Irving Kahal News

New York based pianist-vocalist-composer Kelly Green has released her latest album - a brilliant new project with her quartet titled Seems. Learn more about the album and see how to listen!

Kelly Green presents 'Seems,' a musical rallying cry for unity in the face of division.

Michael Feinstein recently played Carnegie Hall and Andrew Poretz joined Broadway World Cabaret (on loan from Sandi Durell's Theater Pizzazz) to report on the elegant evening.

With a beaming smile, a ton of energy, his dazzling vocal instrument, and even delighting audiences with his clarinet, Benjamin Eakeley's debut of BROADWAY SWINGER, VOL. 2: ALL OF ME is a true celebration of the sings of the 1930s.

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.

'For 47 years, the world of entertainment was blessed with a force of nature called Judy Garland,' Michael Feinstein begins, 'and for Judy, it all began at MGM.' As the artist takes his time with Arthur Schwartz/Howard Dietz's 'That's Entertainment,' screens on either side of the stage show clips from the film of the same name deftly edited to reflect every lyric. A coda of special material makes 'star' recognition even more specific. In Feinstein's A HOLIDAY TO REMEMBER at Feinstein's/54 Below, we hear songs from Garland's films and appearances, some iconic, others less known. Despite a life of trials, we're told, the performer left a legacy of optimism and joy. She had a quick-witted sense of humor, especially about herself. On one occasion, when Lucille Ball was praised for her humor, she responded that it was scripted, while Judy Garland's was spontaneous. The show is peppered with illuminating anecdotes.

Broadway has given the world some of it's greatest songs, but the Broadway beginnings of some classics aren't known to all.

In her new show, Café Society at Feinstein's/54 Below, Christine Andreas doesn't so much sing “Puttin' On the Ritz” (Irving Berlin) as personify it, channeling the attitude and era in which it was conceived. With just a tad of hip action, tipping shoulders, and an elongated ssss, the artist shares a really good time. “So, where are we going after the show . . . to Harlem's Savoy or The Copa? (The Copacabana) . . . ” This evening is about the late 1920s to the early '60s “an ongoing party of glamour and excess . . . when everybody was listening to the same music.”

How much do most of us know about Brooklyn's own Mary Jane 'Mae' West (1893-1980) other than that she was an iconic sex symbol who had a wicked sense of humor? It's common knowledge she acted and sang, but are you aware she was a playwright and screenwriter? Did you know she didn't make her first film until the age of 39 and never drank alcohol? Jazz vocalist Molly Ryan has done her homework, presenting a smart, multifaceted woman who was, outside her carefully constructed persona, "the epitome of modesty." Though narrative needs to be edited, her show Come Up and See Me Sometime at the Metropolitan Room (which completed a three-show run this past Wednesday night) is an excellent mix of history and anecdote making a case for increased appreciation of the subject.

Marcus Goldhaber wears his mantle lightly. Emulating such as Chet Baker, Hoagy Carmichael, and Fred Astaire—those artists who most often sounded nonchalant, yet polished-- the vocalist offers pared down (not simplistic) interpretations of American Songbook/jazz numbers with emotional translucence, as well as authoring his own fine contributions to the oeuvre. I dare you to distinguish those from songs originating in the 1940s and 1950s. With Free and Easy: Livin' on Swing Street at 54 Below (July 25), Goldhaber takes us on a personal walking tour of musical influence. Material is varied yet sustains a distinct style. The vocalist is unhurried (even when up-tempo), mindful of lyrics, and elegantly restrained. He seems comfortable on stage and refreshingly sincere.

As she wends her way towards the stage at the opening of her new show at the Metropolitan Room (performances were on June 15 and 20), Corinna Sowers Adler sings the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II classic “All The Things You Are” with warm, legato phrases that surround the club like a hug. Sowers Adler achieves this not only with her singing, but also the friendly and personal nature of her bridging dialogue. In High Standards, she manages to make us feel privy to an authentic self without a lot of in-jokes intended for attending friends and family. The standards to which this show's title refers are not only those evergreen numbers collected in The Great American Song Book, but also yardsticks by which we measure quality and value in life.

Some people, especially some cabaret reviewers and cabaret fans, might think it's lazy or a copout or both for a performer to keep recycling previous shows. But when the Café Carlyle comes a'callin' you: A) May not have enough time to create a totally new show or B) Want to pitch the big game with your best stuff or C) All of the above. Since I only started reviewing cabaret in late 2010, I missed the Laurie Beechman Theatre debut of Jennifer Sheehan's 2009 show You Made Me Love You: Celebrating 100 Years of the Great American Songbook, and missed it again when she brought it to the Metropolitan Room in 2010. So I, for one, am not complaining that she dusted off the critically praised set again (with the new slug 'Timeless Classics and New Treasures' from said Songbook show) for her debut last Saturday night at the prestigious Café Carlyle. Sheehan may have been booked for the room's new 10:45 late night series and not the prime time slot, but at least the Carlyle is giving opportunities to exciting young cabaret performers like Sheehan (and Marissa Mulder, who will make her debut at the room on November 7). With You Made Me Love You, Sheehan made everything old new again-at least for me.

Scot Albertson (Vocalist - Performer - Producer - Recording Artist) - www.scotalbertson.com) announces his sixth CD release concert, set for tonight June 17, 2013 at 7:30p.m. at Symphony Space Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre, located at 2537 Broadway & West 95th Street, New York City, NY.

Scot Albertson (Vocalist - Performer - Producer - Recording Artist) - www.scotalbertson.com) announces his sixth CD release concert, set for Monday June 17, 2013 at 7:30p.m. at Symphony Space Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre, located at 2537 Broadway & West 95th Street, New York City, NY.

LML Music is announcing the February 14, 2012 release of "Ain't We Got Fun!", the debut CD of actor/singer/dancer/writer/composer, Robert Creighton.

LML Music is announcing the February 14, 2012 release of "Ain't We Got Fun!", the debut CD of actor/singer/dancer/writer/composer, Robert Creighton.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. Bohemian Theatre Ensemble, 'Into the Woods,' Writers' Theatre, 'No Way To Treat a Lady,' Andrea McArdle, Michael Cullen, more.....

For one night only, the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts in Worcester played host to Mandy Patinkin: Dress Casual with Paul Ford on Piano

We spoke to your favorites to find out what they thought was the most romantic Broadway love song.