Jazz Vocalist Tawanda to Celebrate New Album SMILE at Chelsea Table + Stage in April
Tawanda will bring her unique interpretations to songs ranging from Broadway, jazz, and Brazilian, to contemporary artists such as Sting.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Mar. 10, 2023
CHELSEA TABLE + STAGE will present acclaimed vocalist Tawanda, winner of the 2020 Sarah Vaughan Vocal Jazz Competition and the 2023 Bistro Award for Jazz Vocalist - on Thursday, April 20 at 7:00 PM. Born Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim, she returns to Manhattan after her highly praised sold-out debut performance at Birdland last year. Tawanda will bring her unique interpretations to songs ranging from Broadway, jazz, and Brazilian, to contemporary artists such as Sting. This concert cerebrates Smile, her new album from Resonance Records. Tawanda will be accompanied by a trio featuring musical director and pianist Jim Ridl (Pat Martino, James Moody, Clark Terry). Tickets are $25-$55, in addition to a service charge and a two-item food and beverage minimum. A livestream option is available for $20. CHELSEA TABLE + STAGE is located at 152 West 26th Street.
Tawanda, raised New Mexico on the border with Texas, is a proud first-generation American with a mother from Germany and a father from Mozambique. Family gatherings would feature music from Cuba, the South Pacific, the Middle East, and France, with groups like The Gipsy Kings and Te Vaka providing a constant undercurrent to her early life. Other influences include Sam Mangwana, Angelique Kidjo, Brenda Fassie, and Hugh Masekela, classical composers Vivaldi and Bach, and singer/songwriters Carole King and James Taylor.
While earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree at Santa Fe University of Art and Design, she fell in love with the show tunes of George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Irving Berlin under the watchful gaze of jazz mentors Mirabai Daniels and Horace Alexander Young. Emerging from that experience as a strong powerful black woman, it is no surprise that she honors the memories of vocal greats such as Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Anita O'Day.
Always looking forward, Tawanda delves deep into the worldwide jazz scene and explores the multi-genre fusion that can be found in its paradise of riches. That desire to respect not only her peers but the origins of her name, which translates as "we are more'" in the Bantu dialect Shona, has embedded a deep-rooted desire within her to give back to those around her. There is no better affirmation of that talent than winning the 2020 Sarah Vaughan Vocal Jazz Competition, an accolade previously conferred on artists such as Cyrille Aimée, Jazzmeia Horn, and Samara Joy. Now based in Los Angeles and with a host of performances that have enthralled audiences, Tawanda is set to soar on the wings of success.
CHELSEA TABLE + STAGE, highlighting a diverse range of musical genres, is a welcome addition to the list of high-end venues on the New York performance scene, deftly balancing a glamourous interior, traditional hospitality, and top musical talent. The current lineup features a dazzling array from the worlds of pop, folk, country, soul, jazz, and much more. Providing a wide variety of upscale American menu items, with distinguished wine and bespoke cocktails, audiences will experience some of the best touring performers in the world, alongside local emerging artists. CHELSEA TABLE + STAGE melds the ambiance of a classic supper club with the acoustics of a serious listening room and a contemporary spin appealing to several generations of music lovers.
CHELSEA TABLE + STAGE opens the doors to hospitality, entertainment, and enjoyment every night, featuring state-of-the-art sound and lighting, a 10-seat in-theatre bar, lofted VIP mezzanine for private groups, and table seating for the perfect date night. The ever-changing menu and entertainment schedule means guests never have the same night twice. CHELSEA TABLE + STAGE is located at 152 West 26th Street (between Sixth and Seventh Avenues), downstairs inside the Hilton New York Fashion District. Purchase tickets at chelseatableandstage.com @chelseatableandstage
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UPCOMING MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS AT CHELSEA TABLE + STAGE
Friday, March 10 - Friday, April 14 - Friday, May 12 - Shows at 7:00 PM
Three Different Dates! Three Different Shows! Three Different Special Guests!
The award-winning songstress returns to Chelsea Table + Stage with a monthly residency titled "A Lot of Livin' to Do!" After a year on the road performing for sold-out crowds in Provincetown, Los Angeles, Fire Island, London, and beyond, Marieann will present a different show each night at the venue with special guests from the Broadway and Cabaret worlds to be announced soon.
