Men With Small Heads, with pianist Donna Loewy, November 21, 2009, Weill Recital Hall
Andrew Garland brought his expressive baritone coupled with the occasional streak of theatricality to make this exceptionally rewarding evening at Weill Recital Hall come to life, with pianist Donna Loewy his discreet collaborator. Lori Laitman’s Men with Small Heads had many in the audience laughing. The title song refers to a small child gazing up at adults, whose heads appear to be disproportionately tiny. Refrigerator, 1957 contains an unopened jar of maraschino cherries, brimming with fascination to someone weaned on bland food, and A Small Tin Parrot Pin uses internal rhyme and wordplay to smirking effect, coupled with Laitman’s light, brisk vocal writing. But the final song might have been the funniest: Snake Lake, in which the singer uses an overly sibilant “s” in every word that that has one.