Before New York City-based pianist Emmet Cohen began playing his second set at Hatch Recital Hall on Friday
night, he let the audience know it was going to be “loose.” “It’s jazz — if
you wanna scream, comment, say ‘boo,’ whatever.”
Those present elected to stay quiet and attentive for most
of the set, erupting into cheers and applause only after each selection was
finished. The performance was certainly worthy of such a response. Cohen played
with a striking and effusive elegance. He moved all over the keyboard with
understated, self-assured flair.
His arrangements were completely uncluttered, allowing the
melody and bass to take precedence. The relationship between the two elements
is where the true beauty of the songs resided. Cohen’s playing was often jaunty
and whimsical rhythmically, breathing a lighthearted air into the proceedings.
The pianist’s set wasn’t perfect, however. When playing the
upper reaches of his instrument, there were times in which Cohen was unable to
articulate all of his ideas. Stray notes were inexact, and certain phrases
required a stronger touch in order to be made fully audible.
But these infrequent sins of omission were trumped by
Cohen’s consummate charm, as well as his remarkable knack for shaping melodies
with a smooth touch, connected phrasing, and a keen ear for what creates a
compelling narrative arc.
Whether interpreting the music of Benny Golson,
JuleStyne, Horace Silver,
Cole Porter, or Billy Strayhorn, Cohen plays music meant to be heard in the witching hour, in which magic is
conjured and love is made.
During Cohen’s original composition “You Already Know,”
which was written only a few months prior to this performance, his signature
jauntiness returned to interrupt moments of more somber balladry. And yet there
were spurts of youthful, impetuous violence too, which soon found their way
back to Cohen’s distinct style of clever tunefulness.
The pianist ended the set with a powerhouse sequence of Fats
Waller’s “Jitterbug Waltz,” “Wail” by Bud Powell, and an especially hyperactive
version of George Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm.” Cohen is a young musician to watch
for years to come.
Some voices were meant to meld — that’s the guiding
principle behind the vocal jazz trio Duchess.
The group opened its second set at Max of Eastman Place with a sweet-sounding,
if rather patronizing, song equivalent to former Buffalo Bills head coach Marv
Levy’s mantra “Where would you rather be than right here, right now?” but
quickly settled into bubbly, close-knit harmonies on tunes such as the Doris
Day classic “Que Será, Será” and “Three Little Sisters” by The Andrews
Sisters, and The Boswell Sisters’ “Heebie Jeebies.”
The members of Duchess — Hilary Gardner, Amy Cervini, and Melissa Stylianou —
are perfectly competent singers on their own, but in harmony their voices gain
special resonance. While Duchess;’ brand of 1930’s and 40’s-style vocal swing
tunes is a total throwback, there’s nothing gimmicky about the songs or the
performances. The trio sang earnestly, but with a clear commitment to fun. If
you like your jazz old-school, the music of Duchess
might be just what you’re looking for.
This article appears in Jun 24-30, 2015.
