Reviews
Beguiling “Between The Wars”
By Beverly Creasey
January, 2003
If you haven’t heard Bobbi Carrey and Tomi Hayashi in person, you’ve missed out not only on their fine musicianship but their clever and often surprising historical chats between the songs. You leave a concert warmed by their music and richer for the knowledge they impart.
Now you can hear the duo on CD and catch one of their several upcoming “BETWEEN THE WARS” concerts. The CD of the same name features Bobbi’s easy, breezy vocals on songs like “I’ll Be Seeing You” and her sexy, sultry voice for “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man O Mine” from Showboat. Then she breaks your heart with the plaintive “Say It Isn’t So.” Carrey and Irving Berlin. What a match!
Did I mention that the CD features a wonderful timeline for the music? And Tomi can jump right into a jaunty stride piano, Fats Waller style, for a sensational “Ain’t Misbehavin” medley or make it melodramatic for the Al Jolson section. If you aren’t down on one knee singing along to “Mammy” where have you been! John Clark adds a passel of gorgeous clarinet solos (“I’ll Be Seeing You” and “Ain’t Misbehavin”) and Tomi and Bobbi join forces for a nifty duet (Irving Berlin style) for “Falling In Love Again” and “Just a Gigolo.” As they say in the Frank Loesser tune on the CD, “I Go For That.”