Customer Reviews

One Night Only Barbra Streisand and Quartet at The Village Vanguard September 26,2009

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I don't know what I expected from this . . . another well-timed but superficial performance to enhance sales vis a vis Oprah . . . the former president was there, and his wife and child . . . lots of old timers from the theater world. Phyllis Newman, Mrs. Jule Styne, Lorraine Gordon, etc. Her buddy, Cis Corman, and husband, the very cool Mr. Brolin. Could this possibly be a sincere artistic effort? I got it in the mail yesterday and sat down with my dogs and a glass of red wine and a little trepidation. I am not that fond of the "Love is the Answer" CD, though on repeated hearings, I think it is masterful, but requires some effort like an obscure artsy French or Japanese movie, maybe. Not a simple listen for me. I have purchased everything Streisand has released since I first saw the movie "Funny Girl" in 1968; I admittedly have not liked everything she has done. I walked out of her 2006 concert tour in Washington, DC at intermission because I thought it was awful (mostly Il Divo, in restrospect). I guess I mostly like my Barbra to myself and not in an arena with 15,000 other people. Anyway, I watched this thing once, and as each song passed, and as the banter played out, I became haunted and mesmerized once again by this "girl singer." Where did she come from? Where did this voice come from? This face? These eyes? That knowing smile? The gift of irony and sharp-edged humor? So after another couple of glasses of wine, I watched it again knowing I could just sit back and enjoy the give and take of it. I still don't know what to say. It's unlike anything I've seen previously from her or anyone else. As good in its way as "Happening in Central Park." Once she hits her stride and we get used to the panning shots of the audience and band, and take a deep breath because we know this is a "real" and "live" performance, then the thing makes complete sense as a work of art and not as the promotion it may have started out as. The long delay at the beginning waiting for her to appear, the anticipation, her inner Barbra shining through (she IS funny) in the dialogue (scripted? who knows);the planned or unplanned pan and zoom to her long-ago self singing at the "Blue Angel." This is the "girl singer" we hoped was still around somewhere. By the end, I wasn't sitting down, but was up against the big screen, with the speakers turned up to blasting, staring at this woman that could have been 67 or 17, she was that good, that eternal. Through all the showbiz stuff, and criticisms, and praise and awards, and whatever, here is at last a performance that will stand up there with the best she has ever done, or at least that we have the privelege to view. She worked at this, you can tell, her hair is a mess by the end. And she is hot, not just dewy. And did I say that she was beautiful, and funny, and sweet, and complicated, and . . . simply Streisand. I loved her interactions with the piano player, so cute, so giving. He must have been stressed, especially when she walked off the stage early, and you can hear him in the background shouting to the band "Happy Days are Here Again" to cover her leaving the stage unexpectedly. The camerwork is startingly considering all the limitations in this small and crowded room. I don't know, for some reason this made me think of the incomparable Robert Altman and how he might have made this. It even plays a bit like a movie. It really is that good! So finally, thank you, dearest, for all the years. Thank you most of all for this performance. What a gift!

Given her inarguably legendary status and all the celebrities in attendance, Barbra Streisand can never really go home again, but that didn't stop me from being thoroughly entranced by this burnished record of her intimate performance at the Village Vanguard from last September. In the famous Greenwich Village jazz club that actually turned her down for a singing job nearly a half-century prior, she appears more relaxed than ever with her mellifluous voice intact. Directed quite unobtrusively by Scott Lochmus, the one-night event was timed with the release of her last album, her 63rd, Love is the Answer, a stunning studio-polished return to form filled with jazz standards and show ballads.

Backed only by a sharp yet accommodating four-piece band, the 67-year-old songstress still displays the melisma and dramatic conviction in a singular voice that remains barely diminished after all these years. Granted her high notes are gone, but her phrasing and interpretative skills remain unparalleled in her leisurely paced ninety-minute set. Selections from "Love Is the Answer" dominate the program, but freed from the disc's immaculate production values, Streisand's vocals feel much more alive and dynamic in the capture of her live performance here. She vividly expresses wistful regret in "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most" and answers the gentle wake-up call of the Sinatra chestnut, "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning".

