By Andrew Poretz …
Australian-born pianist Matt Baker brought his latest show, A Rhapsody of Gershwin, to Chelsea Table + Stage on June 7. A fellow of considerable talent as a pianist and arranger, he is also in high demand as a photographer, both as on-the-scene capturer of entertainment moments as well as for his beautiful portrait work and stunning album covers. This seems fitting, as Mr. Baker’s arrangements and ideas, even if some don’t quite land for everyone, have the touch of a man who sees things through the eyes of an artist.
Mr. Baker had a fine trio of guitarist Max Light, bassist Kevin Hailey and drummer Curtis Nowosad. Singer Nicole Zuraitis and crooning trumpeter Benny Benack III, two performers who have appeared in many of this writer’s reviews for both their own shows and for guest spots.
The show primarily celebrates the music of George Gershwin over brother Ira Gershwin’s lyrics. While the show featured a few of the usual jazz standards by the brothers, much of the material consisted strictly of George Gershwin’s musical compositions, and for some songs Ira’s lyrics were discarded completely. Baker even extracted from George Gershwin’s instrumental pieces “lost Gershwin songs,” gems that received wordless “lyrics” not from his brother but from the spectacular voice of Nicole Zuraitis. This jazz singer is also a former opera singer whose multi-octave range has upper soprano tones resembling those of Loulie Jean Norman. (More about that later.)
The show opened with Mr. Baker playing a piece of Gershwin’s arguably most iconic instrumental work, “Rhapsody in Blue.” The arrangement took multiple turns into near-classical, “trad jazz” and swing, and kicked it up a notch when Benack came in with his signature tone.
The star created an ethereal intro for “A Foggy Day” with luscious piano voicings on the verse. Mr. Baker’s signature for this show was constant change and unexpected detours. Just when you thought he’d established the definitive mood for the tune, he’d take it to what might be called late-night, Village Vanguard jazz. It somehow took on a so very, very British, Masterpiece Theater vibe.
Mr. Baker brought guest singer Nicole Zuraitis. Ms. Zuraitis is a singer for whom there are scarcely sufficient adjectives to extoll her warm voice and her way with a lyric. If the “A Foggy Day” intro was ethereal, Mr. Baker’s arrangement for “Summertime” was otherworldly in its use of echo and reverb, and nearly unrecognizable. Still, to rework a popular cliché, this was not your mama’s “Summertime,” but it’s rich and good-looking!
Mr. Benack took a lead vocal on “Love Walked In” which included some fine scat singing, or “module 6,” the comprehensive “Ultimate Live Singer” video course Mr. Baker recently created with Mr. Benack, Ms. Zuraitis and Veronica Swift.
Mr. Baker distilled Gershwin’s “Concerto in F”—a composition for solo piano and orchestra that would take up much of the set if performed in its entirety—to three sample sections, arranged as if they were separate songs, which he noted as “Bb Minor,” “E Major” and “End,” with Ms. Zuraitis providing a kind of vocalese that stood in for actual lyrics, sometimes doubled by Mr. Benack’s trumpet, at other times done in counterpoint.
Max Light’s virtuosic guitar work at times had a very Larry Coryell vibe in the first “song.” “E Major” stood out as the section that — had Ira Gershwin written a lyric — might well have made it as a standalone jazz standard. For the “End” pseudo song, Ms. Zuraitis sang a spacey, wordless vocal in her uppermost register. This lent the piece something of a space-opera sound, particularly the theme to Star Trek (originally recorded by the aforementioned Loulie Jean Norman). This was one of the most innovative Gershwin adaptations you might ever hear.
Mr. Baker took a similar approach to “Rhapsody in Blue,” having started the show with its introduction. In fact, it’s been Mr. Baker’s dream to arrange Gershwin’s work for a very long time. Not just a couple of standards here and there, but particularly “Rhapsody in Blue.” Part of that dream was not just arranging the composition, but bringing it to the jazz stage. It’s usually only ever performed as a solo piano in concert, or piano and orchestra, but Mr. Baker has always desired bringing it to a jazz sextet. For his condensed arrangement of the middle of “Rhapsody,” he took the “G Major Jazzy Bit” and the “Romantic Bit.”
There was much more to dazzle in this set, including Ms. Zuraitis’s sexy take on “Do It Again,” with Mr. Benack’s muted trumpet providing an equally sexy and sometimes humorous counterpart, and an intriguing mashup of “I’ve Got Rhythm” with “Fascinating Rhythm.” As he had throughout, Mr. Baker set out to alter Gershwin’s keys, rhythms, chords and harmonization, and did he ever. While a purist might protest such an approach, the arrangement was, at minimum, fascinating.
Mr. Baker closed the set, appropriately, with the final segment of “Rhapsody in Blue.”
Matt Baker: A Rhapsody of Gershwin played on June 6 at Chelsea Table + Stage, 152 West 26th Street in the Hilton Fashion District Hotel (www.chelseatableandstage.com.
Photos courtesy of Stephen Mosher except where indicated
