We hosted another great Education event last eve with Lori Dokken at the helm. She has been a frequent collaborator for our roster as well as a huge advocate who has made the Town House a welcome home for us over the last year. But in addition to that, she is an icon of the Twin Cities with a vast career in almost any area of the music scene.
The idea of the session was to give us a valuable tool belt to help take our music from the page to the stage. We work with a variety of players who each bring their own talents. But how do we get from them what we need in the short amount of time we have before hand so we are indeed in command in the spotlight with the mic? Everything she said resonated and could go miles to get us where we need to be in that short time. Most of it, you had to be there for the Q&A to see and hear. But there was also a handful of shared technology that were laid out as gifts. We are just not aware of them or have not had the chance to embrace them. So here is a go-to resource list that can fill in some of the gaps. They were an earful for me. iRealPro - seems to be the ultimate tool for us if you have a tablet. It is an app for purchase at $12.99. Lori jokingly pointed out that many scoff at shelling out the cash when there are so many options out there for free. But she countered by saying that she paid hundreds for a Finale program and for what we want and need, this can do much of the same. So I came right home last night and bought it. I have to agree. It is sort of Composition for Dummies once you play around on it. The main takeaway are 1000s of shared charts from the member forums which are yours for the download. Once you lay out your new chart or pull an existing one - you can easily change the key to fit your range. You can adjust the tempo or better yet; select one of hundreds of templates to take your Rodgers & Hart piece from a samba to a disco chart. All laid out and clear. So you have something from the start that you can take to your pianist and not only show them, but play it for them to let them know exactly the direction you are trying to take your song. Music Memos - is also an app, but works a bit in the opposite way. You start from scratch and build from the ground up. We tried it and you can start with something as simple as singing your melody into the recorder. Or play with a piano or guitar. From there, it uses its own analytics and tries to shape chords and rhythm around what it hears. Or course there is the danger of veering off into the wrong direction. But with manual tweeks, you can lead it back on track and continue to embellish with other instrumentation or harmonies. Certainly for those wanting to craft their own material. It is free, but I had compatibility issues and could not load it?
Online Music - I have to assume that we all have some sort of connection to online purchases. Sheet Music Plus and Music Notes are the biggies. I prefer Music Notes as it generally has more options in terms of what you can transpose into a better key to suit your voice. I have gotten wise in that you only purchase a single copy. But when printing, I usually opt the option that it didn't print and I will try later again. This way I can print out a few versions in keys and keep that on hand to see which fits best as I work the tune. The draw back is that anything outside of Top 40 or American Songbook are a rare find - and I am one that tends to hunt for the obscure. Les tells us that both Schmitt and Groth music have their own extensive online library and more options to manipulate your purchased chart into something more personal - but I did check on line and was not able to find much more than is available at the first two giants. PrintMusic - if both Finale and Sibelius software are more expensive and beyond our needs, this is the poor man's stepchild of Finale by the same designers on a much smaller scale of only $120. Best used for chord charts and vocal lines. To me it requires an investment of time and digital keyboard that I am content enough to just try with a tablet. If I need that chart arranged, I am going to job it out to someone who has the knowledge and tools to get it done right. But Vicky and Paula both say it is not too hard to conquer over time. And Lori also pointed out that even the efforts fail - they still help you along the process and you come out with more skills to use at a later time. Teoria - was pointed out by Sheridan and it seems a resource that I should invest some time into - like a new year's resolution. It is not an app, but noted as a peer reviewed website! Think Duolingo but for Music Theory. For those of us that never had to learn more than a C scale, it is the mecca of music knowledge for free on the internet. There are pages of tutorials and lesson plans to start from scratch and take it as far as you need to. You can work both ways from visual into recognizing sounds - or the opposite from listening and having to then translate into notation. I am going to give this one a try - hold me to it.
This shared opine comes to us from Vicky. She is giving a presentation on the point and would be one of our members who is literally caught in the crossfire of the discussion. Several of our members come from the ranks of JAZZ and have made the dark leap into our clique. I'd be curious to know how much kickback they get from other colleagues.
The resource noted is from another blog writer - Sue Russell back in 2009 and originally posted on Jazz.com. It treads on many of our regular discussions. It speaks to the cry that cabaret singers sit a bit lower on the totem pole of singers and labels them "precious." It also alludes to jazz singers paying no attention to the pedigree of the classic American songbook and making the original writers cringe in their graves with the liberties taken. It talks about cabaret being perceived more as a venue than a style of performance. I think my favorite line - and none of our members would challenge it; "So we have a little identity crisis in cabaret. If nobody else knows precisely who we are, how do we define ourselves?" It talks about "the intimacy of the moment," "the connection between the singer, the song and the audience." And thus the crux! All familiar language. She fires off a few zingers and some great name dropping. I'll let you read the article to find out which side of the battle she sits on. The full article:
It has been a long while since a blog posting. Here is an unusual twist coming to us from the Chicago area. We have always heard of Banned Books. But what about Banned Songs? It is an evening of cabaret song called Blacklisted. We always associate the Cold War scourge with films and literature, but it also affected the world of the American Songbook. Apparently Leonard Bernstein, Lena Horne, Paul Robeson, Yip Harburg and even Zero Mostel were under scrutiny and careers damaged.
