Daniela Nardi / The Old Mill Inn & Spa / Toronto, Canada /February 27th, 2010 / Pop - R&B
Some
bands have good singers and some of the musicians are good, but not all,
while other musical ensembles have so-so vocalists and have stellar
musicians, however, on February 27th at The Old Mill in Toronto
R&B / Pop vocalist-songwriter Daniela Nardi and pianist / composer Ron
Davis, put in a strong performance at the Home Smith Bar, while being backed
by an incredible group of musicians, consisting of electric bassist Rich
Brown, drummer Rakesh Tewari and James Robertson (electric guitar). Nardi
who is riding the success of her last two albums, The Rose Tattoo
(2008) and One True Thing (2003) and Davis fresh off an Asian tour,
opened the first of three sets with “Azzurro,” by one of their favorite
artists Paolo Conte, an Italian pianist, singer and composer.
Without the aid of the electronica that creates a unique and incredible sound for the Nardi original “Fugitive Kind,” on the album The Rose Tattoo, the musicians did a good job of recreating a similar feel as Tewari played with brushes on his snare drum, made ample use of his kick drum and lightly used his high-hats, while Davis paced the band with a right hand rhythm and Robertson teased us with what lay ahead from this superb musician. It is however, Nardi’s emotive phrasing and her alto vocals which make “Fugitive Kind,” work so well and give it a sensual attitude.
Nardi then moved into a lazier tune “Cry,” a beautiful meandering song, before introducing her audience to “Still Asking,” which possesses edgier lyrics and tackles the subject of a love gone wrong or as the she referred to it, “a love gone bad song.” Dressed in black knee-high boots and a black multi-zippered dress Nardi danced to the music. Led by Robertson’s outstanding guitar work that approached shredder like qualities, and Brown’s incredible bass, this song cut a cool groove with a quick tempo.
Other highlights of the first set included; a cover of the English New Wave band XTC’s “Making Plans For Nigel,” another Italian tune “L’Americano,” a song about cultural identity, the funky “Woman Me,” and the pretty “Hands.”
The second set opened with Melody Gardot’s “Who Will Comfort Me,” which featured some great improvisational playing by all four musicians, and in particular Ron Davis who put in a spectacular demonstration on the piano, as his fingers danced nimbly across the keys.
Next up was “Crazy Jane,” the song, not the
person, as James Robertson used a finger slide to extend the notes and Rich
Brown was showcased in a solo which started slowly, reached a crescendo and
then drifted back to a moodier demeanor. “Crazy Jane,” is not a traditional
ballad, but with this song which is well over five minutes Nardi takes time
to tell the story of a woman who is in love with a man who “just doesn’t get
it,” and from whom she does not seem to be able to coax an emotional
response. Like most good storytellers Daniela Nardi has the knack for
reflective phrasing that permits the story to unfold for the listener in a
fashion that is not hurried, and therefore her audience is more easily drawn
into the novelette.
The cornerstones of the middle set were “Via Con Me,” another Paolo Conte song which listeners may recognize from the Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline movie French Kiss, as Ryan’s character Kate wanders the streets of Paris. Once again there was an opportunity for the musicians to shine during some improvisation and drummer Tewari also played the shaker. The second of the two songs was “Mr. God,” which asks a lot of tough questions like; Does God care about me? “Are you home?” and “Maybe you need a little helping hand.” One gets the sense however that this song is not just about questioning whether God cares, but rather an underlying theme might be that it is addressed to someone more mortal who imagines himself as being pretty high and mighty, and ironically in a week when the media is buzzing about whether or not Carly Simon has revealed the identity of the man in her song from 1972, “You’re So Vain,” we are left with the same impression in “Mr. God,” and that in fact, this song may have a double meaning to it.
The centerpiece of the third and final set was “485,” a funky song that says, “And although regret leaves a bittersweet taste / I keep telling myself there’s good still yet to come,” but follows with positive inspiration, “I’ll find what’s burning in the sun / Find where my light returns / Open the door to another world / And know that I’m moving on / moving on, moving on, moving up.” The song moves well and it is a shame that the intimate environs were not conducive to dancing, because this song leads you in that direction. Robertson and Brown seemed to feed off of one another’s energy as they played and Daniela Nardi demonstrated once again why she will be one of the next great musical exports from Canada, because she can sing Pop, a blend of Pop-Electronica, R&B and Jazz and she excels with all of them. Her hubby Ron Davis is a superb pianist / arranger and composer who is also deserving of much more limelight being cast his way.
This was an evening on which the music was diverse, the musicians were superb and Daniela Nardi, as always was spectacular. The Old Mill, Home Smith Bar, is just one of the rooms in which you can enjoy music at this great venue and the staff as always was outstanding.
To listen to the music of Daniela Nardi please visit her myspace website.
Click here for the website for Ron Davis.
February 27th, 2010
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Riveting Riffs Magazine wishes to express our gratitude to the management of The Old Mill Inn & Spa for making it possible for us to review this gig, with special thanks to owner Michael Kalmar, my friend Vincent Cotte and Fay Olson
