At
73, Annie Ross is still going strong
Thursday, February 01, 2007
BY
ZAN STEWART
Star-Ledger
Staff
What does a legendary jazz
songstress do when
her voice has lost a good deal of its luster? Well, for one thing, she
swings.
That's what Annie Ross did Tuesday at the Metropolitan Room at Gotham
in New York. She also whispered emotive ballads, laid out some
impressive vocalese, and offered witty introductions to her numbers.
All in all, Ross, a hardy trouper at 75, employed gumption, nerves of
steel and deep knowledge of the jazz craft in producing a decidedly
entertaining, and often touching, set of songs.
The singer made her mark with the vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks and
Ross in the late 1950s-early 1960s; she has also had a career as an
actress -- including a plum role in Robert Altman's 1993 classic,
"Short Cuts." She understands the value of having top-rate accompanists.
At the Metropolitan, where she appears each Tuesday and where she was
recording a new CD for the CAP label, Ross performed with a formidable
team: her longtime pianist, the extraordinary Tardo Hammer; fat-toned
bassist Neal Miner; drummer Jimmy Wormworth, who was with LH&R;
and
Rahway cornet monster Warren Vache.
The band worked hand-in-glove with the singer, subtly moving with her
vocals, giving her consummate support. The members also soloed with
élan, adding a variety of persuasive instrumental colors.
"Too Marvelous for Words" was one of Ross' swingers. She didn't hit
many of her notes hard on the head, and often delivered phrases in a
speak-sing fashion. But her rhythmic whammy made up for any vocal
minuses. The way she popped out the opening line of the bridge --
"You're much too much, and just too very very" -- had a drummer's
swagger.
A modestly motoring-along "Watch What Happens" had some powerful
rhythmic phrases, as did "Taking a Chance on Love," just one number
boasting Vache's fluid, melodically potent lines. And
there was a
medium-slow journey through "I Got Rhythm," featuring guest violinist
Aaron Weinstein, where the title phrase clearly had relevance.
Ross' three vocalese numbers -- where lyrics are fitted to recorded
instrumental solos -- were likewise percolating. Of course, she had to
offer her signature song, "Twisted," which she recorded in 1952 and
which became a jazz hit.
Based on a beguiling tenor saxophone solo by Wardell Gray, Ross wrote
such timeless words as "My analyst told me/that I was right out of my
head/the way he described it/he said I'd be better dead than live/I
didn't listen to his jive ..." She sang this demanding number clearly,
and with zest, bringing off its toughest phrases. Each of the musicians
also dropped in a solid solo.
One killer ballad was Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life," done very softly,
with just Hammer in accompaniment. Ross delivered this tale of utter
dissolution -- which closes with the telling lines, "Now I'll rot with
the rest/of those whose lives are lonely, too" -- with grace and
emotion. Hammer, his touch soft, his notes warm, found fresh, buoyant
chords to lead her.
One other ballad knockout was Vernon Duke's "Autumn in New York," which
contains such lyrics as "Glimmering crowds/and shimmering clouds/in
canyons of steel." Ross nailed it.