THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 17, 1996 TAG: 9602170300
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Music Review
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
Thursday night, Willett Hall was filled with the gray hair-no hair crowd - people who grew up listening to such performers as Artie Shaw, Julius LaRosa and the Ink Spots.
Memories are made of this. Unfortunately, the memories generated Thursday were lackluster except for Johnny Smith's Ink Spots, who received a standing ovation for their distinctive sound.
Songs such as ``It's a Sin To Tell a Lie'' and ``If I Didn't Care'' were memorable. The singers, reaching the scale's highs and lows, and their recitations, still work beautifully.
Smith, 83, is the only one who actually worked with the original group, starting with them in 1928. He was a utility singer, stepping in when someone stepped out - never knowing which part he was going to fill.
The only complaint about their set was that too many of their hits were incorporated into a medley, necessary because of time constraints.
Julius LaRosa, who is sort of a poor man's Sinatra or Tony Bennett, still does well dramatizing his songs, giving meaning to the lyrics.
He mixed his songs with jokes, stories about his family, and audience asides.
The musical highlight in La Rosa's set was his version of ``Without a Song.''
There were plenty of other old favorites, including ``E Cumpari,'' his beloved novelty hit, which he skimmed through, seemingly in a hurry to get it behind him.
La Rosa, and the Ink Spots, were backed by Abe Most and his little Big Band - only 12 pieces. Most otherwise spent his time onstage paying tribute to Artie Shaw, with a nod to fellow clarinetist Benny Goodman.
There was also a nod to Duke Ellington's son, Mercer, who died a few weeks ago; the band played his composition, ``Things Ain't What They Used To Be.''
They sure ain't. With so few musicians, the Big Band sound was somewhat lackluster. Most of the orchestras using Big Band arrangements these days have at least 16 members.
For the most part, the Shaw sound was captured but, somehow, the excitement was not there.
Still, the arrangements were a thrill to hear. You can do nothing but enjoy songs like ``Back Bay Shuffle,'' ``Temptation,'' ``Stardust'' (Shaw had one of that song's few up-tempo arrangements) and, of course, ``Begin the Beguine.''
Shaw was the center of attention Thursday. The evening was enjoyable, but it lacked the personality and drive of the era it represented. ILLUSTRATION: MUSIC REVIEW
Abe Most and a salute to Artie Shaw; Julius LaRosa, Johnny
Smith's Ink Spots. Thursday at Willett Hall.
by CNB