OCEAN CITY – Maestro Vince Lee and the Ocean City Pops Orchestra looked back a half-century for songs that have become standards for the concert July 9. Starting each half with sets of George Gershwin arrangements, they went on to the music of Cole Porter and Jerome Kern. Lee called them the “Great American Hit Parade.” They are characterized by singable melodies and clever lyrics.
Joining the orchestra were tenor David Gordon Johnson and soprano Shannon Cochran. Both are classically trained — Cochran just completed a doctorate in performance—and they sang with a straight-forward style that allowed the words to carry the expression and the tunes to carry the memories.
The orchestra’s arrangements of Gershwin’s music quoted themes from “An American in Paris” and “Rhapsody in Blue” along with songs such as “S’Wonderful” and “Who Could Ask for Anything More.” As expected, the Pops managed the contrasts with complete control.
For “I Get a Kick Out of You,” the 1934 Kern tune written for Ethel Merman, Johnson started almost speaking and then broke into the lilting melody, ending on a light falsetto final note. His “The Way You Look Tonight” (1936) was comfortably nostalgic and played back and forth with viola and cello in the orchestra, a timbre not usually heard with a vocalist.
For one of Cochran’s solos, “Bill,” Lee went to the piano for a simple accompaniment to this Kern classic. That allowed for a gentle freedom and equal treatment of the accompaniment and the solo. Another Cochran solo, “All the Things You Are” (1939, Kern), demonstrated Cochran’s expressive long phrases, a lovely French horn interlude, and a super high ending.
Lee identified the Broadway show, “Showboat” (1927, Kern), as a turning point in musical theatre, dealing with serious social issues. The orchestra set the stage with a striking trombone solo on “Old Man River” as both soloists beautifully sang “You Are Love,” complete with another powerful high ending.
The evening closed with “Anything Goes” (1934, Porter) in lively charm. “You’re the Top” (1934, Porter), another duet, spun out an ingenious list of superlatives. These performers obviously enjoy working with Vince Lee and the Pops Orchestra and the audience enjoyed the step back in repertoire.
The next Pops concert is Sunday, an evening of country music.
– STORY and PHOTOS by RICHARD STANISLAW/For the Sentinel