Liberté, Egalité, Jacqueline Jonée

In Concert

 

  By Jeanne Lieberman

 

An evening with Jacqueline Jonee (aka John Neiman) is like getting two for one! Guess what! She’s not just another pretty face. She can also play the devil out of a grande piano with scintillating original arrangements that will inspire your compete attention. Behind the gorgeous, charming, superbly coiffed, flawlessly made up, glamorously coutoured diva, with the flirtatious demeanor that we know and love, shamelessly flirting with her admirers…(”Do you think I’m underdressed?” she purrs, drawing attention to her demure red ball gown  and matching lips) is the delightful discovery that la Jonee is a grand talent.

She will regale you with fluffy repartee, like the premise that her agent, Aneeda Gig, who handles such clients as James Levine, Rose Levine, Deborah Voight and Rhonda Flaming (the new Miss Cherry’s), has mixed up her assignments, sending Rose to the Last Drag Queen Standing show at the Mitchell Lama Lava Lounge in the South Bronx, while she landed…where? “The AARP, er APCG theater in the Grove”

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“Wake up and smell the latte” she exhorts her audience. Surrounded by her “Bayshore Boys”, the Jou Jou Jacquettes orchestra: Jason Tobias Matteo on bass, John Bollinger, percussion, Josh Sarpen, cello and Mchael Vannonni, viola,  she launched into Johanne Strauss’ classic Blue Danube waltze, spicing it up with  Gershwin’s Prélude III, and some Chopin Etude in F, Op.10. No 3, for variety. A little rocky at the start she remarked “this is where I spilled some spaghetti on the score” (obviously preparing for some errors with a ready ad lib). She then rallied to a near perfect performance.

Wasting no time she seriously attacked her “Classique Jazz” segment mixing it up with another gorgeous waltz, Elegy based on Chopin Valse Op. 64, No. 2 and Prélude Op. 28, No. 10, then surprising us with Ellington’s “Jubilee Stomp” and a Billy Strayhorn  treatment of “Satin Doll”.

It was alternately soothing, cool and jazzy.

A little opera to show off her French, “Ah Quel Diner Je Viens de Faire” by Offenbach was followed by an invasion of the “Leviniacs of Roseland”, the Jou Jou Jacquettes Chorus: Keith Butler, Angelo Cilia, Alex Goro, Michael Morisi, David Phan and David Reilly (leave it to Jacqueline to surround herself with cute guys)  plunging  them into  another intriguing mix of classic and contemporary: Andalucia (“The Breeze and I”)  by E. Lucuona, Sympathique by C. Forbes and L. Lauderdale and the ever popular  Cole Porter “Begin the Beguine”.

A bogus telegram from Levine delivered by beloved postmistress Jeanne Skinner provided some pointed moments of levity.

Announcing proudly that she is a new grandmamma to Madeline, 7 lbs 6 ozs, she dedicated her next medley ” to all the special people in our lives who have given us laughter and joy…and even life” with a brilliant arrangement of Gershwin/Sondheim “Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me//Not While I’m Around  and “I Wonder Who’s Kissing Him Now”,  It was sweet and sentimental and touched the heartstrings of her rapt audience. Once more Jacqueline had them right under her fingers.

Revealing the depth of her emotion Jonee introduced the next number with a sober reflection on the ongoing struggle of gays in the world with a quietly stirring solo with bass accompaniment, a spotlight only on her painted face, in homage to a great gay champion, with Charles Aznavour’s “What Makes A Man A Man” 

An odd introduction, Grieg’s Prélude to a Hungarian Bohemian Rhapsody, with some  Rachmananoff and  Brahms interspersed, soon sequed into a rousing medley of  Gershwin standards including “Biding My Time”, “Fascinating Rhythm”, “S’Wonderful”, “Strike up the Band” which was breathtaking in its creativity and virtuosity.

Jacqueline concluded with “I’ve Got Rhythm”, a special arrangement of the gay anthem “I Am What I Am” and a stirring “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”.

It was a heart warming, intelligent, deeply felt, carefully researched and creatively articulated performance that brought a flood of emotion over me and, yes, tears to my eyes in gratitude and admiration. Classic, contemporary, creative, complex, classy - what more can one say? Brava Diva!.