By Andrew Poretz . . .
Move over Michael Bublé, there’s a new Canadian heartthrob, eh, and that is one David Marino. The Montreal native made his rather auspicious New York cabaret debut at Chelsea Table + Stage on July 15. Backed by a trio of top jazz cats (pianist John di Martino, bassist Steve Doyle and drummer Daniel Glass), the young singer flaunted some considerable musical chops, as well as poise, charm and humor.
Though new on the scene here, Mr. Marino is no stranger to Canadian audiences, where he was a finalist on the hit TV show “La Voix” (“The Voice”). He is also a polyglot, fluent in (accent-free) English and French; he also sang in Italian and Portuguese.
The rising star wore a lavender suit and an open-collar white shirt. He had the packed house under his spell from the outset, singing Peggy Lee’s “I Love Being Here with You” with some special lyrics. Though Mr. Marino’s bio cites influences like Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis, Dean Martin and Bublé, his smooth, rich tenor voice and style more evokes a cross between a young Mel Tormé and Bobby Darin.
Mr. Marino sang the gender-specific verse to “How Long Has This Been Going On? ” (George and Ira Gershwin): “As a tot, when I trotted in little velvet panties” got a laugh, and he delivered the song with surprising emotional depth. The ending, in an airy head voice, was beautiful.
The multilingual Mr. Marino introduced the Italian song “Torna Sorrento,” and pronounced his love of Luciano Pavarotti and Elvis Presley, both of whom sang a version of the tune. Pavarotti sang the original Italian aria, while Presley had the hit single in English, as “Surrender.” Mr. Marino utilized a white handkerchief to both comical and practical effect to emulate both singers.
Switching to French, David sang “Amour ou Songe,” which his La Voix coach wrote for him. His beautiful and emotive interpretation allowed him to connect with the audience, despite any language barrier.
David swung the decidedly old-fashioned Irving Berlin song, “What Chance Have I with Love,” before returning to French with “Quand ça Balance,” scatting at times like a French Tormé. He sang Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Agua de Beber” (“Water to Drink”) in both English and Portuguese, switching seamlessly between the languages.
The popular duo of Nicolas King and Seth Sikes, who were instrumental in helping Mr. Marino establish himself in New York, joined David to lend a hand. The three crooners performed a swell, fun version of “Birth of The Blues” that was reminiscent of the Rat Pack in Vegas—Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. This reviewer would not mind seeing these three do an entire show together along those lines.
Mr. Marino is more than just a singer of jazz and pop standards, which he proved by performing a stunning rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me to the End of Love,” with an excellent rhythmic arrangement. He then outdid himself with a goosebump-inducing “Too Late Now” (Burton Lane/Alan Jay Lerner), sung entirely rubato, with just Mr. di Martino’s deft piano accompaniment.
David became quite emotional when talking about his Italian immigrant grandparents, who he hoped were watching the livestream. Before singing his grandfather’s favorite Italian song, “Caruso” (written for the legendary tenor), he confessed that he woke up with laryngitis, which left him unable to sing, and had an emergency prednisone injection, which might be wiser than the ether and iodoform sprays Caruso used. If David did this as some sort of apology for the state of his voice, it was unnecessary—it sounded glorious throughout the set. With “Caruso,” he moved this reviewer to tears with his sensitive, powerful delivery, despite singing it in Italian.
Mr. Marino received an enthusiastic standing ovation for his final song, “Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries,” complete with verse. Still, his encore of “One More Beautiful Song,” rubato, with only Mr. di Martino, served as the final cherry on top.
David Marino is not to be missed when he is back in New York.
David Marino – An Evening of Timeless Tunes took place on July 15 at Chelsea Table + Stage, Hilton Fashion District Hotel (152 West 26th Street, between Seventh and Sixth Avenues). chelseatableandstage.com
Photos: Michael Russell
