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 the spotlight and a sense of ongoing curiosity and discovery in the playing.
L. to r.: Melissa Fogarty, Steve Newman, Debra Kreisberg, and John Goldberg.
Singer Melissa (Missy) Fogarty’s arrangement of “Every Breath You Take” (Sting) opened as a 1950s slow rock-blues cover and amped up to full Motown mode with tambourine in the B section. Debra Kreisberg on alto sax had one of her many memorable solos of the evening, staying in an R&B style but sneaking in a quotation from Charlie Parker’s “Bloomdido.” Pianist Steve Newman’s solo in “Close Enough for Love” (Johnny Mandel, Paul Williams) saw him blending bebop with some older piano influences with a heavy left hand. “Eight Days a Week” (John Lennon, Paul McCartney; arr. Fogarty) was a walking blues—a strong re-imagining of The Beatles’ original.
Vocally, Forgarty is a successful multitasker with a jazz mix and a textured blues belt that are distinct from what sounds like a foundation of extensive classical training. When I heard her, she seemed to have moments where she was finessing more of a head voice than jazz or blues usually call for; often a better strategy than the “belt or die” school of shouty singing to handle moments of fatigue or dry vocal chords, but sometimes not entirely in step with the style. In “Estate” (Bruno Martino, Bruno Brighetti; arr. Kreisberg) she had a dreamy blend of all of her techniques: singing the tragic, mellow song in confident Italian with ultra-smooth phrasing, with exactly the balance of classical chops and Euro-pop the song asked for. “Stop This World” (Mose Allison) sounded especially well-rehearsed, with Fogarty fully in her blues voice showing satisfyingly precise rhythm, lovely piano solo from Newman full of open spaces, and an engaging bass solo from John Goldberg.
Kreisberg was a standout player that night, crafting melodic and exciting solos that worked well within the ensemble dynamic throughout. Her solo in the bossa classic “No More Blues” (Antônio Carlos Jobim; arr. Kreisberg) had an especially “sit up and listen” quality. Everyone finished in strong form with Newman’s lovely arrangement of “House of the Rising Sun” (Trad.), clearly a tune they have played until it feels like home.
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Presented at Pangea, 178 Second Ave., NYC, on August 15, 2025.
Penelope Thomas is a performer, writer, and communications consultant. 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 upcoming 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.
