Julian Yeo, Summer In The City, and the Algonquin Salon
Hey All!
I actually don't have a ton to write, because a good portion of my time since my last blog was taken up by the Summer In The City workshop I attended last week. Run by Lennie Watts and Lina Koutrakos, SintheC is a terrific workshop for cabaret performers, and I was thrilled to be able to take some days out of my busy schedule to just work on honing my craft! More about that in a bit, though, as I like to keep the blog chronological...
...So, first, let me write a bit about Julian Yeo at the Time Out New York Lounge. I've written about Julian a number of times before, and there is a reason I keep going back to see his shows - they're very entertaining and I always have a great time! Julian and his band have a distinctive sound, which he aptly lables "Retro-Jazz." And truly, if you close your eyes for a minute or two, it's easy to imagine you're back in the 1940's, sipping cocktails in a fashionable nightclub. It was especially fun seeing Julian in this venue, since the decor is somewhat retro, itself (although I'd say '60's, as opposed to '40's...the point is, though, that both the lounge itself and the music transport you out of the modern day hustle-bustle of NYC). Julian and his fellas are back at the Time Out New York Lounge on Tuesday, July 22nd from 6-8 p.m. and I'm definitely going back for another round - if you can swing by, I can assure you that it's a great way to kick off your evening! In case you're wondering, the Time Out New York Lounge is actually underground at New World Stages on West 50th between 8th and 9th - enter the theatre, head down the stairs to your left, and you won't be able to miss it!
The Summer In The City program started the following night, and I really had a fantastic time! Each of the participants had been mailed a song to learn a few weeks prior to the start of the workshop, and we spent the first night working with a musical director (either Rick Jensen or Steven Ray Watkins) on personalized arrangements of each of those songs. For this portion of the workshop, we were divided into groups and were either working with Lina as director and Rick Jensen as musical director, or working with Lennie as director and Steven Ray Watkins as musical director. I was in Lina and Rick's group and had a blast not only working on my song, but watching the other performers work on their songs and work with Lina and Rick to come up with some really amazing arrangements.
I actually had to miss the second night of the workshop due to a performance in Long Island (which went very well - I'll be back there on August 14th, too!), but I rejoined the workshop bright and early on Friday morning. We spent the day Friday performing our "new arrangements" for the rest of the participants, and worked on fine-tuning our performances of them, and then on Friday night we had a workshop on writing "patter." Oh, yes, the dreaded patter!! That was actually much more fun than I thought it would be, and I really learned a lot just from listening to how other people constructed their patter, and the ways in which they used their patter to lead into their songs.
On Saturday, we had an early start again, and were once more divided into two groups. I spent the first part of the morning with Lennie, Steven Ray Watkins, and our fantastic guest teacher, Baby Jane Dexter. Again, my own coaching was great, but I really learned the most from watching other people perform, and listening to what Lennie and Baby Jane had to say to them. After everyone had gotten a chance to work, we switched "teachers" and my group went to work with Lina and our other fantastic guest teacher for the day, Jay Rogers! This session was really productive for me, as I worked on a song that I'd learned only recently and NEVER performed before. By the end of the session, I felt like I'd opened up a new approach to the song, and I really can't wait to do some more work on it! Saturday afternoon was spent in a "marketing/business" seminar with the fabulously talented Karen Mack (better known to some as one half of the Gashole team!) and I was very pleased to be able to pick up some tips from her!
Saturday night, we took a "class trip" to the Metropolitan Room to see Eric Michael Gillett in his new show, "Best of My Love." Backed by Don Rebic (musical director) on piano and Steve Doyle on bass, Eric journeyed through a variety of styles, from pop to rock to Broadway, and sounded great doing so! My favorite part, though, was his "patter." Yes, we all make fun of patter, but when done well, it can make you feel like you're the performer's best friend, give you a clue to the personality behind the songs, and Eric Michael Gillett really nailed it. This was especially fun to watch after our patter workshop the night before!
