A soft blanket on a snowy night. A cool lemonade on a summer afternoon. Mac and cheese on a cool October Saturday. They all spell “comfort.” Add to that list an evening spent listening to singer-guitarist Peter Calo and vocalist Anne Carpenter singing the songs of Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, Paul Simon, James Taylor, and Jimmy Webb in their new show, Timeless Singer Songwriters, at Pangea. Calo has been Carly Simon’s guitarist and backing vocalist, music director, and sometimes producer for 20 plus years. At the same time, he performed and/or recorded with, among many others, Dionne Warwick, Marc Shaiman, Willie Nelson, and Queen Latifah—all the while remaining a touring member of the classic ’60s pop group, The Happenings. I am sure I am not the only one who wore out the 45 of their mega-hit, “See You in September” in high school!
Peter Calo and Anne Carpenter
Carpenter has been active on the New York music scene for a decade and has been singing with Calo for the last seven years. They have an easygoing chemistry on stage and their voices blend beautifully as they take turns on lead and back-up. Calo’s guitar and Paul Adamy’s bass offer everything and anything one would want in support of this material—dazzling throughout but in no way distracting from the song and the singing at hand.
Joni Mitchell’s “Carey” is a sparkling introduction to the night with Carpenter’s joyful, cheering lead holding out the promise of a delightful musical journey. That promise was instantly solidified with a medley of James Taylor’s “Carolina in My Mind” and “Copperline” nicely delivered by Calo, while perhaps bowing a bit too much to Taylor’s original vocal. Taking her turn at a medley (this time of Carly Simon tunes), Carpenter easily slides into “Legend in Your Own Time” and “You’re So Vain,” deflating the ego of a self-impressed suitor with sharp tongue and swinging style. While most of the choices were immediately recognizable, a couple of deep cuts were among the highlights of the set. Calo’s touching take on Paul Simon’s “Father and Daughter” revealed a deep personal connection to the story as well as the original recording. Before Carpenter captivated the audience with her sultry “The Last Samba,” Calo revealed that it had been written on the fly by Jimmy Webb for a Carly Simon Brazilian project. Using this kind of personal connection and story regarding the material would have been welcome throughout the night. The song, and the story, led to a dazzling take on Webb’s “Wichita Lineman” with great guitar accompaniment.
In tribute to the recent passing of Kris Kristofferson, Calo provided a gently beautiful “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” followed by an inevitable but perfunctory “Me and Bobby McGee” (Kristofferson, Fred Foster) that became more than generic karaoke but less than memorable cabaret. A fine display of Calo’s way with a melody was provided with his setting of a poem by Carly Simon, “Hold Out Your Heart,” made even more memorable by Carpenter’s touching vocal. She was equally adept at conveying the intricacies of Joni Mitchell’s “Night Ride Home.” The show closed with the singers’ one true duet of the night, Paul Simon’s “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” which made hearts happy and toes tap.
Timeless Singer Songwriters offered so many treasures that I hesitate to carp, but the one reservation I have is too big to ignore. The duo seemed to have done little to adapt what they do to their surroundings. Its loose, shapeless, almost meandering structure seemed a waste in the cabaret surroundings of Pangea. I wish that they had put more effort into making a cohesive show, with interpretations that reflected their personal storytelling rather than just singing fairly straightforward covers of songs that they like. What they offered was quite good but there was little information, either about themselves or the songs they chose. Peter Calo and Anne Carpenter seemed content to remind the audience how good these songwriters were and how many lovely memories they have of the original recordings. I wanted to know more about the performers, and I wanted them to make me hear both the words and the music in new and different ways. They have the talent to do it. I hope the next time they try it.
Presented at Pangea, 178 Second Ave., NYC, Oct. 10, 2024.
Gerry Geddes has conceived and directed a number of musical revues—including the Bistro- and MAC Award-winning "Monday in the Dark with George" and "Put On Your Saturday Suit-Words & Music by Jimmy Webb"—and directed many cabaret artists, including André De Shields, Helen Baldassare, Darius de Haas, and drag artist Julia Van Cartier. He directs "The David Drumgold Variety Show," currently in residence at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, and has produced a number of recordings, including two Bistro-winning CDs. He’s taught vocal performance at The New School, NYU, and London’s Goldsmith’s College and continues to conduct private workshops and master classes. As a writer and critic, he has covered New York’s performing arts scene for over 40 years in both local and national publications; his lyrics have been sung by several cabaret and recording artists. Gerry is an artist in residence at Pangea, and a regular contributor to the podcast “Troubadours & Raconteurs.” He just completed a memoir of his life in NYC called “Didn’t I Ever Tell You This?”
