November 23–30, 2000
six pick
Jane Olivor
Back in the ’70s, while Kathie Lee was spinning hamminess on TV’s Name That Tune, another singer appeared on that ghastly program: Jane Olivor. Her showing was not unlike placing a dark, nervous Robert Motherwell print in the center of a Norman Rockwell exhibit. That’s not to say Olivor isn’t sentimental; she’s heartbreaking and heart-wrenching, mixing Sylvia Plath and Helen Morgan with a smidgen of Edith Piaf flourish. The emotional songstress was part of New York City’s cabaret scene when "cabaret" was synonymous with camp or weepy introspection. But Olivor’s seriousness removed her from kitsch, and stage fright coupled with the 1983 death of her husband nearly removed her from the scene altogether. So to hear that there’s a new Olivor CD, Love Decides (Varese), and tour is great news indeed. Skip the disc’s sprightlier tunes and concentrate on the slow languorous moments like "Warm", before wallowing in the wretched "could’ve been" sentiment of "I Had This Man." Truly this is spindly Eurocentric cabaret at its finest.
Sun., Nov. 26, 7.30 p.m., The Keswick Theater, Easton Rd. and Keswick Ave., Glenside, 215-572-7650.