The gentle bossa nova sway to "Gentle Rain" remains intoxicating, while the signature cleverness of Betty Comden and Adolph Green informs the heartfelt words of Jules Styne's yearning "Make Someone Happy". The lyricists' handiwork is also present in a lovely version of Leonard Bernstein's "Some Other Time" from "On the Town", a song Streisand admits to forgetting to sing at the end of her set. The singer's good friends, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, also in the audience, provide the sad-eyed break-up lyrics to Johnny Mandel's "Where Do You Start?" which the singer handles with dramatic aplomb. Streisand seamlessly adds a trio of Richard Rodgers classics from her recording youth to the program - the plaintive "Nobody's Heart" (which she apparently sang to Marlon Brando over the phone), the familiar "My Funny Valentine", and the love-besotted "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered".

Same as in her album, two of her more impressive performances are distinctly Gallic in flavor with melodramatic flourishes - the bittersweet opener, Artie Butler's "Here's to Life" and Jacques Brel's masochistic "Ne me quitte pas" which was later popularly translated by Rod McKuen into "If You Go Away". Unsurprisingly, Streisand inserts two of her signature songs, the self-penned "Evergreen" in tribute to Bill Clinton who is in the audience, and "The Way We Were", which causes Sarah Jessica Parker to wipe away a tear. A heavy sense of nostalgia permeates the program with a series of introductions provided by old colleagues, including Lorraine Gordon, who inherited the Village Vanguard after her husband died in 1989. She is the centerpiece of a featurette spotlighting the club's history. The quality of the high-definition video on the Blu-Ray edition is outstanding with Roger Grange's camerawork quite flattering to Streisand.

Simply Satisfying!
I've just finished watching this absolutely divine show. For some reason I didn't have hi hopes for this Barbra, mini, concert. But was I ever wrong! The show on DVD is so intimate one feels as if they're really there at The Vanguard. There is a lot of chatter from Barbra, of course, between songs, which I loved! I had the feeling it took her a couple of songs to really warm up but when she did I suddenly remembered why I have adored from afar this woman for 36 years. She blows this small audience away with "If You Go Away" . Yet, when Ms. Streisand dives into songs like Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, Make Someone Happy, Nobody Heart Belongs to Me, and The Way We Were, one feels as if they have sailed on a great boat with a great love and have experienced the most satisfying afternoon of one's life. Barbra Streisand rises above the bar once again and I pray our Barbra never goes away!

I enjoyed watching ONE NIGHT ONLY: BARBRA STREISAND & QUARTET AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD BLU-RAY. The picture is crystal clear and the VERY small venue provides viewers the opportunity to experience --at least vicariously-- the thrill of being in one of those jazz supper-clubs of yesteryear and the intimate setting between performer and audience.

Barbra, though her voice has changed somewhat the older she gets, is still in fine singing voice. Like a well-oiled machine, that inimitable voice starts to purr at about the third song and it's as though time has stood still. Perhaps the first two songs were just warm ups or maybe Streisand got more comfortable with the audience, whatever it was she was back in fine form by song number three. The band plays nice and tight, with the arrangements sounding bright and lively.

Most of the song selections come from the CD Love is the Answer (Deluxe Edition) as this was a promotional type gig, but she does some of her other songs like "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered," "My Funny Valentine," "Evergreen," and "The Way We Were." And Barbra really opens up that voice on "The Way We Were," belting it out and almost sounding hoarse --for effect, mind you-- and I really hope that's an indication of things to come. I'm still hoping for a more up-tempo jazz/torch song album with Barbra belting like she did back then. And though "Love Is The Answer" was OK it didn't do it for me.

