SECOND
NIGHT AT THE CABARET CONVENTION
Tuesday, October 22, 2002
Town Hall, New York City
Please note: No "song lists" distributed at the convention, so some
of the song titles in these reports may not be accurate and/or misspelled.
I was a
bit less hurried in my trip from Chelsea to midtown on Tuesday night,
and in fact had a chance this time to collect my mail at MailBoxes,
Etc. on Ninth Avenue before heading over to THE TOWN HALL (123 West
43rd Street, NYC - http://www.the-townhall-nyc.org/)
- I didn't have time on Monday, so there was quite a bundle waiting.
There was a crisp chill in the air as I walked through Times Square
to the hall.
Once again
I had to squeeze my way through the crowd of "schmoozing" cabaret
lovers on the sidewalk outside the hall as I made my way to the
box office to pick up my ticket. I bumped into Deborah Cheadle,
all the way from the Seattle area - she has been a subscriber to
CABARET HOTLINE ONLINE almost from day one - and I had seen her
perform at DON'T TELL MAMA (343 West 46th Street, NYC - 1-212-757-0788
- http://www.donttellmamanyc.com/)
several years ago, as well as at THE PLUSH ROOM at the York Hotel
(940 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA - 415-885-2800 - http://www.plushroom.com/)
as part of the San Francisco Cabaret Conference last year.
Finding
my seat, I noted that there were several empty seats in my immediate
vicinity in the hall - and it was already after 6:00 pm. Folks were
still coming in when the room was darkened for the start of the
show. However, at intermission I took a quick scan of the hall and
noted that this show was nowhere near as filled the sold-out show
on Monday, and there was plenty of room in the balcony. It was reported
to me later that the Tuesday show was available for a simple $3.50
service charge to members of "Audience Extras" (http://www.audienceextras.com/)
- a useful method of "papering the house" available to producers
here in NYC.
Donald
Smith, Executive Director of THE MABEL MERCER FOUNDATION (160 East
48th Street - #14U, NYC - 1-212-980-3026 - http://www.mabelmercer.org/)
took the podium (without the usual ominous-voice-from-the-wings
preamble) to make a few announcements, and to introduce the host
for the evening's show, Andrea Marcovicci.
Mr. Smith
also pointed out that there would be a special time on Saturday,
October 26th, from noon until 5:00 pm when the lobby of TOWN HALL
would be open and the cabaret CDs would be available for sale. About
20 performers would also be there to autograph CDs on request.
With Shelly
Markham at the piano, Ms. Marcovicci opened the show with "Let's
Misbehave." I have an admission: while this item is near the top
of this report, I put off writing it until I had finished the whole
report. You see, I have a real problem with Ms. Marcovicci's vocals.
She seems to be a delightful lady, charming, talented, giving and
totally committed to the art of cabaret (I have never actually met
her). What's more, when she is at THE ALGONQUIN OAK ROOM (59 West
44th Street, NYC - 1-212-840-6800 - http://www.algonquinhotel.com/)
with her show (this year she is performing a Cole Porter themed
show starting on November 19th and running through January 11th)
she sells out at nearly every performance. I hear that she sells
out at THE GARDENIA (7066 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood,
CA - 323-467-7444) and at THE PLUSH ROOM at the York Hotel (940
Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA - 415-885-2800 - http://www.plushroom.com/)
as well. So, every time I listen to her sing, I question myself,
wondering if I might be wrong. But, listening to her carefully this
time around, I am convinced that I have a valid basis for my opinion.
Ms. Marcovicci
has received stunning reviews, has myriads of fans, and is perhaps
one of the most popular cabaret performers in the USA. But, I honestly
cannot believe that her popularity is based on her vocals - the
sound, to me is irritating and annoying. She seems to hover around
the key - many times hitting it and then wavering from it, especially
on a sustained note. Other times she appears to zero in on the proper
note, like someone aiming an arrow at a target, sometimes making
a bull's-eye, but sometimes having to readjust for another shot.
