The Broadway At Birdland Concert Series Presents NEW YORK OLD FRIEND, The Songs Of Ken Laub
By: Stephi Wild Jun. 16, 2018
Birdland Jazz Club will present New York, Old Friend-The Songs of Ken Laub, a celebration of the sights, scenes and relationships in New York City, for one night only as part of the "Broadway at Birdland" concert series, on Monday, June 25, 2018 @7pm.
New York is the greatest city in the world. It never sleeps, and it never tires. What better way to celebrate this than through music? Native New Yorker Ken Laubhas penned a collection of songs that capture the heart and soul, the sights and sounds of the city, that evoke many reactions - from those who live and work here - as well as from those who visit for a day, a week, or longer. New York, Old Frienddescribes the human experience of being in New York City, and one can't help but see in their mind's eye the images the songs arouse.
New York, Old Friendwill feature the songs of Ken Laub, with special performances by Natalie Douglas, Clint Holmes, Nicolas King,andVeronica Swift. Musical Director Tedd Firthwill accompany on piano with theDiva Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Sherrie Maricle.
New York, Old Friendplays Birdland Jazz Club (315 West 44thStreet) on Monday, June 25 @ 7pm. There is a $40cover charge and a $25food and beverage minimum. Tickets and information are available at www.birdlandjazz.com or by calling (212) 381-5080.
Ken Laub has been a composer and lyricist of over 150 songs, primarily about relationships, observations of life and New York City. He's been a producer, co-producer or investor for The Wiz, Barnum, Slow Dance on The Killing Ground, Break A Leg, and The Second Greatest Entertainer In The Whole Wide World. Some other notable performances have been Priceless(Becket Theater), "The 25th Anniversary of the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall," and "Love'n New York" at Cabaret/Jazz at The Smith Center in Las Vegas.
Natalie Douglas has been hailed "a true force of nature," and "in a league of her own," by Clive Davis of The Times(UK) in his TWO five-star reviews of two different London appearances. Ms. Douglas is a Nightlife, two-time Backstage Bistro & ten-time MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs) Award Winner and recipient of the Donald F. Smith & Margaret Whiting Awards from the Mabel Mercer Foundation. Natalie's portrait also hangs on the legendary Birdland Jazz Club Wall of Fame. Her performances have brought crowds to their feet across the U.S. (Carnegie Hall, Birdland, Café Carlyle, Herbst Theatre, Thalian Hall and Jazz at Lincoln Center's Appel Room) and the world (The UK, Germany, Italy, Montenegro, Greece, Corsica, Turkey, Monaco, Argentina and Mexico) with many different concerts featuring tributes to Nina Simone, Lena Horne, Nat King Cole, Sammy Davis, Jr., Stevie Nicks & Stevie Wonder, Dame Shirley Bassey, Barbra Streisand and Dolly Parton, as well as shows about Cafe Society, the music of the 70's and 80's, songs of various civil rights movements and gospel influenced jazz and blues. Natalie's much anticipated third album, "Human Heart," released at Birdland in March 2016 and her first two CDs, "To Nina...Live At Birdland" and "Not That Different," are available on iTunes, Amazon.com, Spotify, GooglePlay and on this site via PayPal. She also appears on Fine and Dandyfor PS Classics and Broadway By The Year: 1940on Bayview Records. She is a great favorite of broadcasters and her music is often featured on NPR and Sirius XM Radio & BBCLondon Radio. As an actor, she has appeared in 18 editions of "The Atrainplays," (a 24-hour birth to performance event) at The Neighborhood Playhouse, The Peter Sharp Theatre and New World Stages and off-Broadway in "The People vs. Mona," by the writers of Pumpboys & Dinettes. She appeared in the horror film, "The Camera's Eye," ABC's "Cupid" and can be seen with her gorgeous husband showing off the good education her parents paid for on The Discovery Channel's "Cash Cab." Natalie is a Visiting Artist specializing in numerous diversity workshops that she conducts all over the U.S. for public and private schools, as well as devoting attention to individual study & workshops with actors & singers of every age. Natalie is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of USC with a Magna Cum Laude Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology with certificates in Theatre and Women's Studies and holds a Master's Degree in Psychology from UCLA.