Some reviewers complained about her talking too much in-between songs, but I liked this part. She talks about the song and when and where she heard it etc., and also anecdotes about her past and experiences in the Village(Greenwich Village). This makes the whole performance much more intimate, rather than some robotic singer going through the motions.

There's some exterior shots of the nightclub and fans that lined the street, and the audience was a mixed bag. The place can only hold a little over 100 people and many were right up on the stage. Most were famous like Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton and actresses Nicole Kidman and Sarah Jessica Parker (who was right up front and beaming from start to finish). Also in the audience was husband James Brolin and others, along with the small handful of lucky fans who won tickets to the event. There were also a few bad apples in the audience who looked like they'd rather be in Dante's 7th circle of Hell than be there. Why they were included is beyond me especially since there's a lot of reverse angle shots from the stage so you see the audience pretty regularly.

The running time for the Blu-Ray performance is 01-hour:23-minutes:04-seconds. And the only special feature included is a paltry 06:47-minute featurette on the nightclub with owner Lorraine Gordon, the widow of owner Max Gordon, who's funny and tells how she met Barbra and how the Vanguard started. I really wish there was more stuff though and that's why I deducted one-star. Wasn't the whole draw to Blu-Ray the extras? They could've at least interviewed the lucky fans who won the tickets or given a tour of the nightclub and the surrounding area.

Anyway, if you're a Streisand fan you probably already have it. If you are new to Barbra and having trouble choosing between this and a previous special might I suggest Barbra Streisand - Timeless (Live in Concert) for present day Barbra, and/or either Barbra Streisand: My Name Is Barbra or Barbra Streisand - A Happening in Central Park (both of which are included in the box DVD set Barbra Streisand - The Television Specials for a much better price) to see what the legend is all about. Those are much stronger "live" performances and really show off that spark that ignited the world, and why fans like me adore her so much.

Very nice blu-ray. Not enough words to describe this amazing voice. Nice image, nice losless audio.

This was a great performance to view. I loved her hubby sitting there front row in awe of his wife and her talents. She reminisces and brings her terrific style to all, not to dissappoint on this one.

My name is Kathrin and I come from germany. In the year 2007 I can listen to live sing Ms. Streisand in the concert in Berlin. And now I play the new Blu-ray-disc "One Night Only" and its amazing for me!!

Sorry, now in my language:

Vielen Dank für die sehr,sehr gute Bild und Tonqualität der Konzertproduktion und auch die Specials kann ich unbedingt empfehlen! Eine wirklich gelungene Blu-ray-disc,die allerhöchsten Ansprüchen gerecht wird.

Ein einmaliges Konzert und ich als langjähriger Fan finde es nun wunderbar, das ich in den letzten Jahren immer wieder mit so unglaublichen Werken von Barbara Streisand wahrlich überhäuft werde und sie voller Energie sprudelt und ihre Liebe zu Jazz und Brodwaystücken neu entdeckt hat. Das Konzert in New York ein wahrlich unvergleichlicher Abend, für Sie als Künstlerin, für alle anwesenden Gäste und mich als sehr großer Fan!
Dank meiner Blu-ray kann ich mich immer wieder in den Jazzclub einladen, nur den Player anstellen und es beginnt eine "One Night Only" mit Barbra Streisand!
Thank you so much for the gift!

It's a show we'd never seen before. She's doing spectacular, as always, and the mood is as private as it's described in Amazon's review. Really worth buying if you want to have a Barbra Final Collection.

The blu-ray edition specially transformed her voice in a somewhat magical experience.

Recommended.

They Haven't called her the Greatest Female vocalist of all time for 5 decades for nothing.
Nobody can act and sing a song in depth like Barbra Streisand and this intimate nightclub performance is a testimony to that.Pure Gold! Barbra Streisand is the only artist to have number 1 albums in 5 decades.

Exceptional Barabara!!!! CD with all the great songs & a DVD so it seems that you're right there in the club hearing Barbara. I enjoyed them both immensely!!! I would recommend this album & DVD - hours of listening!!!