Review: A TIN PAN ALLEY CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH Gives 54 Below Audiences Gabrielle Lee at Her Saucy Sassy Best

There have already been a slew of wonderful cabarets in celebration of Black History Month, ranging from solo shows to group shows, Whitney Houston tributes, retrospectives of concerts that have played individual clubs, and it's only just passed February 15th - there are still many more Black History Month shows to come. But when Gabrielle Lee went out on the 54 Below stage on February 11th, it was an actual show about Black History - a delightful and delectable look at the music of Tin Pan Alley, one of the most valuable and artistically rich eras in the history of music, black music, and the black artists who made it such an important thread in the tapestry of our lives. And Gabrielle Lee is exactly the right performer to come along, some one hundred-plus years later, with the mission of celebration.

Stylishly making her way through the 54 Below audience, in her black feather boa and vintage beaded gown, Ms. Lee established herself immediately as a showwoman unafraid of audience affiliation. Clearly not one of those singers content to stand on a stage and sing to the back wall, Gabrielle Lee spent the entirety of her hour-long program in the audience members' faces (in the best of all possible ways), sometimes from the safe distance of the footlights, and sometimes from mere inches away (watching Gabrielle get playful with the boyfriend of a famous television actress during "He May Be Your Man" was especially titillating). Supported by an exquisite (correction: EXQUISITE) band, Ms. Lee brought the Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, and Louis Armstrong with splendid, toe-tapping, shoulder-shaking, hip swaying renditions of "There'll Be a Hot Time in Old Town Tonight," "There'll Be Some Changes Made," and "Them There Eyes" and that's just to name a few tunes from Gabrielle's generous fifteen-song set. It wasn't, though, just an evening of exciting music and uplifting performances because Ms. Lee did a little homework, too. Using a well-crafted script filled with informative facts and trivia, Lee spoke knowledgeably and reverently about the songs, composers like Sheldon Brooks, and important but near-forgotten iconic artists like Florence Mills, and although she leaned a little too heavily on the script, chances are that the stress of losing her place and having to find it again, in mid-speech, may inspire Gabrielle to memorize the patter before performing the show again. And, to be clear, it would be a boon to all, were Gabrielle Lee to perform this program many more times for many more audiences, throughout the year, not just during this month of significance. Lee, her band, and her cabaret embody entertainment par excellence, it's true, but this is a canon of music that can not, must not be allowed to pass from the consciousness of the general public. Believe it or not, there are people out there who have never heard this music, people who look at the words Tin Pan Alley and think it's unimportant, old-fashioned, passe, boring. Um... no. This is music, lyrics, and history that is as beneficial and enticing today as it was when it was written at the turn of the last century. Observe Gabrielle's stirringly grounded performance of Bert Williams' classic "Nobody" for proof positive that there is a place in 2022 for the music of Tin Pan Alley.

Particular highlights in this evening of fun and frolic were the obligatory innuendo-laden songs "Half of Me Wants to Be Good" and "Handy Man" - never mind innuendo, this was downright naughty as a duet with the sensational Jennie Harney-Fleming, who did a superb solo on "Squeeze Me" while Gabrielle changed from one stunning 'stume to another. If you're going to get a guest artist to join you on the stage, you might not do better than Harney-Fleming, whose solo show this writer will be scanning the cabaret calendars for. Jennie wasn't the only guest star to join in the action, though, because drummer Colin Hancock helped Gabrielle bring down the house with the highlight of the evening, a raucous "Butter and Egg Man," and Ms. Lee's Auntie Marion Moore sang, in tear-inducing operatic perfection, the opening lines of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" from her table in the audience, prompting a mid-show standing O in the most emotional moment of the entire night, before all of our black brothers and sisters and non-binary family rose to join Ms. Lee in the Black National Anthem.

A TIN PAN ALLEY CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH may have been Gabrielle Lee's 54 Below solo show debut, but it shouldn't be her last; the lady is an entertainer of note, brimming with talent, energy, and personality. Before moving on to a new show, though, it would be a blessing for her and for many potential audience members for this special show to be brought back to life a few more times because the music, the history, and Gabrielle Lee herself are all worthy of the attention and applause garnered on February 11th - attention and applause that warrants further presentation of the pleasing and paramount program.

The A TIN PAN ALLEY CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH Band:

Musical Director and piano: Peter Yarin

Bass: Vince Giordano

Drums: Colin Hancock

Cornet/Trumpet: Mike Davis

The A TIN PAN ALLEY CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH producer is Marilyn Lester.

Find great shows to see on the 54 Below program HERE.

Gabrielle Lee has a website HERE.

Gabrielle Lee gets a four out of five microphones rating for the use of a script during her show.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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