The Cabaret Chronicles: Jason Robert Brown, Terese Genecco & More!

By: Apr. 03, 2009
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Happy April, everyone!  Yes, spring has sprung, the April showers are doing their thing, and I saw a bunch of great shows this week, so I'm one happy gal!  

The week started out with a bang, with a FANTASTIC Cast Party on Monday, March 30th.   The amount of talent packed into Birdland was nothing short of spectacular!  First of all, just in the audience were Linda Lavin, Michael Feinstein, and Broadway's Max von Essen.  And then the talent that got up on stage - wow!  The Broadway Boys kicked things off with a great "Lullaby of Broadway," and then Forbidden Broadway star Christina Bianco brought the house down with her spot-on impression of Celine Dion doing "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going."  "That Guitar Man from Central Park" David Ippolito charmed everyone with a great original tune, jazz pianist Loston Harris played an amazing "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)," William Blake nearly blew the roof off the place with his "Turn Me On," and MAC Award winner Rob Langeder had the whole audience singing and bopping along with his "Just a Gigolo."  Host Jim Caruso was his usual super-entertaining self, and the Cast Party Symphony Orchestra (Billy Stritch on piano, Steve Doyle on bass and Steve Bakunas on drums) was terrific.  What a great night! 

The following evening, it was off to the Iridium to hear Terese Genecco & her Little Big Band.  I've seen Terese a number of times before and there's a reason I keep going back: I have so much FUN at her shows!  Terese is a fantastic, old-school-nightclub-style entertainer.  She's got a terrific 7-piece band (sax, trumpet, trombone, bass, drums, bongos and piano), and her arrangements hearken back to the good ol' Rat Pack Vegas-style arrangements.  Her energy is through the roof, and incredibly infectious - glancing around the room, it seemed that just about everyone in the audience was bopping or swaying or snapping or clapping...it was really wonderful to see so many people letting loose and giving themselves over to the sheer pleasure of listening to the great music coming from the stage.  Favorite songs?  It's hard to pick just one or two, but "Unchain My Heart," which has become one of Terese's signature tunes is definitely up there...also, "Drunk With Love," which, in addition to being the title song of Terese's Frances Faye tribute show, provided one of the quieter, more still moments of the night and showed an interesting, more introspective side of Terese.  Terese and the "little big band" will be playing the Iridium on the last Tuesday of every month; personally, I can't wait for April 28th

On Wednesday, April 1st, I headed to the Metropolitan Room for MetroJam, which is the monthly open mic held there.  It was quite an enjoyable night - there were some very talented performers that showed up, including Broadway veteran/cabaret diva Raissa Katona Bennett, quirky singer/songwriter Richie Eisenberg, saucy songbird Maria Moncada, and guitarist extraordinaire Sean Harkness!  As a matter of fact, Sean ended up sitting in for most of the night with the fabulous house band (John DiPinto on piano, Ritt Henn on bass, and Bobby Sher on drums), which was a really special treat! 

On Thursday, April 2nd, it was back to Birdland to see composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown in concert.  I've been a fan of Mr. Brown's work for quite some time, and was thrilled to finally be able to see him performing his own music!  He was at the piano for the entire concert, and was joined by Gary Sieger on guitar and Randy Landau on bass, as well as some fantastic guest vocalists - cabaret/theatre diva Kate Pazakis, Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Kate McGarry, and Broadway veteran Shoshana Bean.  Mr. Brown treated the appreciative audience to a number of songs from his Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, including "King of the World" from Songs for a New World, "The Old Red Hills of Home" from Parade, "Being a Geek" from 13, and "Moving Too Fast" from The Last 5 Years, and he also gave us a sneak peek of a few songs from a musical he's currently working on which is based on the movie Honeymoon in Vegas.  "When You Say Vegas" was a fun, catchy, appropriately Vegas-style song, and "Anywhere But Here," which was sung by Shoshanna Bean, was also terrific!  I am truly hoping that this musical gets produced (Mr. Brown announced from the stage that anyone with $12 million to invest should contact him)!  He closed the evening with a plaintive, heartfelt "Someone to Fall Back On," which is a song from his first solo album, Wearing Someone Else's Clothes.  Overall, it was an outstanding show - I'll definitely do my best to catch him during his next run, whenever that may be! 

Where I'm going this week... 

Saturday, April 4thConnie Francis at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ!  I am soooooo excited about hearing this legendary songstress live! 

Sunday, April 5thThe Algonquin Salon - FREE singer/songwriter/musician soiree in the lobby of the famed Algonquin Hotel.  This Sunday's guest go-hosts are opera singers Jodi Keogan and Cooper Grodin, with host Mark Janas.  The optional theme for this week is "Classically Classy" - material which has stood the test of time.  All genres (musical theater, opera, pop, etc.) are welcome!  From 7-10 p.m., be sure to arrive early to sign up if you want to sing! 

Monday, April 6th:  7:00 p.m. - T.V. and Broadway star Linda Lavin in concert at Birdland!

10:00 p.m. - Cast Party at Birdland!  Hosted by Jim Caruso, this fantastic open mic runs from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. but again, make sure you get there early to sign up if you want to sing!  

Tuesday, April 7thCabaret Night at Tainted Blue - I'm pleased to be performing in this recording session with a live audience in an intimate penthouse recording studio in Times Square.  Other featured performers are Hector Coris, Brandon Cutrell, Maxine Linehan and Gabrielle Stravelli.  Doors open at 8 p.m. 

Wednesday, April 8thHump Night of the Iguana at the Iguana VIP Lounge on 54th St.  Produced and hosted by Joan Crowe, this weekly comedy variety show features stand-up comedians as well as singer/songwriters and jazzy vocalists.  Show goes from 8-11 p.m.  This week, the proceedings will be presided over by Sue Matsuki, who will be filling in for Joan Crowe

Have a great week and check back for another update next Friday!

Pictured: Terese Genecco



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