I may never get press tickets to another Cabaret Convention, but
as always, I must be true to my own feelings. I have disagreed with
the mainstream before regarding other performers, and I do not begrudge
anyone for disagreeing with me in this instance. I also know that
I am not alone in this judgement of the Marcovicci sound - but I
am among the few that have the opportunity and means write about
cabaret, so I have taken extra care before "going on the record"
with these thoughts.
Next
on the program was a breathless Barbara Brussell, with Tedd Firth
at the piano. Her first number was "Coronet Man," followed by a
two-song medley of Bob Merrill songs from her recent cabaret show
saluting this prolific songwriter. Barbara Brussell has all the
potential to be a brilliant star in the cabaret galaxy. Her vocals
are wonderful, her stage presence can be riveting. When Ms. Brussell
is good, she is very, very good. Tonight she wasn't.
Barbara
was followed by a Chicago treat, Patty Morabito, who was accompanied
by one of Chicago's premier musical directors, Dan Stetzel. She
opened with "In the Still of the Night," her version more of a plaintive
version (I always feel that Barb Fasano's seductive version is the
best). She followed with "All the Good Men Are Gay." It was interesting
to note that when she sang this song at the Chicago Cabaret Convention,
the audience reaction seemed, at least to me, to be "smirking laughter."
In NYC the reaction seemed to be more good natured and hearty. By
the way, Patty has a brand new CD available (LML Music (http://www.lmlmusic.com/)-
it arrived just in time for the show. She will be having a CD release
party at DAVENPORT'S Piano Bar & Cabaret (1383 North Milwaukee Avenue,
Chicago, IL - 773-278-1830 - http://www.davenportspianobar.com/)
on November 6th.
Pretty,
perky Maureen Kelly Stewart was next on the bill, accompanied by
NYC's version of Dan Stetzel, namely Dick Gallagher. Her first number
was a wistful "17 On Mars," the title track of her new CD. She followed
with a very tender rendering of "Pennies From Heaven." It was a
NYC Cabaret Convention debut for this lovely lady, and she performed
like it was something she had been doing for years. Her show, along
with her husband Tom and Dick Gallagher called "What a Lovely Night,"
featuring music by Richard Rodgers has just one more performance,
this Sunday, October 27th at 5:30 pm at JUDY'S CHELSEA (169 Eighth
Avenue, NYC - 1-212-929-5410 - http://www.judyschelsea.com/).
Michael
McAssey is in NYC celebrating 20 years as a cabaret performer. He
is performing the last show of his run at DON'T TELL MAMA (343 West
46th Street, NYC - 1-212-757-0788 - http://www.donttellmamanyc.com/)
at 10:00 pm on Thursday, the 24th - in the very room where he began
this career, when the club was owned and run by Erv Raible. In the
show, Michael relates what life was like when he, Christopher Marlowe,
Karen Mason, Nancy LaMott and others formed the nucleus of the DON'T
TELL MAMA staff as the club was born on West 46th Street. Taking
the piano, Michael sang Rick Crom's delightfully playful "Denial,"
and then, with Christopher Denny taking over the piano bench, he
moved center stage to sing his "signature song" (and my favorite
song), "My Favorite Year."
It
has been some time since Jean MacDonald has performed at the Cabaret
Convention, and I was so happy to see her "back where she belongs"
I could hardly wait for her two numbers. With Rick Jensen at the
piano, Jeanne treated us to a medley of "Alexander's Ragtime Band"
& "Codfish Ball" and then sang "How Deep Is The Ocean." Note the
nautical theme? Well, Jeanne's new CD, due to be released in the
very near future, is called "Harbor." It is based on the critically
acclaimed cabaret show she did in January of this year - one of
the final acts at the old FIREBIRD CAFE before it ceased cabaret
presentations. I can't wait.
I'm
sorry, Laurie Krause, I just do not like skat-singing. Personally,
I feel that it is probably the biggest "inside joke" in the jazz
profession. I am sure that it got started when some singer forgot
the lyrics, sang a bunch of nonsense syllables, and a respected
reviewer for a respected jazz journal, perhaps having drunk one-too-many
martinis, wrote that a new art form had been discovered. So, while
I acknowledge that you have beautiful vocals, and that you and the
Daryl Kojak trio sounded fantastic, and your rendition of "Saturday
Night Fish Fry" was lively and fun, you ruined it for me with that
one verse of gibberish. As for your second song, which I jotted
down as called "Bo-Bo-Bu-Bun-Be-Bon-Bo-Be-Bo," the title alone gives
you the gist of my reaction, so there is no need to detail that
here. Laurie and Daryl can been seen regularly at THE 1050 LOUNGE
(Tenth Avenue at 50th Street, NYC - 1-212-956-9456).
