Happy Saturday! I've had a great week of show-going - busy, but great! It all began on Sunday evening at BB King Blues Club, with a stellar Simon & Garfunkel tribute by folk/rock duo Aztec Two-Step (singers/guitarists Neal Shulman and Rex Fowler). Joined by legendary radio broadcaster Pete Fornatale (also the author of the book Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends!), who sprinkled interesting anecdotes throughout the concert, the duo wove their way through a number of Simon & Garfunkel's greatest hits such as "59th Street Bridge Song," "America," "Cecilia," "I Am A Rock," "Mrs. Robinson," "The Boxer," and a brilliant pairing of "Sound of Silence" and "Scarborough Fair." There was a terrific camaraderie onstage, both among Mr. Shulman and MR. Fowler (who have been playing together for 39 years!), and also extending to include Mr. Fornatale and bassist Fred Holman. Although there was a clear structure to the show, there was also plenty of room for off-the-cuff comments and jokes among the performers, which added a great deal of fun to an already thoroughly enjoyable show! Due in no small part to their long partnership, I'm sure, Mr. Shulman's and MR. Fowler's voices blended perfectly together, truly recalling the beautiful music produced by the duo to whom they were paying tribute. Happily for the audience, we got treated to an Aztec Two-Step original tune, "Highway Song" as an encore. Featuring beautiful harmonies and terrific lyrics, it fit squarely into the Simon & Garfunkel feel for the evening, and definitely piqued my interest in hearing more of Aztec Two-Step! All in all, a terrific start to the week!
Monday evening, as usual, it was off to Jim Caruso's Cast Party at Birdland. Featuring performances by Michael Winther, Edward Lovett, David Rasche, Kathleen France, Maureen Taylor, Rob Langeder, Tuey Connell, Janet Fanale, and, of course, the host himself, it was a fantastic night at the legendary jazz club! The Cast Party Symphony Orchestra (Billy Stritch on piano, Steve Doyle on bass, and Dustin Jensen on drums) was superb, and as an extra-special treat, Jim and Billy did their best Sonny and Cher for the adoring crowd! What a night!
On Tuesday evening, I headed to The Metropolitan Room to catch Tom D'Angelo in This Time I'm Swinging, a show which featured lots of swinging standards and a few fun surprises, like guest vocalist Cassandra Kubinski and guest saxophonist Jackie Michaels. Opening with "We've Got A World That Swings," Mr. D'Angelo had the audience singing, clapping and bopping along from the get-go, and a party-like atmosphere filled the room. Backed by some terrific musicians (Musical Director Bill Gulino on piano, Rich Gutches on guitar, and Bobby Sher on drums), the charming Mr. D'Angelo proceeded to swing his way through a bunch of great songs, including "Another Saturday Night," "Sway," "Please Be Kind," and "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me," keeping the crowd energized and entertained throughout the evening.
Wednesday evening was a busy one for me - first I headed to Barnes & Noble at Lincoln Triangle for my own show, which celebrated the release of my new CD, To Connie...Love, Jenna. The show was part of the "Any Wednesday" series helmed by Bart Greenberg, who has done wonders for the cabaret community through his hard work. The series features a different performer every week (usually one who has recently released a new CD!) in a free half hour concert which is open to the public and helps to promote cabaret performers to a crowd which may otherwise never have known about them! I was thrilled to be able to participate this week, and encourage any music lovers to check out the series! After Barnes & Noble, it was off the Iguana VIP Lounge for Wednesday Night at the Iguana, the weekly singers' showcase hosted by Richard Skipper and Dana Lorge. This week, the featured performers included Michelle Collier, Annette Hunt, Enid, David Vernon, Joan Jaffee, and Diane Marino, each of whom performed a 3 song set and kept the packed room entertained throughout the night! Other performers included Jill Melanie Wirth, Barbara Porteus, Cindy Marchionda, Mary & Jim Lahti, Rob Langeder, Maureen Taylor, Tom D'Angelo, and (of course!) the talented and charming hosts themselves, Richard Skipper and Dana Lorge. Barry Levitt and Saadi Zain provided terrific backing on piano and bass, respectively, and it really ended up being a great night!