Clint Holmes is a consummate entertainer, performer, recording artist, and one of the country's finest vocalists. Whether he is singing selections from the Great American Songbook, contemporary classics, or stirring original pieces, every performance is a one-of-a-kind mesmerizing and unforgettable experience. The son of an African-American jazz musician and a classically-trained British opera singer, Clint was raised with the best of two musical worlds. His 40-plus year career has taken him to the top of the charts, to concert halls, on TV screens, and also cemented his legacy as a veritable Las Vegas institution. His big break came in 1972 when he released "Playground In My Mind," a song that stayed for 23 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 1986 to 1988, he served as Joan Rivers' sidekick and announcer on FOX's "The Late Show." He was also a musical feature and event correspondent for "Entertainment Tonight," and as the host of his own Emmy Award-winning talk/variety show. Since his move to Las Vegas, Clint has become a favorite in the Las Vegas community as well as a major star in the entertainment arena. From 2000 to 2006, he headlined at his "Clint Holmes Theater" at Harrah's - performances from his theater airing as specials on PBS and IN DEMAND. He released a DVD of his live performance at the Clint Holmes Theater at Harrah's, which debuted nationwide via IN DEMAND on July 7, 2001. He launched the Clint Holmes Foundation for the Performing Arts, which benefits children in art and music programs in the area. He was selected as "Best Kept Secret" by Las Vegas Life Magazine, and "Best Singer" (two years in a row), "Best All-Around Las Vegas Performer" and "Favorite Male Las Vegan." From 2012 through 2017, Holmes was honored to serve as the Artist-In-Residence at Cabaret Jazz in the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, a world-class performing arts center in Las Vegas, where he performed a new show each month to sell-out crowds. In 2017, he was awarded the distinct honor of 2017 Casino Entertainer of the Year. Now, in 2018, Holmes received the highest honor with 2 Grammy nominations from his latest album, Rendezvous. Produced by eight-time Grammy Award-winner Gregg Field, the sophisticated album offers a diverse playlist that reinterprets modern day and classic pop hits, soulful R&B, theatrical tunes, and numbers culled from the Great American Songbook. Currently, Clint is performing in the show SOUNDTRACK: Your Songs. Our Stories combining his talents with Las Vegas Male Vocalist of the Year Earl Turner. Their unique energy, voices, humor and life experiences bring new life to the soundtrack music of our lives, paying tribute to greats such as Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, and Prince, as well as Las Vegas legends, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. Beyond his comfortable tenor, perhaps what has endeared Holmes to the people of Las Vegas is his never-ending spirit of graciousness. He has become involved with several worthwhile causes in the community such as JDRF, Candlelighters, ROB Reachout, Shadetree, St. Jude's, and various cultural event. Following a brief battle with cancer, he is currently serving as a spokesman for the American Cancer Society.
Nicolas King has been performing since age 4. He was seen first on Broadway in 'Beauty & The Beast', then in 'A Thousand Clowns' opposite Tom Selleck, and 'Hollywood Arms' directed by Hal Prince, all before age 13. Other credits include 8 consecutive annual performances on The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, 'The View', 'Today' show, 'Liza & David', 'Sally Jesse Raphael' and twice on 'The Tonight Show' with Jay Leno. Other career highlights include originating the role of "Oscar" on Discovery Kids' "Kenny The Shark", as well as over two dozen national Television commercials. His 'Oscar Mayer Lunchables' commercial went international and won the Golden Marble Award in 1998. Nicolas went on the road with his mentor Liza Minnelli to perform as her opening act from 2002-2012. The Mabel Mercer Foundation awarded Nicolas their coveted 'Julie Wilson Award' at the 2010 Cabaret Convention at Lincoln Center. He's the recipient of the 1995 Talent America Award, 2012 BISTRO Award for Outstanding Performer of the Year, 2015 AMG Heritage Award for Artist of the Year, as well as receiving a Grammy consideration for his latest album, "Nineteen" with jazz great Mike Renzi (available now on CDbaby, Apple iTunes and other music retailers.)
