The Salon Wrap-Up for October 24, 2010 "Recording Artists"

Annie Kozuch

There was an exciting buzz in the air as Salon attendees began to arrive at Etc Etc, because they spied Peter Millrose in the front of the room setting up his professional recording equipment for the occasion. That’s right, the optional theme for the evening was “The Recording Arts/Demo Night Part II with Peter Millrose,” giving Salon members the chance to take home studio quality recordings of their work in front of a live audience.

The evening was hosted, as usual, by the charming and talented Mark Janas. His co-host was the blonde and sassy songstress, Annie Kozuch. Annie announced that her solo album, ”Here With You“ just hit #6 on the CMJ Jazz Chart, and will be performing a teaser set from her show at the Lincoln Square Barnes & Noble on October 27 at 6pm.

Annie kicked off the show with a jazzy rendition of ”Gorgeous“ from The Apple Tree, and ”I Thought About You.“ Rosemary Loar then tempted and teased us with a medley of songs including ”The Lady is a Tramp,“ ”Nobody Does It Better,“ and ”Treat Me Rough.“ Joining us on the stage next was Mark Levy, who charmed us with Mr. Maraczek’s song, ”Days Gone By“ from the musical She Loves Me. Up next was Julie Reyburn, who haunted us with her gorgeous version of ”Another Winter in a Summer Town“ from Grey Gardens, followed by Tony Imgrund, who gave us a glimpse at adorable with ”The Kite“ from You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. (And, for the record, we think the revival version is A-OK in our book!)

Annie then paused the show to ask us to admire her earrings... because they were designed by none other than Shana Farr, who was up next to sing ”I Could Have Danced All Night“ from My Fair Lady. (A side note from me, Erin, your blogette- My Fair Lady is a perfect show to sing from when talking about recordings. The lead character, Professor Higgins, is a phoneticist, specializing in dialects and the collector of voice recordings from his gramophone. Much of the show is about Eliza being recorded, and then trying to match the sounds she hears from other speakers. Quelle coincidence! But, I digress... ) Next up was Marya Zimmet, who sang a silky and sultry version of ”Lazy Afternoon.“ Johnnie Kozuch, Annie’s brother, then came to the stage and sang ”Malaguenia Salerosa“ while accompanying himself on guitar. Annie announced that they were a globe trotting family - he was born in Puerto Rico, while she was born in Mexico. It was wonderful having such international flavor during the evening!

Coming up to the stage next was Richie Eisenberg, who shared his clever, original tune ”Never Too Late.“ Deb Berman came afterward, singing the beautiful ”If I Love Again.“ Deb has a show coming up November 2 at the Metropolitan Room at 7pm- hop on over to the club after you vote in the election! Up next was Stephanie Zagoren, who shared her love of Gershwin with ”The Man I Love.“ After that was The Salon’s newest volunteer, Danielle Erin Rhodes (our Times Square Postcard-ette!) who gave us goosebumps with Dan Furman’s original tune, ”The Trouble with Dreams.“ This song is from his new musical, Rip!, which is having a concert at the Puffin Cultural Arts Center in New Jersey on November 6.

Next up was yours truly, Erin Cronican, with She Loves Me’s signature ballad, ”Will He Like Me.“ (I’d be crazy if I didn’t mention that I have a few shows coming up- I’m currently doing the classic British play, Look Back In Anger, which performs through October 30. I am also appearing in a musical reading of Nab-A-Date, which is open to the industry guests November 15.) Next up we had Etceterette Danielle Grabianowski, who wowed us with the playful and touching Jamie Cullum hit, ”Photograph.“ Danielle also has a show coming up at the Metropolitan Room October 28 & November 3, both at 7pm. Up next, Mark and Peter led us through Classical Corner, where we discussed the ins and outs of recording live and in the studio (see the bottom of this post for a list of tips & tricks that were discussed during this segment.) To close out the 1st half of the evening, we were delighted to present the Salon Spotlight - this week with Janice Hall. Janice sang two songs from her show, ”Grand Illusions: The Music of Marlena Dietrich“ - firts was ”The Laziest Girl in Town," followed by ”La Vie En Rose.“ We capped the 1st half of the evening with a birthday cake and song for Salon member, James Eden. (It was delicious, by the way...)

