The Cabaret Chronicles: Terese Genecco, Bernie Bierman's Bday Bash and More!
By: Jenna Esposito Aug. 29, 2009
Hello and Happy Saturday!
It's been another week of fabulous NYC entertainment, beginning with Jim Caruso's Cast Party on Monday, August 24th. Jim was just back from Paris, and he was in rare form as he presented an amazing lineup of talent including 17-year old Charlie Puth, who blew everyone away with his jazzy piano rendition of "All The Things You Are" (no wonder he has received a 4-year scholarship to Berklee College of Music!); singer/songwriter Ben Daniels, who treated us to an original tune; the fabulous Billy Stritch, who did an amazing, moody "Blues In The Night;" and Tony DeSare, who brought the house down with his "Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You." Tedd Firth and Steve Doyle provided excellent accompaniment on piano and bass, respectively, and everyone had a fantastic time!
The following night, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel on open mics and piano bars, which ended up being a lot of fun! The panelists included the aforementioned Jim Caruso and Tedd Firth, along with Peter Napolitano and Mark Janas of the Algonquin Salon and the Oak Room Salon; piano bar pianist Joe Regan; and vocalist Lisa Asher, who has, at some time or another, worked at just about every piano bar in town! There was a great turnout, and the attendees were clued into some expert advice on what to do and what not to do at open mics and piano bars, as well as tips on how best to present themselves. After the seminar, I headed over to the Iridium to catch Terese Genecco & Her Little Big Band in their second set of the evening. I hadn't been to see them in a while, and, as always, I ended up having a terrific time. High energy, great songs, terrific arrangements...all-around fabulous entertainment! She had two terrific additions to the "little big band" this time around: Sean Harkness on guitar and Myra Casales on Latin percussion. One of the standout moments of the night was when the entire band, with the exception of Ms. Casales, left the stage and Terese did a tour-de-force medley of all of the men's songs from West Side Story, accompanied only by the conga-playing of Ms. Casales. Truly remarkable! Another special treat was Terese's "opening act," Scott Barbarino and the Bev Naps, who treated us to a few great tunes, including "Sea Cruise," "I Like It Like That," and "You Belong To Me." Truly, an entertaining night!
Wednesday evening found me at the birthday celebration of songwriter Bernie Bierman, who just turned 101! The room was filled with all kinds of wonderful singers and musicians, as well as a number of Bernie's friends and family members. Bernie's songs have been recorded by some of the 20th century's best singers, including Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Billy Eckstine, Harry James, Guy Lombardo, Sammy Kaye and Xavier Cougat and on hand to celebrate him in song on Wednesday evening were some pretty amazing 21st century entertainers, including KT Sullivan, Frank Basile, Michelle Pirret, Marieanne Meringolo, Cynthia Crane, Marty Silver, and Steve Ross! Also in attendance were luminaries Celeste Holm and Julie Wilson, as well as the incredible Klea Blackhurst! The birthday boy himself treated us to a few numbers, including a special parody of "Makin' Whoopee" that he'd cooked up for the occasion. What a special night - I'm thrilled to have been a part of it!
On Thursday evening, I headed over to the Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel for the second-to-last Summer Oak Room Salon! Created by the same team behind the Algonquin Salon (Mark Janas, founder/host and Peter Napolitano, executive producer), the Oak Room Salon features a different co-host and a special guest star each week, as well as a singer in the "Advisor's Spotlight," who is chosen by the Salon's artistic advisor, Roy Sander. This week, the guest co-host was Bistro-Award winner Susan Winter, who did a fantastic job of emcee-ing, in addition to knocking it out of the park on her solo numbers! Lennie Watts was the guest star this week, and brought the house down with his four-song set which included a bluesy "Early In The Morning," a rousing "Blue Skies," a beautiful rendition of "It Goes Like It Goes," and a great medley of "That's Life" and "Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries." Aaron Lee Battle did a terrific job in the Advisors' Spotlight, treating us to his renditions of "Dreamscape" and "Crowded Island," and was accompanied by the talented Erik James for his set. The rest of the evening was filled with tons o' talented folks, including Mark Levy, Sue Matsuki, Matthew Ward, Maureen Taylor, Gretchen Reinhagen, and Janice Hall, among others. Another terrific night!
That's all for this past week, but check for a new article next Saturday!
Where I'm going this week...
Today - Saturday, August 29th: Klea Blackhurst in Everything The Traffic Will Allow. Klea's acclaimed tribute to Ethel Merman is playing at the Snapple Theater Center and I can't wait to see it! Show starts at 5 p.m. and tickets are available through www.ticketmaster.com.
Monday, September 1st: Cast Party at Birdland. Hosted by Jim Caruso, this fantastic open mic runs from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. but make sure you get there early to sign up if you want to sing!
Thursday, September 3rd: KT Sullivan at Kathleen Downey's Granite Room. This well-loved cabaret diva lends her lovely voIce To a new venue. Singing unamplified, with accompaniment by pianist John Weber, KT is sure to give this room a splendid christening! Show starts at 8 p.m., doors open for dinner at 6:30 p.m.
Friday, September 4th: MetroJam at the Metropolitan Room! This monthly open mic (which I have the pleasure of hosting) features a terrific house band (John DiPinto on piano, Ritt Henn on bass and Bobby Sher on drums) and a different guest star every month! This month's special guest is singer/songwriter/folk goddess Christine Lavin - I can't wait! Sign-in begins at 9:30 p.m., open mic begins at 10 p.m.
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