The workshop wound down on Sunday, but it went out with a bang! Our guest teachers for the morning session were Kristine Zbornik and Faith Prince, who happen to be starring together in A Catered Affair on Broadway. Now, having been OBSESSED with the Guys and Dolls revival in the early '90's and having idolized Faith Prince throughout high school and college, this was like a dream come true for me! I was soooooooooooooooooooooo excited to be able to coach my song with these two ladies, but just the slightest bit terrified! However, the nerves went away quickly, and I got so much out of it!! Now, what was formerly a funny song has been transformed into a hilarious song, thanks to some great coaching from the generous divas! The guest teacher for the afternoon session was singer/songwriter Steven Lutvak, and since I'd already performed in the morning session, I didn't get to work with him directly, but he did a FANTASTIC job of coaching the performers who did get to work with him, and I had a wonderful time watching him work!
Wow, I didn't plan to write so much about Summer in the City, but it was really such a terrific experience that I found it hard NOT to write that much once I got started! A huge thank you to Lennie and Lina for their hard work and dedication. They really put together a wonderful program, and I'm so happy to have been able to participate!
Monday night, July 14th, it was time for another excellent Cast Party! Jim was in rare form, and Billy Stritch was at the keys, which made for a madcap, fun night! Seated at the table next to me were Michael Feinstein and Barry Humphries (better known as Dame Edna), which was very cool, and gracing the stage that evening were some truly fantastic performers including Broadway diva Carol Woods (currently starring in Chicago), Lumiri Tubo, and favorite regulars like Christine Lavin and Ray Jessel.
Last night, I headed to the Algonquin for Mark Janas' Algonquin Salon. I'd been encouraged by a number of people to check this out, and I'm so happy I did! Like Cast Party, there were some terrific singers taking turns performing, but unlike Cast Party, it was in a small room (actually the famed Oak Room!), with no microphone, and it really felt like we were hanging out in somebody's living room, just enjoying each other's company and sharing music. The level of talent in that room was remarkable, and I was happy to see some familiar faces, such as Dani Rhodes, Nick Levin, Julie Reyburn, and Jen Wren, to name a few. I was only planning on staying for a few hours, but I ended up having such a great time that I ended up staying for four! The salon is happening again next Thursday, from 5-10 p.m., and I'm hoping to be able to drop by for a little bit - if you're in town, it's definitely worth checking out!
So...that just about brings us up to date. Apologies for the loquaciousness, but I really wanted to share my Summer In The City experience!
I've got a bunch of gigs coming up - check out my website or my myspace page for details - I'd love to see you at one or more of the shows!
I actually don't have a ton to write, because a good portion of my time since my last blog was taken up by the Summer In The City workshop I attended last week. Run by Lennie Watts and Lina Koutrakos, SintheC is a terrific workshop for cabaret performers, and I was thrilled to be able to take some days out of my busy schedule to just work on honing my craft! More about that in a bit, though, as I like to keep the blog chronological...
...So, first, let me write a bit about Julian Yeo at the Time Out New York Lounge. I've written about Julian a number of times before, and there is a reason I keep going back to see his shows - they're very entertaining and I always have a great time! Julian and his band have a distinctive sound, which he aptly lables "Retro-Jazz." And truly, if you close your eyes for a minute or two, it's easy to imagine you're back in the 1940's, sipping cocktails in a fashionable nightclub. It was especially fun seeing Julian in this venue, since the decor is somewhat retro, itself (although I'd say '60's, as opposed to '40's...the point is, though, that both the lounge itself and the music transport you out of the modern day hustle-bustle of NYC). Julian and his fellas are back at the Time Out New York Lounge on Tuesday, July 22nd from 6-8 p.m. and I'm definitely going back for another round - if you can swing by, I can assure you that it's a great way to kick off your evening! In case you're wondering, the Time Out New York Lounge is actually underground at New World Stages on West 50th between 8th and 9th - enter the theatre, head down the stairs to your left, and you won't be able to miss it!
The Summer In The City program started the following night, and I really had a fantastic time! Each of the participants had been mailed a song to learn a few weeks prior to the start of the workshop, and we spent the first night working with a musical director (either Rick Jensen or Steven Ray Watkins) on personalized arrangements of each of those songs. For this portion of the workshop, we were divided into groups and were either working with Lina as director and Rick Jensen as musical director, or working with Lennie as director and Steven Ray Watkins as musical director. I was in Lina and Rick's group and had a blast not only working on my song, but watching the other performers work on their songs and work with Lina and Rick to come up with some really amazing arrangements.
