CD Review: Kenneth Gartman “We Need a Little Christmas”
Gerry Geddes
There is an open-hearted, childlike simplicity and beauty to Kenneth Gartman’s sound that is quite endearing and a perfect match for We Need a Little Christmas, a holiday release filled with the warmth of an open fire and the good will of friends and family gathered together. Add to that a thoughtful connection to the...
CD Review: Liz Callaway “Comfort and Joy: An Acoustic Christmas
Lisa Jo Sagolla
A mellow CD of Christmas songs featuring vocalist Liz Callaway accompanied by the quiet acoustic guitar-playing of Peter Calo, Comfort and Joy: An Acoustic Christmas may be the perfect soundtrack for what this year will surely be a low-voltage, less-festive-than-usual holiday season. One might think a solo singer supported only by a guitarist wouldn’t generate...
CD Review: Susan Tobocman “Touch & Go”
Gerry Geddes
Singer/composer/arranger Susan Tobocman has released her latest CD Touch & Go. It has an intriguing selection of songs that are terrifically performed and played. What is immediately unusual about the project is that the singer created all the arrangements with an assist on two of them by David Tobocman (keeping it in the family). The Latin...
Cabaret Setlist: “Sleigh Ride in July” (Music by Jimmy Van Heusen, Lyrics by Johnny Burke) and “Winter of My Discontent” (Music by Alec Wilder, Lyrics by Ben Ross Berenberg)
Mark Dundas Wood
Repertoire for the Once and Future American Songbook Selection #11 in this running series. There’s nothing like mixing things up a little. The format of today’s “Cabaret Setlist” differs somewhat from previous installments. Up until now, we’ve looked at specific songs and the ways in which singers have made them their own. Today, we’ll check...
Cabaret Setlist: “Mountain Greenery” — Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Lorenz Hart
Mark Dundas Wood
Repertoire for the Once and Future American Songbook Song #10 in this running series. Cabaret Setlist began in May of this year with a look at Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart’s “Little Girl Blue.” I've been tempted to return to the Rodgers & Hart catalog before this, but thought it was too soon. Now that...
CD Review: A Nourishing Trio of Holiday Albums
Lisa Jo Sagolla
It all depends on one’s philosophy of music: Why do you think music exists, and what purpose does it serve? Is it something you seek out for its power to lift your spirits? Or do you value music for its ability to reflect and affirm your emotions, even if you’re feeling blue, perhaps about the compromised...
We are Nominated for a BroadwayWorld.com Award!
Bistro Awards
We don't usually like to flaunt ourselves..... For the past 36 years, the "Bistro Bits" column in Back Stage, the Bistro Awards annual event, and BistroAwards.com, has always put the spotlight on you, and we pride ourselves on that. But, how nice it is that some of you would like to now place the spotlight...
Gay Marshall “Back on Boogie Street — Songs of Leonard Cohen”
Gerry Geddes
Back in 2016 at the Cafe Carlyle, Judy Collins closed her wonderful show by sitting at the piano, alone on stage, and mesmerized us with Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne.” As we left the room and wandered out into the night we received the devastating news that Cohen had passed away that very evening. Knowing that Collins...
Rebecca Angel “For What It’s Worth”
Ken Bloom
Those of us of a certain age remember the heyday of recorded singles. Two songs on either side of a 45 rpm record with a large hole in the center. For many of us, when the hit bands and singers from the Fifties through the Sixties dropped their new single, we paid attention. They were...
Cabaret Setlist: “When I Was a Boy” — Music and lyrics by Dar Williams
Mark Dundas Wood
Repertoire for the Once and Future American Songbook Song #9 in this running series Although Dar Williams’s song “When I Was a Boy” would go on to become a signature number for her, she once apparently harbored doubts about its potential. This eloquent and extremely likable story-song might well have been laid to eternal rest...
