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... by Joanne Corsano ... joanne@picturelake.com

Zoë Lewis on vocals, piano, guitar, ukulele, washboard, harmonica, spoons, percussion; Mark Chenevert on clarinet (two songs)

First Set

I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby {written by Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh} - Chili - Always a Sixpence - Welcome To the Circus - Bicycle - Never Too Old - Hiroshima - Vagabond

Second Set

Breakfast in Bangkok - Little Bit of Lovin' - Breakfast Blues - What a Wonderful World {Louis Armstrong} - Chili - Mother Earth - These Shoes - Puttin' on the Ritz {Irving Berlin} - Prince Of Love - Eyelashes

Scroll down past the videos for review.

Little Bit of Lovin'

Chili

These Shoes

Concert Going Partner and I beelined it down the hill from the venue where we'd just seen the fab Studio Two to the Chatham Community Center on Main Street, where we were in plenty of time to catch the start of the wonderful Zoë Lewis's annual Chatham First Night performance.

Following the First Night format, she played two forty-five minute sets, repeating just one song in the two sets ("Chili" from her great new album, Always a Sixpence). The smallish room on the second floor was packed with mostly folks who were familiar with her music. There was a lot of laughter, singing along, and clapping along from the audience. There were children who sat in front of her setup (there was no stage, just an open floor space) and they got up and danced during lively numbers. There was also an adult couple who got up and danced a few times; Zoë knew them and said they had danced at some of her Vaudeville shows down in Provincetown during the summer. Zoë was definitely on form and was just as funny, just as charming, and just as serious as ever.

She played one song, "Mother Earth," that was originally released some years ago on a cassettes-only release that is now unavailable. It was a song told from the point of view of Mother Earth, mourning the damage done to her by the human race. Zoë wore an old lady hat and glasses during this song to emphasize the vulnerability of the Earth; I got a few pictures of this (link to photo album below).

Toward the end of the second set, Mark Chenevert wandered in from a gig he had played with another band, and sat in on clarinet for two songs. His playing rounded out the sound nicely. Zoë doesn't need the accompaniment, but it was nice to hear. The range of instruments she plays during a single set is truly astounding (see the list above).

At the end of her set, Zoë packed up to head to Needham (Boston metro area) to do another First Night performance. Then, I hear, she's headed to Mexico for her annual residency in the warm weather. She likes to quote Mark Twain's comment that travel is the enemy of prejudice, and her set featured a number of songs with a Mexican/world beat feel ("Chili"), several songs set in other parts of the world ("Hiroshima," "Breakfast in Bangkok"), and not just that, but some traditional Vaudeville songs, some blues, some very serious songs, and a big old helping of humor, too. You can't leave a Zoë Lewis concert without a smile on your face.

Here is a page with a handy list of links to all pages on this website with content relating to Zoë Lewis.

Click for 2019 Concert Page with links to all 2019 concerts ... Click for Main Concert Page with links to all years