Review: LYN STANLEY's CD Release Party for INTERLUDES a Lush Evening of Entertainment
By: Don Grigware Jan. 18, 2016
(performance photo credit: Windy Wagner)
On Friday January15 internationally renowned jazz vocalist Lyn Stanley brought her CD release party for her latest hit album Interludes to the beautiful Art Deco La Cicada Club in downtown Los Angeles. It was a lush evening of jazz with a fabulous onstage orchestra of seasoned musicians and some delightful singing and dancing guest stars.
The stage for the show was angled against the long staircase which goes from the restaurant to the second floor lounge, and gave a wonderful chance for terrific performer entrances and exits including two delightful Show Dancers Felipe and Catarina, who danced up and down the staircase innumerable times during the 100-minute evening..
Highlights of the night included many popular songs from Interludes: "It Was Just One of Those Things", "Nice 'n Easy", the haunting "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", with Felipe and Catarina in great form dancing around the floor in front of the stage, "In a Sentimental Mood", the diva-ishly vengeful "I Was a Little Too Lonely", the rarely heard "Last Tango in Paris", "Don't Explain" and my favorite, her mother's favorite and in her finest hour "More Than You Know". From her first album Lost in Romance there was an entrancing "Fever"; from her second album Potions Songs from the 50s: the catchy "Love Potion # 9" and "I'm Hoping You'll Come Back to Me". There was also a special tribute up front to David Bowie, who left us this past week, "Space Oddity" played beautifully by musical director Mike Garson, who had worked with Bowie for many years.
Other fantastic members of the orchestra included: Chuck Berghofer on bass, who had a whole segment of the show by himself talking about his career with Carol Burnett, Peggy Lee, and Julie London and Bobby Troupe. He essayed one of Troupe's delightful tunes "Three Bears". Also onstage: Paul Kreibich on drums, the incredible Alan Kaplan on trombone, Cecilia Tsan on cello, Brad Dutz on percussion and the sensational Hendrik Meurkens on harmonica. Let's not forget guest pianist and arranger for Stanley Steve Rawlins, on hand to accompany singing guest legend Annette Warren Smith (pictured below by Windy Wagner).
This lady deserves a paragraph all to herself. She and her husband pianist/arranger Paul Smith mentored/encouraged Lyn Stanley under four years ago to leave her award-winning ballroom dancing career behind to become a jazz singer. They coached and led her to where she is today. Warren told a fun story about how Lyn was very timid at first and asked, "Please tell me if you think I can sing." She proceeded to blow them away with "The Man I Love", which is on her album Potions. Warren, at 94 years young, also blew us away with "Love For Sale" and then she and Stanley did an absolutely charming duet of "I Believe in the Lies of Handsome Men".
Another exciting guest was Windy Wagner from Glee who did a fantabulous rendition of "All About That Bass".
As Stanley sang many of the songs, couples from the audience got up spontaneously and danced around the stage floor throughout the set, making this quite a unique show.
What heaven for jazz lovers! There was an unbelievable lineup of guests, making this release party very singular - much more like a finely tuned, stellar variety show. And a word or two about the food of La Cicada: a scrumptious and elegantly presented three-course dinner. It could not have been better, and the service was perfection.
With such great musicianship and a warm, winning personality on and off stage, Lyn Stanley is a gem of a performer and unequalled human being. I wish her everything. Buy one of her three great albums for your guaranteed listening pleasure! Next up for Stanley: it'll take a while but she's thinking: the songs of Fred Astaire.
Here's my review of the CD Interludes:
http://grigware.blogspot.com/2015/11/cd-review-interludes.html
To purchase, go to:
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