It features Joan Curto, Carla Gordon, Paul Motondo, Wayne
Richards, Rabbi Barry Schecter, Robert Sims and Three for the Road
& Friends. With music direction by Beckie Menzie. But it certainly sounds like an interesting spin that could create an entertaining evening. So we are not the only ones thinking about packaging a cabaret evening into a theme or genre.
Another cabaret performer tangent. Yesterday I picked up a disc on hold from the library Dusty Springfield; Come for a Dream. It is a great vault album from 1970-71, the result of a legal feud between 2 record labels that is finally being relinquished via Rhino Records.
Now, we would not likely ever think of Dusty Springfield as a cabaret artist.... But because I have always been a fan of her vintage blue-eyed soul, I was especially taken by the range on this new disc. There are a few bossa nova numbers. A Legrand/ Bergman collaboration. Of course anything Jimmy Webb is a point in my favor. Even a Charles Aznavour piece. So last night I was then distracted and began a YouTube hunt which amazed me to the max. First off, I had no idea she was a modest Irish lass by the name of Mary O'Brien. And then that she started her career as part of a successful folk trio along with her brother - just like a British Peter, Paul & Mary. Before the blonde bouffant was a meager brunette page cut. From there she unleashed a wealth of talents; singing in French, Spanish & Portuguese - all with perfect flair. Vintage Frishberg with "Peel Me a Grape" in 1962 - check. Gospel "the Water is Wide" - check. Bacharach beyond belief with him at the piano in "A House Is Not A Home"- check. American Songbooks classics like "Time After Time" and "Second Time Around" all there. And each sounded like they were her strongest suit.
But what bridged me over to the cabaret tangent were her performances. This was the era of variety show television and she was ALWAYS one to sing her tunes live over the track. So while her voice is instantly recognizable, no two performances were ever quite the same. The hair became an explosive gust of amber, the gowns and pantsuits always impeccably stylish, and gestures befitting a drag queen - she was larger than life. UNTIL the camera found her face. As I watched each clip, over 25 of them, I felt like she was singing directly to me! No matter how big the stage or audience, she was immediate and intimate. And the way she conquers the lyrics is knowing and painfully heartfelt. Here are just two clips that I had to share. I was going to compare with a Bette Midler meets Edyie Gorme, but she is definitely her own talent. A sad legacy of immense talent that was lost far too soon. Please watch both of these clips entirely.
Ann Hampton Callaway continues to be one of the biggest advocates for our genre. In an age when we are not sure what constitutes "cabaret" - is it Broadway casts singing show tunes in tony bars, is it jazz singers sampling the American Songbook in dark and sultry clubs? Ann seems to be the one heir to the cabaret diva legacies of Julie Wilson and Mabel Mercer. I think we would all agree she brings an intimate story and a warm voice to anything she does beside her string of recordings and Broadway shows. So it is with great anticipation that NPR is producing a new program of her live gigs at Birdland with a select roster of other talent that certainly fills the cabaret bill. Callaway’s stated goal is to present “cabaret as an emotionally engaging
experience rather than a place.” She intends to use the emotional power
of her guest artists and the heartfelt qualities of the music itself to
accomplish this. The show will cover the panoply of American musical
genres: jazz, Broadway, folk, blues…you name it. Shows have already been taped for release come January. Her first guest was the lovely Christine Ebersole who has won fans with a resume of Broadway roles, but is really an engaging cabaret spirit in the best sense. There is banter, witty repartee and even a few duets. Guest number two was Curtis Stigers, vocalist and sax man, who comes from a much different world of the music spectrum. But somehow the two found a mutual ground between musicianship and artistry. Ann seems to bring out the best qualities in all around her. I checked the NPR website, but do not see an actual date for the broadcasts posted yet, but will try to be mindful and give you a heads up with advance warning in the New Year.
