The Wismann Sisters

How many singing sister acts have you seen recently?   OK, so that takes care of wondering who the competition is.  How many under 25 pretty female singers have you seen recently?  Ran out of fingers, huh?  The hot fad today is singing teens; Britney, Cristina, etc. etc. ad naseum.  So what makes these two think they even have a shot at it?  Well - they seem to have good management - they have good arrangements - they look good, they have a CD that sounds good and they made their debut at the Cinegrill, in the Roosevelt Hotel.  The Cinegrill is one best places around and if you're going to showcase, that's the place to do it!   So on Sunday, October 8th, before a full house of mostly friends and relatives, the Sisters jumped on stage, took mike in hand and proceeded to show their stuff.
Rebecca, the older of the two, has a sultry voice that's going to be great for blues and songs that require the teary sound.  She has the capacity to belt but is far better in the softer sounds, where intimacy can draw the listener into the song.  There were a couple of times where she cut the phrasing a bit short, and her voice seemed to trail off while the music finished the measure.   Maybe that's her style.  When she was on it was terrific, but why did I get the feeling that a couple of times she was just phoning it in?  QUICK - get this girl a stage presence consultant!  Her voice and talent demand it!  In fact, they could both use coaching on what to do on stage  during the awkward transitions when one comes on while the other exits as they take their turn.  By the way, banter is NOT their forte, so try something else!

The numbers they sang together were excellent and they are capable of pulling off some close harmonies and inventive arrangements.  Their voices blend well, especially since Christin has the higher, stronger register, although in one number they switched and it sounded very very good.

Christin could be a diva.  She still seems to be experimenting and trying to figure out which style and range is best for her, but her versatility shows through.  The number we liked best was a country song, Ain't No Cure.   She really seemed to get into this one, and we suspect there might be Patsy Kline lurking somewhere inside her. . .  if she even knows who Patsy is!  One number, Peel Me A Grape, was one of her best,  but having heard the sexy Diana Krall do the same song, one feels rather uncomfortable seeing a sixteen year old kid put it all out talking about " . . . peel me".  While her rendition is excellent, if I were her manager I would rethink this one carefully, depending on what image of her they want to project.  She is tall and long and lovely, like the girl from Ipanema, and has this adorable clean cut scrubbed face that makes you want to pinch her cheeks.   It'll  be a shame if she grows up too fast. 

For a debut performance as a duo, the young ladies acquitted themselves quite nicely and yes, we hope to see them again soon.  Their repertoire seems to cover a wide range, which is what they want to showcase at this time, and their single numbers do justice to their individual talents.  Show business is tough, and a live performance demands more than just singing.  Time will make troopers out of them, and if they continue to surround themselves with talented musicians, the likes of Marty Jabara, pianist and musical director, they will be in safe hands.  Marty brought in Carmen Mosier to play a very mellow tasty guitar, Domenic Genova who anchored the bass lines solidly, and Rob Lockar to accentuate with sax and flute.  Then he added Dave Loeb on the synthesizer and locked it up with Bernie Dresel on drums, wrapping  a solid sound behind the young ladies which complemented and accentuated their vocals.   The Cinegrill always puts on a good show, and this was no exception.  We look forward to their next performance, whether at the Cinegrill or somewhere else.  The Cinegrill is located at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, across from the Chinese Theater.
 
 
Rebecca Varon
at the Cinegrill

. . . so the announcer said "Ladies and Gentlemen, let’s welcome Rebecca Varon . . . " and thirteen or so incarnations of a woman showed up on stage, all of them in the body of Rebecca Varon. "Earning her Spots" opens with an alter-ego of Evita singing a lamentful "Don’t Cry for me - yada yada. . . ". Nobody cried. They laughed instead. They even laughed more when a middle aged frump showed up complaining that nobody cares for her and she goes on and on scolding – her cat. Is this the real Rebecca? It couldn’t be. Maybe the real Rebecca is the temp who gets a job at a major Hollywood studio and when Harrison Ford shows up to see the studio boss, she can’t quite place the face and name together and doesn’t know how to announce him to the exec. Of course this scenario called for singing the timeless "Where or When" by Rogers and Hart, with a special Varon adaptation.

It was the waitress who was the most moving, as she gets fired for spilling coffee on a customer and leaves singing a tearful song about dedication to the job. Every one of the characters was armed with a bag of yucks and pointed barbs aimed at closely guarded icons. The fact that the audience sometimes snickered uncomfortably between guffaws showed that the arrows hit the mark with unrelenting accuracy.

The one that may have come closer to the real Varon, was probably the last personae – the one who sang "When you Wish Upon a Star". This one had a sweet lilting voice. This one floated who the notes and the lyrics over the audience like feathers falling on pillows. This one worked the band, Marty Jabara on piano, Bart Samolis on upright acoustic bass (a welcome touch) and M.B. Gordy on drums, and had the tender nostalgia of a woman who’s been there and done that and is now telling it like it is. This one was Rebecca Varon at her best, and if you haven’t seen her, you have to catch her next time around. It’s more than a show. It’s Rebecca Varon at the Cinegrill.

For future dates, check her website:  www.rebeccavaron.com.