Billy Strayhorn News

According to the Daily Mail, Tony-winner Donna McKechnie will bring her show Same Place: Another Time, to the The Crazy Coqs cabaret at the Brasserie Zedel at Piccadilly, April 2-6, 2013.

As part of the 'A Moment in Time' Series, The Capitol Center Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Clayton J. Poole, will pay tribute to Duke Ellington today, March 10th at 4:00pm. The tribute features the celebrated Metta Quintet. The performance will be held at the Capitol Center for the Arts with tickets starting at $20.

The Harlem Resonance Festival (April 2 - May 11) is Symphony Space's second annual multi-disciplinary thematic spring festival, following last year's celebration of Gertrude Stein's Paris.

Now in its 15th season, Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook celebrates the best in American singing and songwriting with a new chapter in the Songbook story: 'American Songbook in the Penthouse,' a series of weekend-only performances by performers and composers presented in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, an intimate yet elegant venue that brings artists closer to the audience in a cabaret-style setting. The second weekend of Kaplan Penthouse performances, the sixth week of American Songbook 2013, runs April 5-6, 2013. April 5th belongs to Cristin Milioti, who was nominated for a Tony Award in 2012 for her lead role in the musical Once.

Now in its 15th season, Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook celebrates the best in American singing and songwriting with a new chapter in the Songbook story: 'American Songbook in the Penthouse,' a series of weekend-only performances by performers and composers presented in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, an intimate yet elegant venue that brings artists closer to the audience in a cabaret-style setting. 'American Songbook in the Penthouse' embraces adventuresome performers and celebrates composers and lyricists, both newer and veteran. With a seating capacity of just 225, the Kaplan Penthouse allows acoustic performers to be heard the way they intend - near to the audience and without elaborate amplification. The size of the space also allows performers to interact with their audience to make them an integral part of their performance, something difficult to do in a larger, more formal venue.

Two titans of jazz piano are captured in flight on the new Resonance Records album, 'Tommy Flanagan/Jaki Byard: The Magic of 2.' Scheduled for April 9 release as a CD with 24-page booklet, a digital download with digital booklet, and a deluxe limited edition 2-LP set, 'The Magic of 2' presents a 1980 concert recorded at San Francisco's celebrated Keystone Korner and the second entry in Resonance's Keystone Discoveries series.

At last year's Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC) Awards, two of the big winners were T. Oliver Reid (photo left) for Male Debut and Eric Michael Gillett for Major Artist, Male (and both could very likely be MAC nominees again this year). Almost a year later, two of New York cabaret's leading men performed new shows one night apart at 54 Below; Reid on February 6 with Drop Me Off in Harlem, and Gillett the next night with Careless Rhapsody: An Evening Dedicated to the Lyrics of Lorenz Hart. Ironically, what the shows had in common--besides being a fairly good fit of material to singer--was that the majority of their sets featured songs written in the 1930s but in very different styles. With Reid it was the jazz, swing and blues of Harlem; with Gillette it was the romantic Broadway musical sensibility of Hart's lyrics (paired with the timeless melodies of Richard Rodgers). While neither Reid's 'Harlem,' nor Gillett's 'Hart' were stirring or spectacular shows, they were both solid and entertaining enough that both could be nominated for BroadwayWorld.com Awards in 2013.

According to Leslie Uggams' website, she will be playing Lena Horne in STORMY WEATHER: THE LENA HORNE STORY on Broadway this fall.

As part of the "A Moment in Time" Series, The Capitol Center Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Clayton J. Poole, will pay tribute to Duke Ellington on Sunday, March 10th at 4:00pm. The tribute features the celebrated Metta Quintet. The performance will be held at the Capitol Center for the Arts with tickets starting at $20.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond, including Tony Award winner Donna McKechnie, jazz, funk and R&B singer Alex Burgnon and Tony Award winner Michael Cerveris.

Tony-winner Donna McKechnie will soon grace the stage of 54 Below in a brand new show: a musical déjà vu celebrating the scintillating 70?s in New York City - the heyday of Studio 54. McKechnie, best known the world over for creating the role of Cassie in A Chorus Line, is also well-known for her Broadway appearances in State Fair, On the Town, Company, Promises, Promises and How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. For these five very special performances, Donna will salute this remarkable era via the music of Jim Croce, Peter Allen, Marvin Hamlisch, Billy Strayhorn, and Stephen Sondheim, with arrangements and music direction by John McDaniel. BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge just chatted with the Broadway legend about the upcoming gig and you can check out the full interview below!

Tony-winner Donna McKechnie graces the stage of 54 Below in a brand new show: a musical deja vu celebrating the scintillating 70?s in New York City - the heyday of Studio 54. McKechnie, best known the world over for creating the role of Cassie in A Chorus Line, is also well-known for her Broadway appearances in State Fair, On the Town, Company, Promises, Promises and How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. For these five very special performances, Donna (Broadway Royalty!) will salute this remarkable era via the music of Jim Croce, Peter Allen, Marvin Hamlisch, Billy Strayhorn, and Stephen Sondheim, with arrangements and music direction by John McDaniel. She gave a special press preview from her upcoming engagement at 54 Below yesterday, and BroadwayWorld brings you complete coverage below!

The Music Institute of Chicago welcomes families for Duke It Out, a concert showcasing both traditional and jazz-inflected versions of The Nutcracker Suite, preceded by an open house today, December 8 at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston.

The Music Institute of Chicago presents esteemed performers and ensemble-in-residence WarnerNuzova tonight, November 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston.

The Music Institute of Chicago welcomes families for Duke It Out, a concert showcasing both traditional and jazz-inflected versions of The Nutcracker Suite, preceded by an open house on Saturday, December 8 at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston.

The Music Institute of Chicago presents the Barkada Quartet, winner of the coveted 2012 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition Grand Prize and the Senior Wind Division Gold Medal. Only the fourth non-string ensemble to take top honors at Fischoff, the Barkada Quartet performs today, October 21 at 3 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston. As a Fischoff Winner's Tour presenting partner, Nichols is a key stop on the Barkada Quartet's Midwestern tour, which spans the month of October.

In a remarkable paring down of his own Ryan Greer Jazz Group, acclaimed for its reinvention of the Great American Songbook, vocalist Ryan Greer teams with bandmate John Feliciano on upright for a standard-bending collaboration between voice and bass. The duo will play The Metropolitan Room (34 W. 22nd St.) tonight, October 11 at 9:30 p.m.

The Music Institute of Chicago welcomes families for a musical open house followed by a concert of dueling Nutcrackerperformances Saturday, December 8, 9 a.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston.

In a remarkable paring down of his own Ryan Greer Jazz Group, acclaimed for its reinvention of the Great American Songbook, vocalist Ryan Greer teams with bandmate John Feliciano on upright for a standard-bending collaboration between voice and bass. The duo will play The Metropolitan Room (34 W. 22nd St.) on Thursday, October 11 at 9:30 p.m.

The Music Institute of Chicago presents esteemed performers and ensemble-in-residence WarnerNuzova Saturday, November 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston.