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Grandel Theatre Cabaret Series

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The Grandel Cabaret brings its 2003 season to a rousing conclusion this week with Made for Movies – a Hollywood Songbook. It’s a solid program of jazzy renditions of movie music by an immensely talented quintet of performers. New York-based singer/pianists Eric Comstock and Dena DeRose join with veteran Hollywood-based singer and actor Bill Henderson, along St. Louis’ own Kim LaCoste on bass and Terry Artis on drums, to present a varied and often surprising program ranging from well-worn hits such as “Laura” (based on the main theme from the 1944 thriller) to little-known gems such as “Our Shining Sea” (from the classic Cold War comedy The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming). It’s the sort of evening guaranteed to please both jazz and film music fans alike, which is why the relatively light turnout on opening night was such a pity; this is the kind of show that deserves the widest possible audience.

For the film music fan, Made for Movies is a veritable feast. There are sets of songs by Harry Warren (who, despite having written two of the greatest musical love letters to Broadway, never actually had a show there), Johnny Mercer (one of our greatest lyricists, hands down), Harold Arlen and Johnny Mandel, along with material from lesser-known – but no less talented – composers such as David Raksin, whose sophisticated score for Laura has never really gotten the respect it deserves. There are surprisingly romantic songs from Abbott and Costello vehicles and even a Bob Hope tribute in the form of a pair of tunes - “Two Sleepy People” and “Thanks for the Memories” – that he originally did with Shirley Ross. All of them get sympathetic performances from the group in a style that manages to neatly bridge the worlds of jazz and cabaret.

Speaking of which, jazz lovers will appreciate the way all these performers play off each other, trading licks and bouncing around quotes from other tunes in a style that’s more often seen down the street at The Bistro than at the Grandel. Dena DeRose clearly has the strongest keyboard technique, often generating spontaneous applause in numbers like “Green Dolphin Street” and “I’ll Remember April”, but fellow pianist Eric Comstock is no slouch at the ivories either and their voices blend beautifully. Bill Henderson doesn’t play an instrument and doesn’t need to; whether applied to a ballad like “Days of Wine and Roses” or to a classic like Arlen’s “That Old Black Magic”, his well-seasoned baritone conjures up memories of the late Billy Eckstine and his percussive style of scat singing is, as far as I can tell, entirely his own.

And let’s not leave out the home team. Despite a short rehearsal period (less than three days), bassist Kim LaCoste and drummer Terry Artis work so seamlessly with the visiting trio you’d think they’d all been on the road for ages. In fact, my only complaint about Made for Movies is that there’s too much music and too little talk. One of the major charms of an evening spent with a cabaret artist like Steve Ross or Andrea Marcovicci, for example, is the wealth of background information you get on the music, the composers and even the performer. There’s not nearly enough of that here. We get only small snippets of information on the songs, not much more on the composers and almost nothing at all on the trio. Surely I’m not the only one in the audience who’d like to know how two young singing pianists from the east coast managed to link up with a prolific actor (47 films dating back to 1943 and dozens of TV appearances) from L.A. over twice their age and put together such a remarkable act!

That’s a minor quibble, though. The bottom line is that Made for Movies – a Hollywood Songbook is a strong finish to a solid season at the Grandel. The Comstock-Henderson-Rose trio will be holding forth through this Sunday [December 14, 2003]; call 314-533-8825 for ticket information.

• Eric Comstock’s web site at www.ericcomstock.net
• Dena DeRose’s site at www.denaderose.com
• Bill Henderson’s entry in the Internet Movie Database: imdb.com/name/nm0376347/

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