.” (Perhaps the inspiration for this Benny Hill classic song!) The song, “I’m All Smiles” (Michael Leonard/Martin Herbert) another jazz waltz, did not have an obvious relation to the Franklin letter, but it was a delightful song and performance by Kostopoulos and her quartet.
Learn more about Kay Kostopolous and Black Olive Jazz at http://www.blackolivejazz.com.
Black Olive Jazz: Love Letters took place November 1 at Pangea, 178 Second Avenue between 11th and 12th Street (www.pangeanyc.com)
Photos: Andrew Poretz except where indicated
