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.

A Piano Bar Holiday Reunion – with Bobby Peaco & Friends

Gerry Geddes
I have been a denizen of piano bars for over 35 years, so I was naturally intrigued when I saw that Scott Barbarino of Iridium was presenting a series called Piano Bar Reunion. The piano bar has changed drastically over the years and, apart from loction, barely resembles the minor jewel in the crown of...

Until Now… The Songs of Ron Abel and Chuck Steffan

Gerry Geddes
As part of its Winter Rhythms festival, Urban Stages presented "Until Now…The Songs of Ron Abel and Chuck Steffan" with a starry cast and an instrumental trio featuring Abel on piano, Tom Hubbard on bass, and Rex Benincasa on drums.  Abel has arranged, orchestrated and conducted around the world with such luminaries as Bette Midler,...

Analisa Bell

Gerry Geddes
A rising star in Australian cabaret, Analisa Bell brought her show "Perthonality 2.0" (she's from Perth, get it?) to the Duplex in November after having debuted it at the Metropolitan Room in August. Urged by her mentor, Faith Prince, to come to New York to sing, she proved to be an accomplished vocalist, comedian, and...

Megon McDonough

Gerry Geddes
Back in the last century, in the pre-digital 70's, I used to love to frequent New York's numerous record stores in search of new and exciting artists, taking chances on an album because of a certain song, an arranger, a producer, even a back-up singer. This practice led to the discovery of a number of...

Brittney Lee Hamilton

Gerry Geddes
In spite of her diminutive size, red hair, and brassy delivery, Brittney Lee Hamilton has never played Annie, but has been cast as a child well after her teens. Her love/hate response to this situation inspired her New York cabaret debut, "No, I've Never Played Annie," which recently ended its run at the Laurie Beechman...

Tim Connell

Gerry Geddes
Tim Connell's "Here's The Thing," which recently completed a run at Don't Tell Mama, is an example of a good, old-fashioned cabaret show: a singer, a pianist, some good songs, some intelligent patter and a microphone. No frills, no pretensions—just solid entertainment. Accompanied by his talented music director, James Followell, Connell gives us a glimpse...

Kelli Rabke

Gerry Geddes
Thanks to her big expressive voice and sparkling personality, Kelli Rabke has developed a good Broadway/musical theatre resume. She draws from it for much of her show at the Metropolitan Room, putting the material in more or less chronological order and offering each song or section as a chapter in the book of her life....

Tedd Firth, Julian Fleisher, and Leon Fleisher

Gerry Geddes
Tedd Firth has been one of the brightest lights in cabaret and jazz in New York City for a while, but he is usually found supporting vocalists, brilliantly. So imagine my surprise to find his name in the title of this new show, "Firth, Fleisher and Fleisher in Concert." A friend turned me on to...

Rain Pryor

Gerry Geddes
Jazz and comedy rarely work together as well as they do in Rain Pryor's "Divorced, Dangerous, Diva-licious" at the Iridium. Carrying on the tradition of her father, legendary comic Richard Pryor, she is hilarious in her self-deprecating survey of her life, romantic and otherwise. But the soundtrack she chooses for this story is what makes...

Jimmy Webb

Gerry Geddes
Jimmy Webb, the man responsible for "Up, Up and Away", "Didn't We", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "MacArthur Park," and on and on, is such an iconic songwriter that he could easily rest on his laurels and just present his hits in their original form and let the audience be satisfied and excited...