It seems many of our cabaret conversations center around many of the great ladies of our genre. There are always shout outs to Barbara Cook, Mabel Mercer, Marilyn Maye.... the list is predictable. So being a male, it is welcome to stumble across something that has a slant specific to the material that speaks a bit more to me. I was not aware of Todd Murray until just this week. He is an L.A. native and as handsome as they come with dashing movie-star looks. But what intrigues me more than that - is that he has a lush baritone voice which is a rarity. In these days of screaming Broadway tenors that are belting out high A's & B's to meet the needs of pop standards. He has more in common with classic tones like Robert Goulet or Gordon McCrae.
His current show that he is peddling is a concept called Croon. He goes into detail about the original form of the word; it was a term that came to life with the invention the microphone as a tool for singer amplification. Instead of having to belt over an entire orchestra to fill a concert arena, with the addition of a mic in the 1920's, a singer could ease back and play with all kinds of different qualities to give color to songs. I think I had assumed it came upon us a bit later with the crooners at the tail end of the Big Band movement. Names more expected like Frank Sinatra or Mel Torme. Todd's show goes way back to the vaudeville days and continues into the present day with his own unique cabaret spin on a number of standards. Looking at his tour calendar, it looks like he was close enough to us here in Hastings last November. Here is hoping he makes a return where I will gladly check him out.
Charles Aznavour must be as close to Ground Zero for the origins of cabaret in our lifetime. He is certainly the last living legend that truly "lived in the day!" He was discovered over 70 years ago by Edith Piaf, the grandest chanteuse of them all and has spent his entire career performing in small rooms and concert halls across the globe. This glorious retrospective begins talking about his ability to transform from his wiry 90 year old frame into an icon when he takes the stage and finds his light. He speaks about his touring, a new album, but the centerpiece are the 12,000 songs he has written over his life. Yes - that is a correct number!
As does any cabaret artist, the work is often about revealing glimpses of oneself. In regard to the above mentioned songs; “everyone mistook them and said, ‘Ah, you are telling your story.’ It
was not true. But after years, I found that finally – without knowing
it, without trying to – I had written my life.” He starts with reference to his Armenian roots, parents en route to America, but getting stranded in Paris where he was ultimately born. Being from a musical family, he began dancing but by age 15 he was singing in the nightclubs of Montparnasse. Despite success across continents at a young age, he quoted “My shortcomings are my voice, my height, my gestures, my lack of
culture and education, my frankness and my lack of personality.” What
prompted this brutal self-analysis? “I wanted to know who I was.
Before presenting yourself to the public, you have to know who you are.
Your faults and your abilities – and often you should keep the faults,
which can be very spectacular, and avoid some of the good things. Even
now, I’m in search of who I am.”
These are all remarkable quotes for cabaret artists on our ques to reveal ourselves on stage. What stories to tell, what events in our lives we want to embellish, what makes us unique. He has years of wisdom and also the spirit of a much younger man.
Source credit on this one goes to Nichole, who shared it on our private Facebook group. But I thought it spoke so incredibly well to who and what we are at TCCAN, that is deserved a share to our entire Facebook following.
The article is published on a digital magazine called W42ST that blogs about happenings in the Big Apple. This particular post is a twist on how they are presenting their monthly cabaret calendar. Instead of just listing dates and places for the featured artist; each one gets a few short paragraphs to expound on their inspiration for cabaret. And each memoir is a perfect bit of cabaret patter through their unique tale. The lead story by Jim Caruso talks about his early days in the choruses of Dallas TX and how a detour at a small place called the Baja opened a new door to his career. Both Megan Hilty and Joie Bianco talk about the transformative power of seeing Marilyn Maye on stage. Marilyn herself is performing this month and takes it back a notch further to the very old times and the influence of Shecky Greene in Las Vegas. KT Sullivan speaks of the intimacy of the Gardenia Room and seeing Broadway icons like Donna McKechnie and Pamela Myers revealing their true stories outside of their successful long runs. Jane Monheit speaks about the passion of Brazilian music via Ivan Lins. But the common themes among them all, are the tenets we speak about each and every time we see each other. They talk of "strange ballads with tons of tears and quirky patter," an "Intimate experience - just a microphone, some stories and lots of songs," "Taking an audience on a journey." Key words like wit, connection, Standards, intimate, personality, vulnerability. It brings me joy to know that we truly comprehend who it is we are and what we are trying to accomplish as a network of great artists here in the Twin Cities. Read the full article here: W42ST - This Is Cabaret
I was not aware of Todd Murray until just this week. He is an L.A. native and as handsome as they come with dashing movie-star looks. But what intrigues me more than that - is that he has a lush baritone voice which is a rarity. In these days of screaming Broadway tenors that are belting out high A's & B's to meet the needs of pop standards. He has more in common with classic tones like Robert Goulet or Gordon McCrae.
