Jenna's Two Cents Blog   
Website: JennaEsposito.com   

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

This and That...

Hello All!

It's been a busy but fun couple of weeks since my last entry - well, for the most part, anyway! Throwing my neck out and being pretty much immobilized for a few days wasn't so hot, but I'm feeling much better and raring to go now!

So...let's see...on Friday, January 9th, I headed to Metrojam (the monthly open mic at the Metropolitan Room), and had a great time as usual! Joe Bachana did a fabulous job with his hosting duties (and his songs!) and the band (John DiPinto on piano, Ritt Henn on bass and Bobby Sher on drums) was fantastic. There were a lots of talented folks hopping on stage and sharing their songs, including Gabrielle Stravelli (who did an AWESOME blues), Rob Langeder (who swung his heart out on " 'S Wonderful") and Sue Matsuki (who treated us to "Country Man," which was made famous by the late, great Dakota Staton).

On Sunday, January 11th, I headed over the the Algonquin Salon, which is a really wonderful weekly soiree at the historic Algonquin Hotel. Founded by musical director/pianist Mark Janas, it's held every Sunday from 7-10 p.m. in the lobby of the Algonquin, and is frequented by many talented singers, songwriters, and musicians. It's an extremely warm, supportive environment and a terrific place to get to know other entertainers. AND, it's FREE! Well, there's no cover and no minimum - although if you choose to order food or beverages, you are responsible for paying for them! On the 11th, it was packed to the gills with gifted performers including Julie Reyburn, Ryan Kelly, Hector Coris, Rob Langeder, and Raissa Katona Bennett - what a great night!

The following evening, it was off to Cast Party at Birdland. What a show THAT was! With the fabulous Ann Hampton Callaway doing one of her improv numbers (a brand-new song, just made up on the spot with the help of David Budway on piano and Steve Doyle on bass) and vocal jazz legend Jon Hendricks doing a couple of numbers with his daughter, Aria, it was definitely a night to remember!

On Wednesday, January 14th, I had the pleasure of catching an encore performance of Shaynee Rainbolt singing the songs of Russell Garcia at the Iridium. Backed by her fantastic four-trombone band, Shaynee had sounded great singing and swinging through Mr. Garcia's beautifully written songbook and the full house seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves!

I took it easy for the rest of last week and tried to give my neck time to heal (I got the injury last Tuesday morning), but Monday evening I was back in action, attending a double header of David Colbert at the Metropolitan Room followed by (of course!) Cast Party at Birdland. I've gotten to know David over the past few years as a waiter/bartender/t.d. at some of my favorite clubs (he's currently serving in all three capacities at the Metropolitan Room!) and I've heard him sing a song or two here and there, but I'd never gotten to see him in a full show, so I was very excited to finally get the chance! And boy, was it a fun night! Directed by Kristine Zbornik, the show was at times zany, quirky, off-the-wall and poignant. Not to mention the fact that David's got a great, rich voice to work with that sounds great on all of the material, especially the classic rock songs in the lineup. The show is full of surprises, which I don't want to give away, just in case he brings it back! Suffice it to say it was a high-octane show filled with lots of twists and turns...oh, and I would be remiss if I did not mention the FANTASTIC band (unfortunately, I don't have their names, but they rocked!!) and the lovely and talented Karen Mack and Tanya Holt on backup vocals - great job all around! After David's show, I ran outside, grabbed a cab, sat down at Birdland and got called up to sing about 10 minutes after getting there - whew! But then I could just sit and relax and enjoy the rest of the talented folks who got up to sing!

Before I sign off, I just wanted to give a plug to two other great cabaret blogs. The first is written by the lovely and talented Raissa Katona Bennett, and can be found by clicking here. The second is written by D.C. performer and cabaretophile Michael Miyazki, and can be found by clicking here! And a big thanks to Scott Barbarino of Cabaret Exchange for putting up links to my blog and Raissa's blog! Guess I'd better be diligent about the updates! :)

Have a great rest of your week and I'll try to write again soon!

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