Dusk crooner for modern era

On a mild December night more than 700 people in Saskatoon discovered what the Japanese apparently already know -- Matt Dusk is a huge talent and is going to be around a long time.

Fellow Canadian Michael Buble may take on the downtown concert halls when he's in town, but Dusk's a hit in the suburbs.

Thanks to Dusk, a whole lot of Saskatoon people discovered what a great musical venue the Lakeview Auditorium can be, risque as it may be for a mega church hall to be the place where the headliner sings jazzy songs about having both lovers and a wife.

Dusk is winding up an extensive year of touring where his popularity keeps growing, the kind of year when he can play with the audience, encouraging them to clap if they like Buble and then demanding they leave if they do clap.

Mixing up some Christmas classics with audience singalongs such as Cab Calloway's famous song about Minnie the Moocher (showing us all how easy it is to sing Hi de hi de hi de hi), Dusk showed off his impressive phrasing and vocal control in front of a red-hot five-piece band, including guitarist Andy Thompson of Saskatoon, pianist Michael Shand and Steve Macdonald on the tenor sax.

Proof that Dusk is worthy to be thought of as being in the top echelon of the new generation of crooners was his treatment of Sinatra's Two Shots.

There were few causes for complaint.

He may have sung Mel Torme's Christmas song a little too much like a lounge singer without the warmth that this fireside song seems to demand, but there was little else to complain about.

Dusk is a crowd pleaser. His band produces the big band warmth and feel with nowhere near the number of players the classic crooners had in their heyday.

During his set, Dusk was able to bring warm-up act Theresa Sokyrka along on a nice duet of Baby It's Cold Outside. Even better was how Dusk brought the best out of Sokyrka in I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm.

The years Dusk spent in university, studying jazz and learning voice from a master teacher created an unfortunate contrast for the local warm-up act. Sokyrka seemed somewhat tentative Monday night as if she was way too nervous to be before a hometown audience after a year's absence.

While one wants to be supportive, Sokyrka's love of the jazz classics such as the Ella Fitzgerald arrangement of What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? Fails to hit the right notes. Her delivery is either too breathy or too nasal.

Sokyrka did well with her closing number, Let It Snow, and was certainly helped along greatly for her half hour set by the strong keyboard work of Rod Salloum.

© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2007