Happy Friday, everyone!
On Monday night, it was off to Jim Caruso's Cast Party at Birdland, as usual! Jim was in particularly rare form - he's always entertaining and always funny, but the humor was razor-sharp this week, and I found myself nearly snorting sometimes, which could have been embarrassing...but luckily I caught myself in time! And the TALENT - wow, there were some amazing people there this week! In addition to some of my favorite regulars (like folk diva Christine Lavin who treated us to a brilliant and funny new song, "Trading Up"), Clint & Kelly Holmes wowed everyone with their vocals (and Kelly actually did a Christine Lavin song!), Paige Davis (of TV's Trading Spaces), treated us to a fab "Maybe This Time," and singer/songwriter Tom Leopold (who wrote for Seinfeld and Cheers, among other sitcoms!) shared a great new tune. To wrap it all up, Birdland songbird Melissa Ward did a swingin' "It's Only A Paper Moon," and was joined by the aforementioned Clint Holmes on backup vocals (and he also did an amazing scat solo), Jonno Gasparo on trumpet, and Jim Caruso himself on vocals - so it turned into a big ol' jam-fest, which was a blast!
Tuesday evening found me at the Iridium to catch Julian Yeo and his retro-jazz band. Julian and his band perform regularly at the Time Out New York Lounge, and I do my best to catch them there when I can, so it was fun to see them in a different venue. Julian has a great, old-style crooner sound which is perfectly complemented by his "retro-jazz" band and their arrangements. Anchored by pianist/musical director Jesse Gelber, the band also features bassist Doug Largent, drummer Kevin Dorn and guitarist Nick Russo. I was there for the early set at 8:00 on Tuesday, which showcased some great standards ("How High The Moon," "You Go To My Head," and "I Get A Kick Out Of You," among others) and if you closed your eyes for a minute, you'd swear that you'd been transported in time back to the '30s or '40s and were sitting in some little jazzy dive - it was great!
Where I'm going this week...
Saturday, Feb. 28th: MAC New Face Showcase featuring performers who appear as debut artists on the preliminary ballot for the MAC Awards. The show is at 3:30 at the Reprise Room and I'll actually be hosting (yay)! Featured performers are Shannon Brown, Edd Clark, Cait Doyle, Kevin Dozier, Nicole Kafka and Stearns Matthews.
Sunday, March 1st: The Algonquin Salon - FREE singer/songwriter/musician soiree in the lobby of the famed Algonquin Hotel. Hosted by Mark Janas, with special co-host on March 1st, Broadway's Devin Richards! From 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. Get there early to sign up if you want to sing!
Monday, March 2nd: Cast Party at Birdland! Hosted by Jim Caruso, runs from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. but again, make sure you get there early to sign up if you want to sing!
Tuesday, March 3rd: Adriana McPhee at the Metropolitan Room - I've only heard this lovely songstress in snippets here and there, and am looking forward to catching her full show, Starting Here, Starting Now. Show is at 9:30 p.m.
Friday, March 6th: Ok, not *technically* cabaret, but a heck of a lot of fun - Lush and Lively with d.j. Dan Fortune at the Time Out New York Lounge. The first Friday of every month, Dan Fortune takes up residence in the TONY Lounge (which is located on 50th St. under New World Stages) and spins '60s and '60s-style lounge music. It's a fantastic place to unwind, be silly and listen to some swingin' retro tunes! He's there from 9 p.m. - midnight.
Have a great week and I'll have another update next Friday!
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