Bobby Short
is the
Frank Sinatra
of the supper clubs. Like
Sinatra
,
Short
is a consummate entertainer, a true professional. But the distance between Caesar's Palace and the Cafe Carlyle is approximately equal to the distance between Hoboken and uptown Manhattan, and
's style is absolutely uptown. He has none of the hardscrabble swagger that infused
's work with pathos. If ever there was a time when
was not invited to all the right parties, he doesn't let on, not for a note. The complete absence of angst makes
Bobby Short Celebrates Rodgers & Hart
easy listening
indeed, but in the most wonderful way. His voice is unruffled and mellifluous, his phrasing spirited without ever being quite over the top. His articulation of
Lorenz Hart
's superb lyrics rests upon his witty and urbane piano playing like a marcelled starlet draped across a chaise lounge. His music is lovely without being too sweet, coquettish without being coarse, droll without being camp. Debonair, cosmopolitan and utterly self-possessed,
is the just the man for the classic
show tunes
of
Rodgers & Hart
. Throughout this recording, he sustains a fantasy of New York that exists only on the big screen, and only in black and white. The national anthem of this magical dreamland is the
"Hollywood Party"
medley. This song is itself a delightful little movie -- a rousing start; drama, action, and intrigue in the middle; culminating in one big, big finale. ~ Jessica Jernigan