Jenna's Two Cents Blog   
Website: JennaEsposito.com   

Monday, March 23, 2009

Monday, Monday...

Hello All!

Wow, I can't believe it's been almost a week since my last post! It's been a busy one, too, which explains why I haven't had time to squeeze in an update! Okay, so when I left off, it was St. Patrick's Day and I was getting ready to go see Ben Cherry's show at Don't Tell Mama. Well, it ended up being a great night! I'd seen Ben in a performance of this show last year, and while it was good, then, it was even better this time around! Filled with songs about the ups and downs of living in the big city, the show was warmly received by the audience of New Yorkers and Ben's performance was terrific! After the show, it was off to O'Flaherty's (right across the street) for some corned beef and cabbage (yes, I AM part Irish!), which was a great way to cap off the day!

On Thursday, March 19th, I was back at Don't Tell Mama, although this time I was actually singing! I was pleased to be one of the performers in this month's Grace Notes. Produced and hosted by Grace Cosgrove, Grace Notes is a monthly "Singers' Soiree," which boasts a different lineup of talented performers each month, and always has a fun theme. The theme this month was "Flower Power: Music of the 60's," and the selection of material was terrific - there was everything from the Beatles to Joni Mitchell to Connie Francis (yep, the Connie Francis was courtesy of yours truly!). I was honored to be sharing the stage with a super-duper group of performers, including Stearns Matthews, Julie Reyburn, Billie Roe, Stefanie Rose, Steven Ray Watkins, Lennie Watts, and (of course!) Grace, herself!

After Grace Notes, it was off to the Time Out NY Lounge to catch Julian Yeo and his retro-jazz band! I've written about Julian a number of times before, and as always, I had a great time listening to him Thursday night. His smooth, easy style and stellar song selection provides the perfect way to unwind at the end of a long week!

On Saturday, March 21st, I had a great time singing backup in Joe Bachana's show, High Hopes: Songs from my Childhood, at the Metropolitan Room. The show was full of feel-good, fun songs, including "Come On Get Happy" (the Partridge Family song!), "Candy Man," "Up, Up and Away," and "Swinging On A Star." And the best part was, that on a number of the songs, he was joined by a chorus of five children who sat on the piano and sang their hearts out - it was adorable! His own two daughters, Cecilia, and Roxanne, were (of course!) part of the children's chorus, and his wife, Nancy, also took part, singing a lovely "Que Sera Sera." It was a fun, family-oriented show and I really enjoyed being able to take part in it!

Later that same night, after grabbing a quick bite to eat, it was back to the Metropolitan Room to see Shawn Ryan's show, which was a blast. I always have a great time at Shawn's shows, which is why I try to make it to see him whenever he's in town. And Saturday night was no exception. The songs were great, the musicians were great, and Shawn's quick, in-the-moment wit and impeccable comic timing kept the audience chuckling (or guffawing, in some cases), for nearly the entire show!

On Sunday evening, it was off to the Algonquin Salon's 1-year anniversary celebration, which was a lot of fun. In the year that it's been in residence at the Algonquin Hotel, the Salon has developed a very loyal following, and it was really nice to see so many of its supporters in the room last night for the celebration. Many of the performers who co-hosted over the past year, including Sue Matsuki, Bobbie Horowitz, Raissa Katona Benett, Maureen Taylor, Sarah Rice, and Peter Napolitano (who is also the producer of the Salon) were there to perform, and a number of the Salon "regulars," plus a few newcomers, were on hand to share their talents as well. It was a lovely night, and everyone seemed to have a great time!

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