By Andrew Poretz . . .
Gabrielle Lee is an actress and singer of considerable talent and charm who made her cabaret debut at the defunct Metropolitan Room back in 2013. For Black History Month, she presented a new program celebrating the many contributions of Black artists from the era of “Tin Pan Alley,” the area around Broadway downtown where some of the greatest composers and “song pluggers” from the late 19th century to the 1930s did business. In this show, as educational as it was delightful, we learned about the Black men and women who wrote or performed some of the best songs of the Jazz Age.
Gabrielle made a spectacular entrance from the bar area at Feinstein’s/54 Below, singing “I’m a Little Blackbird Looking for a Bluebird” (George W. Meyer/Arthur Johnston) with a wireless mic, dressed in a slinky red and black outfit with a black boa, and holding a large fan of black feathers. The song was the signature song for the hugely influential Florence Mills, who would get significant mention in the show.
She presented a rousing, New Orleans-style rendition of “A Hot Time in the Old Town” (a nineteenth century tune credited to Theodore August Metz/Joe Hayden, but likely written by “Mama Lou”). This is one of those tunes, often played as an instrumental in movies and cartoons, that many people have heard but could not identify. And, she shined on “That’s Why They Call Me Shine” (Ford Dabney/Cecil Mack and Lew Brown), which could be her signature tune.
Gabrielle showed off her sultry side with the provocative “Half of Me (Wants to Be Good),” a song about the desires of the flesh conflicting with spiritual pursuits. The song was written by two white men (Peter de Rose and Sam Lewis), but was associated with Black singers like Nina Mae McKinney. Here, Gabrielle showed much personality and was quite expressive in her performance.
A theme throughout the set was songs about “my man,” songs of women seemingly desperate to hold on to a man or to shamelessly “steal one” from another woman. Notably, while these songs were sung by women, they were written mainly by men, which might explain why they often have a self-misogynistic tone. “He May Be Your Man (But He Comes to See Me Sometimes)” (Lemuel Fowler), an old-school blues number, is typical of this type of song. “I love your man, and I’m gonna take him for my own,” Gabrielle sang.
Gabrielle, sat down saloon style, to sing Bert Williams’ signature song, “Nobody” (Bert Williams/Alex Rogers). She sung this in a rubato, slow blues style that showed off her interpretive skills.
Special guest Jennie Harney-Fleming, a Broadway star known for The Color Purple and Hamilton, joined Gabrielle for a duet on “My Handy Man” (Andy Razaf). This is another “man song” filled with the kind of double-entendres that could either shock or go over the heads of those who take the lyrics at face value:
My man is such a handy man!
He threads my needle, creams my wheat,
Heats my heater, chops my meat;
My man is such a handy man!
Harney-Fleming killed with her solo number, “Squeeze Me,” while Gabrielle switched costumes.
A fellow in the front row, George Callahan, called out, “You gonna sing the blues?” “I AM the blues!”, Gabrielle replied, before going into “Big Butter and Egg Man” (Percy Venable), which had Gabrielle trading scat lines with drummer Colin Hancock, who pulled down his mask for this song.
Gabrielle’s aunt, Marion Moore, stunned the house from her seat in the audience, singing operatically, in perfect a capella, the opening lines to “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a 1900 hymn by brothers J. Rosamond Johnson and James Weldon Johnson often referred to as the “Black National Anthem.” Many in the audience were moved to tears and a standing ovation for this powerful hymn ensued.
Gabrielle was backed by a quartet featuring the great Vince Giordano, along with three superb jazz cats. Giordano specializes both in the music of this era and in utilizing vintage musical instruments of the day. There was a large, round, vintage microphone that obscured Gabrielle’s face. This mic can be unforgiving and produce strident tones. Gabrielle’s voice was better suited to the modern, wireless mic she used in parts of the show.
Gabrielle informed me later that there was just one rehearsal, which might be why the show seemed not quite ready for prime time. She read much of her patter from a music stand, and at times might have been trying a smidge too hard. At her most comfortable moments, one could see the great potential for this show when it fully comes together.
Photos: Maryann Lopinto
Musical director and piano: Peter Yarin
Bass and tuba: Vince Giordano
Drums: Colin Hancock
Cornet/Trumpet: Mike Davis
Special Guest: Jennie Harney-Fleming
Produced by Marilyn Lester
Gabrielle Lee:
A Tin Pan Alley Black History Celebration
Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W. 54th Street, NYC
