Happy May!

Hello all!

Well, it's been a busy week or so since my last post, but it's been a "good busy!"

On Saturday, April 25th, I had a fabulous time singing backup and a few duets in Rob Langeder's new show, Anyplace I Hang My Hat...! Backed by a rockin' band (led my dad, Fortune Esposito on guitar!), Rob puts on a super-high-energy show packed with well-loved standards and showtunes, as well as a few lesser-known gems. The songs and arrangements do a great job of showing off his vocal prowess as well as his powerful acting chops, and I'm honored to be a part of the show! There's one performance left, on Wednesday, May 20th at 8 p.m. - I can't wait!

On the following evening, it was off the the Algonquin Salon, which is held every Sunday evening from 7-10 p.m. in the lobby of the historic Algonquin Hotel. Founded by Mark Janas and produced by Peter Napolitano, the Salon has quickly become THE destination for singers, songwriters, and musicians on Sunday evenings. Mark serves as host/house accompanist, and every week, there is a special "guest co-host," as well as an optional theme, which always makes for a unique, never-the-same-thing-twice, evening! This past week's guest co-host was my good friend Hector Coris (who did a great job!), and the optional theme was "The First Time," so performers brought in a lot of interesting material - everything from the first song they performed in public to songs containing the phrase "the first time," to songs that they were trying out for the very first time that evening! Performers included 2009 Bistro Award winners Susan Winter and Deb Berman, as well as Salon regulars Gretchen Reinhagen, Richie Eisenberg, Rob Langeder, and Sierra Rein. To add to the excitement, legendary performers Marilyn Maye and Celeste Holm were in the audience - wow!! Also, special kudos to Matthew Ward who did an admirable job filling in for Mark Janas as host/pianist!

On Monday night, I headed over to Birdland for yet another fab Cast Party - sooooooo many talented folks performed, it was unbelievable! Let's see...there were uber-divas Ann Hampton Callaway, Marilyn Maye, and Klea Blackhurst; R&B singer/songwriter Chaz Langley; folk goddess Christine Lavin; talented songbird Maude Maggart, and YouTube sensation Miranda, plus tons of fabulous regulars - definitely a Cast Party for the books!

The next night, it was off to the Bistro Awards at Gotham Comedy Club, which ended up being another terrific show. Liza Minnelli was honored with a special award for enduring artistry and international singer/songwriter/actor Charles Aznavour was presented with a lifetime achievement award. The show was a wonderful celebration of NYC nightlife, and it was a real treat to hear the performances and acceptance speeches from the winners! For a full list of recipients, click here.

On Friday, May 1st, I headed to Metrojam, which is the monthly open mic at the Metropolitan Room, to celebrate Joe Bachana's last night as host! After nearly three years, Joe is stepping down, and he's actually asked ME to take over! So, starting next month, I'll be the host of Metrojam! This past Friday was a great night - many of the performers who have attended Metrojam over the last three years showed up to make Joe's last night special, and they succeeded! Susan Winter, Hector Coris, Rob Langeder, Deb Berman, Richie Eisenberg, Dawn Derow, Miles Phillips, Karen Oberlin, and Maureen Taylor were among the performers, and they were backed by a fantastic house band of John DiPinto on piano, Ritt Henn on bass, and Bobby Sher on drums. Congratulations to Joe on building Metrojam up from the ground and thanks for leaving me with a terrific open mic to host!

The rest of my weekend was spent rehearsing for my upcoming Connie Francis show, so that just about brings us up to date!

I've got another busy coupla weeks ahead, so be sure to check back for an update soon!