Gerry Geddes

Gerry Geddes, critic for BistroAwards.com, is an award-winning director, writer, teacher, performer, lyricist, and a contributor to the podcast Troubadours and Raconteurs. He conceived and directed the acclaimed musical revues Monday in the Dark with George (Bistro and MAC Award winner), Put on Your Saturday Suit—Words & Music by Jimmy Webb, and Gerry Geddes & Company (in its five-year residency at Pangea). He has directed singers André De Shields, Darius de Haas, Helen Baldassare, and Lisa Viggiano. He has been active in the cabaret world for over five decades and has produced numerous CDs; his lyrics have been performed and recorded here and in Europe. Gerry’s workshop, The Art of Vocal Performance, is regularly offered to singers of all levels. His memoir of life in NYC, Didn’t I Ever Tell You This?, was recently published and is available at barnesandnoble.com. He is currently at work on his first novel.

CD Review: Mark Winkler’s “Late Bloomin’ Jazzman”

Gerry Geddes
 Singer Mark Winkler is the genuine article. To borrow a quote from a classic Blossom Dearie song, “If it were hip to be hep he’d be hep.”  He is a laid back, swinging, hip jazz singer and, as his new CD Late Bloomin’ Jazzman highlights, he is one hell of a lyricist. In fact, the recording is...

Club Review: Salty Brine’s Living Record Collection—”How Strange It Is”

Gerry Geddes
The album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel, was released on February 10, 1998. The group was the brainchild of singer/songwriter Jeff Magnum, whose lyrics were in some instances inspired by the writings of Anne Frank. The amalgam of indie rock and art folk has given rise to much acclaim, both...

Club Review: Karen Mack & Elliot Roth

Gerry Geddes
The front lounge at Pangea has become a relaxed, friendly hybrid of cabaret and piano bar with no cover and no minimum.  The talented duo of Karen Mack and Elliot Roth fits the room and the feel to a proverbial “T.”  They are both seasoned pros but here, liberated from the restrictions and familiarity of...

Theatre Revue: “Notes from Now—Songs of Resilience & Renewal”

Gerry Geddes
The new revue, recently presented at 59E59 Theaters, Notes from Now—Songs of Resilience & Renewal is, like most revues, a hit-and-miss affair, but when it hits, it is very, very good.  It features mostly newly commissioned original songs by contemporary musical theatre writers.   The show opens with Adam Gwon’s “Don’t Swat the Bee,” which...

Critical Thoughts: You’ve Rehearsed and Rehearsed….Now What?

Gerry Geddes
For the purposes of this column, I will be wearing both a director’s hat and a critic’s hat, with the former being a bit larger than the latter.  You will see why as we go—  1) Patter, Patter, Patter Sometimes even the most seasoned of performers will find patter (talking between songs) the most difficult...

CD Review: Melissa Errico’s “Out of the Dark—The Film Noir Project”

Gerry Geddes
During lockdown and quarantine, many people spent an inordinate amount of time bingeing TV shows and movies, searching through Netflix, Amazon's Prime, and other streaming services, for the perfect film or series or genre to fill their days and occupy their minds.  Singer Melissa Errico immersed herself in the shadowy, mysterious, dangerously romantic world of...

Randy Edelman: A Life in 80 Minutes

Gerry Geddes
The very first contribution I made to cabaret was persuading my friend, Marc Allen Trujillo, to include Randy Edelman’s “The Laughter and the Tears” in his act and helping him to phrase and to stage it. I first heard the song on Nancy Wilson’s album, I Know I Love Him (it was later recorded by...

Critical Thoughts: Words Matter—Diction, Phrasing, and Understanding Help Tell the Story

Gerry Geddes
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...

CD Review: Karen Mason’s “Let the Music Play”

Gerry Geddes
I first reviewed Karen Mason back in the “golden days” of NYC cabaret, at the Duplex,  just after she moved from Chicago to NYC and then, a bit later, at the opening night of the cabaret room at Don’t Tell Mama.  She was an electrifying vocalist, a spellbinding and open-hearted storyteller, and a star. She...

Club Review: Dorian Woodruff’s “Studio Musician—The Music of Manilow”

Gerry Geddes
Dorian Woodruff (Photo: Frank Marando) As the first notes of Chopin’s “Prelude in C Minor” (which is the basis of Barry Manilow’s “Could It Be Magic”) slid easily into “It’s A Miracle” (Manilow, Marty Panzer), it was already apparent that singer Dorian Woodruff holds a special affection for and appreciation of...