Home » Jazz Articles » Live Review » Denise Donatelli at Mezzrow

2

Denise Donatelli at Mezzrow

Denise Donatelli with Geoffrey Keezer Keezer and Ron Blake
Mezzrow
New York, NY
January 7, 2019

The intimate vibe at Club Mezzrow is hands-down the perfect musical playground for the versatile talents of Denise Donatelli, Geoffrey Keezer and Ron Blake—the skills of which were eminently displayed during the trio's opening set last evening.

Ms. Donatelli yet again demonstrated that she is a vastly talented and engaging vocal artist—one who absolutely revels in such cozy environs. Brilliantly framed by Grammy-winning pianist, Geoff Keezer and superb saxophonist, Ron Blake, the trio wowed the enthralled packed house—some of whom were well-known artists making the scene. That's no surprise, as Donatelli is indeed a singer's singer.

Benny Golson's "Stablemates"—warm-up wit?—had Keezer and Blake launching into an intense jazz joust where each offered endless rhythmic and creative fire-ribbons. The multiple-time Grammy nominated Donatelli then followed with a seductive offering of "When Lights Are Low" followed by a swinging send-up of "It You or No One."

Throughout the evening, Donatelli displayed a vocal instrument of supreme taste, texture, swing and flawless diction. She understands the poetic currency and potency of a lyric. Her subtle mic technique adds to the flavor. Those and other skills were evident on her take on Ivan Lins' "Kisses" ("Cantor Da Noite") where Donatelli caressed Alan and Marilyn Bergman's lush lines

Keezer, certainly a technical phenom, dazzled the audience and his mates with fierce, creatively intense solos. His solo style relied heavily on his vast technical skills and ability to rhythmically tear things apart and meld them together again magically. His comp support of Donatelli never intruded. Blake was also masterful with deeply intense solo forays on tenor and soprano. The ensemble itself worked trio en uno. The set's closer, "My Shining Hour" was indeed Donatelli's. A highlight there was her dead-on unison scat solo break with Blake.

At one point Ms. Donatelli inquired of Keezer, "How are we doing on time?" For those who caught this performance, we wished he would have responded: "Keep singing. We've got all night."

A bravura performance in every regard.

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

Near

New York City Concerts

More

Jazz article: Bark Culture At Solar Myth
Jazz article: Hingetown Jazz Festival 2025
Jazz article: Hayley Kavanagh Quartet At Scott's Jazz Club

Popular

Read Take Five with Pianist Irving Flores
Read Jazz em Agosto 2025
Read Bob Schlesinger at Dazzle
Read SFJAZZ Spring Concerts
Read Sunday Best: A Netflix Documentary
Read Vivian Buczek at Ladies' Jazz Festival

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.