Amanda McBroom: Such Good Friends

By Andrew Poretz …

Amanda McBroom, a singer-songwriter as well as a fine actress, sold out Birdland Jazz with an audience filled with bold-face names from the cabaret scene, including Marilyn Maye, Karen Akers and Lee Roy Reams. The star was backed by only a piano and a bass, but not just any pianist: Her frequent songwriting partner, Michele Brourman, with jazz master Ritt Henn on the bass.

Ms. McBroom had the audience in her spell from the moment she arrived at the mic. The vibrant star, who recently celebrated her “trombone birthday” (76), was in strong, beautiful voice. She opened strong, with exquisite timing on “Take A Bite” (Michele Brourman/Karen Gottlieb). The enthusiastic applause on her opening number seemed to take her by surprise. The star’s comedic timing and patter is equally excellent, which was put that to great use on “Find My Phone” (Michele Brourman/Amanda McBroom). This clever number may well be the best misplaced-phone song ever written.

The star pronounced herself and songwriter Julie Gold, who was in the house, as “founding members of the Bette Midler Changed My Life Club.” (Midler had huge hits on McBroom’s “The Rose,” and Gold’s “From a Distance”). Ms. McBroom sung her favorite song of Gold’s, “Southbound Train,” a lovely ballad.

For “It’s Only A Broken Heart,” written by the late Carol Hall, she invited guest singer Sally Mayes, who told a funny story about Hall. This jazzy, Frishbergesque list song had some swell, witty turns of phrase to sarcastically counter the oft-repeated title, like “It’s not like you lost your dog,” “It isn’t the IRS,” “It’s not a line at the bank,” and “It isn’t a root canal.”

Ms. McBroom performed her “favorite story song that I didn’t write,” Lori Lieberman’s “Girl Writing a Letter,” an evocative song based on William Carpenter’s poem of the same title, which alludes to Vermeer’s painting, A Lady Writing a Letter. The poem and song was inspired by the 2015 theft of a never-recovered Vermeer painting (The Concert). Here, the star’s superb acting greatly elevated the song.

A brilliant mashup of lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman’s first hit, “Nice and Easy” (music by Lew Spence) with one of their last, “It Might Be You” (the Tootsie theme with mjusic by Dave Grusin) utilized Ms. Brourman’s singing talent, with a lovely counterpoint denouement by the pair.

“I’m going to break the first rule of Marilyn Maye cabaret, and sit on a stool,” the star declared. The great Ann Hampton Callaway once sent Ms. McBroom a 1950s Readers Digest true story about an inquisitive child who frequently called “Information,” in the days of rotary phones, just to ask questions of Sally, her favorite operator. “There’s a song in here,” Callaway told her. collaboration resulted in the touching and sweet “Information Please. The poignant lyrics brought the listener back to a simpler time.

Ms. Brourman soloed on “In Love In New York,” (with lyrics by Mark Winkler), her new “love song to the City.” Ritt Henn flaunted his chops on this sophisticated jazz number.

After telling a newly remembered anecdote about Dorothy Fields and Cy Coleman, Ms. McBroom sang a medley of “The Way You Look Tonight” (Jerome Kern/ Dorothy Fields) and her own composition, “Dance.” This second number was bolstered by the star’s powerful acting and delivery. She took one’s breath away with her own interpretation of her lyric. “Somehow we’d forgotten how to dance,” she sang wistfully. “Most of all… I want to dance.”

Ms. McBroom, struck by the sight of a downtrodden man with all his possessions in an old wagon, thought to herself, “Who were you?” “Wheels” takes the listener back to the innocence of childhood, when the wheels belonged to a tricycle or a pedal toy car. The lyrics deftly brings the narrative back to the present time. “When you have wheels, you know how it feels to be free.” When the number slowed down and she sang softly, as if to a child,” it induced tears. This song garnered the most sustained applause of the evening.

The star wrote the stunning “For Nothing” many years ago, and dusted it off for an anniversary of 9/11. Before the emotional dust could settle, Ms. McBroom launched into the finale with her most famous song, “The Rose.” While Ms. McBroom is typically the lyricist on her song collaborations, she has written both words and music for many songs, “Sometimes,” “Dance” “Wheels,” and “The Rose.”

A resounding standing ovation ensured an encore, a “medlette” of songs she wrote lyrics for:  “Just In Case” (music by her songwriting mentor, Portia Nelson) and the show’s title song, “Such Good Friends” (music by Michele Brourman). Sally Mayes returned for this song.

“Masterclass” has become a cliché of late, yet a better term escapes this writer to describe Ms. McBroom’s storytelling prowess at Birdland, whether as a singer, lyricist or even her patter. Brava!

Amanda McBroom: Such Good Friendstook placeon September 18 at Birdland Jazz, 315 West 44th Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues (www.birdlandjazz.com).

Photos: Maryann Lopinto except where indicated