Sachal Vasandani@Vitellos 06.15.11
By George W. Harris

Tired of posers like Buble’? Fed up with Rat Pack wannabes? Looking for
something fresh that doesn’t re-hash the Great American Songbook for
the gazillionth time? Well, it was on display Wednesday night at
Vitellos (www.vitellosrestaurant.com), in the form of Chicago-raised
Sachel Vasandani, who’s put out a few incredible discs, but has to be
seen in person to be believed.

Supported by the1000meter relay team of Jeff Patton/p, David Wong/b and
Kendrick Scott/dr, Vasandani used his voice in ways that reflected both
the hopeless romantic and artistic bebopper. Of the former, his
approach to ballads like “I Could’ve Told You” or “The Time Is Right”
made time stand still, as his voice glistened like the glassy see, with
the dynamics of his voice covering a larger range of colors than
Gaugin’s canvas. His deft timing on tricky and hip tunes like “Monk’s
Dream” or the Brazilian “My Dear” showed a kinetic delivery that had
more sharp angles than a Rubrick Cube. His crystalline and clear as a
bell voice mixed innocence and celebration on his Gershwin medley of
“Here Comes The Honey Man” and “There’s A Boat…” that went from
church-like solemnity to strutting and self assured blues. By the time
he closed with the gospel inflected “No More,” you felt like you had
experienced something that was completely original and up to date, yet
timeless at the same time. Check out his latest disc High Fly, but
definitely don’t miss him next time around.

By the way, Vitellos Restaurant has a new cook from Sardenia, and he’s
UNBELIEVABLE. They’ve changed the menu, and without raising prices have
added an extra kick to the flavor, so you don’t need to eat somewhere
else beforehand.