Tanglewood

Review of Hank Jones and Roberta Gambarini at Tanglewood Jazz Festival

By Dave ⋅ September 5, 2007 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

Sept. 2, 2007 performance reviewed by Dave Conlin Read.
Photos of Roberta Gambarini and Hank Jones in concert at the 2007 Tanglewood Jazz Festival.

Roberta Gambarini and Hank Jones aren’t quite classmates, but they’re in the same school. Whereas Mr. Jones may be on the faculty, on the founding faculty, that is - Ms. Gambarini is a model student who not only has mastered the fundamentals of her art but also has learned, and seemingly been transformed by, the history that imbues it.

This was most evident in her treatment of “Supper Time,” the Irving Berlin song about lynching that Ethel Waters sang on Broadway in the 1933 revue, “As Thousands Cheered.” Ms. Gambarini’s introduction of the song was elliptical yet eloquent, proof that the passion underlying her heartbreaking rendition of the song is genuine, rather than part of the act.

Gambarini and Jones are soulmates who happen to have been born into cultures and generations each so alien from the other that you’d be very suprised they’d ever meet, much less become such an effective and entertaining team. Maybe not all that efficient though, as they needed quick, funny chats a couple times to decide which song to play next. Just a little communication issue, as you’d expect with any happy couple.

Photos by Kit Latham; copyright NewBerkshire.com.