Review by Ron Fassler . . .
On the wings of angels comes The Billy Stritch Trio for a six-performance engagement at Birdland Jazz Club. Joined by Michael O’Brien on bass and Eric Halvorson on drums, their tight set was filled with eclectic tunes that ranged from Vincent Youmans and Irving Caesar’s “Tea for Two,” written for the Broadway musical No, No Nanette in 1925, to novelty ditties like “The Coffee Song,” by Dick Miles and Bob Hilliard (“They’ve got an awful lot of coffee in Brazil), to the Portuguese rhythms of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Someone To Light Up My Life.”
Stritch has been a fixture on the New York cabaret circuit for many years and still retains a youthful enthusiasm for the songs he sings and the audiences he plays to. He’s a genial presence with no tricks up his sleeve. He exudes a “let’s sit back and relax” vibe, though not in a Perry Como way (he’s not THAT relaxed), but he sure has a confident charm that’s never obsequious. What you see is what you get and what you get is a thorough professional with musicianship that sets a high standard of excellence. And it doesn’t hurt that his singing is smooth, sexy, and stellar.
There is no theme to this show, save for Stritch’s exquisite taste. Every song has something meaty to chew on, be it a savvy lyric or an elegant tune. For example, a medley of three songs from 1966’s Sweet Charity offered the best of Cy Coleman’s jazzy swing and Dorothy Fields’s clever wordplay (“We’ll ask the local jet-set to dine on our dinette set”). And while introducing the little known “You’re All the World to Me,” it helped when he mentioned it’s the Burton Lane-Alan Jay Lerner tune that Fred Astaire danced to on the walls and ceiling in 1951’s Royal Wedding. Sometimes the more obscure the better, like “You Smell So Good,” a charming 1956 Tommy Wolf-Harry Stone song that was first introduced by the husband-wife singing duo Jackie Cain and Roy Kral (I’d forgotten how much I loved them until hearing Stritch sing this).
Stritch’s musicians are first-rate (would they be any other kind?). Bassist Michael O’Brien has worked with such different stylists as Harry Connick Jr., Ruben Blades, and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. And drummer Eric Halvorson has accompanied many Broadway types in the New York cabaret world like Melissa Errico, Sherie Rene Scott, and Christine Ebersole. Their sound was sheer heaven. And singer Ava Lochnar was brought to the stage for one song, which she performed impeccably. Titled “New York City (And The Rest Of The World),” it was a thorough delight, as was Lochnar.
Mention should also be made that Stritch does all his own arrangements, which are sublime. Even if you’re familiar with the old standard “A Cottage for Sale,” you haven’t heard the heights to which composer Willard Robison’s song is capable until it’s been interpreted by Billy Stritch.
What can I say except he’s the man. Though he tours a great deal, you can usually catch him at Birdland pretty consistently on Monday evenings at “Jim Caruso’s Cast Party,” which he’s been doing for the past twenty-two years! And at his final show Sunday evening, he announced he’s already set the dates in 2026 for the same end of April run of The Billy Stritch Trio a year from now. As the great George Burns once said while still performing in his nineties, “I can’t die. I’m booked.”
Birdland is located at 315 W 44th Street, NYC. To peruse their calendar and make reservations, please visit https://www.birdlandjazz.com.
Photos by Ron Fassler.