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The Lambs Club Jazz Brunch
www.thelambsclub.com
Mauricio de Souza Quartet
http://www.mauriciodesouzajazz.com/
Mauricio de Souza on Drums
Nancy Harms on Vocals
Alan Chaubert on Trumpet and Piano
Iris Ornig on Bass
At
The Lambs Club
132 West 44th Street
New York, NY
212.997.5262
Dr. Roberta E. Zlokower
September 16, 2012
The Lambs Club is one of the most exquisite settings one could imagine for jazz and brunch. America’s first theatrical club was named The Lambs, started by members of the New York theatre community in 1874, as a replication of a British 1800’s theatre group, named for drama critic Charles Lamb. The Stanford White-designed, Chatwal New York is the hotel in which this magnificent restaurant is housed. The Lambs theatrical group is now in new quarters, but The Lambs Club restaurant, with Chef, Geoffrey Zakarian, is flourishing on West 44th Street, with a Sunday Jazz Brunch and Jazz nights, as well. The red leather banquettes and enlarged historical photos of grand celebrity lunches and parties give splendor to the experience.
Today’s band, the Mauricio de Souza Quartet, stuck with the standards in sumptuous melodies and refrains. Mauricio de Souza was on drums, Nancy Harms on vocals, Alan Chaubert on both trumpet and piano, and Iris Ornig on bass. The first tune of this Sunday brunch set was “Night and Day”, with Ms. Harms in excellent form, her voice traveling to the farthest banquettes, in this expansive space. Chaubert doubled on brass and keys in the most unique manner, syncopating horn and piano like a billowy dance. The theme of the next piece, “I’ve Got the World on a String”, was passed from piano to Ms. Ornig on bass. The deep bass strings carried the rest of the song with earthy sonority.
“Just Squeeze Me” was next, with a bass-drum conversation, as the vocalist took a break. “St. James Infirmary” and “On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever” followed, making the moment bright and upbeat. Meanwhile, I was sipping a chilled Austrian white wine and dining on a steaming hot caramelized mushroom and spinach omelet. “Our Love Is Here to Stay” was followed by Jobim’s “Fotografia”, which, with its Brazilian bewitchery, brought a Bossa beat to the mix, enhanced by de Souza’s brushes in muted recreations of the tempo. After intermission, a Brazilian fusion ensued, with Chaubert’s one-hand piano, one-hand trumpet, a fascinating feature. The Club was increasingly crowded now, musically wooing guests and passersby, helped by its retro grandeur.
Mauricio de Souza Quartet
at The Lambs Club Jazz Brunch
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Mauricio de Souza on Drums
Iris Ornig on Bass
Alan Chaubert on Piano
at The Lambs Club Jazz Brunch
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Nancy Harms on Vocals
at The Lambs Club Jazz Brunch
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Mauricio de Souza on Drums
at The Lambs Club Jazz Brunch
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Iris Ornig on Bass
Alan Chaubert on Trumpet and Piano
at The Lambs Club Jazz Brunch
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Alan Chaubert on Trumpet and Piano
at The Lambs Club Jazz Brunch
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Photos of Lambs Club Celebrities
at The Lambs Club Jazz Brunch
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Jake Primmerman, The Lambs Club Staff
Brian Loveland, The Lambs Club Maitre d'
at The Lambs Club Jazz Brunch
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
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