CD Review: The Chris Saunders Band’s “Dancing with the Widow St. James”

Lisa Jo Sagolla
Multi-hyphenates are not uncommon on the cabaret scene.  Yet while singer-songwriters who also play piano or guitar are easily found, a multi-gifted artist like Chris Saunders is unusual.  Hailing from the San Francisco Bay area, he’s an exquisite trumpeter who also sings and composes in blues, soul, and Latin jazz styles.  His band’s latest CD,...

Club Review: André De Shields’ “Black by Popular Demand (A Musical Meditation on How Not To Be Eaten by The Sphinx)”

Penelope Thomas
Three women emerged silently in low light from the back of the house; winding between café tables, eyes scanning the horizon, parasols aloft; the pianist and percussionist shimmered a soundscape for them as they made their way to the stage; everyone had a hat. Freida Williams and André De Shields (Photo: Lia...

Club Review: Tina Scariano’s “Feels Like Home”

Gerry Geddes
Tina Scariano Tina Scariano has a terrific voice with a pleasingly effective vibrato.  It would not be out of the realm of possibility to imagine her one day being feted like the artists she featured in Feels Like Home, her new show at The Green Room 42.  Therefore, it was most disappointing...

Club Review: Alex Leonard and The Sutton Place Trio

Penelope Thomas
Alex Leonard “What Is This Thing Called Love?” is a deceptively simple 1929 Cole Porter tune that alternates major and minor chords, and is a perennial favorite of jazz musicians. Pianist and singer Alex Leonard set it up as a ballad, sliding in on lead vocals for the first verse, then...

Club Review: Daryl Sherman Trio

Gerry Geddes
Start with the tastiest collection of songs to be heard in NYC, add three brilliant musicians at the top of their game, mix in the warm, inviting vocals of an icon of the city’s music scene, add one of New York’s most cozily elegant rooms, and top it all off with a 1,000-watt smile, and...

CD Review: Judy Wexler’s “Back to the Garden”

Lisa Jo Sagolla
Los Angeles-based jazz singer Judy Wexler’s delectable new CD, “Back to the Garden,” comprises timely re-imaginings of 10 iconic pop-rock hits of the 1960s.  It’s an enlightening and therapeutic album as, from each of its familiar songs, Wexler draws out still-relevant messages and sentiments that help us both understand and cope with our contemporary political...

Concert Review: Dianne Reeves Meets the Bill Charlap Trio

Gerry Geddes
The famed jazz singer, Dianne Reeves returned to performing at the 92nd Street Y with the Bill Charlap Trio as a part of Charlap’s Jazz in July series.  It was her second post-pandemic concert after a year and a half of lockdown and quarantine.  There was sense of anticipation in the packed audience as they awaited...

Club Review: Tessa Souter

Lisa Jo Sagolla
Tessa Souter While her strong suits are her highly original sense of rhythm and acute use of surprising accents, jazz singer Tessa Souter ensnares listeners by embedding abundant emotion in every tone she produces.  Yet her intense expressivity is not text-driven.  She doesn’t parse lyrics to stress meanings of specific words,...

Club Review: Sally Wilfert “How Did I End Up Here?”

Gerry Geddes
By the end of How Did I End Up Here, Sally Wilfert’s new show at Feinstein’s/54 Below, the audience wasn’t really interested in the answer to the title’s question, they were just so delighted to be there sharing in the good will and spectacular singing.  The show was classic, old-school cabaret—just voice, piano and well-chosen...

Club Review: Kate Baker

Gerry Geddes
There is a lot of speculation about how (and which) clubs will make it through the pandemic and bring night life back to the city.  There is less talk about how performers get back into shape after a year and a half of forced inactivity; that, too, is an area of concern.  From what I...