The 2nd set of the evening was led by Annie Kozuch, who sang the Spanish tune ”Nosotros,“ followed by ”I Can Cook Too“ by Bernstein/Comden/Green. Annie then introduced Salon producer Tanya Moberly, who gave us a stunning rendition of Peggy Lee’s ”I Don’t Know Enough About You.“ Tanya is working with the benefit ”Zani’s Furry Friends“ as well as being a featured guest at The Iguana on November 3. Following Tanya was Scott Tucker, accompanied on the piano by Steve Watts. Scott recently married his long time partner, and shared with us a story about his song, ”Sailor“ - he had planned to sing it at his wedding but instead of singing he found he was crying through the whole song! So, he brought it to the Salon so that he could get a clean recording to present to his new husband. I tell you, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house!

Coming to the stage next was Salon Board Member, Sue Matsuki, who sang a fun and spicy version of ”Lullaby of Birdland.“ Up next was Salon Sponsor, Father Jeff Hamlin, who dedicated his song, ”The Impossible Dream“ to birthday boy, James Eden. James then followed with a song from one of his favorite musicals: ”Double Talk“ from the Cy Coleman show City of Angels. Following James was Blogette-on-Vacation Sierra Rein, who finally got to sing the full version of ”This Place Is Mine“ from Maury Yeston’s Phantom, after singing only 16 bars in audition after audition. We all agreed that she’d blow the roof off the audition room singing any amount of measures from this song! She's now singing for Kevin McMullan's show "Twist of Fate" at the Laurie Beechman Theater (thru December4th) , and is in the cast of Musical Monday Theater Lab's reading of "The Good Girl" on Thursday, Oct 28th. Annie then finished the evening with the amazing & gorgeously sung ballad, ”And The World Goes Round“ (from the Kander/Ebb revue of the same name.)

Special thanks to Peter Millrose, who provided an incredible service Sunday evening. For those of you who recorded, we will be sending notifications of when the tracks are ready to be listened to and purchased. In the meantime, a little bit about our fine recording engineer: Peter has been ”in the mix“ for over 20 years and specializes in live cabaret recordings, piano/vocal demos, VO Tapes, transfers & editing. You can reach him at www.millrosemusic.com.

And, here are 8 tips & hints about Recordings, via The Salon’s Classical Corner

1) Try to spend time in the booth before you start your recording - get to know the acoustics as much as you can.
2) If you have you own mic that you love and trust, bring it with you.
3) Try not to record and mix on the same day - give yourself some space of a few days before you start mixing.
4) Do at least 2-3 takes, get a CD of all performances, and sleep on it!
5) You’re never going to get your performance just the way you want it. As Peter says, ”Don’t let the search for the perfect get in the way of the perfectly good.“
6) If at all possible, record the band while you are singing. Even if you are not recording your voice at the time, having your voice in the musicians’ headphones as they play will enhance their performance.
7) When setting mics at a live event with multiple instruments, be aware that a little bit of the other instruments will bleed into each individual mic. To help fix this problem when mixing, consider placing voices together that are on opposite sides of the spectrum (for example, a soprano singer near the upright bass.) The engineer can usually tune out the opposite frequency and get a pretty clean sound.
8) If you have several live performances, record 2-3 of them. That way, you have some choices to mix between.


NEXT WEEK! --- NO SALON (It’s Halloween, go get dressed up and have fun!)

TWO WEEK’S FROM NOW -- NOVEMBER 7 - Co-Hosts Edd Clark & Sue Matsuki present optional theme, ”Here Come the Holidays!" where Salon attendees can sing songs about any holiday. Special points go out to those who find songs about obscure ones, like “Peanut Butter Lovers Month” or “National Accordion Awareness Month“ (no joke, they exist.)


-Erin Cronican
The Blogette for The Salon

The Salon Wrap-Up for October 17, 2010 - "The Great American Chorus Line-– A Tribute to Gypsies Everywhere"!

Valerie Lemon

It wasn't all bangles and tarot cards, but The Salon was filled with gypsies on Sunday! The theme of the evening was "The Great American Chorus Line-– A Tribute to Gypsies Everywhere," and certainly our co-host of the evening has some wandering in her past - Valerie Lemon guided the singers through the evening, extolling us with stories of her 12 years as principal vocalist for Marvin Hamlisch, in the National Tour of The Student Prince, and her Jane Froman Cabaret show. She will be performing "Valerie Lemon sings Music by Marvin Hamlisch" at Feinstein's this coming Sunday at 8:30!

