The Jazz Club at the Aman Hotel New York City
Web: nkengemusic.com
Contact: [email protected]
Players: N’Kenge, vocals; Rob Stephens, piano; Melissa Slocum, bass; Jerome Jennings, drums; Patrick Gannon, sax; Gabriel Glich, trumpet; AC Lincoln, guest artist.
Material: In her two-set versatile club performance, N’Kenge covered a vast landscape of material with an impressive range of eclectic choices. Kicking off the first set with Nat King Cole and Irving Mill’s “Straighten Up And Fly Right,” and moving on to pop and rock with Carol King’s “Natural Woman,” and CCR's “Proud Mary,” she offered plenty of variety to sink one’s teeth into. Some other numbers included “Too Damn Hot,” “Last Dance,” and “Summertime,” which N’Kenge performed more stylistically close to its Broadway roots. Her own Broadway resume includes originating the role of Mary Wells in Motown: The Musical, and Sondheim on Sondheim. She has also headlined concerts with the Symphony Orchestra of Seattle and Cincinnati to name a few.
Musicianship: Operatically trained at Juilliard and the Manhattan School of Music, her five-octave range affords her the ability to cover classical, jazz pop, and rock genres with facility and technical prowess. For this performance, she has enlisted a top-notch jazz band who kick off each set with their own instrumental showcase.
Performance: There’s no doubt that N’Kenge is a seasoned performer with great savvy when comes to staging and presence. Her fabulous costuming and committed delivery were unquestionable. As she effortlessly moved from song to song and from style to style, though satisfying in and of itself, the show might have benefited further with either a theme or an underlying sub text while maintaining variety. Though in a jazz club the format is usually performed from a set inspired point of view, the artist’s own point of view can sometimes become secondary. One thing that might have remedied this is to hear more about N’Kenge’s choice of song choices and what they mean to her and her life’s journey. However, she did recount some anecdotes which impacted her career and a cameo appearance by tap dancer AC Lincoln performed alongside her to the song "S’Wonderful, was charming."
Summary: N’Kenge is a consummate professional who understands staging and the value of entertainment. More audience insight into what the material means to her vis-à-vis life experiences would add even more dimension to the show. Her most recent project, Dorothy Dandridge! The Musical, which she is starring in, is currently in talks to find a regional theater home before heading to Broadway
