LINDA KOSUT: IN TOWN, AND SINGING BROWN

Step into the Triad this Friday, June 8, and you will be stepping into the world of Oscar Brown, Jr., that composer-lyricist-singer-poet-playwright-actor-social activist-political candidate...oh, shall we just make it simple and say "Renaissance man?" Your hostess is singer Linda Kosut, a student of his work and major cheerleader for the legacy of this intriguing man, who died just two years ago at age 78. Linda is a transplanted New Yorker, now based in San Francisco and this is a short visit, allowing just two nights of performing. A white woman projecting a sunny disposition and comfortably breezy air, singing the songs of a black man, whose subject matter often focused on issues of race and poverty? Is this Oscar Brown Lite? Not quite. You might think Linda is not the ideal choice for this repertoire, but she's not trying to be Brown or duplicate his grit or pretend she's coming from his point of view. And Brown's song topics actually were quite eclectic, covering everything from love to philosophy to nature to character/story songs. Linda succeeds in showing the man's versatility as a writer, although as she reminds her audience, she can only show the tip of the iceberg. 

Top musicians form the trio: Max Perkoff is musical director, playing piano (and later, the trumpet) with Tom Hubbard on bass and Scott Latzky on percussion. A few longer solos would have been welcome with players of this caliber. Linda herself seems to relish the rhythms so much a part of Brown's work, whether funky-hip or bluesy, and seems quite comfortable in the different tempi and twists and turns. She's also at ease with her body, grooving and moving along and, unlike some singers, knows what to do with her arms when it comes to making gestures and freeing herself to throw her arms outstretched in exultation, frustration, or a desire to embrace the mood or the music. 

This is hardly your conventional cabaret act, what with a truly searing song that recreates the language of a slave auction, but that's what "Bid 'Em In" does, and it is a killer.  Linda delivers this piece in an unblinking way that can make recovery a challenge (for the audience). The sense of drama is something that this performer can call upon, and when she does, the act is at its most engaging. She has those theatre-cabaret muscles that are used well on Brown's English language version of Jacques Brel's "Old Lovers' Song" (AKA "Song for Old Lovers"), and it becomes a finely tuned mini three-act play. Other numbers have a very strong rhythm as their calling card, sometimes overwhelming everything else. Some melodies of rather limited range, give Linda less of a showcase for the stronger qualities of her voice or acting, and aren't as compelling without finding some other aspect for compensation. More drama, or a better vocal workout, could have been incorporated in numbers that need some better shading, or lyrics more fully brought out in a nuanced way, rather than the broad strokes.  

Following an instrumental overture, she chooses to open with "Long As You're Living" (also the title of her show and new CD, with much of the same material) and two other contrasting songs which, as structured, don't really pull the audience in enough. I entered already a Brown fan, so I rather knew what to expect, but I think a more ingratiating way to start, would be with her very cool and upbeat "Mr. Kicks," which even begins with the ready-made line, "Allow me to introduce myself." She made this her fourth number, and it wasn't until it was over, that she spoke to the audience. Some kind of welcome and comment on Brown's life and her connection to it seems needed sooner. When she does speak, and share fact-filled stories and quotes, the talk is worth hearing and sparks interest. Her enthusiasm is rather contagious, as she talks about her admiration for both the man and his music, which led to her contacting Brown's daughter Maggie, and his publisher, as she went about her quest. 

A real coup was meeting a Brown collaborator, Norman Curtis, who is a special guest in the show, playing piano on a song he co-wrote with Brown, "Summer in the City"  (no, not that '60s pop song recorded by The Lovin' Spoonful). It's a great moment, but it's too bad his turn is so quickly over, because it might have been interesting to hear him on another collaboration Linda does as her second song, "Brother, Where Are You?" which here, seems too glossed over to have much impact. Another guest, deep-voiced singer Benn Bacot, makes the most of his spot with a powerhouse version of "Work Song," the aching cry of a prisoner on a chain gang doing hard labor. Lithely dancing across the stage during the band's solos, and wailing the tough lament, he burns with energy.

The show is a welcome reminder of the multi-faceted work of the man who proudly defied being categorized or pigeon-holed by one kind of music. Linda Kosut doesn't seem to have much interest in being labeled either.  

The Triad is at 158 West 72nd Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.  Phone is 212-362-2590.  Linda's show is Friday, June 8 at 9 pm.  Cover charge is $20 with a two-drink minimum. 

Linda's new CD of Oscar Brown material, Long As You're Living, is available at www.CDbaby.com as is her first album, Life Is But A Dream, and you can find her early recording when she was a member of the spiffy girl group “The Kitchenettes,” there, too.  (Cabaret Exchange will soon be adding CD reviews of albums, old and new, by performers, including Linda Kosut, with engagements in clubs as a way to bring your attention to their work.) More information on this singer at her website www.LindaKosut.com