Livestream Review: Dawn Derow “Gypsy in My Soul—The Music of Eydie Gormé”
Ken Bloom
After more than a year’s drought, cabarets are finally reopening. And that’s very good news. I wasn’t able to get to Birdland to see Dawn Derow in her show Gypsy in My Soul—the Music of Eydie Gormé, but I was able to stream it the very next night. Obviously, streaming can’t compare to sitting in...
CD Review: Sarah Moule “Stormy Emotions”
Gerry Geddes
Sometimes, listening to a brand new CD can be like discovering the pot of gold at the end of the proverbial rainbow, and that is just how I felt listening to the latest release from British jazz vocalist Sarah Moule. Stormy Emotions consists of 12 songs by lyricist Fran Landesman and composer/pianist Simon Wallace, including 10...
CD Review: Amber Weekes’s “‘Round Midnight — Re-Imagined”
Gerry Geddes
Singer Amber Weekes’s newest release, ‘Round Midnight — Re-Imagined, has a classic, lived-in feel that allows the listener to luxuriate in its style, its romance, its intelligence, and its sheer musical richness while enjoying the rich storytelling and the trove of surprises to be found in its tracks. There is quite a lot of backstory and factual...
Club Review: Bossa Tap Trio
Gerry Geddes
In 1952, the iconic star Fred Astaire recorded a multi-album set of the classic songs he had introduced or featured over the previous decades. Norman Granz, the producer, surrounded the song & dance man with legendary musicians from Jazz at the Philharmonic, with Oscar Peterson on piano. The songs were, of course, immaculately sung, but the...
Cabaret Setlist: “Blue Skies” — Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
Mark Dundas Wood
Repertoire for the Once and Future American Songbook Article #15 in this ongoing series. The simple-yet-engaging standard “Blue Skies” has the distinction of being the most successful Irving Berlin number ever to debut in a Rodgers & Hart musical. It’s not clear exactly when Berlin had begun composing the song, but, according to biographer Lawrence Bergreen, the...
Seven Artists Discuss Performing in Cabaret and in Musical Theatre
Simi Horwitz
What Are the Differences? Do They Prefer One Over the Other? Does Each Serve the Artist in Different Ways? Some cabaret-cum-musical theatre performers equivocate, but most, at least among those I interviewed, suggest that any performer who does cabaret can do musical theatre whereas the reverse may not true. In fact, cabaret hones your acting...
Now You’ll Know: Rick Pender’s “The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia”
Mark Dundas Wood
All right, so you’ve read pretty much everything that’s ever been written about American songwriter Stephen Sondheim, and you’re thinking: Why on earth would I need to have something called The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia? Let’s put your Sondheim knowledge to the test with three questions (no Googling allowed!): Who was originally hired to play Fredrik...
Cabaret Setlist: Springing Forward with Three Songs of Hope and Happiness
Mark Dundas Wood
Repertoire for the Once and Future American Songbook Article #14 in this ongoing series In the most recent installments of “Cabaret Setlist,” we’ve looked at the brilliant-but-dark “Lush Life” and the splendid-but sad “When October Goes.” I love these musical explorations of anguish and heartbreak, but I realize they’re not the only sorts of songs...
PETULA CLARK to Receive the 2021 Bob Harrington Lifetime Achievement Award at the 36th Bistro Awards Special Event
BistroAwards
The premiere screening will take place on Friday, April 30 at 8 pm; details on how to access the event are forthcoming. Photo: Pip/BMG (New York, NY, March 22, 2021)—Internationally acclaimed singer, songwriter, recording artist, and actress Petula Clark will be honored at the 36th annual Bistro Awards on Friday, April 30. This...
CD Review: Jane Monheit —”Come What May”
Gerry Geddes
Jane Monheit’s latest release, Come What May, is a timeless collection of standards. The terrific orchestrations, including gorgeously utilized strings courtesy of Wayne Haun, the tasteful song selection and vocals displaying heart, brains, and accomplished musicality add up to an album that is as fresh as tomorrow while achieving a classic sound that would have...
