Review: TEDD FIRTH TRIO Top Shelf at Birdland Theater

I have a friend who is an art collector. He's very savvy about how he handles his collection and how often he will allow the art to be shown, where he will allow it to be seen, and for long he will allow it to be out in the world. He certainly does not ever have any of the art seen in photos on the internet, anywhere. He says it affects the value of the art, it makes it less appreciable when people can just see it anywhere, anytime, any way, and especially in a Google search.

That's sort of how I felt after seeing the Tedd Firth Trio in concert at Birdland Theater recently.

During the exceptional program of music that Mr. Firth and his companions produced, Tedd mentioned that he appears as a headliner rarely because he spends his time playing for singers, and that he enjoys this line of work. Further, Mr. Firth detailed a part of his journey as a headliner being a general reluctance at being the person in the spotlight, at first finding it uncomfortable but getting used to it over time. And therein lies the joy of the journey because, as Mr. Firth has grown accustomed to being the leader of the pack, he has created a thing of value: a great (not good - great) evening of entertainment that comes along so seldomly that, when it does, the audiences flock to the theater. Indeed, on March 6th, Birdland Theater was completely at capacity, a room filled with happy people, and a room in which one could easily spot respected members of the arts industry, there to revel in the musical excellence of Tedd Firth (piano), David Finck (bass), and Mark McLean (drums).

During their extremely generous (underline it) program of over ninety minutes of music, the trio ran the gamut from standards (the Oscar Peterson "Swinging On a Star") to pop (Sixties pop tune "Alfie," in honor of the late Burt Bacharach) to soul (Seventies soul, by way of Stevie Wonder's "Superwoman") but whichever genre of music the trio chose to present to their audience, the arrangements and performances sounded as fresh as though they had been written last week, especially for this concert. There is reward in sitting in an audience and listening to a combo play your favorite song in a manner that is just new enough to bring you a new experience but not new enough to strip from the experience the pleasure of a favorite washing over you at the relaxing end of a long day. That's the Tedd Firth Trio, all over the place. The musical dialogue that took place between the three artists during a performance of The Gershwin's "For You, For Me, For Evermore" was authentically thrilling, and a medley combining the famous Maltby & Shire song "Starting Here, Starting Now" with the lesser-known "Stop Time" by the same team was as calming as a nap in a hammock on an autumn afternoon. Mr. Firth and his musical mates are seriously the best antidote for whatever ails you (or, more specifically, for what was ailing me), which is probably why the people want to hear them... that, and the rarity of their public appearances.

As for Firth's time spent onstage bridging the musical numbers, the gentleman is a natural orator and emcee. Comfortable, affable, and pleasant, he is honest about himself, sharing with the crowd that he might not know all the trivia behind the song "Sunday" by Chester Conn (with lyrics by Jule Styne, Bennie Krueger, Ned Miller), and calling out to audience member, historian Will Friedwald, to get the facts straight. Tedd talks openly with friends in the front row, asking icon Rex Reed what he wants to hear next and welcoming colleague Marilyn Maye to the stage for an impromptu performance (Maye was not scheduled to appear, and The Trio and The Legend made something up on the spot). The gentlemen provided their rapt audience with exactly that which they wanted, that which they anticipated, and that which brought their excited selves out and to the Birdland basement on a weeknight: perfect musical artistry, the kind that becomes possible when working alongside artists that one, greatly, respects and, genuinely, likes, all of which shows, not only in the music heard but in the visual of watching the craftsmen communicate without words from across the stage, in observing how they listen, how their instruments react, and how they smile at each other when they have achieved their common goal. It isn't always about the music one hears - it's about the humanity that one witnesses. March 6th was an evening of both, particularly when Tedd turned the proceedings over Mark McLean so that the trio could play some "music that he brought in" - a stupendous piece titled "Tango Palace" that ranked as a highlight of the evening, one of the best this writer has had in a club, based simply on all of the qualities that the trio and that Tedd Firth, himself, brings to the stage.

The next time this rare work of art is taken out of the vault and put on display, please, dear readers, take it upon yourselves to examine the masterpiece that is The Tedd Firth Trio. Google alert them, seek them out, make the reservation, and make a night of it. You won't regret it, indeed, you will go home better for it.

Note: from the great seat that Birdland Theater gave me, I might have secured some photos of Tedd, Mark, and David - except that the people in the rows before me were a little taller than my height could handle. The only photos that could be made were on the rare occasion that Tedd rose from the piano, although David and Mark can be seen in the couple of photos of Marilyn Maye seen below. Apologies to the artists.

Visit the Tedd Firth website HERE.

THIS is the David Finck Facebook page.

The Mark McLean website is accessible HERE.

THIS is the Marilyn Maye website.

Find great shows to see on the Birdland website HERE.

Marilyn Maye will make her Carnegie Hall debut on March 24th at 8 pm with the New York Pops and Steven Reineke. Reservations HERE.