Dane Vannatter – Live @ Scullers

Combining some of his acclaimed tribute to Tony Bennett with more of his hometown favorites, award-winning vocalist Dane Vannatter wowed the crowd at Boston’s best Jazz club.

With the help of his snappy and bright trio, Vannatter used helpful hints (e.g., bite your tongue when your mouth is dry), random thoughts (Sarah Palin, pandas, etc.), and admittedly “long-winded” patter (including a few “shout outs” to such famed fellow Hoosiers as Hoagy Carmichael) to segue among such hits as a chill-inducing “Just Squeeze Me,” a sweet and flowery “Honeysuckle Rose,” an introspective and torentially-climaxed “Here’s To Life” that had fans calling for a reprise, and a rendition of “But Beautiful” that truly was.

Taking tunes from Bennett’s inspirational Alone Together, Vannatter offered a version of “Chasing Rainbows” that was rooted in earthy bass and a p[ianistic take on “It’s Magic” that twinkled and sparkled.

The Samba-d “Out of This World” got Dane dancing and a paced “After You’ve Gone” left the band (and a few of the fans) toweling off.  All in all, it was a fun and breezy show by one of Boston’s best interpreters.