Tonight was the "lead" debut of a singer who, despite her veneer of
delicate beauty, is a go-getter. That's how she got the gig, persistence.
Backed by a very good combo of local performers who were right on target, her
performance started out with her projecting the voice of a frightened little
girl and grew, with time, into the fine vocal pyrotechnics of an assertive (and
talented) young woman.
A student of scat-master Giacomo Gates, Mary Ellen Lonergan has a long
way to go. In fact, I don't think she should've debuted so early. But that was
up to student and teacher. Thank God that she didn't make the mistake that a lot
of new singers make, recording an album.
There's another singer who'll go nameless but who selected a superb set of
songs to lay down on album, but left me empty and unfulfilled. This singer's
been around the block a few times, and should've known that the studio
environment wouldn't suit her. She thrives on the vibe of an audience's
appreciation. I'll give you one hint: the title of her album is a
rarely-performed song that Sinatra did very, very well: "How Little We Know."
How Little We Know
Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer wrote this great song for a movie.
Sadly, I can't remember the name of the movie; it was about a girl, a guy, and a
maniacal scientist but despite my best tries on web and at library I can't find
the disc that attributes Sinatra's singing of the song to the movie.
You can find the download of "How Little We Know" peddled by a variety of
vendors of music on the web. I prefer the Sinatra version,
although Carmen McRae does it justice. Don't make a mistake and download the
Vivian Leigh version, though; you might be disappointed. That song was
recorded far fewer times than the Carmichael version.
I'd be showing favoritism to Ms. Lonergan if I didn't mention that the singer
whose debut album is How Little We Know is Karen Frisk. Frisk is the
toast of P-Town in the summers. She would do well
to record live, despite the noise factor, in a place she feels at home in.