WOMAN’S HOPE CONCERT

 

 

The Key West Woman’s Club put on its annual Woman’s Hope concert at the Tennessee Williams lobby two weeks ago. It featured ten singers. The standing ovation which followed was well deserved: the concert, raising money for the Cancer Foundation of the Florida Keys, was a success not only musically but financially,

 

 

After a duet with MC Kim Gordon, Bruce Moore sang two numbers, “Rumble Rumble Rumble” and “Junk Man.” Bruce is only lately back in town and sounding fine, both there and in his singing of the Sinatra-owned “My Way” with the Paradise Big Band five days earlier. Melody Cooper sang “Café de Chinitas,” accompanied by an accomplished classical guitarist; in the second set she sang a “Moon” medley, in the process overcoming a vocalist’s plague, singing through a sore throat so well that one wasn’t aware of the difficulty. Adrienne Zolondick was eloquent on “Bringing Some Where There Is None” and “When The Day Is Through.” Marie Putko, a newcomer, one of the few singers on the program with obvious stage experience, was impressive on “What Good Would the Moon Be” and “Poor Wand’ring One.” Dave Bootle sang twice, on “My Life” and “Haven’t Met You Yet,” with his own vigorous piano accompaniment.

 

 

Susan Speidel, a long time favorite in the old Key West Pops, went into her belt-it-out mode on “When You’re Good to Mama,” Queen Latifah’s jail warden song from “Chicago.” In the second set, though, she departed from that to sing an intense rendition of “Maybe Next Time,” beginning the song softly and building gradually all the way to full power. It was one of the strongest performances of the evening. The concert closed with an all-in version of “Joy to the World. It was sung so enthusiastically that one completely forgot about that bullfrog.

 

 

Some singers bravely chose tunes firmly identified with established vocalists. Dora Gholson sang Bonnie Raitt’s “Love Me Like a Man,” directly following Traci Reynolds on “Me and Bobby McGee,” which has Janis Joplin’s trademark on it. Neither singer improved on the original, but both were effective in their own versions. So was Maj Johnson on Patsy Cline’s “Walkin’ After Midnight.” Maj also sang Karen Carpenter’s “Yesterday Once More,” which, with its sha-la-la-la’s and shing-a-ling’s, is an exercise in nostalgia for teenage sentimentality. The clarity of her singing, along with her basic musicianship, did justice to both songs.

 

 

Kim Gordon was, once again, MC, and did her usual professional level job at it. She also sang three numbers. The concert opened with her passing the line back and forth with Bruce Moore on Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes.” Near the end of the first set she sang “Stars and the Moon,” and put across the pathos of wrong choices; near the end of the second she sang “Ring Them Bells,” and brought off the lengthy lyric, sixteen stanzas, without a missed syllable. Kim handles lyrics well: she treats them like expressive conversation, speaking them directly to the audience and giving them the emphases which they would have if there was no music to carry them.

 

 

The rhythm section—Linda Sparks, piano; Joe Dallas, bass; Dave Parker, drums–  gave the singers consistently solid support. Of especial value to them on that score was the bass playing of Joe Dallas, which lately has been developing an extraordinary authority. In any musical group a strong lead player is invaluable: Joe’s bass playing in local concerts has been demonstrating the special value of strength from below, leading the entire group from the music’s foundation.

 

 

The only aspect of the concert which could have been improved upon was dynamics levels: nearly every performer chose to sing at mezzo-forte or louder, except for a few instances in which a soft beginning was preparation for louder levels as the song progressed. No one was actually too loud. After all, these are loud times, this is a loud place, and these singers have worked regularly in venues where one has to sing loudly just to be heard at all. But there is something to be said for undersinging: a loud performance comes right at you, in your face, but singing softly draws you in, making for intimacy, sometimes irresistibly. It might be worth trying.

 

 

 

The Key West Woman’s Club put on its annual Woman’s Hope concert at the Tennessee Williams lobby two weeks ago. It featured ten singers. The standing ovation which followed was well deserved: the concert, raising money for the Cancer Foundation of the Florida Keys, was a success not only musically but financially,

 

 

After a duet with MC Kim Gordon, Bruce Moore sang two numbers, “Rumble Rumble Rumble” and “Junk Man.” Bruce is only lately back in town and sounding fine, both there and in his singing of the Sinatra-owned “My Way” with the Paradise Big Band five days earlier. Melody Cooper sang “Café de Chinitas,” accompanied by an accomplished classical guitarist; in the second set she sang a “Moon” medley, in the process overcoming a vocalist’s plague, singing through a sore throat so well that one wasn’t aware of the difficulty. Adrienne Zolondick was eloquent on “Bringing Some Where There Is None” and “When The Day Is Through.” Marie Putko, a newcomer, one of the few singers on the program with obvious stage experience, was impressive on “What Good Would the Moon Be” and “Poor Wand’ring One.” Dave Bootle sang twice, on “My Life” and “Haven’t Met You Yet,” with his own vigorous piano accompaniment.

 

 

Susan Speidel, a long time favorite in the old Key West Pops, went into her belt-it-out mode on “When You’re Good to Mama,” Queen Latifah’s jail warden song from “Chicago.” In the second set, though, she departed from that to sing an intense rendition of “Maybe Next Time,” beginning the song softly and building gradually all the way to full power. It was one of the strongest performances of the evening. The concert closed with an all-in version of “Joy to the World. It was sung so enthusiastically that one completely forgot about that bullfrog.

 

 

Some singers bravely chose tunes firmly identified with established vocalists. Dora Gholson sang Bonnie Raitt’s “Love Me Like a Man,” directly following Traci Reynolds on “Me and Bobby McGee,” which has Janis Joplin’s trademark on it. Neither singer improved on the original, but both were effective in their own versions. So was Maj Johnson on Patsy Cline’s “Walkin’ After Midnight.” Maj also sang Karen Carpenter’s “Yesterday Once More,” which, with its sha-la-la-la’s and shing-a-ling’s, is an exercise in nostalgia for teenage sentimentality. The clarity of her singing, along with her basic musicianship, did justice to both songs.

 

 

Kim Gordon was, once again, MC, and did her usual professional level job at it. She also sang three numbers. The concert opened with her passing the line back and forth with Bruce Moore on Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes.” Near the end of the first set she sang “Stars and the Moon,” and put across the pathos of wrong choices; near the end of the second she sang “Ring Them Bells,” and brought off the lengthy lyric, sixteen stanzas, without a missed syllable. Kim handles lyrics well: she treats them like expressive conversation, speaking them directly to the audience and giving them the emphases which they would have if there was no music to carry them.

 

 

The rhythm section—Linda Sparks, piano; Joe Dallas, bass; Dave Parker, drums–  gave the singers consistently solid support. Of especial value to them on that score was the bass playing of Joe Dallas, which lately has been developing an extraordinary authority. In any musical group a strong lead player is invaluable: Joe’s bass playing in local concerts has been demonstrating the special value of strength from below, leading the entire group from the music’s foundation.

 

 

The only aspect of the concert which could have been improved upon was dynamics levels: nearly every performer chose to sing at mezzo-forte or louder, except for a few instances in which a soft beginning was preparation for louder levels as the song progressed. No one was actually too loud. After all, these are loud times, this is a loud place, and these singers have worked regularly in venues where one has to sing loudly just to be heard at all. But there is something to be said for undersinging: a loud performance comes right at you, in your face, but singing softly draws you in, making for intimacy, sometimes irresistibly. It might be worth trying.

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