The show, directed by WILL NUNZIATA, features music selections ranging from Broadway and American Songbook to pop and original works. Meringolo will be joined by Musical Director) Doyle Newmyer on piano, Boots Maleson on bass, and Brian Woodruff on drums.
Monday, March 13 at 7:00 PM
Amy Spanger AND FRIENDS
See Broadway powerhouse Amy Spanger in a one-night-only concert where she will belt her actual face off. This Drama Desk-nominated Broadway Baby will sing songs from her celebrated career so far, including beloved tunes by Jonathan Larson, Cole Porter, Kander & Ebb, and more. Her special guests are the brilliant Broadway veteran Brian Shepard (who also happens to be her husband), and a few other talented friends from Broadway and beyond.
Thursday, March 16 and Sunday, April 30 at 7:00 PM
WENDY SCHERL - "The Sweetness and the Sorrow: Songs of Marvin Hamlisch"
Conceived with her two main collaborators, director Barry Kleinbort and musical director, Christopher Denny, Ms. Scherl takes a vocal joyride through the catalogue of Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy and Pulitzer Prize winning composer Marvin Hamlisch, offering new takes on standards and rarities culled from his numerous Broadway shows, film scores and early pop songs. Wendy's far-reaching program includes classics like "The Way We Were" and "What I Did for Love," alongside little known gems like "Sweet Alibis" and "Two Boys" (which Hamlisch wrote with the late Peter Allen). Wendy's critically acclaimed debut album, You'll See (Harbinger Records) earned her the 2020 MAC Award for "Recording of the Year" and was named Top 10 Female Vocalist CD for 2019 by Cadence Magazine.
Friday, March 17 at 9:30 PM
RANDY EDELMAN
*Livestream Available*
Composer, conductor, and musician Randy Edelman will celebrate the soundscape of his career through a dazzling piano concert. He transports his audience with arrangements of his movie scores from Last of the Mohicans to My Cousin Vinny, and beyond. Randy will also be sharing his hit songs that have been recorded by popular artists including Barry Manilow, Patti LaBelle, Olivia Newton-John, Nelly, and others. Edelman has composed over 100 popular films including Gettysburg, 27 Dresses, Ghostbusters II, Kindergarten Cop, Twins, among others. He also created musical themes for the Olympics, ESPN, and NASA. He has shared stages with the Carpenters, Frank Zappa, Anthrax, Sister Sledge, and others. He has also written songs for Barry Manilow ("Weekend in New England), Patti LaBelle ("Isn't it A Shame"), Blood Sweat and Tears ("Blue Street"), Kool & the Gang ("Amore, Amore"), Nelly ("My Place"), and more.
Sunday, March 19 at 7:00 PM
2022 Blues Music Award Nominee
Jeremiah Johnson is a 2022 Blues Music Award nominee, with six top 10 Billboard Blues charting releases and a Ruf Records recording artist. Johnson's four-piece band has packed full of talent; with dueling guitars, dynamic keys, thunderous bass, soul-pounding drums and three-part harmonies. If you like roots, blues and rock n roll, with some southern flavors, you are going to love this show.
Monday, March 27 at 7:00 PM
*Livestream Available*
After smash-hit debut performances last year, Samantha Pauly returns with a residency show at Chelsea Table + Stage. She is best known for originating the role of Katherine Howard in Broadway's Six the Musical, as well as starring as Eva Peron in Jamie Lloyd's critically acclaimed revival of Evita on London's West End. Join Samantha as she sings everything from Broadway to pop and maybe even a country song.
Friday, March 31 at 7:00 PM
Join Billboard-charting and two-time MAC Award-winning songwriter Billy Recce (Little Black Book, A Musical About Star Wars) and a cohort of surprise guests from Broadway and beyond in a boozy, low-key evening of new music, old favorites and unabashed, unplugged queer chaos. Hailed by Broadway Radio as "the most promising songwriter I've heard in a long, long, long, time," this 2022 Jonathan Larson Grant finalist's Chelsea Table + Stage debut will introduce you to his outlandish style of musical storytelling and his singular gaggle of peers performing a set of musical theatre songs built to go down well with an Espresso Martini or two. The evening is directed by Yoni Weiss.
