(Review by Lance).
Last Sunday it was Michael
Bublé knocking ‘em dead at The Arena. This Sunday it was Jason Isaacs knocking ‘em
dead at Hoochie Coochie. Both venues were packed to capacity and deservedly so.
Just as it had been at The
Arena there was a buzz of anticipation about Hoochie. Chris, a charming lady sitting next to me,
told me she’d once fallen asleep watching Rod Stewart in Las Vegas. I told her
you didn’t need to go to Vegas to fall asleep listening to Rod Stewart and
promised her she wouldn’t fall asleep listening to Jason. Nobody sleeps at Hoochie
Coochie!
Conversation ceased as the unmistakeable intro to Cry
Me a River signified the show had begun.
Julie London stamped her authority
so powerfully on this song that few girl singers can top it. However, as Bublé
proved last week, it takes on a different identity with the gender change and
Jason moved comfortably into the Bublé ball park.
A high-kicking Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown had the feet
tapping and the hips shaking whilst The
Way You Look Tonight reminded me just what a great and romantic song this
is.
It being Christmas – so they
tell me – a seasonal song was called for and we got Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow although nobody hoped that it
actually would snow even though we were, supposedly dreaming of a White Christmas but, That’s Life (bit of audience
participation on this one).
This was another fun
night. Maybe it wasn’t/isn’t jazz as we think of it today more as they knew it at
The Cotton Club or the Savoy in Harlem back in the day. To prove it, Jason
dusted off his tenor sax for that old jazz classic Why Don’t You Do Right? Jayboy blows good tenor although he is the
first to admit he comes in second when he jousts with Lewis Watson as he did
later (see photo).
The seemingly inevitable American Trilogy never fails to make me
cringe but, by the same token, the powerful arrangement offers something in the
way of compensation.
And so the show rolled on Beyond the Sea; Mr Bojangles; Brand New Day; Sway; King of the Road; Mack
the Knife; Can’t Take my Eyes off You; Go, You’re Indestructible; Never Gonna
Give You Up; Jump, Jive, Wail; Sweet Caroline; Suspicious Minds; Burnin’ Love
and the crowd pleaser which had just about everyone on their feet - New York, New York. One of these days he
will substitute New York, New York
with Newcastle, Newcastle. Yesterday
would have been a good time as United had just beaten Southampton – the opportunity
may never come again!
And then it was all over
except it wasn’t – this crowd weren’t going to let him take an early bath – and
the pink-suited hero of the hour returned to tell us that Everybody Needs Somebody.
A predictable but nonetheless
enjoyable evening.
Lance
1 comment :
How fortunate you are up there to have such performers as Jason Isaacs, nothing like that here in York!
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