By Andrew Poretz . . .
Jazz singer and songwriter Deanna Kirk and storyteller Lisa Faith Phillips teamed up recently for a new show at Pangea, Deanna Kirk Sings Jacques Brel & Michel Legrand. The silky-voiced Kirk has been around the New York scene for many years, and owned the jazz club Deanna’s. In an unusual approach, Phillips mainly supplied the stories and patter, while Kirk supplied the golden vocals and sublime interpretations. (Phillips is not a singer but can carry a tune, and supplied a couple of harmonies.)
The show was a biographical tribute to the music and life of the performer and songwriter Jacques Brel and the composer Michel Legrand, accompanied only by jazz pianist John Di Martino. Di Martino is an excellent pianist, and an attentive accompanist who fully supports the singer. His voicings are sublime.
The set opened with a dramatic interpretation of Brel’s “No, Love, You’re Not Alone,” from his Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris.
“Marieke,” a waltz, was Brel’s ode to a Flemish girl he loved, written and performed in both French and Flemish (Dutch). Here, Phillips recited the English translation, while Kirk’s mother, sitting in the audience with a mic, sweetly sang the Flemish lyrics. Flemish sounds quite similar to German, to which it is closely related.
Turning to Legrand with “You Must Believe in Spring” (with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman), it was fascinating to watch Kirk’s expressive face, which beautifully revealed the emotional pain and payoff of the lyrics.
Another highlight was Brel’s “If You Go Away” (with English lyrics by Rod McKuen), which featured a passage of Phillips speaking the French lyrics in verbal counterpoint to Kirk’s singing of the English lyrics.
Kirk’s best interpretation of the night came with a stunning take on Legrand’s “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life” (lyrics by the Bergmans). Her deep connection to the lyric took the listener right into the story and the emotion.
An upbeat, jazzy “I Will Wait for You” (French lyrics by Jacques Demy, English lyrics by Norman Gimbel) capped a fantastic and moving story of Legrand’s 50-year torch for a woman he fell in love with when the two were married/engaged to others. An improbable reunion half a century later led to their late-life marriage.
The entire set list and the lyrics to Brel’s “If We Only Have Love” (English lyrics by Mort Shuman and Eric Blau) were on each patron’s table. Kirk and Phillips led the audience in singing along, for a lively ending.
Jacques Brel died rather young (only 49, from smoking-related illness), and his music today is far less known than Legrand’s, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 86. The narration and the songs help to revive the brilliant work and stories of both men. That said, the piece is something of a work in progress. It had a certain looseness to the flow, with Phillips reading her narration from a script on a music stand. Though not memorized, her narration and timing were excellent. Still, the evening had the feeling of a workshop of a larger revue. Should that come to pass, this writer will be glad he was there at the beginning.
Deanne Kirk Sings Jacques Brel & Michel Legrand played on June 20 at Pangea, 178 Second Avenue (https://www.pangeanyc.com).
Photos: Andrew Poretz
