Articles by this Author:
Whitney Chapman
There's a straightforward, almost conversational quality to Whitney Chapman's vocals that works well for some of the mid-tempo and up-tempo songs in her Burt Bacharach/Hal David show (directed by Barry...
Brad Simmons and Lennie Watts
I'm not certain I fully understand the point of the musical genre "Blue-Eyed Soul," which is essentially a nickname for soul music (and/or Rhythm & Blues) sung by white people. The...
Emily Ellet
Last summer I attended the final round of the MetroStar Talent Challenge at the Metropolitan Room, where I immediately found myself rooting for young singer Emily Ellet. She was someone...
Robbie Torres
The Emcee in the musical Cabaret, first seen on Broadway in 1966, is an enigmatic figure. Existing entirely in the world of the Kit Kat Klub cabaret in Berlin, he...
Orfeh and Andy Karl
The husband-and-wife team of Orfeh and Andy Karl have teamed up for Legally Bound (directed by Charles Randolph-Wright), in an engagement at Feinstein's/54 Below. Married now for 17 years, the...
Roseanna Vitro Project
The "project" in the title of this show refers to jazz singer and music teacher Roseanna Vitro's efforts to generate smart and graceful lyrics for the late Charlie Parker's bebop...
Norm Lewis
For the third year in a row, theatre, film, and TV actor-singer Norm Lewis is performing a holiday-oriented program at Feinstein's/54 Below. The opening night of this year's offering, Santa...
Dean Benner
Here's a nice fantasy: the pop musical style known as "western swing" re-emerges as a major phenomenon and somehow brings together opposing camps in American culture: red states and blue,...
Diane Schuur
Early during the second show of her opening night at Birdland, singer-pianist Diane Schuur noted that second sets are good because you never know exactly what's going to happen with...
Bazazz! A Sequined Variety
I'm glad to have lived through the 1960s and 1970s, when prime time TV variety shows—inspired by British music hall and American vaudeville entertainments—were most in vogue. And I'm sorry...