Louis Armstrong News

Impressionist Gordie Brown is back where he belongs.

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN can be heard every Sunday 9-11 PM(ET) over WBAI 99.5 FM and on the Internet at: www.wbai.org TUNE IN! Sunday, March 29th, 2009 9:00PM-11:00PM This Sunday on EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN we feature the music of BING CROSBY.

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN can be heard every Sunday 9-11 PM(ET) over WBAI 99.5 FM and on the Internet at: www.wbai.org TUNE IN! Sunday, March 29th, 2009 9:00PM-11:00PM This Sunday on EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN we feature the music of BING CROSBY.

Randy Hobler, composer, lyricist and book writer of the bio-musical Banjo Boy-about the youthful adventures of Meredith Willson-has announced the release of the Live Cast Album CD. Recorded in August, 2008 at the world premiere run of the musical at the Stephen Sondheim Performing Arts Center in Fairfield, Iowa, the album contains 20 original songs, written in the spirit of Meredith Willson's The Music Man.

APRIL AT THE METROPOLITAN ROOM Join them every Friday and Saturday from 11PM-2AM for our nightly piano lounge. No cover, no minimum! 4/1 7PM Barbara Brussell 'Brilliance from on High...BORN IN THE BRONX' Accompanied by musical director Tex Arnold, this marks their first time venturing a new show together.

Performance Network Theatre presents JanetMarie & m'Archibald's 'Imagination Celebration' on Saturday, April 25th at 11am. This all-ages show, part of the Children's Theatre Network's Saturday Series for Young Audiences, is followed by a free cookies and milk reception.

Inspired by a hot flash and a bottle of wine, Menopause The Musical will heat up the Bethesda Theatre for a limited engagement, April 14 through May 10.

Birdland (315 West 44th Street ? between 8th & 9th Aves.) is pleased to announce an exciting line-up of extraordinary entertainment for the month of March.

Last night in Beverly Hills, Monday January 26th, The Paley Center for Media saluted the work of award-winning composer Charles Strouse in the third of its concert & conversations series, PaleyAfterDark. The composer of such great Broadway hits including Bye Bye Birdie, Golden Boy, Applause, Annie, and Rags, Strouse with special guests Bonnie Franklin (who nominated for a Tony award for Applause) and cast members of Minsky's shared a rare evening of story and song which celebrated his illustrious career and the Los Angeles debut of his latest musical triumph, Minsky's. The program was illuminated by archival footage of rare Strouse material from the Paley Center's collection and finished with a musical performance by the composer singing an arrangement of favorites from 'Put on a Happy Face' to 'Tomorrow.'Minsky's is based on the Bud Yorkin-Norman Lear production of 'The Night They Raided Minsky's.' Charles Strouse has touched the life of almost every American in the last half century with his musical works. There may be no other living composer from America's popular songbook whose work is as integrated into the popular culture as that of Charles Strouse.His music has attracted top recording artists from the last half-century with covers of his songs recorded by such diverse pop artists as Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Bobby Darin, Harry Connick, Jr., Bobby Rydell, Jay Z, Vic Damone, Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, Grace Jones and Duke Ellington and his Orchestra.Strouse has written the score to over 30 stage musicals, 14 scores for Broadway, four Hollywood films, two orchestral works and an opera.He has been inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Theatre Hall of Fame.

Minsky's is the second new musical playing the Ahmanson this season, boasting a book by Bob Martin and direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw, who both crafted the U.S. premiere of the musical The Drowsy Chaperone at the Ahmanson in 2005. Composer Charles Strouse (Bye Bye Birdie, Annie) will join lyricist Susan Birkenhead (Triumph of Love) on the musical, which begins performances January 21 through March 1, 2009.

Hi, I'm on my way to meet up with Tom Hulce - actor and Broadway producer. Seven years ago he came back from a trip in the UK with the same idea as composer friend Duncan Sheik; to bring to life the Frank Wedekind classic 'Spring Awakening' Years of work and collaborations with the right like minded creatives have brought this unique show to life. With a string of Tony awards to prove its success and endorse its popularity the show comes to London opening on January 23rd at the small but progressive Lyric Theatre. I am waiting for Tom to call on his way back from rehearsals where casting is underway when Mandy Patinkin comes on the text, unable to speak but happy to answer questions. His performances have turned into real phenomena here with sold out shows and a legion of now growing fans eager to see him return.

Minsky's is a big, racy, new musical comedy set in a time when entertainment was about legs and laughs, and you had to push the limits to keep the customers buying tickets. A rollicking backstage story, set in Prohibition Era New York City. Tony Award winning costume designer Gregg Barnes talked about his creations for MINSKY'S on the show's official site in a wonderful audio/video essay that we are excited to bring you here on BWW TV!

The Boston Symphony Orchestra's Labor Day weekend festival will include Paquito d'Rivera, Regina Carter, Nnenna Freelon, Kenny Barron, Mulgrew Miller, John Pizzarelli, Jessica Molaskey, Dave Holland, Jon Faddis, and Harolyn Blackwell.

Former SNL genius, Celebrity Autobiography mainstay and gifted comic actress Rachel Dratch is a member of the cast of the currently in rehearsal musical Minsky's, she reveals her joy of working with composer Charles Strouse and her hope of it continuing to Broadway in the future to NYMag.com's Diana Scholl.

Sony Masterworks announced that Kristin Chenoweth's recently released holiday recording, A Lovely Way To Spend Christmas, has garnered the highest sales and chart ranking in her recording career. With increased sales of 63% this week, A Lovely Way To Spend Christmas holds the #1 position on Billboard's Heat Seekers Chart and continues to steadily climb the Billboard Seasonal and Top 200 Charts.

Minsky's is the second new musical playing the Ahmanson this season, boasting a book by Bob Martin and direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw, who both crafted the U.S. premiere of the musical The Drowsy Chaperone at the Ahmanson in 2005. Composer Charles Strouse (Bye Bye Birdie, Annie) will join lyricist Susan Birkenhead (Triumph of Love) on the musical, which begins performances January 21 through March 1, 2009.

On October 14, 2008 Sony BMG Masterworks released KRISTIN CHENOWETH's new Christmas CD A LOVELY WAY TO SPEND CHRISTMAS. The holiday release has met with positive reviews and successful sales, so much so that the album has reached #9 on Billboard's Heatseeker Chart.

Kristin Chenoweth will be performing on The View, Monday, December 1, 2008. She will be performing a song off of her newly released holiday album A LOVELY WAY TO SPEND CHRISTMAS.

NYS ARTS presented four awards for outstanding leadership and advocacy of the arts in New York State at its annual gala Monday, November 17th. at the Manhattan Penthouse, 80 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan.