Louis Alter

The married musical team of Julie Benko and Jason Yeager will celebrate Hand in Hand – their debut duet album from CLUB44 RECORDS – with two very special New York concerts at 54 Below on Monday, November 7 at 9:30 PM and Sunday, December 4 at 7:00 PM.

that Hand in Hand – the debut duet album from the married musical team of Julie Benko and Jason Yeager – is now available. Listen here!

Hand in Hand – the debut duet album from the married musical team of Julie Benko and Jason Yeager – is available for pre-order. The full album will be released on CD and in digital and streaming formats on Friday, August 26.

The married couple's upcoming album, 'Hand in Hand,' includes theater favorites (“People” from Funny Girl, “All I’ve Ever Known” from Hadestown), jazz standards (“The Nearness of You,”), and pop hits (“Mercedes Benz”), in addition to Yeager’s original songs. Watch a feature on the making of the album and listen to the new single now!

CLUB44 RECORDS will release Hand in Hand – the debut duet album from the married musical team of Julie Benko and Jason Yeager – on CD and in digital and streaming formats on Friday, August 26.

New York based vocalist Teri Roiger recently released her fourth recording as a leader, 'GHOST OF YESTERDAY: Shades of Lady Day', a heartfelt tribute to Billie Holiday. Since Ms. Holiday provided the initial spark that led to a lifelong commitment to jazz, this one is especially personal to Teri.

Orbert Davis's Chicago Jazz Philharmonic (CJP) returns to the Auditorium Theatre today, November 11, with a diverse program that celebrates the rich cultural fabric of the United States.

Orbert Davis's Chicago Jazz Philharmonic (CJP) returns to the Auditorium Theatre on Friday, November 11, with a diverse program that celebrates the rich cultural fabric of the United States.

How much do most of us know about Brooklyn's own Mary Jane 'Mae' West (1893-1980) other than that she was an iconic sex symbol who had a wicked sense of humor? It's common knowledge she acted and sang, but are you aware she was a playwright and screenwriter? Did you know she didn't make her first film until the age of 39 and never drank alcohol? Jazz vocalist Molly Ryan has done her homework, presenting a smart, multifaceted woman who was, outside her carefully constructed persona, "the epitome of modesty." Though narrative needs to be edited, her show Come Up and See Me Sometime at the Metropolitan Room (which completed a three-show run this past Wednesday night) is an excellent mix of history and anecdote making a case for increased appreciation of the subject.

On July 5, Carole J. Bufford erupted onto the stage at Birdland for her first Sunday evening as hostess of the club's weekly Jazz Party (which had been helmed most recently by Natalie Douglas and Jane Monheit). The formidable vocalist, glamorous in clingy red, was aided and abetted by a top-notch (also well dressed—Bravo!) quartet featuring Joel Frahm on sax, Ray Marchia on drums, Tom Hubbard on bass, and Musical Director Ian Herman on piano. Special guests for Bufford's inaugural session were Janelle Velasquez and Lianne Marie Dobbs. With Bufford's audacious performance, smart choices, and attention to detail, Sundays promise to be a great deal more fun in midtown Manhattan.

Lauren Stanford (who won the MetroStar Singing Competition at the Metropolitan Room in 2013) has convincingly done herself up to look like the legendary Helen Morgan in her new show, More Than You Know, which she introduced at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in late October and brought to 54 Below this past Friday night. Stanford's presentation is 2/3 singing and 1/3 biography. Research is evident; specific adds color. The use of framed photographs and several conjectured telephone calls is effective (the actress listens). Vocals don't emulate Morgan's controlled vibrato, but Stanford has sufficient musical feel for the period to make mimicry unnecessary. Her uneven contralto can add feeling to a song rather than diminishing it. There are, however, other issues.

I don't know about other cabaret journalists, but I have to believe that a reviewer feels the biggest buzz (aside from when composing a really well-crafted show analysis) when he or she has been fortunate enough to observe a young performer's ascent into stardom. That's the way I felt last Wednesday night at the Metropolitan Room as I was watching Carole J. Bufford's new show, Body & Soul.

Though The Paper Mill Playhouse has just opened Master Class and still has productions of 1776 and The Full Monty geared up for their current season, plans are zipping along for the four musicals and one straight play that will make up their 2009-10 campaign. The official announcement comes this Friday afternoon, but they've released these five pictorial clues as hints. See if you can guess what the gang at Millburn has in store next season.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Monday, March 9, 2009.