Step Into My Parlour

6 MARCH

THE PIANO MAN JAZZ CLUB

The venue of “Step Into My Parlour” was decorated with objects one would find in a traditional Irish sitting room. Before she began performing, the Irish singer Michelle Burke encouraged audience members to interact with these props—helping themselves to sherry from a glass bottle, or completing a few stitches on a half-knitted scarf. Then, Burke performed an eclectic recital that interwove traditional Irish songs with spoken fables and family stories. The combined effect of the setting, music and recitations was unusual, and the singer seemed to revel in the audience’s surprise. But the power of her soulful voice, accompanied by piano and guitar, was enough to captivate the room. The core of her set comprised traditional Irish songs, but she also covered other pieces with Celtic flair—her rendition of Tom Waits’ ballad “Broken Bicycles” was particularly haunting.

~ Charlie Mitchell