The Cabaret Chronicles: Aaron Weinstein, Cast Party, Iguana, and the Week Ahead!

Happy Weekend, everyone!  It's APAP (Association of Performing Arts Presenters) weekend in NYC, which means that hundreds of arts presenters from all over the world are descending upon the city in hopes of finding talent to fill their upcoming seasons.  There are all kinds of showcases going on this weekend, in all kinds of venues, so if you're looking for something to do, you'll have plenty of choices!  I'm looking forward to it - I'll be working at my own booth at the APAP conference, but I'm hoping to be able to sneak away and take in a few showcases that are taking place onsite! 

This past week, I eased myself back into the busy NYC nightlife scene by kicking things off with a terrific doubleheader at Birdland on Monday evening!  Up first was young jazz violin virtuoso Aaron Weinstein who blew the sold-out house away!  In his early 20s, but possessing talent and poise that outshine many a seasoned professional, Mr. Weinstein has already made quite a name for himself in the jazz world, having performed and/or recorded with such legends as Dick Hyman, Les Paul, Houston Person, John Pizzarelli, Bucky Pizzarelli and Annie Ross.  Monday evening was his solo concert debut, and here's hoping there will be more to come soon!  In addition to his incredibly musical talent, Mr. Weinstein also possesses a terrific sense of humor, so the show was sprinkled with a number of "bits" that, in combination with the music, made this one of the best shows I've seen in recent memory!  In addition to showing off his incredible jazz chops on well-loved songs such as "Cheek to Cheek," "If I Were A Bell," and "Someone To Watch Over Me," he also treated the attentive audience to some terrific mandolin playing on several tunes ("Last Night When We Were Young," "A Sleepin' Bee," "It's Only A Paper Moon" and "Don't Like Goodbyes").  And if all THAT wasn't enough, he brought in two of the most celebrated and influential jazz vocalists of the last century, Janis Siegel (founding member of The Manhattan Transfer) and John Hendricks (of the legendary vocal group Lambert, Hendricks and Ross) to do a few tunes with him.  Backed by Tedd Firth on piano and Steve LaSpina on bass, Mr. Weinstein put on a simply phenomenal show - here's hoping he does another solo concert soon!! 

After Mr. Weinstein's show, I stayed at Birdland and enjoyed yet another terrific Cast Party!  Hosted by the always-charming Jim Caruso, this weekly open mic is THE Monday night destination for all kinds of singers, songwriters and other talented folks!  This Monday night was no exception - audience members were treated to a smorgasbord of talent, including the fabulous Klea Blackhurst, jazz diva Hilary Kole, folk goddess Christine Lavin (whose friend, Neil Schulman, also treated us to a great original song!), the aforementioned Aaron Weinstein, and cabaret favorites Sue Matsuki and Karen Oberlin!  Also, for the first time EVER at Birdland, there was a classical piano playing mime (who also has one of the best names I've ever heard), Kate Awesome!  It was a fun, fun night - looking forward to seeing what next week's Cast Party brings! 

On Wednesday evening, I headed over to the Iguana for the weekly singers' showcase, aptly named Wednesday Night at the Iguana!  Hosted by Richard Skipper and Dana Lorge, this weekly event has attracted a great following of performers and non-performers alike, and each week features 5 or 6 "featured performers," each of whom performs a 3-song set.  The rest of the slots in the three hour show are filled in by pre-planned special guests (who perform one song each) and, if time allows, other singers from the audience, whose names are randomly drawn out of a hat!  Part variety show, part showcase, part open mic, the show is never the same twice!  This week's "featured performers" were Kelly Esposito-Broelmann (my sister!), Marya Zimmet, Travis Moser, J. Michael Reeds, and Jack Di Monte.  Each of them did a terrific job, and it was a really special treat for me to watch my sister performing!  I also very much enjoyed husband-and-wife team David Alpher and Jennie Litt, who performed one of David's original tunes, "Two Apples," an enchanting song which tells the story of two apples growing up together on the same branch of a tree!  Richard Skipper and Dana Lorge were fabulous hosts, and Barry Levitt and John Miller (on piano and bass, respectively) did a great job of backing up the various guests.  Overall, a quite enjoyable night!

That's all I managed to squeeze in this week; check back next Saturday for a new article!            

Where I'm going this week...  

Sunday, January 10^th:  I'll be at The Metropolitan Room for my own show!  Yes, I'm bringing my Connie Francis tribute, Jenna Esposito Sings Connie Francis, back, and I couldn't be more excited about it!

Monday, January 11^th:  Cast Party at Birdland.  Hosted by Jim Caruso, this fantastic open mic runs from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.  Be sure to arrive early to sign up if you plan to sing! 

Thursday, January 14^th:  Leslie Orofino in her newest show, Red Hot and Blues, which celebrates the songs of Alberta Hunter, Eartha Kitt, Peggy Lee, Carolyn Leigh, Sophie Tucker and other sassy ladies - sounds like fun to me!

Pictured: Aaron Weinstein, Janis Siegel and John Hendricks.  Photo by Steve Sorokoff.

 

 

 

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