Sassy Ann's Cabaret warms up cold, rainy afternoon by Jack McCray of The Post and Courier Staff A theater full of hearty souls braved blustery rainstorms Sunday to check out singer Ann Caldwell's debut of a planned series called Sassy Ann's Cabaret. About 50 patrons took up almost all the seats at the South of Broadway Theater Company Studios as Caldwell and her new band, Loose Fit, romped through a repertoire of jazz, blues and country music, swinging like all get-out. The band was really a drummerless rhythm section with Vincent Rivers on bass, Richard White on piano and guitarist Lee Barbour, who almost stole the show. His elegant strumming and dreamy, lush solos were appreciated by the audience almost as much as Caldwell's moody ballads, jazzy staccato scats and swooping, lyrical vocal lines. Rivers was impeccable on the bass fiddle while White was his usual lyrical self, providing body for the ensemble's work. Caldwell's humorous banter all evening was a big hit, too. As she often does, Caldwell, who also played guitar, took off on improvisations that had her sounding like other instruments. At times, she was a trumpet, then a violin, then maybe a saxophone. Her innate talent has her not merely imitating the instruments but has her expressing herself with her voice exuding those qualities. The show has great variety. Given the weather outside, it was with great irony that the band opened up with "On a Clear Day." A long, simple instrumental intro built anticipation that was gorgeously resolved when Caldwell came in. The arrangement was like a lilting calypso. All the arrangements were luscious, just like the food on hand by Alice Warren Catering, a company run by the owner of the former Alice's Fine Foods on King Street. Before the restaurant closed, Caldwell had a very popular Sunday jazz brunch there. Some were heard to say Sunday that Sassy Ann's Cabaret reminded them of the old days on King. All the players were very agile. Rivers was downright acrobatic on some tunes, playing lightning-fast clusters of high register notes as well as long, even tones with his bow. On his evergreen "As Time Goes By," Caldwell explored the lower notes of her extremely wide range, sounding like the original Sassy, the late Sarah Vaughn, when she slowly slid from a delicate falsetto to something approaching basso profundo. Caldwell brings all of her stage experience to this one. Let's hope the series lasts a long time.
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