Photos: Highlights from JEFF HARNAR SINGS SAMMY CAHN THE SECOND TIME AROUND

Review by Stephen Sorokoff:

When you dine in a great restaurant anything on the menu is bound to be a wonderful adventure.  The same can be correspondingly said about Jeff Harnar.  Whatever this veteran cabaret artist serves up for a cabaret show can be counted on to be an exceptional musical event.  So it was last night at 54 Below for Jeff Harnar Sings Sammy Cahn The Second Time Around.

Cahn was the legendary lyricist who had 26 Academy Award nominations, 4 Oscars, an Emmy, and wrote many hits for Doris Day, Dean Martin, The Andrew Sisters, Julie Andrews, Mario Lanza, and others, plus put more words in the mouth of Frank Sinatra than any other songwriter. Jeff, together with his long-time musical director/arranger/pianist Alex Rybeck, and director extraordinaire Barry Kleinbort gave a musical tour de force that Sammy Cahn would have been proud of.  The Cahn family in attendance couldn’t have been more thrilled to hear these iconic lyrics come to life with that special Harnar elegance. For this evening Jeff had special guests Eric Comstock, Sally Mayes, and MOIPEI to “Come Fly With Him." Harnar will perform the show again tonight on July 27; at tonight's show, guests Clint Holmes and Nicole Zuratis will be going musically  “All The Way” with Jeff.

Jeff Harnar consistently presents exquisite, flawless, and well-planned musical adventures, and I couldn’t help recalling an incident last year at Jeff’s Sondheim show.  Stephen Holden, the esteemed NY Times critic (retired), was sitting at our table and as the last note sounded, remarked ”this is the greatest cabaret show I’ve ever attended” ... Well, this Stephen (semi-retired) puts the Jeff Harnar Sammy Cahn show on his list of great musical evenings.

Jeff Harnar first visited the music of Sammy Cahn with a CD 24 years ago and this re-visit was masterly done and is available on a new CD appropriately titled Jeff Harnar Sings Sammy Cahn..The Second Time Around.

The show featured Steve Doyle on Bass, Ray Marchica on Drums, Marc Phaneuf on sax and flute, and Music Director Alex Rybeck on piano

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Tickets to tonight's show are available on 54 Below's website. (The show is also being livestreamed.) 

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