Critical Thoughts: Words Matter—Diction, Phrasing, and Understanding Help Tell the Story
When you are singing a song, you are telling a story. You may be narrating the story to the audience, you may be a participant in the story, or simply observing or perhaps reacting to the story, but in each case, the words matter. The more connected to the song you are, the more personal […]
Repertoire for the Once and Future American Songbook Article #20 in this ongoing series. Happy 2022, all! I wish you many memorable musical moments in the year to come. In the previous installment of Cabaret Setlist (click here to read), we looked at how singers can expand the scope of their art by defying expectations about […]
CD Review: Dawn Derow’s “My Ship: Songs from 1941”
In her affecting new CD, My Ship: Songs from 1941, versatile vocalist Dawn Derow celebrates the World War II-era entertainers who comforted civilians stateside and soldiers overseas with memorable recordings of America’s soothing, rousing, and escapist popular music. Recalling such icons as the Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby, Glenn Miller, and Duke Ellington, Derow performs 14 […]
Concert Review: The Andersons Play “A Jazzy Christmas”
Ace clarinet and saxophone players, with clean-cut, boy-next-door good looks and winsome, twinkly-eyed personalities, brothers Peter and Will Anderson brought an infectious Yuletide spirit to the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space with their diverting program of jazz arrangements of Christmas music—not the traditional, religious-themed carols, but rather those secular holiday-season songs one never […]
Multi-Bistro Award-winning cabaret artist, Ricky Ritzel, shares with a friend his best memories of the Bistro Awards evenings.
How About an Apéritif Before the Show?
Whet your appetite for April 30th’s Bistro event with a taste from our 30th anniversary awards show. A buffet of performers at their best including Dee Dee Bridgewater, Carol Fredette, Jason Graae, Karen Mason, Marilyn Maye, and others. (Jason Graae’s opening number written by Rick Jensen and Sally Mayes; video created by Evan Seplow/StageBuddy Pro. […]
Darlene Love: From “Rebel” to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Pop icon and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Darlene Love was honored at the 32nd Annual Bistro Awards on Monday, March 13, 2017, receiving the ASCAP-Bob Harrington Lifetime Achievement Award for her five decades of musical accomplishments. Rolling Stone has called Love “one of the greatest singers of all time,” and The New […]
André De Shields: A Video Glimpse of an Artiste Extraordinaire
The Bistro Award team created a video montage for the multi-award-winning artiste extraordinaire, André De Shields, when he was honored with its 2018 Bob Harrington Lifetime Achievement Award. However, as things can happen during a live performance, we never got the chance to show it! So, here it is now, a two-and-a-half minute glimpse of […]
How Important Is It to Have a Director? Here Are What a Few Directors and Artists Have to Say
Article #12 in The New Cabaret Artist’s Handbook. Part Two of Shellen’s Lubin’s discussion on the importance of directors in cabaret. I hope you’ve figured out from the “shopping list” of directorial tools and qualities that I noted in Part One of this article that each director brings their own skill set and perspectives to the […]
Just How Valuable Is a Director to Your Cabaret Act?
The New Cabaret Artist’s Handbook Article #11 in this continuing series. Most likely there have been times when you’ve asked yourself this question: “Do I really need a director for my cabaret show? After all, I have a theme and ideas, plus I’m working with my longtime musical director who is smart and savvy and […]
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 […]