Sometimes the song, one song even, is the thing you come away with most. If there’s one it redeems things. It doesn’t even matter if the singer hasn’t written it, how old it is or even if the full album it is newly contained within is a bit flawed. And in this case, such a one, that song to spend time over again is Henry Mancini 1960s vintage Parisian waltz, ‘Charade.’
Sung by relative newcomer the Argentina born twenty something singer Anita Donndorff debuting here in vintage fashion, some of the tracks were recorded in Argentina back in 2022, the rest laid down more recently in a New York studio.
Personnel overall includes the highly accomplished bassist Paul Sikivie known for his work with Cécile McLorin-Salvant and Joe Magnarelli. The cheesy sax playing of Guido Baucia irks me a little. But the presence of a guesting icon no less in guitarist Peter Bernstein doesn’t. He makes a habit of appearing with singers – for instance Naama recently whom we see as the new Stacey Kent.
Donndorff isn’t in Naama’s class nor indeed in Stacey’s league. But the doe eyed version of Jobim’s sublime ‘Ana Luiza’ is OK. She does ingénue soft singing as a style. And like I said at the beginning you sometimes come away with at least one song even when others frustrate. So I am grateful to spend extended time with ‘Charade’ that Anita sings perfectly decently. It’s been covered by the likes of Sarah Vaughan, Julie London, Helen Merrill and Jo Harrop in far more recent years.
English singer Harrop also did the song (bearing Julie London in mind perhaps) in the company of a guitarist Jamie McCredie on their album Weathering the Storm. Frankly her far more grown up vocal is better.
‘Sad little serenade
Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Song of my heart’s composing
I hear it still, I always will
Best on the bill
Charade’
The song was written by composer Henry Mancini and lyricist Johnny Mercer for the suspense laden 1963 romantic comedy thriller of the same name that starred Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant.
A Parisian waltz that ended up nominated at the 36th Academy Awards for Best Original Song although it didn’t win (losing out to Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn’s ‘Call Me Irresponsible’ sung by Jackie Gleason as a Papa’s Delicate Condition character in his cups), Mancini was inspired to write the melody after watching a scene in the film where Audrey Hepburn’s character returns to her apartment in Paris to find that everything has been removed. That moment of sadness and vulnerability sparked Mancini’s idea for a piece that carried an air of melancholy. The lyrics describe a love affair that felt real but, in the end, was just a charade, adding a sense of tragic romance to the song’s haunting melody.
My main criticism of Thirsty Soul overall is that the songs are sung pretty well but somehow the words don’t resonate enough in terms of impact or meaningfulness. But it’s all redeemed – and certainly Bernstein’s knowing pace and careful accompaniment works its charms – by this unassuming take on ‘Charade’ even though there are better versions out there. Next time around maybe there will be a few more takeaways to savour.
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