Ray Brinker News

Jazz singer par excellence Lyn Stanley never ceases to amaze. A mere two years ago in 2013 she debuted her very first album Lost in Romance, which became an overnight sensation worldwide. Last year she premiered her second Potions From the 50s and now in 2015 we are more than thrilled to have her third CD Interludes, which I predict will be her biggest hit to date. Over 5,000 customers have already pre-ordered the album, so Stanley is well on her way to becoming a jazz superstar. She is already at the top of the market in Japan. It is no wonder, as not only does she possess a deep and rich velvety smooth voice but the CDs are fabulously produced. She is backed by a magnificent orchestra, sings splendid arrangements and...the CD itself is packaged divinely. There are beautiful black and white photos with just a touch of red showing up here and there. Lyn Stanley and Interludes are a class act.

Birdland Jazz Club has announced its lineup for October 19-25, featuring Tierney Sutton, Iris Williams, Birdland Jazz Party, and more. Scroll down for details!

On Monday, December 15 exciting singer Laura Dickinson brought her CD release party One For My Baby to Upstairs at Vitello's. It was a packed house and Dickinson, needless to say, blew the roof off the joint with her dynamic delivery, oozing charm and warmth from every pore. Not only is she beautiful, but oh so terribly engaging as she grabs hold of you and won't let go. Her special guest Mel Collins, who opened the show, called her 'masterful'; I'll go a step further and add 'captivating and spellbinding'. She's a singer to be reckoned with!

Birdland Jazz Club has announced its schedule for June 23 - June 29, featuring Tierney Sutton Quartet, Native Soul, David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, Barbara Carroll, and more!

Birdland Jazz Club has announced its great line-up of amazing talent for the month of June 2014, featuring Freddy Cole, Stacey Kent, Ravi Coltrane Quartet, Tierney Sutton Quartet, Native Soul, Lorna Luft, Jane Monheit, Jim Caruso's Cast Party Celebrates the Tony Awards, and more!

Cheyenne Jackson won the hearts of a sold-out crowd by completely opening his own in his debut performance at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Saturday night. The self-professed goal of the tall, dark and handsome singer was simply 'to blanket the audience with love,' which he did repeatedly in a program that paid tribute to the '50s and '60s with his Music of the Mad Men Era

Donna Vivino, the rising Broadway and vocal star, will celebrate the release of Beautiful Dreamer - her debut solo album from Ghostlight Records - with a special performance at 54 Below tonight, January 23 at 9:30 PM. The veteran of Broadway's 'Wicked' and 'Les Miserables,' Vivino will reprise her solo concert 'It's Not Easy Being Green' with special numbers from the new recording.

Beautiful actress/singer Laura Benanti, Tony Award winner for Gypsy, performed at 54 Below in New York during 2013, and the live concert was recorded on Broadway Records. To celebrate the release of the CD entitled In Constant Search of the Right Kind of Attention, Chris Isaacson Presents booked Benanti into the Catalina Bar & Grill on Thursday January 9, and the show immediately sold out. As a result, an additional concert was scheduled for Wednesday January 8, which also sold out. Why such a fuss over Laura Benanti, you may ask? The answer is simple. Apart from the fact that this is her Los Angeles debut, let's add that like Audra McDonald, Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, this lady is a sensational singer with an incomparable range, and as the title of the album suggests, she is totally worthy of the highest form of attention. In her 75-minute set, which included just about every song on the album, she also proved what a winning charm and sense of humor she possesses! Like Patti LuPone before her, Laura Benanti has a precious wit that can only be experienced to its fullest in this kind of environment, namely a cabaret setting. She let her hair down and she was...GREAT! Outstanding musicians Kevin Axt was on bass, Ray Brinker on drums, Andrew Synowiec on guitar and virtuoso musical arranger and director Todd Almond also dueted with Benanti a couple of times during the set on pieces he had arranged or composed.

DONNA VIVINO, the rising Broadway and vocal star, will celebrate the release of Beautiful Dreamer - her debut solo album from Ghostlight Records - with a special performance at 54 Below on Thursday, January 23 at 9:30 PM. The veteran of Broadway's "Wicked" and "Les Miserables," Vivino will reprise her solo concert "It's Not Easy Being Green" with special numbers from the new recording. She will be joined by Musical Director Ken Levinsky on piano and Jeff Ganz on bass. The album was released in stores and via online outlets December 10, 2013.

Donna Vivino, who starred for two years as 'Elphaba' in the First National Tour of WICKED and also in the role on Broadway, just released a jazzy new album called 'Beautiful Dreamer' via Ghostlight Records. This is Donna's first album, which came about in a spur-of-the-moment collaboration with her father, Jerry Vivino, who is part of Conan's Basic Cable Band -- the house band for O'Brien's late night show on TBS. Donna recently spoke with BWW about working with her father, her current project off-Broadway, and the upcoming third season of 'Submissions Only'.

Ghostlight Records will release Beautiful Dreamer, the debut solo album from rising Broadway and vocal star DONNA VIVINO, in stores and via online outlets December 10, 2013. Beautiful Dreamer weaves 13 diverse songs into a thematically-cohesive collection from Broadway, Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley. Jerry Vivino - the veteran New York musician and longtime member of the Conan O'Brien house band - leads the disc's all-star jazz quartet and serves as producer. Taking a break from performing on Broadway in the smash hit Wicked, Donna will star Off Broadway inStars of David - a new song cycle celebrating Jewish identity, based on the bestselling book, with original music by the theater's top songwriters - fromNovember 13 to December 15. To pre-order Beautiful Dreamer, please visit www.sh-k-boom.com/donnavivino-beautifuldreamer.html.

The Smith Center has announced the following events for December.

The Tierney Sutton Band performs tonight, August 12th at 7:30 pm at the Otesaga Hotel in Cooperstown, as part of the Cooperstown Summer Music Festival.

The Tierney Sutton Band performs August 12th at 7:30 pm at the Otesaga Hotel in Cooperstown, as part of the Cooperstown Summer Music Festival.

Grammy Award-nominated jazz vocalist and JazzWeek's Vocalist of the Year Award winner Tierney Sutton and her four-piece band play Birdland through tonight, with shows at 8:30 and 11.

Ann Hampton Callaway jokes about her Diva of America status in the music world, but it is a well known fact that this lady is a singer's singer. Like Barbara Cook in the world of theatre, although many, many years her junior, Callaway is the top in the world of jazz/pop and all singers flock to hear her perform. Her meticulously clear phrasing, magnificent range, ability to scat and overall great vocal instrument make her a fantastic night club singer and recording artist. In her set at Catalina Jazz Club July 28-31, Callaway had a rather short list of songs, but what she did to enhance each and every tune was nothing less than remarkable.

Vitellos's Jazz Club in association with the Los Angeles Jazz Society encourages members of the Los Angeles jazz-loving community to come out and support the victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Vitellos's Jazz Club in association with the Los Angeles Jazz Society encourages members of the Los Angeles jazz-loving community to come out and support the victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Three-time Grammy nominee, Tierney Sutton, is known for her bold and contemporary reinterpretation of jazz standards.