Veronica Swift In the summer of 2016 she headlined at the Telluride Jazz Festival, her 10th appearance there - but her first as a headliner. She first appeared there at age 10 with Dave Adams' Young Razzcals Jazz Project and the great saxophonist Richie Cole and later she sang a duet with the featured artist, Paquito d'Rivera. Veronica finished her undergraduate degree (BM in Jazz Voice) at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami in December 2016, where she was a full scholarship student. It was after that that she moved to New York City, where she was almost immediately started performing every Saturday night at the legendary Birdland Jazz Club, a gig she continues to maintain when she isn't on the road. Veronica has been on tour with her parents, renowned jazz pianist Hod O'Brien and celebrated jazz singer and educator/author Stephanie Nakasian. She has appeared on stage with Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross, Esperanza Spalding, Joe Lovano, Bob Dorough, Kim Nazarian, Danilo Perez, and others. With her family she has appeared at The Great Waters Music Festival in NH, Blues Alley Jazz Club in DC, the Jazz Standard in NYC, the Jazz Cruise, and for the New Jersey and Hilton Head Jazz Societies. Veronica recorded two CDs as a child - one at age 9 with Richie Cole and her father's rhythm section and her mother, and one at age 13 with saxophonist Harry Allen. Her 2015 Album "Lonely Woman" features some of the hottest young jazz players on the scene including Emmet Cohen, Benny Bennack III, Daryl Johns (with whom she shared the Grammy Choir/Band experience), Matt Wigler, and Scott Lowrie. In addition to performing the Great American Songbook and Bebop and Vocalese classics, Veronica is also a passionate devotee of 20s and 30s music and has sung with Vince Giordano, Terry Waldo, and Drew Nugent. Veronica will record her next album for release this year, which will feature the great pianist Benny Green and his trio.
The Diva Jazz Orchestra attracts multi-generational audiences, offering everything from jazz standards, swing and pop music, to classical standards rewritten for modern times. The band's music is fresh and soulful -transporting audiences who cannot help but "swing" into their unique and vibrant world. DIVA is a powerful blend of musical genius and bold personalities. The band, based in New York City, is led by the extraordinarily talented drummer, Dr. Sherrie Maricle, jazz artist, composer, teacher and music director. Drawing on a broad range of experiences, DIVA's brilliant band members compose and play different genres of music; many play several instruments, and all bring an unbridled, compelling energy to their performances. Arrangements are written exclusively for DIVA by band members or prestigious composers and comprise a library of more than 400 songs. DIVA has recorded over 12 albums, including the critically-acclaimed Johnny Mandel: The Man and his Music, recorded live at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola and conducted by Mandel himself. Other DIVA recordings include Live From Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club Coca- Cola, featuring vocalist Carmen Bradford (2008); TNT - Tommy Newsom Tribute, a compilation of charts the late Mr. Newsom arranged exclusively for DIVA (2005); Live in Concert (2002); I Believe in You(1999); Leave It To DIVA (1997); and Something's Coming (1995). Visit the "Sounds" page for track lists and audio samples. DIVA has enjoyed International appearances at Le Meridien Hotel in Paris, France; Teatro de Sistina in Rome, Italy; the Berlin Jazz Festival in Germany; Salzburg Music Festival in Austria; Bern Jazz Festival in Switzerland; Montreal and Ottawa International Jazz Festivals in Canada; Bogota International Jazz Festival in Colombia; Jamaica Jazz Festival; Zagreb Jazz Festival in Croatia; and the Pori Jazz Festival in Finland. They've played the National Anthem at Yankee Stadium and have been featured many times on CNN "Art's Break" and on "CBS Sunday Morning" with Charles Osgood, and been honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame with James Brown, James Taylor, and John Denver.
Tedd Firth Raised in a musical family, Tedd began playing the piano at an early age and started taking lessons when he was five. Tedd's jazz piano studies began as a teenager with Lee Shaw in Albany, NY. Following graduation from Hudson Falls High School in 1994, Tedd attended William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ, receiving a BM in jazz piano performance in 1998. He went on to receive a MM degree in jazz piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music in 2000. While in college, Tedd began laying the groundwork for his professional career as a musician. Over the last 20 years Tedd has become one of the first-call pianists in the New York City area for performance and recording work in several styles. In particular, specializing as an accompanist for vocalists, he has appeared in concert many times with some of the brightest stars on Broadway and the biggest names in the jazz world including: Barbara Cook, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Maureen McGovern, Michael Feinstein, Marilyn Maye, Tom Wopat, Joshua Bell, Elaine Paige, Tony DeSare, Linda Lavin, Christine Ebersole, Lucie Arnaz, Lee Ann Womack, Faith Prince, John Schneider, Melissa Errico, Karen Akers, Mary Cleere Haran, Margaret Whiting, Carol Sloane and Jennifer Roberts. New York appearances include Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Blue Note, Birdland, the Iridium, the Algonquin, the Cafe Carlyle and Feinstein's/54 Below. Numerous national appearances include a performance at the White House. As an arranger/orchestrator, Tedd's work has been performed by most major American symphony orchestras as well as Bernadette Peters and Liza Minnelli. Television appearances include "The Today Show," "Live From Lincoln Center" and "All My Children."
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