Happy Saturday, everyone! Hope everyone's weekends are off to terrific starts - I know mine is! I had a great time at Sharon McNight's show last night, and a fantastic time sharing the stage with a bunch of amazing performers at a benefit at the Metropolitan Room tonight! Before I get too ahead of myself, though, let me backtrack and start at the beginning of the week!
Monday evening found me, as usual, at Birdland for Jim Caruso's Cast Party. The room was packed with all kinds of talented entertainers who got up to share their talents, including singer/songwriter Victoria Shaw (who has written all kinds of hits, including "The River" for Garth Brooks), Klea Blackhurst (whose Ethel Merman tribute, Everything The Traffic Will Allow, is currently playing at the Snapple Theater Center), Broadway vet Susie Mosher, LA-based singer/songwriter Wayne Moore, and another terrific singer/songwriter, Jason Maniscalco (who treated us to an original tune on his ukulele)! Jim was his usual fabulous self as host, and David Budway and Steve Doyle provided top-notch accompaniment on piano and bass, respectively.
On Thursday evening, July 23rd, it was off to the Algonquin Hotel for the Summer Oak Room Salon. Created by the same team behind The Algonquin Salon (which takes place on Sunday evenings in the lobby of the Algonquin Hotel), the Summer Oak Room Salon is another great opportunity for singers, songwriters, and musicians to share their talents and network with each other - and, with the illustrious history of the Oak Room, it's even more special! This was the second week of the Summer Oak Room Salon, and I had the honor of co-hosting, along with Mac-Award winner Rob Langeder. The turnout was terrific - loads of terrifically talented folks showed up and took the mic, including Maureen Taylor, Julie Reyburn, Kathleen France, and Jan Brennan (who also served as the "Oakette" of the night, helping to keep the evening running smoothly). A feature of the Summer Oak Room Salon is a weekly special guest star, who performs a 3-song set. This week, the special guest star was the incredible Scott Coulter, who brought the house down with his renditions of "I Honestly Love You," "Drop Me Off In Harlem" and "For Good." Another Oak Room Salon feature, which was just added this week, is the "Advisor's Spotlight" - a performer selected by the Oak Room Salon's Artistic Advisor, Roy Sander, to perform a 2-song set. Roy's selection this week was Broadway veteran and talented singer/songwriter Lee Summers, who, along with his accompanist, Timoty Graphenreed, wowed the Oak Room crowd and kicked off this new feature with a bang! Kudos to founder/host Mark Janas, executive producer Peter Napolitano, and associate producer Tanya Moberly for creating such a wonderful experience!
Friday evening found me at the Metropolitan Room to catch Sharon McNight's show, Ladies Compose Yourselves: The Sequel, a follow-up to her wildly successful show a few years back, Ladies Compose Yourselves. Like its predecessor, this show was a celebration of female songwriters - and what a celebration it was! From well known songwriters such as Annie Lennox and Janis Ian to lesser known writers like April Winchell and Marilyn Harris, Ms McNight's well-constructed show was a wonderful showcase of the plethora of great material by female composers. And in addition to being female, all of the composers had to meet one additional requirement: "All these women had to be alive - it's a new concept in cabaret," Ms. McNight wryly remarked. Top to bottom, it was a thoroughly enjoyable show - the combination of terrific songs, wonderful accompaniment by pianist Ian Herman, and Ms. McNight's larger-than-life personality (a perfect combination of brassiness, intelligence and charm) really made for a terrific hour of entertainment!
