Happy Friday!
Wow! How the heck did 2 weeks fly by since my last post? I tell ya, it's just been busy, busy, busy! So, let me try to plow through some of the fabulous shows I've seen in the past few weeks. On Friday, March 9th, I saw Tony DeSare at the Oak Room and wow! What a great show! He was joined by a terrific band, with the incomparable Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar, Brian Czach on drums, and Michael Lee on bass. Tony's got a great, smooth voice, amazing piano skills, great takes on old standards, and original tunes that'll knock your socks off. His "Fly Me to The Moon" was a virtuoso piano solo, and his "Just in Time" swung like crazy! Out of the original tunes, my favorite is a gently ballad called "How I Will Say I Love You." If you haven't heard Tony before, do NOT miss him the next time he's in town!
After Tony's show, we headed over to Don't Tell Mama to catch Ray Jessel. I've written about Ray before, but not for a while, so let me write again! Ray is a brilliant songwriter, who will have you falling out of your chair laughing one moment, and wiping away a tear the next. His witty, clever, and slightly naughty comedy songs are some of my all-time favorite songs, and his ballads are simple and poignant. Ray is a true treasure and again, he is another "don't miss!"
The following day, I finally went to see "The Drowsy Chaperone" on Broadway. Bob Martin, the "man in the chair" was scheduled to do his last performance in NY the following day (he's off to head up the London cast!) and I'd heard that his performance was not to be missed. I'd heard right, too! The show is charming and funny, and overflowing with talented performers (Sutton Foster, Beth Leavel and Eddie Korbich spring to mind immediately), but Bob is truly the glue that holds the show together. I'm sure the show will have much continued success without him, but I'm sure glad I caught it while he was still in it!
On Sunday, March 11th, I had my final performance of SMOOCH! at the Metropolitan Room. We had a terrific show and a really nice crowd. What really thrilled me were the number of performers I look up to and admire that were in the audience to support me! The aforementioned Tony DeSare and Ray Jessel were both there, as were Mary Foster Conklin, Baby Jane Dexter, Miles Phillips, Jackie Fornatale, Rob Langeder, and Gretchen Reinhagen! So, a big thanks to my fellow performers who made it out to see me - that kind of support really means a lot! And a thank you to all of the non-performers who made it, too! I have to say, it was a REALLY fun audience to sing for!
On Thursday, March 15th, I headed back to the Metropolitan Room to catch the fabulous Johnny Rodgers Band. Johnny is an awesome singer/songwriter/piano player, and his songs really have a huge range - some are jazzy, some are pop/rock, some are country, some are funk (yes, really!). And through it all, his incredible musicianship really shines. The band is awesome - I could seriously listen to them all night! I was so happy to have caught this show!
On Sunday, March 18th, we had an "Esposito Family Concert" in Middletown, NY - sponsored by the Friends of the Library at Thrall Library. Unfortunately, my sister Kelly was down for the count with a nasty bout of bronchitis, but my dad and I, along with our fantastic band (Richard Schacher on piano, Rob Broelmann on bass, and Brian DeWitt on drums) managed to put on a very entertaining show! We had a GREAT crowd and a lot of fun!
On Monday, it was Cast Party as usual, which was a lot of fun. David Ippolito was there, which was really fun, because I hadn't seen him in months! Other favorite performers of mine included Christine Lavin, Sue Matsuki, Ray Jessel, and Tony DeSare.
On Wednesday, March 21st, we headed back to Don't Tell Mama to see Ray Jessel again - I tell you, he's addictive!
Then, last night, I saw the amazing Marilyn Maye at the Metropolitan Room. Marilyn holds the record for number of performances on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson. She performed on that show 75 times! Wow! As my friend Sue Matsuki said after the show last night, paying the cover charge was like "paying tuition." Seeing this woman perform is a master class in the art of cabaret. She's glamorous, warm, sophisticated, slightly naughty, and welcoming all at once. And she can sing and swing like nobody's business! She was joined by the fabulous Billy Stritch on piano, which made an already fabulous show just that much better!
Anyway, that's about all for now - will try to do another update soon.
Have a GREAT weekend!
After Tony's show, we headed over to Don't Tell Mama to catch Ray Jessel. I've written about Ray before, but not for a while, so let me write again! Ray is a brilliant songwriter, who will have you falling out of your chair laughing one moment, and wiping away a tear the next. His witty, clever, and slightly naughty comedy songs are some of my all-time favorite songs, and his ballads are simple and poignant. Ray is a true treasure and again, he is another "don't miss!"
The following day, I finally went to see "The Drowsy Chaperone" on Broadway. Bob Martin, the "man in the chair" was scheduled to do his last performance in NY the following day (he's off to head up the London cast!) and I'd heard that his performance was not to be missed. I'd heard right, too! The show is charming and funny, and overflowing with talented performers (Sutton Foster, Beth Leavel and Eddie Korbich spring to mind immediately), but Bob is truly the glue that holds the show together. I'm sure the show will have much continued success without him, but I'm sure glad I caught it while he was still in it!
On Sunday, March 11th, I had my final performance of SMOOCH! at the Metropolitan Room. We had a terrific show and a really nice crowd. What really thrilled me were the number of performers I look up to and admire that were in the audience to support me! The aforementioned Tony DeSare and Ray Jessel were both there, as were Mary Foster Conklin, Baby Jane Dexter, Miles Phillips, Jackie Fornatale, Rob Langeder, and Gretchen Reinhagen! So, a big thanks to my fellow performers who made it out to see me - that kind of support really means a lot! And a thank you to all of the non-performers who made it, too! I have to say, it was a REALLY fun audience to sing for!
On Thursday, March 15th, I headed back to the Metropolitan Room to catch the fabulous Johnny Rodgers Band. Johnny is an awesome singer/songwriter/piano player, and his songs really have a huge range - some are jazzy, some are pop/rock, some are country, some are funk (yes, really!). And through it all, his incredible musicianship really shines. The band is awesome - I could seriously listen to them all night! I was so happy to have caught this show!
On Sunday, March 18th, we had an "Esposito Family Concert" in Middletown, NY - sponsored by the Friends of the Library at Thrall Library. Unfortunately, my sister Kelly was down for the count with a nasty bout of bronchitis, but my dad and I, along with our fantastic band (Richard Schacher on piano, Rob Broelmann on bass, and Brian DeWitt on drums) managed to put on a very entertaining show! We had a GREAT crowd and a lot of fun!
On Monday, it was Cast Party as usual, which was a lot of fun. David Ippolito was there, which was really fun, because I hadn't seen him in months! Other favorite performers of mine included Christine Lavin, Sue Matsuki, Ray Jessel, and Tony DeSare.
On Wednesday, March 21st, we headed back to Don't Tell Mama to see Ray Jessel again - I tell you, he's addictive!
Then, last night, I saw the amazing Marilyn Maye at the Metropolitan Room. Marilyn holds the record for number of performances on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson. She performed on that show 75 times! Wow! As my friend Sue Matsuki said after the show last night, paying the cover charge was like "paying tuition." Seeing this woman perform is a master class in the art of cabaret. She's glamorous, warm, sophisticated, slightly naughty, and welcoming all at once. And she can sing and swing like nobody's business! She was joined by the fabulous Billy Stritch on piano, which made an already fabulous show just that much better!
Anyway, that's about all for now - will try to do another update soon.
Have a GREAT weekend!
posted by Jenna @ 8:37 AM
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