To close
the first part of the show, Ms. Marcovicci returned to sing "I'm
In Love Again" and "You Do Something to Me" (I'm not going to go
there). In a bit of a mixed-signal snafu, and as Ms. Marcovicci
had nearly left the stage and folks were heading up the aisles,
Mr. Smith suddenly appeared carrying another Certificate from the
Mabel Mercer Foundation, and made the presentation to her, mostly
off-microphone.
I spent
the 15-minute intermission making another race to McDonald's around
the corner - I had missed dinner again - but the line was too long
to take the chance. I scurried back down West 43rd Street to DALLAS
BBQ, where my friend Boris works behind the bar, but it was so jam
packed (it was about 7:30 pm, and the pre-theater crowd was everywhere),
I headed back to the hall unfed, and made it to my seat in plenty
of time for the second act.
Now,
if anyone wants to clearly discover what perfect vocals are all
about, one only needs to go to any show where Marlene VerPlanck
is performing. Ms. VerPlanck also happens to be married to a wonderful
songwriter/arranger named Billy VerPlanck. With Tedd Firth at the
piano, Marlene opened the second act with one of her spouse's songs,
"What Are We Going to Do?" and followed with the Gershwins' "But
Not For Me." If you want to hear this song, as well as a 19 other
VerPlanck favorites, pick up her latest CD called "Speaking of Love"
(Audiophile ACD-320). I am listening to it as I write this report.
Justin
Hayford is another gifted performer from Chicago who was a hit at
the Chicago Cabaret Convention in March, and he was invited to take
part in the NYC event. Justin has a special interest in discovering
and performing obscure songs, and while accompanying himself at
the piano, he sang Comden & Green's little known "You're Awful,"
followed by a song from the children's TV show "Sesame St." called
"When Burt's Not Here."
If
I would pick the high point in the show, I would have to name the
performance by Karen Saunders - but I admit just a bit prejudice
here. I met Karen, along with the late Bob Harrington over a dozen
years ago - before there was a CABARET HOTLINE ONLINE, and saw my
first official MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs) member-club
cabaret show when she was doing her debut run at DANNY'S SKYLIGHT
ROOM (346 West 46th Street, NYC - 1-212-265-8133 - http://www.dannysgrandseapalace.com/),
at their invitation. I was totally hooked from then on - both with
this amazing lady and the cabaret style of performance. No one belts
it better, and Karen filled the huge hall with glorious sound as
she sang "The Best Is Yet to Come," followed by "Come Rain or Come
Shine." This gal is the best and only reason to book a trip on a
cruise ship - Karen has performed literally all over the world as
a cruise ship performer. Thus, a performance by Ms. Saunders in
NYC is a rarity - like a rare and precious gem.
I
mentioned to a fellow journalist just this morning that Australia
and New Zealand have provided us New Yorkers with some fantastic
talent over the past few months. The next performer, Meagan Caratti
can be added to the list of vocal wonders that already includes
Patrick Lim, Hayden Tee, Melissa Langton and MaryAnne McCormack
that we have enjoyed. With US musical director Jeffrey Klitz at
the piano, Ms. Caratti bedazzled us with a cleverly funny "I Want
to Go Home" followed by an Irving Berlin Medley that started with
"Blue Skies" and returned there at the close.
Natalie
Douglas has had a few difficult health (and expensive) problems
over the past year, so we all had joy in our hearts as she took
the stage and once again proved that she has not lost a single bit
of her fantastic vocal talents. With David Budway at the piano,
Natalie enfolded us into her arms and heart with two songs - "It's
Alright With Me" and Amanda McBroom's "Portrait." Natalie sings
with such sincerity, passion and love - three emotions that are
returned to her threefold by her audience.
