Review: Vocalist & Trumpeter Brian Newman Is Mesmerizing at Café Carlyle

Brian Newman, a Creative & Musical Director, Grammy-winning producer, bandleader, trumpetist and vocalist from New York City, kicked off his latest residency at Café Carlyle on Tuesday February 25, 2025. The audience in the packed-out room enjoyed a lovely evening of song and fine dining at the famed Café Carlyle. Newman and his impeccable band, featuring Steve Kortyka on saxophone, Nolan Byrd on drums, Daniel Foose on bass, and Alex Smith on piano, played a night of transcendent, joyful music. Newman’s ease and comfort on stage provided a warm atmosphere, making the Carlyle’s venerated space feel as intimate as if he was playing a private concert in his own living room. His admiration for the space was clear – he joked that it was more nerve-wracking playing at the “hallowed” Carlyle than for an audience of 6,000 alongside Lady Gaga. However, if he was nervous, he didn’t show it. He looked completely at ease in the grand room amid the iconic murals by Ludwig Bemelmans. He transferred that comfort to the audience. At various points in the night he encouraged the audience to sing along, saying that he wanted everyone’s voice on the live album he was recording across the three-night residency, which plays its final show tonight. I’ve seen many performers try to start singalongs that never quite get off, a too-shy audience, but Newman’s selection of crowd-pleasers and his easy way seemed to make people instantly comfortable. Throughout the night, he bantered with the crowd, settling most often on a 14-year-old trumpet player named after Miles Davis. “You have to come to the other two shows so we can do this again there, since it’s going so well,” he joked.

Whether or not this arrangement came to fruition, I have no doubt that Newman made the other two shows memorable in their own way. His quick wit brought the night to an extra level, keeping the jokes coming with easy back-and-forths about things like the traffic on Staten Island. Introducing an Elvis Presley number, he addressed the 14-year-old: “Now if you don’t know who Elvis is...”

Newman is an electric performer, with a full-throated voice rivaling his mentor Tony Bennett’s and an energetic, masterful trumpeter. He played a selection of Great American Songbook classics, plus a few more that belong in “his” version of the Great American Songbook: modern classics by the likes of Willie Nelson, Sting and Tom Waits. The band backed him with jazzy renditions of these classics, getting to show off their stuff in deftly placed solos sprinkled throughout the night. He deconstructed the tunes of some of the most familiar songs in the selection, with delightfully surprising jazz-inspired arrangements of songs like “I Get a Kick Out of You” and “Hello Young Lovers.”

Towards the end of the night, he played the most recently written number in the entire show, “Mr. Brightside” and invited the audience to sing along on the chorus. By this point, everyone was really in the groove, and enthusiastically joined in on the well-known chorus. Newman came off throughout the night like a genuinely warm person, sharing well-placed personal anecdotes (and even shouting out his in-laws, who were there that night). After the show, he invited anyone who wanted to join him for a drink at the adjacent Bemelmans Bar.

Watching Newman and his band, it’s easy to see what drew legendary performers like Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars to working with him. He alternated between indefatigable singing and trumpeting, his fingers flew across the keys, and he did it all while keeping a careful eye on the temperature of the room and giving the audience exactly what they needed. I look forward to listening to his album once it debuts. I don't know if you can bottle the magic of seeing him perform live at the Carlyle, but if it comes even close, it's sure to be a superb recording.

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Learn more about Brian Newman on his website at www.briannewman.com

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