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My First Date with New York City - Part 3
(Part 1 is in the April 1st column; Part 2 is in the April 15th column. This is the final part.) |
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As with Indochine, when we arrived at Bradley’s it was abundantly clear that everyone in the place was very well acquainted with New York City but her entrance here was devoid of the high-camp outrageousness she had displayed so far. Several glasses were raised in her honor as we made our way back to a table and she acknowledged them with a slight nod of her head and a fixed, serious expression on her face. I was sure this table was kept for her every night in the event she would show, which apparently was often enough. There was a wonderful trio that night; piano, bass and tenor sax. New York City was immediately enveloped in it and began to swoon a bit and sway with the sound. “This”, she murmured, then paused… “Now this music is really me”. Being the last set of the evening everyone there mirrored New York City’s sense of it all. It was as though the earlier sets constructed a prelude building toward the exquisite subliminal perfection of this late hour. |
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Then to my (singular) surprise the pianist asked New York City to come up and do a song. Without hesitation she beamingly acquiesced, honestly pleased, while everyone applauded wildly. “Well… you all know my preference for Mr. Gershwin”, she said feigning shyness and again there was an enthusiastic burst of applause. She whispered something to the pianist then counted off with the trio and did a beautifully tender and poignant rendition of ‘Our Love is Here to Stay’. Her voice was gently seductive, tinged with a smoky quality and totally uncharacteristic of the manic personality I had seen earlier. |
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She did just that one song; and did it with an indescribable perfection given the mood, the audience and the hour. Despite a wild and well deserved standing ovation she refused to sing anymore not wishing to upstage the trio. We settled back into the atmosphere |
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