A young
lady by the name of Maude Maggart was next introduced by Ms. Marcovicci
as one of her proteges. Apparently she has been a big hit on the
West Coast, even though she originally hails from NYC. With Shelly
Markham at the piano, Ms. Maggart sang "A Pretty Girl Is Like a
Melody," followed by "The Nobody Wants Me Blues." Now, if this style
of vocals is all the rage in Los Angeles, one can perhaps understand
Ms. Marcovicci's popularity there as well. I simply find this type
of quavering-around-the-key style of singing a bit harsh for my
taste - it's the type of singing that has me glancing around the
room for an exit sign.
Mr. Smith
returned to the stage to present the next performer, Sandra Reeves-Phillips.
His introduction was a little vague and mysterious - and he had
difficulty keeping from laughing. We soon discovered why, when Ms.
Reeves-Phillips appeared. Bursting on stage like a thunderclap,
and with a rather stunned and uncharacteristically serious Mark
Nadler at the piano, Sandra exploded with a rendition of "All of
Me" followed by her version of "Unchained Melody," which included
some audience participation (most of it rather reluctant-sounding).
How does one describe her? Think Flotila DeBarge singing like a
bit Louie Armstrong. In fact, and this is no lie, I fully expected
her to rip off a wig at the end of her act and reveal that she was
indeed Flotilla DeBarge, and had duped Mr. Smith into breaking one
of the cardinal rules of the Cabaret Convention Code Book. But this
was not to be.
Once again,
Andrea was introduced to perform a few songs to close the show.
It was well after 9:00 pm, I had not had a chance to eat, and I
had a reservation to catch Sydney Cabaret Convention winners Melissa
Langton & MaryAnne McCormack, who were performing at DON'T TELL
MAMA (343 West 46th Street, NYC - 1-212-757-0788 - http://www.donttellmamanyc.com/)
at 9:30 pm. (Melissa and MaryAnne were fantastic - they are also
performing tonight, Wednesday the 23rd, at 7:00 pm - go catch the
act if you aren't going to the convention). Under cover of darkness,
I slipped up the aisle and out the door.
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48th Street - #14U, NYC - 1-212-980-3026 - 
Next
on the program was a breathless Barbara Brussell, with Tedd Firth
at the piano. Her first number was "Coronet Man," followed by a
two-song medley of Bob Merrill songs from her recent cabaret show
saluting this prolific songwriter. Barbara Brussell has all the
potential to be a brilliant star in the cabaret galaxy. Her vocals
are wonderful, her stage presence can be riveting. When Ms. Brussell
is good, she is very, very good. Tonight she wasn't. 
Barbara
was followed by a Chicago treat, Patty Morabito, who was accompanied
by one of Chicago's premier musical directors, Dan Stetzel. She
opened with "In the Still of the Night," her version more of a plaintive
version (I always feel that Barb Fasano's seductive version is the
best). She followed with "All the Good Men Are Gay." It was interesting
to note that when she sang this song at the Chicago Cabaret Convention,
the audience reaction seemed, at least to me, to be "smirking laughter."
In NYC the reaction seemed to be more good natured and hearty. By
the way, Patty has a brand new CD available (LML Music (http://www.lmlmusic.com/)-
it arrived just in time for the show. She will be having a CD release
party at DAVENPORT'S Piano Bar & Cabaret (1383 North Milwaukee Avenue,
Chicago, IL - 773-278-1830 - 
Pretty,
perky Maureen Kelly Stewart was next on the bill, accompanied by
NYC's version of Dan Stetzel, namely Dick Gallagher. Her first number
was a wistful "17 On Mars," the title track of her new CD. She followed
with a very tender rendering of "Pennies From Heaven." It was a
NYC Cabaret Convention debut for this lovely lady, and she performed
like it was something she had been doing for years. Her show, along
with her husband Tom and Dick Gallagher called "What a Lovely Night,"
featuring music by Richard Rodgers has just one more performance,
this Sunday, October 27th at 5:30 pm at JUDY'S CHELSEA (169 Eighth
Avenue, NYC - 1-212-929-5410 - 
Michael
McAssey is in NYC celebrating 20 years as a cabaret performer. He
is performing the last show of his run at DON'T TELL MAMA (343 West
46th Street, NYC - 1-212-757-0788 - 
It
has been some time since Jean MacDonald has performed at the Cabaret
Convention, and I was so happy to see her "back where she belongs"
I could hardly wait for her two numbers. With Rick Jensen at the
piano, Jeanne treated us to a medley of "Alexander's Ragtime Band"
& "Codfish Ball" and then sang "How Deep Is The Ocean." Note the
nautical theme? Well, Jeanne's new CD, due to be released in the
very near future, is called "Harbor." It is based on the critically
acclaimed cabaret show she did in January of this year - one of
the final acts at the old FIREBIRD CAFE before it ceased cabaret
presentations. I can't wait. 
