Mary Bogue came roaring into town from LA with her new show at The Metropolitan Room “Boudoirs, Bordellos & The Blues” on July 31, 2013.
By: Linda Amiel Burns
Mary Bogue is one of the last of the "Red Hot Mamas’ and heated up The Metropolitan Room on July 31st with her show "Boudoirs, Bordellos & The Blues." Her terrific trio consisted of Steve Rawlins, her pianist, and David Fortin, on trumpet and vocals, who came in from LA for the show along with NY’s Rex Benincasa on the drums.
Mary is a big woman and the tight black dress that she wore showed a lot of cleavage that I initially found distracting until I realized that is whom this jazz vocalist is, a woman not afraid to show what she’s got. The show opened with B.B. Kings "Rock Me Baby" and then slowed things down with "Don’t Go to Strangers" the title song of her new album that she came to NY to promote. Her patter did not always set up her material, but the program was varied, interesting and at times riveting. I particularly enjoyed "Nice Girls Don’t Stay for Breakfast" written by Bobby Troup and Jerome J. Leshay and The Doors rhythmic and sexy "Light My Fire."
When Mary left the stage, her trumpet player David Fortin sang "Tenderly" and then "You Made Me Love You" and not only showed his great jazz vocals, but also his virtuosity on the horn. Mary returned to the stage in a red sequined dress, which fit the title of her show’s bawdy theme and sang Leonard Cohen’s "Dance Me To The End of Love." One of the highlights was the arrangement of "Love For Sale" (Cole Porter) that Mary performed as a tired aging hooker and was very moving.
From what I gather, Mary only began singing in 2006 and has made a name for herself on the LA jazz scene. She can be loud and bawdy as in "It Ain’t The Meat, It’s The Motion," yet tender on ballads such as Willie Nelson’s "Night Life." I found out after the show that Mary is also a real trouper as she became ill on the plane and had spent the day in an Urgent Care Center. You would never have guessed it as she gave an extraordinarily good performance as her strong bluesy voice rang out at The Metropolitan Room. Bubba Jackson, the host of KKJZ, is quoted as saying that Mary Bogue is a "compilation of yesterday’s divas swinging today in real time, a reflection of the Ladies of Jazz who set the bar high with distinction…she is the real deal!" Yes, Mary Bogue is the real thing and we are looking forward to having her back in NY. However, in the meantime, you can listen to her CD, "Don’t Go To Strangers" which is available on iTunes, Amazon, and CD Baby. Visit www.MaryBogue.com
For more information. www.MetropolitanRoom.com
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