Bert Kaempfert

Back in Time, the second album from up and coming jazz trumpeter and vocalist Ilya Serov, is now available

These young men have got the world on a string.

Alex Leonard is a classy performer. His relaxed, minimalist style and adherence to vocals as written take one back to an agreeable past. Jazz riffs weave around rather than obscure melody. Lyric meaning is gracefully maintained. Aided and abetted by expert veterans Jay Leonhart on bass and Al Gafa on guitar, Leonard saluted the great Nat King Cole at Pangea on January 18 with a bit of history, a couple of illuminating anecdotes, and signature songs.

On December 12 singer Frank Sinatra Jr. will perform a 100th Birthday Celebration of his father Frank Sinatra's music at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills at 9 pm. In our talk he describes the concert in detail. He also talks about his mentors and what music he prefers to listen to nowadays. When and how did this celebration concert come about? When Frank Sinatra died back in 1998 I engineered a celebrational show which I intended to run for eighteen months to two years, to celebrate his life and his career. The show at that time was called Sinatra Sings Sinatra. As it turned out, the audiences and the people who hired our program wanted very much to keep Sinatra Sings Sinatra going long after two years had passed. By now we were getting close to going into the 21st century, and it has been so ever since. Now we come to December the 12th forthcoming here which will have been his 100th birthday. OK! Two years ago I discussed with my family and the people that we work with the importance of organizing a special series of events to commemorate his 100th year. I was wondering whether or not  this was a little bit of overkill at the time, but I have been told such things happen for people like Duke Wayne, Bing Crosby and people of that situation that they have these big festivals, recapitulations, tributes, you name it. In 2013 I started writing a show for the end of 2015. That show debuted in May this year.

Tall and sexy 'matinee idol' handsome Broadway and London West End actor/singer Jeremiah James performed at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal Sunday September 22 with his all-new show Choose Love. As special guest star, James made a wise choice with his high school friend the beautiful Cherish Lee. So, with two very appealing looking artists onstage, how can you miss? The show was more than off to a grande start, before it began. Add as musical director the prolific David O, and it doesn't get much better than this. On bass Oliver Steinberg accompanied, and on percussion, Emiliano Almeida.

Producers of London's new rock & roll show BACKBEAT, which opens at the Duke of York's Theatre on 10 October, have revealed the principal roles cast for this production.

LEE SUMMERS (2010 Bistro Award Winner, Dreamgirls Original Company) stars in COLE: REVISITED - A Retelling of the songs made famous by the great Nat 'King' Cole - Featuring ALVA NELSON as Arranger, Musical Director and Pianist. COLE: REVISITED is directed by Broadway's Leslie Dockery (Eubie, Sophisticated Ladies). This premiere performance will launch Monday, March 14th @ 7:pm with the possibility of an ongoing monthly run.

LEE SUMMERS (2010 Bistro Award Winner, Dreamgirls Original Company) stars in COLE: REVISITED - A Retelling of the songs made famous by the great Nat 'King' Cole - Featuring ALVA NELSON as Arranger, Musical Director and Pianist. COLE: REVISITED is directed by Broadway's Leslie Dockery (Eubie, Sophisticated Ladies). This premiere performance will launch Monday, March 14th @ 7:pm with the possibility of an ongoing monthly run.