I know we try to keep tabs on the local scene and anything that might relate to the genre of cabaret. But here are a few items from the East Coast which could plant some seeds and be used here as well. We keep speaking more and more to the power of our Education team and the possibilities to connect not only to new members, but larger audiences. Check these out:
First from our nation's capitol in Washington DC. La-Ti-Do a new collective of artists much like our own. They bill themselves as the "world where Musical Theater and Spoken World collide!" The brainchild of Don Michael Mendoza & Regie Cabico, it is a group of both amateur and professional artists in DC that come together for both solo and group pieces. They have shows every Monday in the Dupont Circle area for a loyal crowd and a modest cover charge. Each month has both a featured cause and at least a single featured artist. It sounds much like the curated dance works offered at the Walker. La-Ti-Do is garnering clout with a 2013 Broadway World Best Cabaret Concert award. La-Ti-Do
In NYC Primary Stages @ Einhorn School of Performing Arts, there is a Cabaret Intensive over 6 weeks this Fall. It sounds very similar to the Yale Conference in that it goes from square 1 - choosing your material - all the way to marketing and promoting the piece. Instead of patter, they refer to it as banter: but it is still about finding your own funny, specific and authentic voice. It will be led by both Eric Kornfeld & Eric Thomas Johnson. Both have experience with such notables as Bette Midler and Betty Buckley. To top it off, each student finishes with a mini-set shared at the Metropolitan Room. Creating Your Cabaret And lastly, a unique spin on a Cabaret evening hosted by both the Dramatists Guild in conjunction with Samuel French. It will be a benefit concert at none other than 54 Below with the theme: Sing and Tell on October 1st. It is only one a roster of Symposium offerings for the entire week. The bill includes a slate of names including Bill Russell, Marsha Norman, Emily Skeggs and many more. Each writer/ composer will speak to their creative process and then share short selections of their theater writings. It beckons back to the days of Cole Porter and Gershwin singing songs around a piano - to the current generation. Sing and Tell; 54 Below All great offerings and opportunities.
It has been a long while since postings, but summer brings hiatus to many of us who detour from our regular paths of action. Here's hoping you are enjoying your summer adventures. But here is a recommended summer read that has been passed on to us. Cabaret Secrets by British performer Gary Williams. It sounds as if it might be a bit heavy on some major name dropping from the promo video. But I also think any information we can gather as independent artists is helpful in this very specific world we inhabit as cabaret performers. And as we continue to challenge ourselves from mini-sets or long standing house gigs, it sounds as if this might be a helpful hands-on template to crafting a true solo act from start to finish. All topics that come up regularly in our conversation circles.
And digging further into his webpage, it looks like a whole slate of Podcasts with a few noted celebs like Michael Feinstein, Marilyn Maye and others. Other episodes seem to dwell heavily on the Cruise Ship career which is a different breed than what we ascribe to. But to pick and choose, it might be a worthy hodgepodge to explore for those audiophiles that are not the bookish sorts. Here is the link below and I will also add it to our Favorites links on the sidebar for later reference. Cabaret Secrets on iTunes One last side note for summer calendars. At our last Membership Meeting Jennifer pointed out a great new community link called RedCurrent. It is basically a one-stop City Pages listing for all events music or theater. They were very interested in including TCCAN as part of their feed so they have tapped into our calendar listing and do an immediate bump for all things listed. A great and needed boost to our media marketing. So it is mindful that you all forward your individual gigs on to me for inclusion. The more we have to offer, the better our chances of building a true cabaret following in the Twin Cities. Remember to proudly brand yourselves as a TCCAN artist. Red Current Twin Cities
We hosted another great Education event last eve with Lori Dokken at the helm. She has been a frequent collaborator for our roster as well as a huge advocate who has made the Town House a welcome home for us over the last year. But in addition to that, she is an icon of the Twin Cities with a vast career in almost any area of the music scene.
iRealPro - seems to be the ultimate tool for us if you have a tablet. It is an app for purchase at $12.99. Lori jokingly pointed out that many scoff at shelling out the cash when there are so many options out there for free. But she countered by saying that she paid hundreds for a Finale program and for what we want and need, this can do much of the same. So I came right home last night and bought it. I have to agree. It is sort of Composition for Dummies once you play around on it. The main takeaway are 1000s of shared charts from the member forums which are yours for the download. Once you lay out your new chart or pull an existing one - you can easily change the key to fit your range. You can adjust the tempo or better yet; select one of hundreds of templates to take your Rodgers & Hart piece from a samba to a disco chart. All laid out and clear. So you have something from the start that you can take to your pianist and not only show them, but play it for them to let them know exactly the direction you are trying to take your song.
Teoria - was pointed out by Sheridan and it seems a resource that I should invest some time into - like a new year's resolution. It is not an app, but noted as a peer reviewed website! Think Duolingo but for Music Theory. For those of us that never had to learn more than a C scale, it is the mecca of music knowledge for free on the internet. There are pages of tutorials and lesson plans to start from scratch and take it as far as you need to. You can work both ways from visual into recognizing sounds - or the opposite from listening and having to then translate into notation. I am going to give this one a try - hold me to it.