I'm
sorry, Laurie Krause, I just do not like skat-singing. Personally,
I feel that it is probably the biggest "inside joke" in the jazz
profession. I am sure that it got started when some singer forgot
the lyrics, sang a bunch of nonsense syllables, and a respected
reviewer for a respected jazz journal, perhaps having drunk one-too-many
martinis, wrote that a new art form had been discovered. So, while
I acknowledge that you have beautiful vocals, and that you and the
Daryl Kojak trio sounded fantastic, and your rendition of "Saturday
Night Fish Fry" was lively and fun, you ruined it for me with that
one verse of gibberish. As for your second song, which I jotted
down as called "Bo-Bo-Bu-Bun-Be-Bon-Bo-Be-Bo," the title alone gives
you the gist of my reaction, so there is no need to detail that
here. Laurie and Daryl can been seen regularly at THE 1050 LOUNGE
(Tenth Avenue at 50th Street, NYC - 1-212-956-9456). 
Now,
if anyone wants to clearly discover what perfect vocals are all
about, one only needs to go to any show where Marlene VerPlanck
is performing. Ms. VerPlanck also happens to be married to a wonderful
songwriter/arranger named Billy VerPlanck. With Tedd Firth at the
piano, Marlene opened the second act with one of her spouse's songs,
"What Are We Going to Do?" and followed with the Gershwins' "But
Not For Me." If you want to hear this song, as well as a 19 other
VerPlanck favorites, pick up her latest CD called "Speaking of Love"
(Audiophile ACD-320). I am listening to it as I write this report.
Justin
Hayford is another gifted performer from Chicago who was a hit at
the Chicago Cabaret Convention in March, and he was invited to take
part in the NYC event. Justin has a special interest in discovering
and performing obscure songs, and while accompanying himself at
the piano, he sang Comden & Green's little known "You're Awful,"
followed by a song from the children's TV show "Sesame St." called
"When Burt's Not Here." 
If
I would pick the high point in the show, I would have to name the
performance by Karen Saunders - but I admit just a bit prejudice
here. I met Karen, along with the late Bob Harrington over a dozen
years ago - before there was a CABARET HOTLINE ONLINE, and saw my
first official MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs) member-club
cabaret show when she was doing her debut run at DANNY'S SKYLIGHT
ROOM (346 West 46th Street, NYC - 1-212-265-8133 - 
I
mentioned to a fellow journalist just this morning that Australia
and New Zealand have provided us New Yorkers with some fantastic
talent over the past few months. The next performer, Meagan Caratti
can be added to the list of vocal wonders that already includes
Patrick Lim, Hayden Tee, Melissa Langton and MaryAnne McCormack
that we have enjoyed. With US musical director Jeffrey Klitz at
the piano, Ms. Caratti bedazzled us with a cleverly funny "I Want
to Go Home" followed by an Irving Berlin Medley that started with
"Blue Skies" and returned there at the close. 
Natalie
Douglas has had a few difficult health (and expensive) problems
over the past year, so we all had joy in our hearts as she took
the stage and once again proved that she has not lost a single bit
of her fantastic vocal talents. With David Budway at the piano,
Natalie enfolded us into her arms and heart with two songs - "It's
Alright With Me" and Amanda McBroom's "Portrait." Natalie sings
with such sincerity, passion and love - three emotions that are
returned to her threefold by her audience. 
If
you would like to receive a free e-mail subscription to CABARET HOTLINE ONLINE,
please e-mail