Penelope Thomas

Credits include lead vocals for two albums with prog rock band FauveMuseum; background vocals with Shellen Lubin, and US & UK tours of Mikel Rouse’s "The End of Cinematics." She’s read poet Anne Carson’s work at The Whitney Museum and played leads in HBO Women in Comedy Festival-selected film "Pretty Dead" and the indie film, "The Interview." She studied voice with Norma Garbo, music theory with bassist Mark Wade, LoVetri Somatic Voicework through Baldwin Wallace University, and acting with Deena Levy. She taught in the New School’s Sweat musical theatre intensive. With a degree in Cultural Studies & Anthropology and a background in contemporary dance, Penelope loves thinking and writing about performance—connecting the dots between styles and genres and supporting the connection between artists and audiences.

Penelope Thomas

“Cat & the Hounds—Colin Hancock’s Jazz Hounds” Featuring Catherine Russell

Penelope Thomas
Grab your hat and your party shoes, pack a suitcase for a classic train ride, and get ready for Cat & The Hounds’ trip to the 1920s. Arranger, producer, cornetist, and C-melody sax player Colin Hancock has created a bubble of joy where you can imagine an evening with a territory Creole jazz band. Regional...

Paloma Dineli Chesky— “Memory”

Penelope Thomas
Paloma Dineli Chesky’s third album, Memory, evokes one of my favorite kinds of midcentury record genres, what I’ll unofficially call "the sad girl on a rainy night." It features one beautiful, sustained feeling of regret and love lost; with a nod to modal jazz; and an invitation to spend some quality time with the singer,...

“The Best of Ann Hampton Callaway”

Penelope Thomas
The Best of Ann Hampton Callaway show, similarly to the last time I saw her at 54 Below in 2023, was somewhat cobbled together from Callaway’s other performances. Not that a “best of” cabaret necessarily needs an additional theme, but I felt like I was missing out on the other projects she frequently referenced in...

The Highliners Celebrate Ten Years of Their Soulful Sounds

Penelope Thomas
It’s a pleasure to hear ensemble energy on a cabaret stage. The Highliners are celebrating their tenth anniversary together, with roots going back to formative years at the Eastman School of Music. Based in jazz with influences from world and classical traditions, this is soulful, intelligent music for grownups, with voice and alto sax in...

Storm Large — “Inside Voice”

Penelope Thomas
Get ready for gushing. Storm Large is good. Really good. It’s not the strength of her vocal abilities. It’s not the sexy chef vibes. It’s not her musical director and pianist James Beaton’s tasteful, innovative, and catchy arrangements. It’s not the well-considered setlist ranging from Kurt Weil to Ozzy Osbourne. It’s not her successful TV...

Stephanie Nakasian—“Two Shows in One: June in June & Tenor Gladness”

Penelope Thomas
Stephanie Nakasian, jazz educator and Jon Hendricks alum, performed as if we were invited into her home to share their family legacy. Spontaneously calling vocalists in the audience to step up as surprise guests, mentioning her many students and colleagues in the crowd, and referencing her life in jazz; it’s an entire community that welcomed...

The Randy Andys’ “Spring Swing”

Penelope Thomas
The Randy Andys are a saucy, toe-tapping trio. The premise of tackling adult(ish) pop tunes with a vintage approach has charmingly worked its way through the internet and late-night talk shows and back into live performance: Jimmy Fallon’s barbershop quintet hip hop covers, and Postmodern Jukebox have primed us for this. Jocelyn Lonquist Klein, Alison...

Joanne Halev’s “Sailing On”

Penelope Thomas
Joanne Halev’s elegance as a performer filled a packed room upstairs at Birdland. She was queen of the thoughtful pause, allowing reflective spaces in her phrasing, and connecting with her very engaged audience. Joanne Halev (Photo: Helane Blumfield) Directed by Sara Louise Lazarus, Sailing On was a loose set of reflections about Halev’s life and...

Club Review: Miss Maybell and Her Jazz Age Artistes

Penelope Thomas
Early twentieth century popular music is a melting pot: with strong roots in Black American music, blues and ragtime grew into hot jazz and Tin Pan Alley, laying the groundwork for swing and big bands, then Bebop, all the way into the birth of rock and roll…this era is the foundation of what many of...

Club Review: Linda Purl’s “This Could Be the Start”

Penelope Thomas
Linda Purl is a true working actor: whether you’ve seen her on Happy Days or The Office, on or Off Broadway, in regional theatre, in straight plays or musicals, or in Japan, where she spent her early years—you’ve definitely already enjoyed her work. It’s this level of performance experience that backs up her craft as...