She started out the night's festivities with an ebullient "Sunshine, Lollypops and Rainbows." Then, David Rigano performed his original (and bet-inspired) piece "One Night in Paris" - David has a slew of things happening: he is co-director of Can I Really Date A Guy Who Wears A Yarmulke?, his show Facing East is being developed by Nathan Gardner with a libretto by Mark Garcia and will have a world premier in 2011 before opening in New York. After David, Kathleen France woke the saints up with "I Just Wanna Be a Star" from Nunsense. She is working on a Linda Ronstadt show for 2011, so keep an eye out for that. Sunny Leigh next sang "Love is Where You Find It" in a gypsy soprano voice. Her CD show "Sweet Feelings" will showcase her pop rock vocals and a full band, at the Metropolitan room on November 6th, 4pm.

Matthew Ward played piano and sang the song "Everything Happens to Me," and then Valerie's good friend Pamela Dayton sang the diva comedic song "Broadway Boogie Woogie" by Ed Kleban. Pamela was a gypsy herself in the tour of "The Producers" and has been on Broadway herself...but as she said "it's not always been an easy road." Michael Colby next sang "The Gypsy Love Song" (music by Gerald Jay Markoe, lyrics by Colby) and had us all singing in the chorus! Next, Marianne Berson sang, with Rolf Barnes at the piano, a Barnes original piece (lyrics by Mary Rich) called "I Can't Handle the Loneliness." The two of them will be working on a CD, to be announced and released soon.

We then had a treat from Danielle Rhodes - a true International gypsy - as she read directly from some personal journals she had on hand while she was travelingwith the European tour of Grease, on the Oliver tour, and on the Footloose tour. She had written about the process of writing and lyrics, a humorous breakdown of her scene changes and lines, and even wrote down a limmerick-poem! She then sat down at the piano and played her original instrumental, which will become the theme for her future musical, she says. Richard Eisenberg sang a sexy story-song about a sultry woman in "Alterior Motives," and Mark Levy sang "The Two Grenadiers" by Robert Schumann, as a little pre-intro to the Classical Corner.

And next was the Classical Corner with Mark Janas! Mark parlayed what he spoke of Robert Schumann in a previous evening - how he writes in two voices (lyrical and angry), and asked a number of singers and performers to sing and play piano on some different Schumann pieces. He gave into both the mercurial and the mars-war sides of his own personality, and Mark played a number of concerto familiar to Schumann's work. Matthew Ward then played piano "The Prophet Bird" from Schumann's "Forest Scenes" song collection, detailing that it's very much a mix of mysterious bird-like sounds and chorale music. Mark returned to the piano, remarking how Schumann was very much a text and tone painter with music. They then went on to the Lieder series, and how the settings of Schumann's works are so specific in landing emotional points, harmonies, rhythms, and even how the vowel and note sits in the voice. Sierra Rein then sang #1 and #8 from "Frauenliebe und leben," a song cycle of a woman's experience with love and life. Bill Zeffiro ended the Classical Corner by singing "Widmung"("Du meine Seele, du mein Herz"), a musical setting to a richter poem, in a robust voice (and spotless German I may add).

To close out the first half, we then came back into the 20th century with David Ballard singing "What Would I Do?" from Falsettos. Sierra Rein (who will be backing up Kevin McMullan in his gypsy-inspired show "Twist of Fate" starting this Saturday at the Laurie Beechman, 4pm) sang a mashup of "Savoy" and "The Joint is Really Jumpin' in Carnegie Hall," and then Annie Kozuch (co-host of the Salon on 10/24!) sang a the playful "I Double Dare You." Annie will be co-host of this upcoming Salon theme "The Recording Arts/Demo Night Part II with Peter Millrose."

