Barbra live and intimate

It was probably a performance meant to drum up interest in her last album Love Is The Answer, produced by Diana Krall. But you really have to hand it to whoever thought of doing the show. Maybe it was Barbra Streisand herself, as she is said to pretty much control all things related to her career. But promo gig or not, the One Night Only show at the legendary Village Vanguard in New York was a brilliant idea befitting a brilliant album.

The 75-year-old Vanguard is one of the last jazz clubs of its sort in New York City. Very small, it seats only 123 people and has a very small stage. It looks like it has seen better days but also treasures lots of memories. One of these was that of a 17-year-old girl named Barbra Streisand who auditioned but did not get the spot. She returned last year on Sept. 26 like a queen claiming her throne and friends came out to hear her sing in the most intimate of settings.

The Clintons, Bill and Hillary with daughter Chelsea and her boyfriend; designer Donna Karan; Sex And The City star Sarah Jessica Parker; the lovely Nicole Kidman; music producer Tommy LiPuma, actor James Brolin; songwriters Allan and Marilyn Bergman; Vanguard owner Lorraine Gordon; executive producer Martin Erlichman of CBS and others. It has been 48 years since Barbra’s last club performance. That night those who were there saw what might be her last at the Vanguard. Remember the title of the show is One Night Only. No more.

I never thought I could have been there and there is no chance anybody I know was among the 123 people present. But thanks to the wonder of video technology, all of us now have front row seats, with close-ups to this show. One Night Only by Barbra Streisand and Quartet at the Village Vanguard is now a two-disc live-recorded album with CD and DVD versions and it is now available in local stores.

Love Is The Answer gave some inkling that Barbra was starting to explore the intimate school of performing. Although able to connect with an audience in even the most crowded of settings, it cannot be denied that Barbra is a big star. In fact, unlike most present divas, she has no need for stage spectacles. All she has to do is sing and the show will be big. She has done that on the stage, Funny Girl, on TV in her award-winning specials, on film as in A Star Is Born and in her concerts like that supposedly “retirement” show at the Madison Square Garden 15 years ago. Therefore I never thought I would see Barbra in little Vanguard with only a quartet of musicians behind her.

Of course, because this is Barbra, the results came out big. Truth to tell, she made me wonder who among Madonna, Pink or Beyoncé would be able to pull something like this when they get to their 60s. Her tones, the drama, the ease with which she interprets every song is something to behold. It is true, there is really no singer around quite like Barbra with her sure grasp of material and ability to involve her audience with her emotions.

The CD and DVD contain the entire repertoire of mostly songs from Love Is The Answer and her big hits. Here’s To Life, In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning, Gentle Rain, Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most, If You Go Away (No Me Quitte Pas), Where Do We Start? Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me, Make Someone Happy, My Funny Valentine, Bewitched Bothered And Bewildered, Evergreen, the theme from the movie A Star Is Born that Barbra co-wrote with Paul Williams, Some Other Time and the heart-tugging The Way We Were as her encore number.

You miss People and Somewhere? Well, you cannot have everything. I myself always look forward to the chance to hear her sing My Coloring Book again, but she hasn’t in years. Besides, I think that given how she does every song, Barbra has given us more than she would have, had she sailed through the air in a sheet or shot out of a cannonball in an outdoor arena.