Wish we were there in the audience.
Johnny Mathis
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Terence Lee
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Lena & Harry Smith
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Terence Lee
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At 72, Mathis Is Smart and Smooth as Ever
by Sarah Rodman
Boston Globe, April 7, 2008
Saturday night at the Citi Performing Arts Center, Johnny Mathis proved that while some music may fall out of fashion, class never goes out of style.
His driver's license might demand that he is 72, but fighting trim in a smart suit and boasting a healthy head of hair -- which he impishly admitted to touching up -- Mathis appeared ageless.
Complementing his Dorian Gray visage was his similarly unbowed voice. Throughout the 70-minute performance, divided into two acts, Mathis's soothing croon remained silken as ever, with only his vibrato and ability to sustain lengthy notes slightly diminished by the passing of time.
Spring may not have sprung with much vigor around these parts, but Mathis's dips into classic show tunes, pop standards, and frothy bossa nova flirtations no doubt took the graying audience back to the springtime of its youth.
The night began with a clutch of Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer classics like "Days of Wine and Roses" and "Moon River" -- the first of many medleys. His 28-piece orchestra fell into an easy amble behind him under the able guidance of conductor/keyboardi st John "Scott" Lavender. (Although he could have foregone the occasional, jarring use of canned backing vocals and archaic keyboard effects.)
Mathis deftly mixed his best-known songs with his personal favorites. Many of the hits were dispatched in the first set with "Chances Are," "It's Not For Me to Say" and "Misty" retaining their old-fashioned charm with gently brushed drums, tasteful strings, and cocktail piano accompaniment.
The twin peaks of the set, however, were his understated, aching rendition of "When I Fall in Love" and the fizzy uptempo groove of "Let Go (Canto de Ossanha)" which found Mathis rakishly tossing the microphone cord over his shoulder and imbuing the lyrics about unabashed self-expression with a real zest.
At the midpoint Mathis ceded the stage to comic Gary Mule Deer who did a tame 25-minute set wringing chuckles from a mix of one-liners, one-two punches, and musical parodies. Sample joke: "Do you think they should put pictures of missing transvestites on the sides of cartons of half-and-half? "
Mathis returned for an even stronger and more eclectic second set, kicking off with the melodic richness of "Pure Imagination. " He transitioned nicely to the lite-R&B flavor of "You Make Me Feel Brand New" and the timeless baroque pop simplicity of "Walk on By" then deepened with an intimate acoustic interlude that included "99 Miles from LA." Capping the night was an enthusiastic Brazilian medley that featured "Felicidade" and "Manha de Carnaval" that gave the orchestra a chance to shine.
by Sarah Rodman
Boston Globe, April 7, 2008
Saturday night at the Citi Performing Arts Center, Johnny Mathis proved that while some music may fall out of fashion, class never goes out of style.
His driver's license might demand that he is 72, but fighting trim in a smart suit and boasting a healthy head of hair -- which he impishly admitted to touching up -- Mathis appeared ageless.
Complementing his Dorian Gray visage was his similarly unbowed voice. Throughout the 70-minute performance, divided into two acts, Mathis's soothing croon remained silken as ever, with only his vibrato and ability to sustain lengthy notes slightly diminished by the passing of time.
Spring may not have sprung with much vigor around these parts, but Mathis's dips into classic show tunes, pop standards, and frothy bossa nova flirtations no doubt took the graying audience back to the springtime of its youth.
The night began with a clutch of Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer classics like "Days of Wine and Roses" and "Moon River" -- the first of many medleys. His 28-piece orchestra fell into an easy amble behind him under the able guidance of conductor/keyboardi st John "Scott" Lavender. (Although he could have foregone the occasional, jarring use of canned backing vocals and archaic keyboard effects.)
Mathis deftly mixed his best-known songs with his personal favorites. Many of the hits were dispatched in the first set with "Chances Are," "It's Not For Me to Say" and "Misty" retaining their old-fashioned charm with gently brushed drums, tasteful strings, and cocktail piano accompaniment.
The twin peaks of the set, however, were his understated, aching rendition of "When I Fall in Love" and the fizzy uptempo groove of "Let Go (Canto de Ossanha)" which found Mathis rakishly tossing the microphone cord over his shoulder and imbuing the lyrics about unabashed self-expression with a real zest.
At the midpoint Mathis ceded the stage to comic Gary Mule Deer who did a tame 25-minute set wringing chuckles from a mix of one-liners, one-two punches, and musical parodies. Sample joke: "Do you think they should put pictures of missing transvestites on the sides of cartons of half-and-half? "
Mathis returned for an even stronger and more eclectic second set, kicking off with the melodic richness of "Pure Imagination. " He transitioned nicely to the lite-R&B flavor of "You Make Me Feel Brand New" and the timeless baroque pop simplicity of "Walk on By" then deepened with an intimate acoustic interlude that included "99 Miles from LA." Capping the night was an enthusiastic Brazilian medley that featured "Felicidade" and "Manha de Carnaval" that gave the orchestra a chance to shine.
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Terence Lee
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Terence Lee
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keithgood838
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Johnny Mathis
Hi, Jon,
Your posting on this singer provoked a lively debate;
may I add my two-pennorth? My wife and I attended several
of Johnny's London concerts. A presentational ploy of his
was to begin his performance from the wings, so you
heard him before you saw him thereby ensuring for himself
an even more tumultuous welcome when he finally
appeared on stage. He was also an athlete of near-Olympic
standard specialising in the high jump.
A technically fine singer, his lustre began to fade, for me,
when I found I could no longer identify with his love-songs.
Keith
Your posting on this singer provoked a lively debate;
may I add my two-pennorth? My wife and I attended several
of Johnny's London concerts. A presentational ploy of his
was to begin his performance from the wings, so you
heard him before you saw him thereby ensuring for himself
an even more tumultuous welcome when he finally
appeared on stage. He was also an athlete of near-Olympic
standard specialising in the high jump.
A technically fine singer, his lustre began to fade, for me,
when I found I could no longer identify with his love-songs.
Keith
Hi Keith
Thanks for your comment on JM. I agree that his voice has faded somwhat in recent years (though Marian will probably shoot me for saying that) but it's his less recent recordings that I enjoy and, after all, technology allows a singer to be enjoyed at his peak forever, really. The two photos posted above look quite far apart in time; I'm sure one of them must be from about 15-20 years ago, the other one more recent.
Thanks for your comment on JM. I agree that his voice has faded somwhat in recent years (though Marian will probably shoot me for saying that) but it's his less recent recordings that I enjoy and, after all, technology allows a singer to be enjoyed at his peak forever, really. The two photos posted above look quite far apart in time; I'm sure one of them must be from about 15-20 years ago, the other one more recent.
Hi Jon, yes I think you are right--the first pic looks from a good few years back--the hairstyle and clothes date it a little. The second pic looks more up to date.
I would not go so far as to say his voice has faded---although he does sound different, and does not hit the high notes now--but then he is 72, after all--and he still has that instantly recognisable sound!!
I would not go so far as to say his voice has faded---although he does sound different, and does not hit the high notes now--but then he is 72, after all--and he still has that instantly recognisable sound!!
Mariana
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keithgood838
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