After the break, our gypsy lady of the hour, Valerie Lemon, took to the stage to sing "Traveling Life" and "At the Ballet" from A Chorus Line, admittedly many years away from her days singing as a waitress in New York! Bill Zeffiro returned to the piano to play his song "The Final Daze" and to tell us that his gig at Flute each Thursday has been moved earlier to 8-11pm (but he may stay until 12 if the mood suits him!). Tanya Moberly, who will bring her "Theatre Songs" show back to Don't Tell Mama on December 14th, sweetly sang "Lion Tamer" from The Magic Show. Salon favorite Jane Glick brought in "Welcome to the Theater," and announced that she does indeed have a show in the works. Then Shana Farr sang an incredible combination of "Let Me Entertain You" from Gypsy and...well, let's just say a surprising number from Avenue Q...

We then welcomed Gladys Nilsen and guitarist Jaime Diaz back to The Salon to sing "Chile, Chile" and "Gracias a La Vida" in honor of the saved miners in Chile. Songwriter Ray Jessel and tenor Stephen Wilde then presented two songs from Jessel's musical treatment of "National Velvet": "I See it In You" and the show's chorus-of-jockeys number, "What a Way to Make a Living." Ray has a great photo in the Wall Street Journal article on the October 13th entitled "A Stage for Stars and Fans Alike." Ray will also sing at the University Glee Club (it's Free!) on October 26th!

We then welcomed sound man and composer Tommy Schull to the piano, where hey played a very gypsy-sounding score he wrote for his twin brother's film. Stearns Matthews, with a beautiful clear voice, sang "What I Saw" by Brian Lasser. His show "This Will Be..." will be on October 30th and November 6th and 4pm at the Laurie Beechman Theater. Valerie Lemon then closed the evening with a touching "What I Did For Love," and then roused the audience into a singalong of "One" from A Chorus Line (and I was on hand to do a little kickdancing in the back with David Ballard!).

NEXT WEEK! The optional theme for the evening is “The Recording Arts/Demo Night Part II with Peter Millrose". Peter Millrose will once again be recording the entire Salon evening! Check out our previous blog entry on the matter, but it will be run very much like all other Salons (only Mark will be on hand to cue audience applause, just in case the singer wishes for an entirely "studio" sound to the recording).

-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.

Update from Producer Tanya Moberly!

SALON, that unique, Bistro & MAC Award winning Weekly Open Mic Event created and hosted by Mark Janas returns to Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 - on Sunday, October 24th from 7-10:30PM.

"A Stage for Stars and Fans Alike" - The Salon mentioned in the Wall Street Journal - Oct 13, 2010 ! Visit www.markjanasthesalon.blogspot.com for details.

We are running a Special for the month of October. Bring two new people and get in for free! That's right! BRING TWO PEOPLE THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN TO SALON BEFORE AND YOUR ADMISSION IS FREE!

The optional theme for the evening is “The Recording Arts/Demo Night Part II with Peter Millrose". Peter Millrose will once again be recording the entire Salon evening! That means that everyone will have the opportunity to listen to a studio quality, live recording of their performance via the internet before deciding whether or not they care to purchase it for a $30 fee. Salon will run as it normally does - Peter will just be recording it live. (For more information: http://millrosemusic.com) Whether you are interested in having a song recorded or not – the theme is “The Recording Arts”. Bring the song you love to listen to or the song recorded by your favorite singer; a the song from that record (LP, 45, CD or iTunes) that means something to you or a song you've always wanted to sing for your friends and family and then send it to them for the holidays!

Remember, any material, on or off theme, is always welcome at Salon.

Our Co-Host will be that Rising Star Annie Kozuch! Her debut CD, Here With You, is currently Number 6 on the CMJ Jazz Charts! Annie will be at The Metropolitan Room, 34 W 22nd Street, NYC, 10010, 212-206-0440, on October 21st, October 28th, November 4th & November 11th. She will also be at Barnes and Noble, 1972 Broadway, NYC 10023, for a performance and CD signing on October 27th at 6pm. Admission is free. For more information: www.anniekozuch.com.

Our Salon Spotlight will feature Internationally Celebrated Singer Janice Hall! Janice is making her New York cabaret debut at The Metropolitan Room, 34 W 22nd Street, NYC, 10010, 212-206-0440, November 3rd, November 6th , November 13th, November 21st & December 8th. For more information: www.metropolitanroom.com.

There will be a $10 cash cover at the door UNLESS YOU BRING TWO NEW PEOPLE, IN WHICH CASE THERE'S NO COVER CHARGE FOR YOU, collected by 'Etceterette/Blogette', Erin Cronican, and a $15 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For further information visit www.etcrestaurant.com or call 212-399-4141). There are no reservations; seating is on a first come/ first served basis, with one intermission. Doors open and sign up begins with 'Etceterette', Danielle Grabianowski at 6:15pm.

