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| NYC Gay Men's Chorus Brings Its Strayhorn Salute to the Pines |
by Bruce-Michael Gelbert
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| NYC Gay Men's Chorus |
| Photo by Bruce-Michael Gelbert |
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The New York City Gay Men's Chorus (NYCGMC) was to bring highlights of "Take the A Train," its Pride salute to openly gay jazz great Billy Strayhorn (1915-1967), Duke Ellington's collaborator and Aaron Bridges' life partner, performed in Manhattan on June 18, to Whyte Hall, Fire Island Pines spanking new community center, for two performances on June 30. But, owing to certificate of occupancy problems because of a not yet functional sprinkler system in the new hall, the two performances were reduced to one and "Take the A Train to the Pines: The Music of Billy Strayhorn," a benefit for the chorus, was moved to the Pines Fire House. No matter, the tribute was spirited, the room spacious enough, and the choristers, about three dozen of the more than 200 members of the full complement, gave a satisfying representation of the whole chorus' smooth and hearty sound, under guest conductor Kip Bonsignore's baton, with Chip Prince at the piano. Alan Broadbent prepared the musical arrangements, Joanna Gleason directed, and she and Jeffrey Lane wrote the narration.
Five songs had both music and words by Strayhorn. Disappointment in love, hopes dashed, and positive outlook destroyed led to descent into despair and drunken haze in an emotional rendition of "Lush Life," with the choristers backing up second tenor soloist Dan Baillie. Mark Silverstone delivered an ingratiating light tenor intro to a gently rocking search for "Someone to Live For," suffused with longing for a love, who will "take my life and make it seem/gay as they say it ought to be." The singers lauded one who causes welcome excitement in a swinging "Oo, You Make Me Tingle!" and offered a breezy paean to romance almost too good to be true in "Love Like This Can't Last." The Chorus found "the quickest way to Harlem" in the concert's title song, the upbeat music of the very train tracks themselves creating anticipation of a hot time uptown.
In songs with lyrics by John LaTouche, second tenor Gary Wayne Farris and the chorus took a bouncy, somewhat wry, but ultimately good-natured look at life "On the Wrong Side of the Railroad Tracks," even while "we wonder what the other side's like," and, with bass Jim Vivyan, yearned for love in the "haunt[ing]" "reverie" of "Day Dream." The artists jauntily treated betrayal by a loved one in "Kissin' Bug," written with Joya Sherrill, and, in an up-tempo 'he done me wrong' song, a collaboration with Lee Gaines, limned one who "(left me) Just A-settin' and A-rockin'." They proffered a lighter view of love in Strayhorn and Johnny Mercer's "Satin Doll," with Baillie, and pattering and scatting, concluded that a fantasy love may be safer than a real one, in "Imaginary Guy," with words by Lorraine Feather.
The NYCGMC members departed from the Strayhorn theme for an encore of gay and proud anthem "You Can't Take the Color out of Colorado," from Howard Crabtree and Mark Waldrop's "When Pigs Fly," asserting that we are everywhere ("You need us to make the USA") in this merry martial air about how drab the country would be without its gay people.
Organizers hope to make NYCGMC's appearance an annual tradition here.
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