Thursday, April 6 at 7:00 PM
AN EVENING ON THE LANAI
"Remembering The Golden Girls" with Stan Zimmerman
It's "An Evening on the Lanai" with one of the masters behind the success of "The Golden Girls." TV writer Stan Zimmerman ("The Golden Girls," "Roseanne," "Gilmore Girls") takes us down memory lane with fun behind-the-scenes stories, little-known facts, and more with on-air personality and celebrity interviewer Alexander Rodriguez. Join in the fun as we watch clips of our favorite episodes complete with sing-alongs and trivia. How well do you know your Golden Girls? Show us your best Golden Girls look, you may just take home a St. Olaf Women of the Year award from our list of giveaways.
Monday, April 17 at 7:00 PM
THE SKIVVIES
*Livestream Available*
The Skivvies are Lauren Molina and Nick Cearley, singer/actor/musicians performing stripped down arrangements of eclectic covers and eccentric originals. Not only is the music stripped down - cello, ukulele, glockenspiel, melodica - but The Skivvies literally strip down to their underwear to perform. Molina (Broadway's Rock of Ages, Sweeney Todd, Mary Zimmerman's Candide, Marry Me a Little) and Cearley (All Shook Up, Pageant, Buyer & Cellar) met in 2003. The Skivvies were born in 2012, when they became YouTube sensations. The videos led to live shows, and now this undie-rock, comedy-pop duo continues to perform to sold-out audiences in New York and beyond.
Saturday, April 22 at 7:00 PM
NÉLIDA TIRADO FLAMENCO
Acclaimed Flamenco artist Nélida Tirado will return to the venue with a passionate and dynamic evening of traditional Flamenco music and dance through a contemporary lens, melding improvisation, emotion, "duende," singing, and guitar playing. Tickets are $32. Nélida Tirado began her formal training at Ballet Hispanico of New York at the age of six. She was invited to tour the U.S. with José Molina Bailes Españoles and work as a soloist in Carlota Santana's Flamenco Vivo, soloist/ dance captain of Compañia Maria Pages and Compañia Antonio el Pipa, performing at prestigious flamenco festivals and television in Spain and throughout France, Italy, UK, Germany and Japan. She has performed in Carmen with New York's Metropolitan Opera and was the featured flamenco star in Riverdance on Broadway and touring companies.
Friday, April 28 and Saturday, April 29 at 7:00 PM
"Setting New Standards"
*Livestream Available*
The Great American Songbook is an ever-expanding canon of musical treasures. With this new show, Carole J. Bufford mines the 2000s for musical gems that, had they been written in earlier decades, could have found themselves designated as standards and included in that canon. Expect an evening of powerhouse vocals and captivating storytelling with songs you know and love (and perhaps a few new discoveries). The show, featuring songs made famous by John Legend, Bruno Mars, Amy Winehouse, Norah Jones, Jennifer Nettles, Chris Stapleton, Melody Gardot, Duffy, Little Big Town and more, features musical director Ian Herman.
Sunday, May 14 at 7:00 PM
SIMPLY BARBRA
starring Steven Brinberg
celebrating 40 years of "YENTL" and 50 years of "THE WAY WE WERE"
*Livestream Available*
Steven Brinberg returns to Chelsea Table + Stage with the latest version of his award -winning Streisand show which has been seen in 11 countries, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Yentl as well as the 50th anniversary of The Way We Were. He toured with her friend Marvin Hamlisch and his symphony orchestras. Steven was hired by her management to perform at Donna Karan's birthday party. He has appeared in films (Camp) on TV ("Blue Bloods," "The Rosie O'Donnell Show") and released two albums.
"DRUNK KARAOKE"
Every Tuesday night from 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM
Have you ever dreamt of rocking out onstage with a live band? Lights up, the mic's hot, you're on! Join us at "Drunk Karaoke," where you are the star. Guests are encouraged to jump onstage with a four-piece band to perform from a list of pop and rock classics. The band features Peter Douskalis on lead guitar, Zach Spound on keyboard and rhythm guitar, Elmo Zapp on bass, and Brad Bailey on drums.
NO COVER
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