Lisa Jo Sagolla is the author of "The Girl Who Fell Down: A Biography of Joan McCracken" and "Rock ‘n’ Roll Dances of the 1950s". A choreographer, critic, and historian, she has written for Back Stage, American Theatre, Film Journal International, and numerous other popular publications, encyclopedias, and scholarly journals. An adjunct professor at Columbia University and Rutgers, she is currently researching a book on the influence of Pennsylvania’s Bucks County on America’s musical theatre.
The elegant Feinstein’s/54 Below, nestled in the heart of the Broadway theatre district, advertises itself as “Broadway’s supper club,” presenting shows by Broadway performers designed to appeal to Broadway audiences. Yet while many of the artists it features bring cabaret acts filled with pop tunes and standards, the room really lived up to its Great […]
A romantically mellow, one-mood CD, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Tanya Dennis’s White Sails Blue Skies is a recording you shouldn’t give up on too soon because, despite their emotional sameness, its tracks grow increasingly more interesting, musically, as the album progresses. Produced and arranged by Dennis, the recording—featuring seven of her own compositions, plus two covers—evolved as […]
Multi-hyphenates are not uncommon on the cabaret scene. Yet while singer-songwriters who also play piano or guitar are easily found, a multi-gifted artist like Chris Saunders is unusual. Hailing from the San Francisco Bay area, he’s an exquisite trumpeter who also sings and composes in blues, soul, and Latin jazz styles. His band’s latest CD, […]
Los Angeles-based jazz singer Judy Wexler’s delectable new CD, “Back to the Garden,” comprises timely re-imaginings of 10 iconic pop-rock hits of the 1960s. It’s an enlightening and therapeutic album as, from each of its familiar songs, Wexler draws out still-relevant messages and sentiments that help us both understand and cope with our contemporary political […]
While her strong suits are her highly original sense of rhythm and acute use of surprising accents, jazz singer Tessa Souter ensnares listeners by embedding abundant emotion in every tone she produces. Yet her intense expressivity is not text-driven. She doesn’t parse lyrics to stress meanings of specific words, but rather encapsulates the entire emotional […]
Three-time Emmy-winning actor Dave Konig’s comedy show, playing at Don’t Tell Mama on various dates through August 29, is a laugh-a-minute, Borscht Belt-style joke-fest aimed at middle-aged audiences. For a solid hour, Konig hurls forth his Seinfeld-like observational humor (“Don’t you hate it when…?) in the loud, high-voltage fashion of the angry comedian. There are […]
Listening to singer Nicolas King’s new, fun-filled CD, Act One—Celebrating 25 Years of Recordings, reminded me of Easter mornings as a kid, when I was surprised over and over again discovering all the colorful, tasty little treats the Bunny had hidden among the nooks and crannies of my familiar home environment. Though most of its […]
A mellow CD of Christmas songs featuring vocalist Liz Callaway accompanied by the quiet acoustic guitar-playing of Peter Calo, Comfort and Joy: An Acoustic Christmas may be the perfect soundtrack for what this year will surely be a low-voltage, less-festive-than-usual holiday season. One might think a solo singer supported only by a guitarist wouldn’t generate […]
It all depends on one’s philosophy of music: Why do you think music exists, and what purpose does it serve? Is it something you seek out for its power to lift your spirits? Or do you value music for its ability to reflect and affirm your emotions, even if you’re feeling blue, perhaps about the compromised […]
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 […]