I actually had to miss the second night of the workshop due to a performance in Long Island (which went very well - I'll be back there on August 14th, too!), but I rejoined the workshop bright and early on Friday morning. We spent the day Friday performing our "new arrangements" for the rest of the participants, and worked on fine-tuning our performances of them, and then on Friday night we had a workshop on writing "patter." Oh, yes, the dreaded patter!! That was actually much more fun than I thought it would be, and I really learned a lot just from listening to how other people constructed their patter, and the ways in which they used their patter to lead into their songs.
On Saturday, we had an early start again, and were once more divided into two groups. I spent the first part of the morning with Lennie, Steven Ray Watkins, and our fantastic guest teacher, Baby Jane Dexter. Again, my own coaching was great, but I really learned the most from watching other people perform, and listening to what Lennie and Baby Jane had to say to them. After everyone had gotten a chance to work, we switched "teachers" and my group went to work with Lina and our other fantastic guest teacher for the day, Jay Rogers! This session was really productive for me, as I worked on a song that I'd learned only recently and NEVER performed before. By the end of the session, I felt like I'd opened up a new approach to the song, and I really can't wait to do some more work on it! Saturday afternoon was spent in a "marketing/business" seminar with the fabulously talented Karen Mack (better known to some as one half of the Gashole team!) and I was very pleased to be able to pick up some tips from her!
Saturday night, we took a "class trip" to the Metropolitan Room to see Eric Michael Gillett in his new show, "Best of My Love." Backed by Don Rebic (musical director) on piano and Steve Doyle on bass, Eric journeyed through a variety of styles, from pop to rock to Broadway, and sounded great doing so! My favorite part, though, was his "patter." Yes, we all make fun of patter, but when done well, it can make you feel like you're the performer's best friend, give you a clue to the personality behind the songs, and Eric Michael Gillett really nailed it. This was especially fun to watch after our patter workshop the night before!
The workshop wound down on Sunday, but it went out with a bang! Our guest teachers for the morning session were Kristine Zbornik and Faith Prince, who happen to be starring together in A Catered Affair on Broadway. Now, having been OBSESSED with the Guys and Dolls revival in the early '90's and having idolized Faith Prince throughout high school and college, this was like a dream come true for me! I was soooooooooooooooooooooo excited to be able to coach my song with these two ladies, but just the slightest bit terrified! However, the nerves went away quickly, and I got so much out of it!! Now, what was formerly a funny song has been transformed into a hilarious song, thanks to some great coaching from the generous divas! The guest teacher for the afternoon session was singer/songwriter Steven Lutvak, and since I'd already performed in the morning session, I didn't get to work with him directly, but he did a FANTASTIC job of coaching the performers who did get to work with him, and I had a wonderful time watching him work!
Wow, I didn't plan to write so much about Summer in the City, but it was really such a terrific experience that I found it hard NOT to write that much once I got started! A huge thank you to Lennie and Lina for their hard work and dedication. They really put together a wonderful program, and I'm so happy to have been able to participate!
Monday night, July 14th, it was time for another excellent Cast Party! Jim was in rare form, and Billy Stritch was at the keys, which made for a madcap, fun night! Seated at the table next to me were Michael Feinstein and Barry Humphries (better known as Dame Edna), which was very cool, and gracing the stage that evening were some truly fantastic performers including Broadway diva Carol Woods (currently starring in Chicago), Lumiri Tubo, and favorite regulars like Christine Lavin and Ray Jessel.
Last night, I headed to the Algonquin for Mark Janas' Algonquin Salon. I'd been encouraged by a number of people to check this out, and I'm so happy I did! Like Cast Party, there were some terrific singers taking turns performing, but unlike Cast Party, it was in a small room (actually the famed Oak Room!), with no microphone, and it really felt like we were hanging out in somebody's living room, just enjoying each other's company and sharing music. The level of talent in that room was remarkable, and I was happy to see some familiar faces, such as Dani Rhodes, Nick Levin, Julie Reyburn, and Jen Wren, to name a few. I was only planning on staying for a few hours, but I ended up having such a great time that I ended up staying for four! The salon is happening again next Thursday, from 5-10 p.m., and I'm hoping to be able to drop by for a little bit - if you're in town, it's definitely worth checking out!
So...that just about brings us up to date. Apologies for the loquaciousness, but I really wanted to share my Summer In The City experience!
I've got a bunch of gigs coming up - check out my website or my myspace page for details - I'd love to see you at one or more of the shows!
posted by Jenna @ 9:51 AM
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