Club Review: The Boy Band Project

Gerry Geddes
The Boy Band Project: L. to r.: Kevin John Murray, Travis Nesbitt, Christopher Brasfield, Jesse JP Johnson. (Photo: Tamra Sheehan) Just the name, The Boy Band Project, conjures so many possibilities ranging from tongue-in-cheek parody to soaring harmonies, from impossibly romantic ballads to irresistible dance rhythms.  In their debut at Feinstein’s/54 Below,...

CD Review: Lauren White and the Quinn Johnson Trio’s “Ever Since the World Ended”

Gerry Geddes
It is a singular pleasure to come across a new jazz release that honors the style and class of an old school album while offering a fresh and exhilarating selection of songs and a personal point of view.  That is exactly what Ever Since the World Ended from Lauren White and The Quinn Johnson Trio offers a...

CD Review: Wilma Baan’s “So Nice”

Gerry Geddes
Wilma Baan’s new CD, So Nice, arrives just in time to combat the dog days of summer.  This tasteful grouping of standards from the vocal jazz repertoire is a low-key, savvy, delightful refreshment, almost able to conjure breezes where there are none.  The singer is assured and comfortable in her surroundings—nothing to prove, nothing to...

Club Review: Amber Iman

Gerry Geddes
Amber Iman (Photo: Joanna Degeneres) Her strong, range-y voice and statuesque looks make it no surprise that actress/singer Amber Iman is an award-nominated performer with a burgeoning career in theatre, including Broadway’s Soul Doctor (as Nina Simone), the National Tour of Hamilton, and various off-Broadway and regional productions.  She has also...

CD Review: The Chris Saunders Band’s “Dancing with the Widow St. James”

Lisa Jo Sagolla
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,...

Club Review: André De Shields’ “Black by Popular Demand (A Musical Meditation on How Not To Be Eaten by The Sphinx)”

Penelope Thomas
Three women emerged silently in low light from the back of the house; winding between café tables, eyes scanning the horizon, parasols aloft; the pianist and percussionist shimmered a soundscape for them as they made their way to the stage; everyone had a hat. Freida Williams and André De Shields (Photo: Lia...

Club Review: Tina Scariano’s “Feels Like Home”

Gerry Geddes
Tina Scariano Tina Scariano has a terrific voice with a pleasingly effective vibrato.  It would not be out of the realm of possibility to imagine her one day being feted like the artists she featured in Feels Like Home, her new show at The Green Room 42.  Therefore, it was most disappointing...

Club Review: Alex Leonard and The Sutton Place Trio

Penelope Thomas
Alex Leonard “What Is This Thing Called Love?” is a deceptively simple 1929 Cole Porter tune that alternates major and minor chords, and is a perennial favorite of jazz musicians. Pianist and singer Alex Leonard set it up as a ballad, sliding in on lead vocals for the first verse, then...

Club Review: Daryl Sherman Trio

Gerry Geddes
Start with the tastiest collection of songs to be heard in NYC, add three brilliant musicians at the top of their game, mix in the warm, inviting vocals of an icon of the city’s music scene, add one of New York’s most cozily elegant rooms, and top it all off with a 1,000-watt smile, and...

CD Review: Judy Wexler’s “Back to the Garden”

Lisa Jo Sagolla
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...