Bacharach's medley of memories is a joy

It took composer/pianist Burt Bacharach less than 90 minutes to whirl through 40 of his most familiar songs. Backed by a five-piece band that included two heavily programmed keyboards, Thursday night's waterfront performance resembled a pops concert without the symphony.

MUSIC REVIEW

BURT BACHARACH

WHAT: AT&T's Summer Nights at the Pier (with Linda Eder)

WHEN: Thursday night

WHERE: Pier 62/63

"I've seen some bad weather in this town. What a joy to see it like this," Bacharach said, pausing for a moment of scenic appreciation before launching into a 30-minute medley of hits, beginning with 1962's "Don't Make Me Over," the first of 39 chart-toppers he penned for Dionne Warwick.

Of his three singers, Josie James came the closest to emulating Warwick's distinctive style. Her rendition of "Anyone Who Had a Heart" was warmly reminiscent of the period.

Donna Taylor had a relaxed, soulful style that opened the music up to contemporary interpretation. She brought new life to The Carpenters' "Close to You."

John Begono was less successful, sacrificing the spectacular dynamics of the Grammy-winning Elvis Costello collaboration "I Still Have That Other Girl" to a slack, Backstreet Boys approach.

Bacharach himself took the vocals on several songs, including a heartfelt "Alfie" and a "Windows of the World" that was interrupted by the noise of speedboats. "I can't even tell what key I'm in," Bacharach quipped, giving up on the song until prodded by the audience to give it another try.

After plugging the new "Austin Powers" movie, in which he appears, the 74-year-old maestro offered up a medley of film music enlivened by an audience singalong of "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," the Oscar-winning theme song from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."

Between medleys, Bacharach entertained the audience with anecdotes from his career. After telling of his first disheartening year and a half as a songwriter who could not sell a song, he played the first four hits of his life, including "Magic Moments," a 1958 hit for Perry Como, and the B-movie theme "Beware of the Blob," which featured mouth pops from saxophonist Dennis Wilson.

Broadway singer Linda Eder pulled out all the stops with a full-throated opening set packed with jazz standards and showstoppers. Dressed sleekly in a white jacket and black slacks, she opened with the title song from her third CD, "It's No Secret Anymore."

Backed by a seven-piece band, Eder favored older material in her 45-minute set, performing only one new selection, the title song from her current release, "Gold." Like all her original material, "Gold," from the upcoming musical "Camille Claudel," was written by her husband, Frank Wildhorn, who had a big success with "Jekyll and Hyde," in which Eder starred for eight years before hitting the concert circuit. She also performed the dramatic "Vienna," from her first album.

A well-poised, yet down-to-earth performer, Eder combined a girl-next-door approachability with the star power of a diva.

Bill White is a Seattle music writer. He can be reached at wtw@speakeasy.org.

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