I had a surreal experienced at the Sunday Jazz Brunch at Iridium on 51st and Broadway. Here's a fine singer, Adi Braun, with a wide and flexible range of voice and songs, doing a sophisticated performance for an audience of tourists and their kids having lunch. So this brave, talented singer had to stand up there doing her thing, paying no attention to the conversational murmur (with an occasional high-pitched "Daddy, can I have some more?" drifting thru the room). She's a trouper -- did it with a smile and the vocal subtleties of a top-notch jazz singer. With the very fine Barry Levitt ensemble, she went straight ahead and did her charming, beautifully sung, well-timed act. She didn't stick to jump tunes like "You Do Something to Me," which she cooked with, cutting right thru the static; she didn't shy away from quieter tunes like "I've Got It Bad" but sang it as it should be sung, with tone and feeling. Adi Braun has a strong, very musical voice -- rich and fully sustained wherever she takes it. I hope to catch her some night playing for a proper audience.
