IAN ALFANO
Vivian Sessoms, far left, sings lead at “The Soul of Burt Bacharach,” a concert that took place at Kean University in Hillside, Nov. 8. Also shown are drummer Damon Duewhite, keyboardist Manu Koch, singers Ramona Dunlap and Mike Davis, and bassist Mike Griot.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame held its annual induction ceremony on Nov. 8. And once again, Burt Bacharach was not one of the honorees. They do induct people just for songwriting, you know. And they do induct people whose contributions have been in the field of pop — not rock, per se.
I am not going to name names, but I do believe that the Hall has inducted some songwriters who have accomplished far less than Bacharach. And I can’t imagine how anyone who saw “The Soul of Burt Bacharach,” a tribute show that was presented for the first time at Enlow Recital Hall at Kean University in Hillside on the same day as the induction ceremony, could feel otherwise.
IAN ALFANO
Mike Griot at Enlow Recital Hall.
Bassist Mike Griot assembled this show, which featured singers Vivian Sessoms, Mike Davis and Ramona Dunlap, plus pianist Dave Malyszko (who co-arranged the songs with Griot) and 15 other musicians.
Griot also conducted the orchestra, and addressed the audience directly toward the end of the show. He talked about listening to the radio as a young musician studying classical cello in 1972.
“I just loved the radio,” he said. “And I heard these pop arrangements from Bacharach. Didn’t really know him. Didn’t know anything other than how it made me feel. And it still makes me feel the same way.”
The show’s early highlights included “I Say a Little Prayer” and “A House Is Not a Home” — sung with lots of vocal firepower by Sessoms and Davis, respectively — while Dunlap brought a lighter but warmly ingratiating touch to songs like “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” and “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again.”
Peak moments in the second set, which followed a brief intermission, included “On My Own” (a dynamic duet by Davis and Dunlap), “That’s What Friends Are For” (featuring all three) and Sessoms’ show-closing one-two punch of “God Give Me Strength” and “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” with Davis and Dunlap making their presence felt on this last song as well.
IAN ALFANO
Vivian Sessoms at Enlow Recital Hall.
The show may have been devoted to one composer, but it had a lot of stylistic range, befitting Bacharach’s ability to adapt to different musical eras. There were some breezy pop songs, but also some numbers that unleashed the full power of the orchestra. The through line was the musical sophistication — the surprising melodic leaps, the unconventional chords and the tricky time changes — that was Bacharach’s trademark.
Guitarist Carl Burnett switched to banjo for “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” and “Trains and Boats and Planes” was performed by just the three vocalists and Malyszko. Rob Paparozzi contributed to just one song, adding harmonica to “That’s What Friends Are For.”
Also joining the show’s cast was journalist and sportscaster Dave Popkin, who spoke about Bacharach’s long life and career between songs. (Bacharach became a professional musician in the ’50s, released his last album in 2020, and died in 2023, at the age of 94.) Besides covering the basics, Popkin offered some nuggets of trivia, letting us know, for instance, that actor Richard Chamberlain recorded “Close to You” seven years before The Carpenters did, and that in the early days of Bacharach’s career, “he spent significant time on the road as the musical director, accompanist and consigliere for the legendary Marlene Dietrich.”
Popkin also gave credit to the songs’ lyricists — Hal David for most of Bacharach’s ’60s and ’70s hits, Carole Bayer Sager later on — and mentioned that while “A House Is Not a Home” has been recorded by many singers, the arrangement in this show was inspired by Luther Vandross’ version, which was prominently featured in his concerts for many years.
IAN ALFANO
Mike Davis at Enlow Recital Hall.
The show began with an overture, and songs were then arranged more or less in chronological order — except for “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” the hopeful 1965 hit by Jackie DeShannon, was saved for the show-closing slot. “Walk on By” (the huge 1964 hit for Dionne Warwick) came first, with Griot & Co. then working their way, through the years, to “God Give Me Strength” (from Painted From Memory, Bacharach’s 1998 collaborative album with Elvis Costello).
The chronological approach helped give a sense of the story of Bacharach’s life, though there were some drawbacks. The intense “A House Is Not a Home,” for instance, might have worked better later in the show, but it came from early in Bacharach’s career, so it was sung fourth.
“What the World Needs Now Needs Love” inspired the most enthusiastic sing-along of the night. The crowd also clapped along vigorously on songs like “The Look of Love” and “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head.”
I was previously unfamiliar with just one of the setlist’s 18 songs: “You’ll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart),” a minor hit for Warwick in 1964 that made it back into the charts in 1973, when The Stylistics covered it. I assume that the only other song that may have a surprise for some attendees was “God Give Me Strength,” which was never released as a single.
The other songs, though, are deeply embedded in the minds of virtually all music fans of a certain age. Which is another argument for Bacharach’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame status.
IAN ALFANO
From left, Rob Paparozzi, Mike Griot, Ramona Dunlap and Carl Burnett at Enlow Recital Hall.
Here is the show’s setlist:
Overture
“Walk on By”
“Anyone Who Had a Heart”
“You’ll Never Get to Heaven If You Break My Heart”
“A House Is Not a Home”
“Alfie”
“Trains and Boats and Planes”
“The Look of Love”
“Do You Know the Way to San Jose”
“I Say a Little Prayer”
“This Guy’s in Love With You”
“I’ll Never Fall in Love Again”
“Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”
Intermission
“Close to You”
“Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)”
“On My Own”
“That’s What Friends Are For”
“God Give Me Strength”
“What the World Needs Now Is Love”
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