CDZA

This is another trivia vocal link. I had stumbled onto them a while back, but had forgotten to make mention of them in our blog. The name stands for "eclectic cadenza" and is a collective of singers and musicians out of New York; many from Julliard. Michael Thurber is the music brains of the bunch that either arranges or composes. Matt McCorkle is the recording engineer that brings each piece to life. And Joe Sabia who is the videographer that spreads the works viral on the web. Since formation, the group has expanded to a pool of over 55 that creates on a regular basis. Their offerings are witty, urbane & hipster all at the same time. Some examples are "Round the World in 18 Songs", "How to get Kids into Classical Music" & "Western Music in 16 Genres" to name a few.

Here is a clever clip titled "The History of Misheard Lyrics" which is - exactly what you would expect.

I have included their webpage link as well if you have a short spell to take them in.

CDZA.com

Cabaret Night at the Movies

Something else with a twist, and also appropriate because of Oscar season. Her name is Petra Haden and her music defies most genres. Eclectic to say the very least. I am thinking she is drawn towards jazz but adds some bizarre theatrics in the sense of maybe a Nellie MacKay. She talks about imitating not just voices, but sounds from a very young age. She also possesses a large range. One of her former albums takes on a remount of the Who Sells Out.

But her current offering; Petra goes to the Movies, just out, takes on classic film scores with her personifying the entire orchestrations. Check out her vivid take on the "Psycho" score by Bernard Herrmann no less.

Art for the Sake of Art

Yet a second post from Miss Claudia Hommel in Chicago. This one really caught my interest and sounds like a unique event, true to the style of our cabaret work here.

It is a collaboration with the Detroit Institute of Arts & her for their Friday Night Live series. It is being billed as Picasso and Matisse go to the Music Hall: an illustrated concert. Tying in to a touring exhibit, there are to be two concerts. One at 7:00 devoted to Matisse and one at 8:30 devoted to Picasso. Promised are a soundscape with songs of Yvette Guilbert, Edith Piaf, Erik Satie, Picasso, Parisian cabaret and Spanish art songs. 

It is next Friday, 1/25 @ the Detroit Institute with Claudia Hommel on vocals, pianist - Stefan Kukurugya, bass player - Jordan Schug,  & drummer/sax - Carl Cafagnaith 

 

From the Windy City

This is from my weekly subscriptions to the Chicago area scene. Both are tidbits that I found interesting.


The first is from Claudia Hommel. In addition to being a cabaret performer, she also leads a learning series called Songshop which is much like our training workshops here. She works with a range of performers on choosing the right material, writing a dialogue for the songs and bringing them to life. We must be doing something right with our approach here.



Secondly, from a male quartet called With a Twist which must be a mash-up of Forever Plaid with the world of stand-up & cabaret. The guys have a variety of looks and I assume each brings something different to the table. They are advertising a show called Let's Twist Again - which could either be a throwback to the retro 50's or a revival of their greatest hits. Both are food for thought.

Member Shout Out

Vicky Mountain - our busiest girl in local show business has yet another performance coming up. This time part of the TC Jazz Society - "Jazz From J To Z" series. Jimmy Van Heusen was a prolific composer who worked mainly with lyricists Johnny Burke & Sammy Cahn. Many will know his tunes from the On the Road To ... movies with Bing, Bob & Dorothy Lamour. He was also a go-to guy for Frank Sinatra. Moonlight Becomes You, Swinging On A Star, Here's That Rainy Day, High Hopes, All The Way, ... a huge and impressive list will be featured as long with fellow TCCAN members Arne Fogel & Phil Mattson in guest starring roles - who will be Bob and who will be Bing?? Come see @ Bloomington Arts Center Black Box Theater on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 8:00 PM..... Incidentally - Vicky will be the first artist featured on our new TCCAN podcast Cabaret Conversations in the next few weeks in case you are not able to make the show.

Sheridan Zuther - our 2nd busiest gal in town is also taking the stage. She will be at Jazz Central with her solo show “For the Cats, By the Cats.” Anyone who has seen Sheridan knows she brings tons of personality as well as talent to the stage. And this will be a Live Recording gig, so she would love to have that extra energy in the house. She promises a world premiere of a song or two by jazz sax legend Richie Cole and also some great R&B on the B3 organ - which is finally fixed up and waitin’. At Jazz Central - our familiar haunt @ Thursday, January 10 at 8:00 PM. $5-10 donation.  BYOD (wine, beer, tea, whatev ~ Jazz Central ain’t a bar, it’s about the music)

And not to be upstaged - our grand dame Dorothy Doring will be doing her thing at the Artists Quarter in St Paul. She is releasing a new CD - "Compositions by Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn" that night. And also sharing the stage with Phil Mattson who must be a very in-demand kind of guy! It is a duo project and will be on Friday Jan. 18th @ 9:00 PM with a $10 cover for the late night crowd.

Nightlife Awards

I am not a huge fan of any awards. We all spend too much time and effort trying to just do what we do and find an audience without worrying about the accolades that may come with it. Nonethless - here is a roster coming out of New York for their Nightlife Entertainment Awards.

I am not sure how they are chosen, but the event itself seems similar to our own Ivey Awards in that it is more about the party than the "pomp". Each performer does not make a speech, but does what they should be doing on a stage - performing. I like looking at such lists to open up my eyes to new talent and material that I might enjoy.



Marilyn Maye - Nightlife Legend Winner
Emily Bergl - Outstanding Musical Comedy Performer
Faith Prince - Outstanding Musical Comedy Duo or Group
Jason Graae - Outstanding Musical Comedy Duo or Group
Julie Halston - Outstanding Comedy Performer
Jessica Kirson - Outstanding Standup Comedy Performer
James Barbour - Outstanding Cabaret Performer
Carole J. Bufford - Outstanding Cabaret Performer
Lauren Fox - Outstanding Cabaret Performer
Mark Nadler - Outstanding Cabaret Performer
Bill Charlap - Outstanding Jazz Instrumentalist
Kate McGarry - Outstanding Jazz Performer
Jane Monheit - Outstanding Jazz Performer
Jim Caruso - Guest Performer
Rupert Holmes - Guest Performer