James Taylor News

John Pizzarelli once again expertly switches (musical) hats at Cafe Carlyle with his new concert of bossa nova music. The evening is titled "Strictly Bossa Nova" and it features Daniel Jobim, grandson of the seminal Antonio Carlos Jobim and an ensemble of Brazilian musicians.

THE RINGERS, featuring Jimmy Herring, Wayne Krantz, Michael Landau, Gary Novak and Etienne Mbappe, are ready to hit the road again,

Five-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and keyboardist Michael McDonald lends his husky, soulful baritone to Pacific Symphony Pops for a concert featuring hits from his chart-topping career spanning more than four decades. From his 1970s beginnings singing back-up vocals with American rock band Steely Dan on songs including 'Black Friday,' to enhancing the funky R&B sound of The Doobie Brothers, to his award-winning solo career, McDonald has established himself as a timeless yet distinctive artist in pops music. One of the most popular vocalists to emerge from the '70s rock scene, McDonald commands the stage with his distinctive interpretations of classics like 'What a Fool Believes,' 'On My Own,' 'Sweet Freedom,' 'I Keep Forgettin',' 'Minute by Minute' and 'Yah Mo B There.' His more recent album, 'Soul Speak,' has been acclaimed as an 'impeccable' crossover by BBC Radio since its release in 2008, when it also hit three different charts simultaneously.

In a new Transmusica concert, designed to build bridges to other world cultures, the Young People's Chorus of New York City and Artistic Director/Founder Francisco J. Nuñez welcome two choirs from Hiroshima, Japan - the Peace and Hope Choir and the Chamber Choir of the Elisabeth University of Music - to promote good will, peace, and friendship. The concert on Wednesday, March 26, at 7:30 p.m. at the Church of St. Joseph in Greenwich Village (365 Sixth Avenue) will also include The Ten, an all-men's ensemble from the University Glee Club of New York City, for an inspiring and entertaining program of music from several cultures.

HBO released the first teaser for John Oliver's topical half-hour comedy series, LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER, premiering SUNDAY, APRIL 27 (11:00-11:30 p.m. ET/PT), with other weekly editions debuting subsequent Sundays at the same time on HBO. Check it out below!

Star of stage and screen, Tom Wopat will take the Stage at Rockwells for two performances on Friday, May 9th at 7:15 and 9:30 PM. Making a rare Westchester County appearance, the famed Broadway star, memorable Dukes of Hazzard actor and jazz and cabaret performer, has just released his eighth album, I've Got Your Number. With his warm baritone and far-ranging interpretive skills he offers new, intriguing musical twists to such Great American Songbook classics as 'The Good Life,' 'The Folks Who Live On The Hill,' 'Call Me,' 'Born To Be Blue' and 'I Won't Dance,' as well as contemporary songs from the likes of Paul Simon, Judy Collins, Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Hornsby and James Taylor. Tickets are $30 and available at http://www.rockwellsusa.net/music.php.

Grammy, Oscar and Emmy award winning singer-songwriter Randy Newman has penned scores for films ranging from The Natural to Monsters Inc. This summer, Encores! Off-Center will present a rare opportunity to catch the man himself playing the devil in his darkly hilarious modern-day take on the Faust story. BroadwayWorld has confirmed that Newman's Faust is set to be featured in the 2014 Off-Center season for one night only on July 1. Additional casting has not yet been announced.

The 10th anniversary MusiCares MAP Fund® benefit concert will honor Black Sabbath's GRAMMY®-winning singer/songwriter OZZY OSBOURNE

Ravinia's 2014 season, dubbed 'Summer of Love/Season of Stars,' was announced today by Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman. Brimming with talent and romance, the festival's 2014 schedule brings some the biggest names in the world of music as well as repertoire that explores the theme of great love in its various manifestations. No fewer than three musical incarnations of the most famous love story of all time, Romeo and Juliet, will be featured, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing Tchaikovsky's Overture-Fantasy (July 27), a suite from Prokofiev's ballet setting of the story (July 16) and the score of West Side Story as the classic film is shown (July 17-18). In other examples of love, soprano Deborah Voigt describes it as 'Something Wonderful' on a Broadway evening (July 13), the legendary Broadway team of Lerner and Loewe will be celebrated (July 20), and Chanticleer even jabs at the battle of the sexes in an evening titled 'She Said/He Said' (July 6). In fact, love lurks, longs and lingers across genres in most of the more than 130 events that Ravinia will present in 2014, its 110th year and its 78th as the summer residence of the CSO.

Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter will make her New York Philharmonic debut in Mary Chapin Carpenter with the New York Philharmonic and Special Guests, a retrospective program featuring songs from throughout her career, some newly arranged for orchestra.

Five-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and keyboardist Michael McDonald lends his husky, soulful baritone to Pacific Symphony Pops for a concert featuring hits from his chart-topping career spanning more than four decades. From his 1970s beginnings singing back-up vocals with American rock band Steely Dan on songs including "Black Friday," to enhancing the funky R&B sound of The Doobie Brothers, to his award-winning solo career, McDonald has established himself as a timeless yet distinctive artist in pops music. One of the most popular vocalists to emerge from the '70s rock scene, McDonald commands the stage with his distinctive interpretations of classics like "What a Fool Believes," "On My Own," "Sweet Freedom," "I Keep Forgettin'," "Minute by Minute" and "Yah Mo B There." His more recent album, "Soul Speak," has been acclaimed as an "impeccable" crossover by BBC Radio since its release in 2008, when it also hit three different charts simultaneously.

Five-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and keyboardist Michael McDonald lends his husky, soulful baritone to Pacific Symphony Pops for a concert featuring hits from his chart-topping career spanning more than four decades. From his 1970s beginnings singing back-up vocals with American rock band Steely Dan on songs including “Black Friday,” to enhancing the funky R&B sound of The Doobie Brothers, to his award-winning solo career, McDonald has established himself as a timeless yet distinctive artist in pops music. One of the most popular vocalists to emerge from the '70s rock scene, McDonald commands the stage with his distinctive interpretations of classics like “What a Fool Believes,” “On My Own,” “Sweet Freedom,” “I Keep Forgettin',” “Minute by Minute” and “Yah Mo B There.” His more recent album, “Soul Speak,” has been acclaimed as an “impeccable” crossover by BBC Radio since its release in 2008, when it also hit three different charts simultaneously.

PK Productions, by arrangement with Stanley Silverman and R&H Theatricals Europe, present CELEBRATING SILVERMAN with music by Stanley Silverman, and direction by Patrick Kennedy, and music direction by Peter Mitchell on Sunday, 6th April 2014 at London Hippodrome.

Men Are From Mars - Women Are From Venus LIVE!, the one-man fusion of theatre and stand-up starring Peter Story and based on the New York Times #1 best-selling book of the last decade by John Gray, is coming to Hartford The Bushnell's Belding Theatre for two performances on May 2 and 3 at 8:00 p.m. Moving swiftly through a series of vignettes, the show covers everything from dating and marriage to the bedroom. All tickets are $50 and are available online at www.bushnell.org, by phone at 860-987-5900, or at The Bushnell box office, 166 Capitol Avenue, Hartford. The Bushnell engagement of Men are from Mars - Women are from Venus LIVE! is sponsored by United Technologies.

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Pops presents A St. Patrick's Day Celebration with Cherish the Ladies on March 14-16, 2014, at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. Led by guest conductor Michael Krajewski, the Celtic celebration includes music of the Emerald Isle from the all-female traditional Irish music and dance ensemble, Cherish the Ladies.

Gary Naylor enjoys a slice of life from cold Chicago and is grateful for the sentimentality being reined in just sufficiently to get him through the play.

LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER will debut SUNDAY, APRIL 27 (11:00-11:30 p.m. ET/PT), with other weekly editions debuting subsequent Sundays at the same time on HBO.

ONE NIGHT OF QUEEN performed by GARY MULLEN & THE WORKS is a spectacular live concert, recreating the look, sound, pomp and showmanship of arguably the greatest rock band of all time. Harris Center for the Arts delights in presenting them as part their current season. They have been hailed as the World's Premier Queen Tribute Band and have received rave reviews from over 300 Performing Arts Centers in the USA since 2008.

In this week's edition, we caught up with Jake Epstein, who is starring as 'Gerry Goffin' in Beautiful- currently playing at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.