Elysa Gardner,
USA TODAY 12/10/2014
IRA KANDELL,
MARVELOUS TALENT
Singer IRA
KANDELL performed yesterday at The Valley View Performing Arts Center for the
City of Surprise Tuesday backed with the piano of Lloyd Shaffer who sounded as
if he had a four piece band because of Ira’s soulful vocal stylings. The singer shot to fame starting around 1980 inside
the New York Singer’s Forum and, in over 30 years of performances, has appeared
in regional theaters, dinner theaters, concerts, commercials, including the
Glenn Miller Orchestra who invaded every Hilton Hotel in our country. He
appeared in the engagements of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,
Man of La Mancha, Charlie’s Aunt, The Odd Couple, The Roar of The Greasepaint,
Stop The World I Want To Get Off, Damn Yankees (as the Devil), Peter Pan (as
Captain Hook) and many others.
There is
something to be said for matching the right material to a particular singer. The
long list of Ira Kandell’s program followed this theory. There was a nice mix
of pop and show tunes including his signature songs from the musicals
mentioned. But Kandell takes the classic Broadway tunes and turns them into spellbinding
emotional and heartfelt renditions with a clear tenor sound that moves all
these songs into showstoppers. The 1600 seat theater presented him with
standing ovations and interruptions of applause.
The concert
was billed as an evening of The Songs of Broadway made famous by Lena Horne,
Ethel Merman, and Judy Garland. Some highlights included “Maybe This Time,” “Younger
than Springtime” “Pieces of Dreams,” and “I Love a Piano.” On all of these
songs Ira Kandell sounded very good and had a soulful approach to each song. He
also performed a nifty, torchy rendition of “On the Street Where You Live.” This
was followed by “I Could Have Danced All Night,” in a Latin beat complete with
a few tap moments. He told the audience that he was Peter Pan while in his
teens, and can only play Captain Hook in the present time. He included “I’ve
Gotta Grow” with “Never Never Land” as part of the show, which delighted the
crowd with both humor, and suddenly right after, a quiet number song ending
with a huge long note. His range is exceptional.
When Kandell
performs emotional types of material his voice comes shining through. He never strays
from that style, so you don’t hear Elvis songs, country songs, rock, or any
jazz. It’s all from the Broadway cannon, and if that is your choice, you have
come to the right place.
There were
also a song written by Harold Arlen. While I never have been and never will be
a huge fan of his work, one of his songs was for me the best thing in the whole
concert.
The song is
entitled “Alone Together.” The lyrics are heartfelt sung at first almost in a
hush, ending up with a full throttle concert sound. This was amazing.
Lloyd
Shaffer handles the part of Musical Director. He is an expert on the piano,
allowing Ira to slow down, speed up, hit all the right notes and generally
smiling at Kandell. They provided a lot of comedy on “I Love A Piano.”
Overall the
concert was a complete success. When Kandell sticks to the ballads and the big power
numbers he sounds really good. He will be doing a concert at Phoenix College
inside their Janet Sessions Recital Hall on January 11th at 2:00 PM.
I suggest you get there and see this marvelous talent.
Running
Time: 90 Minutes with no intermission
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