Interludes

VIEWPOINTS — Big-voiced chanteuses take to the cabaret stage: WENDY MOTEN at Birdland and RIZO at Joe’s Pub

• By drediman
• September 12, 2025
• No Comments

This past week, I had the great pleasure of basking in the considerable talent of a pair of big-voiced chanteuses, both of whom took to the cabaret stage with the kind of richness and authority that’s grounded by the weight of potent life experiences. Read on for my thoughts on these nightlife outings.

WENDY MOTEN
Birdland Jazz Club
One-night-only on September 8

Earlier this week for one night only, the easy going Wendy Moten returned to Birdland Jazz Club to croon the night away (RECOMMENDED), buoyed by the expert accompaniment of music director Andy Ezra on keys, alongside band mates Paul Livant, Graham Hawthorne, and David Santos. As the runner-up of the 2020 season of The Voice during the depths of the pandemic, the Nashville-based singer made a name for herself at 56 years young with her big voice and impressive way around a wide range of musical genres across the Great American Songbook, soul, classic pop, and country. Indeed, in this Birdland appearance, she once again proved how much of a vocal chameleon she is with an eclectic set that somehow felt organic rather than stylistically disjointed. Throughout, she emphatically showcased her powerhouse voice, which continues to be in pristine shape. Having been in the business as long as Moten has, the audience couldn’t have been in better hands. Monday night’s concert leaned somewhat on the songs of Burt Bacharach, particularly those made famous by the great Dionne Warwick (“A Little Prayer for You”, “Alfie”, and “Walk on By”). For a little soul, Moten hand-picked Richard Whiting’s “When Did You Leave Heaven” and Carolyn Franklin’s “Ain’t No Way”, the latter as particularly sung by Aretha Franklin. Then she favored the Great American Songbook with the lineup of Nat King Cole’s “Nature Boy”, the Gershwins’ “Someone to Watch Over Me” (the Ella Fitzgerald version, of course), and Harold Arlen immortal ballad “Over the Rainbow” (via Patti LaBelle). Being from Nashville, she even threw in some country with a rousing rendition of Mel Tillis’s “I Ain’t Never”, as well as her own original song, the uplifting “You Are Worthy” (which she wrote for the upcoming documentary Women Behind the Lyrics). Wrapping up the crowd-pleasing set was the Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell hit “You’re All I Need to Get By”, which left a big smile on all our faces.

RIZO
Joe’s Pub
Additional shows September 12 and 13

A few days later, I ventured down to the Village to catch downtown cabaret star Rizo, who this week has returned to Joe’s Pub (her home base in New York) for a series of shows (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). Long story short, she’s been missed. With a performance style that veers wildly between punk, cabaret, and avant-garde theatre, Rizo has over the years steadily built a cult following — particularly among artful gays — who feed off her intoxicating mix of glamour and impulsively outrageous behavior. Throw into the mix some bold audience interaction (if you’ve seen one of Bridget Everett’s shows, you’ll know what I man), and the result are shows that teeter unpredictably until the bitter end — and I mean this as high compliment. For her current show, Rizo invites audiences to hop aboard her own ark, both literally and figuratively, to escape the dismal political reality our country has found itself in. Over the course of the evening, our fearless and increasingly tipsy captain navigates storms and other treacherous obstacles to get us to a remote island where human society can reboot. As a soundtrack for our journey, Rizo rips through eclectic songs that range from “The Black Freighter” from the Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s seminal Threepenny Opera — which she performed with frightening intensity — to a therapeutically participatory rendition of The Bee Gees’ “To Love Somebody” (which concluded the show). Then you have original songs like “Hit of You” and the anthemic “Song of Freedom”, which brings an extra dose of playfulness and urgency to the whole concoction. In terms of Rizo’s vocal performance, her astonishingly versatile instrument has of late acquired a raspy rock edge, at times channeling the vocal stylings of the likes of Janis Joplin, which isn’t to say she’s no longer capable of hitting operatic high notes (which she still does with ease). As per usual, she’s accompanied by her ever-reliable music director — the ubiquitous Matt Ray on keys — who leads a game band of usual suspects.