Salon continues every Sunday (EXCEPT Oct 31st, November 28th & December 5th) through December 19th!

October 31st: NO SALON

November 7th: Here Come the Holidays!
Co-Hosts: Edd Clark & Sue Matsuki

November 14th:
Theme: All God's Creatures
Co-Host: Sarah Rice

November 21st:
Theme: Flower Power – Music of the 60's & 70's
Co-Hosts: Lennie Watts, Scott Coulter & Steven Ray Watkins

November 28th: NO SALON

December 5th: NO SALON

Visit our website at www.markjanasthesalon.com and look for us on Facebook!

Here's some important information about the Salon you should know. The Salon is an ongoing open entertainment event in which singers, writers and musicians share their talent with each other and audience members. We are currently enjoying our new venue, Etcetera, Etcetera where there is a $10 COVER (cash) AND a $15 FOOD/BEVERAGE MINIMUM (cash or credit). You may sign up to perform starting at 6:15 by seeing one the evening's 'Etceterettes' to fill out a card with your name, the name of your song, whether it's a ballad or an up tempo,(up tempos and comic songs are greatly encouraged!) and any upcoming events you'd like the co-host to announce. Please remember that we do not present performers in order of sign-up and, due to our time restraints and other variables, filling out a card does not guarantee you will perform, but we do our very best to get you up! It is usually a good idea to bring a few different song choices to avoid duplication. All types of material including spoken word are welcome at the Salon but please limit your selections to three or four minutes in length and please bring clear, complete charts for Mark to read. Sitting on the piano is not allowed, nor is flash photography. If you would like to add a (or remove your) name from our list, e-mail me at tanyamoberly@juno.com.

Looking forward to seeing you all Sunday, October 24th!

Thanks,

Tanya Moberly

Producer-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.

"A Stage for Stars and Fans Alike " - The Salon mentioned in the Wall Street Journal - Oct 13, 2010

The Wall Street Journal just published an article about New York open mics and has a mention for The Salon! Click here to read the text.

-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.

The Salon Wrap-Up for October 10, 2010: "Color My World"

Shana Farr

It was a bright, colorful array of performers this past Sunday, as the theme was "Color My World," and indeed every shade of the spectrum was explored that evening. The silver-voiced Shana Farr was this week's co-host on the theme - her recent show at Feinstein's, "Whistling Away the Dark: A Celebration of Julie Andrews ," highlighted her warm, red tones and sun-yellow disposition. She also brought her absolutely gorgeous collection of jewelry from Shana Farr Designs, which some singers borrowed and modeled during the evening's performances. My favorites were the Fortune Cookie and (not surprisingly) the Awards Show collections. Dressed in stunning green-blue satin, Shana was a lovely co-host!

Shana began the evening with the favorite Willy Wonka song, "Pure Imagination," then invited Mark Levy to sing "Mr. Cellophane" from Chicago. Next, Richard Eisenberg brought in a song he had written the night before - the paint was still fresh! - with a nice hook, entitled "Color Blind Blues." Adam Shapiro then sang "From A Distance" and was proud to announce for the first time his upcoming holiday show, "No Chestnus, " a Christmas show with absolutely no Holiday carols. This will be directed by Peter Napolitano and will perform December 17th and 18th at The Duplex. After Adam, Sue Marcus Rauch sang "Orange Colored Sky," then Annie Kozuch sang the sultry ballad "I Love the Way You're Breaking My Heart." Annie will be performing a CD showcase "Here With You," on Oct 21 & 28, November 4 & 11 at the Metropolitan Room, and her CD is currently #6 on the CMJ Jazz Chart! Annie will also be co-hosting The Salon on October 24th, so make sure to come to see more of her then. Edie Stokes then sang the classic "Paper Moon" - her own self-titled show is coming up November 7th at 6pm, at Don't Tell Mama.

