Photo Credit: David Rosen

Hilary Kole delivered a knockout performance in her show Something Old, Something New at The Green Room 42, Sept 29, 8:30pm

For those of you who don’t yet know The Green Room 42, it is an elegant room, featuring a wonderful mediterranean menu. There is never a food or drink minimum and the cover is always “less than a rush ticket”. It is located on the 4th Floor of the fabulously trendy Yotel at the corner of 42nd and tenth. But, when Hilary Kole is there, you might as well call it the intersection of Cabaret and Jazz.

Enter the musical world of Hilary Kole at your own risk, because you might not ever want to leave. A stunningly beautiful woman, Kole also possesses and equally beautiful voice, and the musical chops to know what to do with it. In an evening that spanned decades of repertoire, from Out of This World (H. Arlen, J. Mercer) to Patience (Axl Rose – Guns and Roses), and featured several original songs, including her newest, Moon Song, Kole dazzled her audience with understated passion and delivery of text, not always found in a jazz artist.

With The Summer Knows (M. J. Legrand, Marilyn & Alan Bergman) Kole demonstrated a creamy voice reminiscent of a young Barbra Streisand, with a decidedly 21st century flair. And, with the vocalise (Scat Only) Infant Eyes she embodied the spirit of Ella Fitzgerald, with an extended range and pure crystalline tone.

And then there were her own arrangements. A re-envisioned Come Back To Me (B Lane, A.J. Learner), sung as a down-tempo lament, was revelatory. And the pairing of Axl Rose and Stephen Sondheim (Patience, and I Remember Sky) was a credit to both composers, and Ms. Kole’s ingenuity.

The evening featured 13 songs, each one uniquely arranged , and authentic to Kole’s jazz sensibilities, and ended with another original arrangement, Irving Berlin’s What’ll I Do, which, once again, became a whole new song in Kole’s capable hands.

Telling the story through both words and music, Kole’s “groove” allowed the music to do the majority of the work. And, aided by her “Amazing Band,” pianist-Adam Birnbaum, bassist-Paul Gill, drummer-Aaron Kimmel, and guitarist- John Hart, the listener quickly became attuned to the subtleties of both harmony and rhythm with which Kole’s stories unfolded.

Something Old, Something New, is a ravishing evening of beautiful songs, reimagined through a jazz filter. And, The Green Room 42 is a room to be reckoned with. Much like Ms. Kole’s unique musical arrangements, this pairing is a match made in heaven.

Until you can see Hilary Kole in Person, enjoy this small clip from her show.