Gerry Geddes has conceived and directed a number of musical revues—including the Bistro- and MAC Award-winning "Monday in the Dark with George" and "Put On Your Saturday Suit" – Words & Music by Jimmy Webb—and directed many cabaret artists, among them André De Shields, Helen Baldassare, Darius de Haas, and drag artist Julia Van Cartier. He directed "The David Drumgold Variety Show" monthly at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, and has produced a number of recordings, including two Bistro-winning CDs. He's taught vocal performance at The New School, NYU, and London's Goldsmith's College, and continues to conduct private workshops and master classes. As a writer and critic, he has covered New York's performing arts scene for over 40 years in both local and national publications; his lyrics have been sung by cabaret and recording artists. Up until the pandemic, Gerry was an artist in residence at Pangea, presenting a monthly variety show called "Fabulous First Fridays."
Tweed presents ‘TAINT (cause it ‘taint Christmas, and it ‘taint New Year’s)—An Alt-Holiday Variety Show to benefit Pangea, the terrific cabaret that serves as home to downtown performers and the best of NYC cabaret alike. In these pandemic times, restaurants and clubs are under duress from the distancing and quarantining and all the other nightmarish requirements […]
When Rebecca Luker passed away recently it sent ripples of sadness through the theatre and cabaret communities. All the Girls, the new CD with Luker and Sally Wilfert, serves as a heartbreaking reminder of what a tremendous loss this was. It is also a joyous celebration of two of Broadway’s finest voices, in solos and duets […]
There is an open-hearted, childlike simplicity and beauty to Kenneth Gartman’s sound that is quite endearing and a perfect match for We Need a Little Christmas, a holiday release filled with the warmth of an open fire and the good will of friends and family gathered together. Add to that a thoughtful connection to the […]
Singer/composer/arranger Susan Tobocman has released her latest CD Touch & Go. It has an intriguing selection of songs that are terrifically performed and played. What is immediately unusual about the project is that the singer created all the arrangements with an assist on two of them by David Tobocman (keeping it in the family). The Latin […]
Back in 2016 at the Cafe Carlyle, Judy Collins closed her wonderful show by sitting at the piano, alone on stage, and mesmerized us with Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne.” As we left the room and wandered out into the night we received the devastating news that Cohen had passed away that very evening. Knowing that Collins […]
“You Must Believe in Spring” (Michel Legrand, Jacques Demy, Marilyn and Alan Bergman), the title song of Josie Falbo’s new CD, is going through a bit of renaissance at the moment. It has appeared no less than three times on CDs I have reviewed in the last month. But Falbo alone has the benefit of […]
Sometime in the ‘90s, the Grammy Awards telecast decided to have all the nominees in all Jazz Vocal categories line up on the stage and join in a group rendition of “How High the Moon.” Far stage right, last in line, was Sarah Vaughan; next to her, penultimate in the group, was Diane Schuur. A […]
Linda Lavin’s new CD, Love Notes, is a timeless collection of terrific songs from the Great American Songbook that has the feel and sound of a classic album from the ’50s or ’60s but with a few surprising tracks from the likes of the Eagles and Steely Dan. Lavin sounds better than ever and the […]
Rosemary Clooney famously said, “I am not a jazz singer. I am a singer who sings jazz songs.” On her new album, You Must Believe In Spring, Sue Anne Gershenzon has chosen a program of songs of the highest quality – there’s not a bad song among them. Unfortunately, in her execution of them, she […]
Robbie Rozelle’s new album, Songs From Inside My Locker, captures his more recent show at Feinstein’s/54 Below. While there are some good ideas and a few good numbers to be heard, the singing rarely rises above that of a decent piano bar performance and can’t sustain the length of the recording. As with most […]