Johnny Mathis is, hands down, one of the best singers and interpreters of song this country has ever produced.
DECEMBER 19—CERRITOS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Time stands still for no one, but Johnny Mathis surely has slowed it to a crawl. This year, the evergreen “voice of romance” made things easy for those of us who are still chugging their eggnog. The crooner, who just turned 89 in September, has the stamina and vocal maturity of a much younger man. During his single concert on Thursday night of this week at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, his voice also sounded remarkably unchanged from recordings he made six decades ago — his tenor, still hauntingly ethereal, with its distinctive, quivery timbre.
It feels odd to describe a man of Mathis’ age as sounding boyish, but that’s what he often brings to mind. Put his quiet intensity and yearning on such dewy-eyed tunes as “Chances Are” or “The Twelfth of Never,” and he creates all the romantic fervor of a love-struck teenager, as evidenced by countless droves of elderly fans adorning him with bouquets and gifts throughout the show.
Around 7:10PM, Mathis, dapper in a white suit, took the stage along with a glorious full orchestra (including his own long-standing band), presenting a compendium of Christmas chestnuts and romantic hits on which he has built his 70-year recording career. Those first selections were a template for the night, as Mathis, with a boyish gleam in his eye, morphed from Christmas sprite to romantic balladeer as easily as you’ll draw your next breath.
The Cerritos show kicked off with a sleigh bell-infused “Winter Wonderland,” which struck me as an interesting song to sing in southern California, where we rarely see a snowflake. Mixed with well-known tunes from long ago that have characterized his illustrious career, Mathis immediately began spreading Yuletide cheer with “Sending You a Little Christmas,” “Toyland,” the season favorite, “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas,” the wondrous “Pure Imagination” from the 1971 classic film, ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,‘ the dynamically delivered “When A Child Is Born,” and a tribute to ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas‘ with “Christmas Time is Here” by Vince Guaraldi.
Of course, no Johnny Mathis show would be complete without “It’s Not for Me To Say,” “Chances Are,” “Gina,” “Misty” or “The Twelfth Of Never” and he jauntily obliged to one standing ovation after the next.
Mathis is blessed with the unusual gift of being able to sing several ballads in a row without lulling an audience into lethargy. Of course, his taste in material is superb. Whatever he sings, the result is usually the same: sheer loveliness, effortlessly sliding into his upper register. That is always a spine-tingling moment.
The legend has always considered himself more of a musician than an entertainer. He’s definitely not a ham, offering little chatter from the stage. Frequent cries of "I love you" were heard from the audience, which he usually bypassed. Instead, it all fell back on the voice and Mathis' quiet charisma. That combination has kept audiences enraptured for decades.
And for going on two hours, with comedian Brad Upton (who describes Mathis as a “National Treasure”) ably bridging the gap between the two acts, Mathis shrugged age aside to showcase an impeccable voice, spry demeanor and sharp memory with no need for any prompts (outside of a leather-bound notepad on a selection or two he rarely used). Finally, the charming “Merry Christmas” bid us all adieu with wishes of good cheer and prosperity, giving us one last uplifting example that no matter what it says on someone’s birth certificate, it’s really nothing more than just a number, is it?
Over the course of his sterling career, Mathis has performed songs in an incredible variety of
styles and categories – from music composed for stage and film to golden-era jazz standards, contemporary pop hits, and holiday music. He has recorded more than 80 albums, scoring 50 hits on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Chart, and ranking as the all-time No. Six album artist in the history of Billboard’s Pop Charts. The hit maker was honored with the “Lifetime Achievement Award” by the Academy of Recording Arts, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame with the hits "Chances Are," "It’s Not for Me to Say," and "Misty."
The legend and his music also have been featured in numerous film and television shows, including Lizzie, The Tonight Show, Silver Linings Playbook, Family Ties, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Mad Men. Indeed, it is a great rarity to see this level of talent these days, who, alongside other ageless silken-voiced crooners well into their 80’s, like Frankie Valli, Bobbie Vinton or Pat Boone, is one of the last in a breed of golden era standards singers.
Johnny’s long-time pianist-conductor is John Scott Lavender, who has conducted the National Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Atlanta Symphony and many more. Kerry Marx is a Nashville guitarist and studio musician, best known for his work with the Grand Ole Opry, and has accompanied Natalie Cole, Taylor Swift, John Legend, James Taylor, and Branford Marsalis. And a very funny Brad Upton, whose set centered on an older generation, is a past winner of the Las Vegas Comedy Festival and has been seen in concert with Joan Rivers, The Smothers Brothers, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, George Jones and Glen Campbell.
Finally, as I got into my car to head home, the radio, which was tuned to FM103.5, began immediately playing Johnny’s “It’s Beginning to look a lot Like Christmas.” Almost like they were expecting me. But what a nightcap!
Merry Christmas everyone!
Chris Daniels
Arts & Entertainment Reviewer
The Show Report
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