Eric Comstock
He’s a song lover, a song searcher, and a songwriter admirer, and has many favorites. When singer-pianist Eric Comstock got a gig for Sunday and Monday nights throughout February, the question was which of his favorites on his wish list to pick as a theme. He didn’t take the easy way out. He decided to do a completely different show each week. "I’m really excited about this!" he enthused, happy to talk to Edge about his plans.
"The theme for the month is ’Manhattan Masters’ and that’s important to me. It’s a fun way to salute the great contributors who spent so much of their time in New York. So many of these songs couldn’t have been written in any other place." This is especially true of the first tributed songwriter, Charles Strouse, whose shows Annie, Applause, A Broadway Musical, Rags, Bye Bye Birdie and Golden Boy all have New York as their setting. Eric is especially fond of Golden Boy and that score will be well represented. Doing a Charles Strouse night "has been on my mind for years," says Eric who calls the composer "a great musical dramatist" who "transcends catchy show tunes. He wrote deeper." Eric admires the fact that "he appreciates jazz, and I have always believed he contributed to the jazz repertory," noting that Strouse has liked jazz artists interpreting his music. "And he keeps in there swingin’" adds the singer, but by "swingin’" Comstock (who swings songs very well indeed when he chooses to) was referring not to jazz to the fact that Strouse is still actively writing new shows in the increasingly difficult climate for new musicals to get produced. "He’s got fifteen shows in his mind," he says of the composer (and sometime lyricist) who has all kinds of projects on front and back burners, including the stage adaptation of the film Marty.
On opening night, February 4th, Charles Strouse himself will appear as Eric’s special guest and will do a couple of his own numbers. "I got to spend an hour with him, talking about his songs," which of course was the highlight of the research process. He also enjoyed finding extra lyrics for "You’ve Got Possibilities" from It’s A Bird, It’s A Plane, It’s Superman (a show being revived soon at The Duplex by the Opening Doors Theater company whose terrific presentation of another Strouse show, Bring Back Birdie, was recently reviewed here at Edge. It also had the composer in attendance.) Another treat in the excavation was a number from the film The Night They Raided Minsky’s, also in Eric’s set. "It’s glorious and I didn’t know it before!" he exclaims like a kid who just found discovered a delicious new flavor of ice cream.
Similar finds and polishing of gems are part of the Comstock stock in trade. There will be more in the upcoming shows later in February spotlighting lyricist E.Y. Harburg, composer Jule Styne, and the nights dedicated to saloon songs and saloon singers. But don’t think that means this is an esoteric sort of thing just for music fans equally dedicated and educated. "My first job is to ENTERTAIN" he asserts emphatically. As any of us who have enjoyed his past performances will assure you, Eric is more playful than professorial. "I’m not overly reverential. The shows are gonna be fun, and I don’t present the songs as museum pieces." He’ll be telling some chatty stories behind the songs written for Lauren Bacall, Sammy Davis, Jr., etc., "name-dropping," as well as what he calls his "offstage wonkery."
His Yip Harburg nights will show the many trips the lyricist and poet took beyond his most famous journey: the one that followed the yellow brick road for the songs from The Wizard Of Oz. "I’ll be doing some of his political songs, including my favorite socialist hymn---I can do that when I’m on the west side," remarks the comical Comstock, noting that the series’ venue, The Metroplitan Room, just qualifies. It’s half a block west of Fifth
Avenue, Manhattan’s equivalent of the Mason-Dixon line dividing East side, West side, all around the town.
Harburg’s contributions to shows like Finian’s Rainbow and Bloomer Girl and Darling Of The Day, written with composer Jule Styne. Styne will be the subject for his own two nights, encoring a tribute Eric did at Lincoln Center.
With Styne, again there was a huge wealth of material to draw from, including a few that became a part of Eric’s world in the long-running three-person revue, Our Sinatra, one of the major feathers in his well-feathered cap. The Styne catalogue ranges from comedy songs like Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend (which Eric has a picnic with in a giant medley) to the romantic World War II ballads, movie musicals, and of course more Broadway classics like Gypsy, Funny Girl, and Bells Are Ringing.
And look for velvety vocalist Barbara Fasano to guest on the Styne show. He appears as her duet partner on a track on her new CD, Written In The Stars, a tribute to another composer, Harold Arlen. One of Arlen’s frequent collaborators was Harburg-see how it all just happens to fit together? Eric is especially fond of that CD and that female singer-in fact, they are now married, having been officially pronounced man and diva.
Their joint nightclub appearance made them finalists in the cabaret duo/group category for The Nightlife Awards (presented Monday at Town Hall) and Eric was a finalist in the male jazz singer category. He was especially honored to be a finalist in two very different slots. But it doesn’t surprise me: he has one foot in cabaret and one foot in jazz, and to extend the metaphor to its breaking point, he jumps into his work with both feet.
The saloon nights ending the series "won’t just be bar room songs." No, not an endless set of cry-in-your-beer songs about drinking. "That would be too much. You’d have to pick me off the floor." Instead, this guy who knows his way around playing a saloon or two will give "revisit my mentors" of the style and ambience. One will show up in person as a guest: John Wallowitch.
But the end of the month seems a way off, as does a new recording project he’s thinking of to add to the three fine CDs he has on the market. "Right now, I just need to survive February" he laughs of his constantly changing focus and tune pile. As we spoke, he was mostly focused on the Strouse night. "I like to salute the living composers. The royalties mean so much more to them," he cracks. He’s also delighted to have Count Basie band member Frank Wess on sax and flute for the first shows. "He played in the pit for Golden Boy!" cries Eric, raring to sing the score and praises of that show, which includes a song that seems to echo the mindset of the singer and pianist who enjoys doing this work so much. It’s called This Is The Life: he’s having a grand time at the grand piano and wants you to have a great night (or nights), also.
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Visit Eric Comstock’s website or the Metropolitan Room website for more information. The Metropolitan Room is at 34 West 22 Street. Eric’s shows are on Sunday and Monday nights, with a cover charge and a two-drink minimum, especially appropriate for the saloon nights ending the series (or try their desserts; the carrot cake is yummy).
