Melissa Errico is readying to revitalize classic songs during her upcoming Valentine's engagement at Birdland.
The Tony nominee, whose soaring soprano has graced such Broadway productions as Amour and Irving Berlin's White Christmas, will play the intimate jazz club February 14鈥�16 at 7 PM and 9:30 PM each night.
Errico's newest show is titled I Can Dream, Can't I?, and she will be joined by a jazz ensemble that includes Andy Ezrin on piano, David Finck on bass, and Eric Halvorson on drums.
As she was preparing for her return to Birdland, the Broadway and concert artist chatted briefly with 半岛体育 about her upcoming New York shows.
You鈥檙e paired this year with a new pianist, the jazz player Andy Ezrin. How did that relationship come about?
Melissa Errico: A long, long time ago, before we were parents鈥攂ack in the ice ages, when there was no streaming, no social media, and no Spotify鈥擨 met Andy Ezrin. We were from two worlds: me from Broadway and high soprano singing, him from jazz and sultry strange-chord stylings. We discovered that there was a delicious cocktail made in mixing ourselves together. Eventually the sound became the foundation for my philosophically funky Sondheim Sublime album. Off he went, on tour with Chris Botti and as MD to Madeleine Peyroux and then re-emerged last year to arrange my songs when I was opening for George Benson at The Montreal Jazz Festival. He gave the Benson band some funky music I could float through. Now
we鈥檙e floating higher than ever. I鈥檓 more jazz adjacent and swinging
than ever before; he鈥檚 more cabaret-nightclub sexy than ever before.
It鈥檚 beautiful, original music.
Last year you gave Birdland a program of Sondheim Manhattan songs for
Valentine's, and the year before it was all noir-inspired music. What can audiences expect this year?
I鈥檝e gotten kind of well-known for my thematic concerts at Birdland, but this year the only theme for Valentine鈥檚 is love: its faces, its fun, its frustrations, its fulfillment. Andy and I chose sensitive and loving songs, and all I鈥檒l do is sing them. No theme to offer. No role to play. No history to unwind. Just our look at love鈥攊nvitations, celebrations, fallings in, fallings out, resentments, broken hearts. And taking care of yourself so you鈥檙e worth loving. (Well, I鈥檒l say that. I can鈥檛 help speaking some!)
What would you consider the perfect Valentine鈥檚 song?
Hmmm. Could be 鈥淭he Man I Love,鈥� my parents' love song. Or 鈥淲hat Are
You Doing the Rest of Your Life,鈥� the anthem of the long and
well-married. But maybe this year I鈥檇 choose 鈥淚 Can Dream, Can鈥檛 I?.鈥�
It鈥檚 the title song of the show, and it鈥檚 a song about having and not
having鈥攁bout having both emotions at once. I want you; I can鈥檛 have
you, but wanting you means I have you anyway. And anyway, I can dream,
can鈥檛 I? What else is love about?
READ: Is It Always 'Or'? Is It Never 'And'?: Melissa Errico Explores Sondheim's 'Losing My Mind'
A Tony nominee for her performance in Amour, Errico has also been seen on Broadway in Anna Karenina, My Fair Lady, High Society, Dracula the Musical, and Irving Berlin's White Christmas.
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