NYC -Nellie McKay is a force of Nature, who descended on Damrosch Park, on July 9, to kick off Lincoln Center's Midsummer Night Swing series. This series turns Damrosch Park into an outdoor fantasy of dance, featuring various bands over the next three weeks, with lessons starting at 6:30 p.m. Habitués of this event know that it's being held in Damrosch Park due to the construction in the usual venue of the Josie Robertson Plaza.

As Midsummer Night Swing is an outdoor event, the weather, naturally, governs, but what could be more sultry than swing dancing outdoors and more sexy than doing it in the Lincoln Center complex? If you want to bring a partner, have at it! But don't let going stag keep you away - solo dancers often show up looking for someone to learn a few steps with them. And what a great way to meet our neighbors!

A posse of New Jersey folks, united by their admiration for singer-songwriter Nellie McKay, set out via train from deepest, darkest Parsippany. While arrival didn't coincide with dance lessons, this group of Nellie fans consisted of musicians and singers, as well as appreciators of fine music. Nellie's eclectic style and sometimes stream-of-consciousness songwriting can make a very fresh and wry experience out of an otherwise pedestrian standard.

My dear friend Patricia Tamburello, a gifted professional jazz guitarist, first introduced me to Nellie's work and this gig was interesting in several respects. First, while Nellie did some of her original work, she mostly sang swing standards. A great new swing arrangement of Nellie's own "Happy Flower" was so well received that several people cheered for her to record it that way. She also did her "The Dog Song" and "Won't U Please B Nice," as she originally recorded them.

While Nellie sang, Patricia noticed that the standards they were swinging were all in the original keys. It is more common for a band of any size to accommodate the singer's key. Otherwise, it is like asking a guitarist or pianist to play a scale or note that doesn't exist. There were several times when the songs lay actually a bit low in Nellie's range.

Patricia's favorite song of the evening was the live version of "Happy Flower". As familiar as she is with that song, it was Nellie and the Night and the Music, as well as swinging that song, which made it perfect for a summer evening in the park.

It was hot and humid, but it's New York, and the ultimate compliment to a swing band is to dance to its music. Couples of all descriptions-gay, straight, young, old and a lot of 20-something lesbians--were dancing together under the stars. Small children gathered at the edge of the stage listening in rapt attention to Nellie's music. At one charming point, Nellie offered the set list for the second set to one of the youngsters and inquired which song she thought she might like to dance to when Nellie sang it. Of course, that was a bit too much attention for such a diminutive young lady!

New York is full of people of every kind winding up next to people of every other kind. A friend of ours was sitting outside Damrosch Park waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. While she and her boyfriend were enjoying a sandwich al fresco, striding past them in curlers was Nellie McKay herself! The rest of us were sorry to have missed this brush with greatness.

Nellie McKay kicked off Midsummer Night Swing, but there are many opportunities ahead to make hot summer nights even hotter. Get your pass nightly or buy a season pass at www.LincolnCenter.org.