Material: “Life, Love, and Longevity,” Stephanie Spruill informs the audience from the stage at Feinstein’s at Vitello’s. The quote reveals her secret to success. She was kicking off one of the hottest, most high- energy and entertaining shows there since the Grammy- and Emmy-nominated Ambassador of the Great American Songbook, Michael Feinstein, took over the musical venue last year above the famed Vitello’s Supper Club in Studio City. Spruill treated an overflow crowd to two rousing sets of jazz, show tunes, blues, her own compositions, life stories, comedy and an introduction to her granddaughters. Along the way she strolled through the tables, serenading fans with a vocal power that demonstrated why the actress, singer, songwriter and producer is also head of one of Hollywood’s best voice schools.
Musicianship: With a full band and three backup singers Spruill kept the evening moving as she spun, laughed, danced, sang and filled the 120-seat room with vitality and song. Whether you were at a front table where you could see every sequin on her blue and gold costume, or in the back taking in the whole performance, you felt Spruill’s uncanny ability to make her music feel personal to every member of the audience. At one point, she shouted out greetings to her many friends and family in the room, waving at them as they clapped and waved. It was a tour de force.
Performance: Between the jazz standards like “Fever,” bluesy ballads and rocking R&B, Spruill maintained a high-energy patter of jokes, stories about New York jazz, funny experiences from a long career studded with Grammy and Oscar stage appearances, singing on platinum and gold records, and recording with the famous Blue Note Records. And she was not shy about giving her opinions on various topics, making the evening far more than the sum of its parts—it was a performance as well as a concert.
Summary: As part of her performance, Spruill used her long arms, swaying body and expressive actress-face to add an extra dimension to the enthralling music. She grinned and grimaced, whirled and swirled, strutted and seduced the audience in an up-close-and-personal stroll in a non-stop act that left fans laughing, clapping and a bit exhausted from her constant movement. She didn’t need to catch a breath, but once in a while, the folks at the tables did. And they gave her a standing ovation and would not let her go. After an encore, she came off the stage and was mobbed by friends, old and new, as the room flashed with selfies. A night to remember.
Contact: [email protected]
Players: Stephanie Spruill (Lead Vocals /Producer/Keys/Tambourine/Songwriter); Michiko Hill (Keys/MD); Pee Wee Hill (Bass); Buddy Nuanez (Guitar); Chad A. Wright (Drums); Nolan Shaheed (Trumpet); Robert Kyle (Sax); Nikko Lowe (Dumas Bg’s); Angie Lowe (Bg's) Retha DeJohnette (Bg's)
