Barbara Cook

 

 

How can I describe a legend’s voice?  Smoky, pleasing, haunting, playful, lived-in, rangy, moving; sensual, with perfect pitch, dark undertones, laughing. loving, are adjectives that come to mind. This is the reason why people flocked to Disney Hall On October 27th to hear the great Barbara Cook in concert. It was her 8oth birthday. Did I say amazing and incredible?

Barbara Cook stared as an ingénue on Broadway in the 50s,scoring in countless shows including CANDIDE, THE MUSIC MAN, and SHE LOVES ME. She become increasingly dissatisfied with her career,
wanting to sing different songs, specifically the Blues. Tired of keeping the slender body of the ingénue she started to gain weight. I have always admired the fact that she continued to perform in public in spite her weight gain.

     Ms Cook came back in the 70s as a cabaret singer. I was lucky enough to see her first appearance and have been a fan ever since. Her repertory is vast and ranges from the Broadway of Sondheim, Rodgers and Hammerstein; to songs she had heard when she sang as a kid in a strip joint. What is most remarkable is that her voice just gets better and at 80 years young can sell a song like nobody else.

     She looked beautiful at the birthday concert and stood for the entire set that joyously lasted for over an hour and a half. Her friend and long-time collaborator Wally Harper passed away not long ago. She has found a wonderful new orchestrator in Lee Musiker, an Emmy-winning composer, educator, orchestra leader, and collaborator with the likes of Tony Bennett, Mel Torme, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Natalie Cole, and Diana Krall. Mr. Musiker (can you beat that name) was joined by bass player Peter Donovan and precisionist James Saporito. It may have been Barbara Cook’s birthday but we the audience got the present. Happy Birthday Barbara.!!!

WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL Los Angeles.