Judy Wexler Delivers Two Wonderful Sets At The Famous, 1-21-26

Jazz vocalist Judy Wexler performed last night at The Famous in Glendale. It's a cool spot, with a nice, relaxed vibe. There is no elevated stage, but a carpet is placed in front of the far wall, acting as a stage. There are no stage lights either, but I suppose that adds to the cozy atmosphere of the club. The staff is friendly, the bartender telling me how the previous owner of the club had given the place a Godfather decor, with murals depicting the film on the walls. There is now white brick along one of the walls. There are several tables, and it's a place where you can actually have a conversation before the show starts, the house music kept fairly low. The show was part of the venue's Jazz Wave's Jazz Night music series, and it was Judy Wexler's first time playing there. Backing the vocalist were Jeff Colella on piano, Gabe Davis on bass, and Kendall Kay on drums.

Just after 8:30 p.m., Judy Wexler kicked off the first set with "A Weaver Of Dreams," a song she included on her most recent album, last year's No Wonder. She delivered a strong vocal performance that received applause from the crowd after the first section of the song, leading to a nice, warm lead on piano, and then a good lead on bass. That song was followed by Carole King's "Up On The Roof," a song Judy covered on her 2021 album Back To The Garden. Those opening lines about the world getting us down and people being too much to face are certainly relevant these days, and Judy was able to help us escape the world with her rendition last night. And the band began to take off during that great lead by Jeff Colella on piano. Then Gabe Davis delivered some seriously cool work on bass on "But Not For Me," and "Wish You Were Here" featured some delicious drumming from Kendall Kay.

"Make This City Ours Tonight" featured one of the first set's most captivating vocal performances. "Step into my fantasy and, baby, don't let me go." Judy followed that song with "It's You I Like," written by Fred Rogers (yes, that Fred Rogers). "The more you connect with people, the happier you'll be," she said in introducing that one. I imagine Fred Rogers would agree. I still need to see the documentary about his life. Judy's voice was supported by just piano for the first section of that song. Then she gave us an excellent rendition of "Crowded Heart," a song written by Sinne Eeg and Mads Mathias. Sinne Eeg was in the audience, the Danish vocalist having recently performed at Vibrato here in Los Angeles. "Once In A While" featured a cool section of back-and-forth action between bass and drums. Judy closed out the first set with "Laughing At Life," reminding folks during the song's introduction to laugh as much as humanly possible when dealing with the difficult state of the world. "Start now and cheer up," she sang, and the music certainly helped folks do just that. The set ended at 9:29 p.m.

Twenty minutes later she and the band opened the second set with "American Tune." "This is the saddest song in my repertoire," Judy said in introducing the Paul Simon song, which she had included on Back To The Garden. It is a sad song, to be sure, but her wonderful rendition still had the ability to make us feel a little better about the world. "And I dreamed I was flying." That was followed by "Pretty World" and "A Kiss To Build A Dream On." This music had me feeling so damn good. I especially loved that lead on piano during "A Kiss To Build A Dream On." And for the first section of "They Say It's Spring," Judy's voice was supported by just piano. That song also featured a good bass solo. 

The next two songs she chose were probably the coolest numbers of the night: "The Lonely One" and "Tomorrow Is Another Day." When introducing "The Lonely One," Judy mentioned how she liked Nat King Cole's song selections. Her rendition of the song featured an outstanding vocal performance. And "Tomorrow Is Another Day," a song she included on her 2015 album What I See, contained some great bass and drum exchanges, which I loved. She then wrapped up the show with a beautiful and soothing rendition of "Sack Full Of Dreams," a song she had included on her 2011 album Under A Painted Sky. The show ended at 10:33 p.m.

Set List

Set I

1. A Weaver Of Dreams
2. Up On The Roof
3. But Not For Me
4. Wish You Were Here
5. Make This City Ours Again
6. It's You I Like
7. Crowded Heart
8. Once In A While
9. Laughing At Life

Set II

1. American Tune
2. Pretty World
3. A Kiss To Build A Dream On
4. They Say It's Spring
5. The Lonely One
6. Tomorrow Is Another Day
7. Sack Full Of Dreams

The Famous is located at 154 S. Brand Blvd. in Glendale, California.