Cabaret Setlist: “When I Was a Boy” — Music and lyrics by Dar Williams
Repertoire for the Once and Future American Songbook Song #9 in this running series Although Dar Williams’s song “When I Was a Boy” would go on to become a signature number for her, she once apparently harbored doubts about its potential. This eloquent and extremely likable story-song might well have been laid to eternal rest […]
CD Review: Ken Greves “Vintage and Rare: The Songs of Harold Arlen (Vol. 3) — Ridin’ on the Moon”
Of all the revered composers of Broadway’s Golden Age, whose work makes up a large part of the American Songbook mined by cabaret artists, Harold Arlen is perhaps the most blatantly jazz-influenced. For this reason – while the composer’s fans are surely delighting in the recent release of Ridin’ on the Moon, Volume 3 […]
CD Review: Luba Mason “Triangle”
First things first: I’m a huge fan of Luba Mason. She’s smart, funny, sensitive, playful, and has a great way with a song. But despite of all these superior qualities I find her new CD, Triangle, somewhat disappointing. I like the songs, her interpretations and the accompaniments all individually, but, as a total listening experience, […]
Click here to listen to Turn It All Around Words and music by Debra Barsha and Sheilah Rae (lyrics below) Sung by Wonu Ogunfowora Harris M. Turner and Wonu Ogunfowora, backup singers Accompanied and produced by Taylor Peckham Debra Barsha and Sheilah Rae recently wrote this empowering and inspirational song, “Turn It All Around,” not […]
Highlights from the 2018 Bistro Award Show
Watch highlights from our 33rd annual Bistro Awards show (2018) that features André De Shields (Lifetime Achievement), Sheila Jordan (Outstanding Contributions to the Art of Jazz), Marta Sanders (Consummate Cabaret Artistry), Shemekia Copeland (Producer’s Award), among 19 other individual artists. Bistro Award house band includes Daryl Kojak (piano), Ritt Henn (bass), and Rex Benincasa (drums). […]
The 2020 Honoree Roll Call: Gretchen Reinhagen
Gretchen Reinhagen’s latest CD, Take It with Me, brings a new energy and interpretation to contemporary songs made famous by others. Hear her version of Stevie Wonder’s “All in Love Is Fair,” performed at the 2020 Bistro Awards on March 9. Tracy Stark accompanies on piano, Ritt Henn on bass, and Dwayne Cook Broadnax on […]
The 2020 Honoree Roll Call: Stephanie Trudeau
Stephanie Trudeau transforms herself into Mexican ranchera artist Chavela Vargas in her show, Chavela: Think of Me, which won the 2020 Bistro Award for Outstanding Tribute Show. Vargas, who broke gender barriers in both a highly macho society and music world, is portrayed by Trudeau with compelling vocals and visuals. Here’s her performance of “El” Último […]
The 2020 Honoree Roll Call: Joanne Halev
Joanne Halev used her experience in the fragrance creation profession and her travels around the globe to create her cabaret debut show, “Like a Perfumed Woman.” Here’s a medley from the show that Halev sang at the 2020 Bistro Awards where she was honored with an award for Outstanding Debut. Alex Rybeck, accompanies on piano, […]
The Musical Marriage Continues: Your Musical Director and You (Part Two)
Article #10 in this running series. For this half of our focus on musical directors (just in case you missed Part One: read it here), I posed some challenging questions to a number of them along with a few singers. We’ll begin with Daryl Kojak, who has been the musical director for most of the Bistro Awards […]
The Musical Marriage: Your Musical Director and You (Part One)
Article #9 in this running series. Your musical director is probably your first and most primary connection as a cabaret artist. In fact, if you don’t have a director and/or writers with whom you’re working (both of which we will be addressing in future pieces), they may very well be your only collaborator in the […]
Article #8 in this running series. “I’ve learned how special the audience is, the feeling that you get from people being right in front of you, becoming part of your act. You hear every word, cough, and sneeze. They tell you if they’re amused or moved by your interpretation and how they perceive you and […]
Thinking of Doing a Tribute or Themed Show? Then, You Gotta Get an Arc!
Article #7 in this running series. Let’s say you’ve been in love with Judy Garland and the songs she made famous for years, and you want to do a tribute to her in your next cabaret show. Or, you think Janis Ian is an underrated songwriter and you want to do a night of all […]