We then had singer (and conductor!) Debbie Litnak, who crooned through "Look to the Rainbow." Then, David Schmidt (who Shana has known since High School), sang "All the Things You Are" in a gorgeous baritone - Howard Keel incarnate! Then, we had a blue-complexioned Cabaret singer Kay M. Pringle (accompanied somewhat by Sierra Rein) sing "My Moment" by Hector Coris, in hopes that an Avenue Q producer might be in the audience. Then, Kay appropriately sang an upbeat "Blue Skies." After Kay, Jan Brennan ripped through "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" and turned those blue skies upside-down with her powerful torch vocals.

Next, we had a treat from Blue Hill Troupe cast members of The Little Shop of Horrors, soon to be performing at the Theatre at St. Clement's, direction and choreography by Andrea Andresakis. First, Allison Plotkin sang "Frank Mills" from Hair. Then we had a trio of Alison Plotkin, Shanna Siegmund & Suzanne Taylor sing the opening "Urchin" title number. Last, we heard Shanna Siegmund sing the role of Audrey, with "Somewhere That's Green". The show performs November 12 -20, 2010 at The Theatre at St. Clement's on West 46th Street, and is a benefit performance for The Carter Burden Center for the Aging. Tickets online at http://www.bht.org/ or by phone at (866) 811-4111.

Classical Corner with Mark Janas was all about colors, and as they relate to the different keys and sonorities a performer or musician might perform in. He spoke about the inflation of pitch over the centuries - pitch has not been a fixed understanding on the page throughout the years - and spoke of the seven modes in greek music (including the major, dorian, ionian, lydian, and others). Each of the different modes have a different color that dramatizes what the mode feels like. Music is a language we can't quite pin down verbally, but many composers in the past have attempted, in their own interpretation, to assign colors to each key as they see or feel it in their minds. For example, Russian composer Alexander Scriabin was heavily inspired by color, and created his own color wheel of the keys - C# was purple, C was red, Bb expressed a rosy/steel, G was orange, E sky blue, and so on...

Mark then exemplified the changes of color in the mind's eye when you transpose a song from one key to the next, and had Annie Kozuch sing "How Deep is the Ocean" in C minor, Bb and Cb versions. There is indeed a darker weight to the flat keys comparatively! To complete the evening, Mark played parts of Debussy's Clair de lune in three keys - Db (the original key, sounding like moonlight), C major, and G major, then went back to the Db original and performed the whole piece in its entirety.

With Rainbows certainly dancing in our eyes, Shana Farr came back after the break to showcase her talent. With music director Fred Barton at the piano, Shana began with a medley of "Rainbow Connection" and a callback to "Pure Imagination." After reminiscing about her Missouri memories, she then sang the dreamy "Moon River." Finally, Shana sang sang a Barton arrangement of "Living in the Shadows," a song originally sung by her inspiration, Julie Andrews. After Shana left the stage, Fred Barton stayed at the piano keys to sing the spritely and crowd-pleasing "Don't Be Anything Less Than Everything You Can Be" from Snoopy.

Producer Tanya Moberly, whose show "Theater Songs" will be revamped again in December, sang the plaintif "Colored Lights," and then Lauren Sprague - who is brand new to NYC!!! - sang "How Lucky Can You Get" from Funny Lady. We then had some welcome returns to the stage; David Schmidt poured his voice into "Some Enchanted Evening" from South Pacific, Annie Kozuch sang a rhumba version of "Somos Novios (It's Impossible)" in Spanish, and Sue Marcus Rauch sang "September Song."

Adam Shapiro came up with a brilliant introduction of seeing red, feeling blue, then being green with envy at the onset of a relationship breakup, and then passionately sang the hilarious Weird Al Yankovic original "One More Minute." Richard Eisenberg sang two quick encores, "The Hottub" and the deviously dirty "Viagra," both comedy parody songs. Debbie Litwak returned to sing "Someone to Watch Over Me," and Jan Brennan sweetly performed "It Was Not Exactly Paris." To end the evening, Shana Farr sang the inspirational "Let the River Run."

NEXT WEEK! Co-Host Valerie Lemon will bring her Cabaret expertise to celebrate the hoofers, kickers, choruses and Broadway babies we all know (and perhaps some travelers, tarot readers, and coin belt-wearing ones that we don't) - The Salon's theme on Sunday will be "The Great American Chorus Line-– A Tribute to Gypsies Everywhere"! Facebook event can be found here.

And a reminder, we are still running a Special for the month of October: Bring two new people and get in for free! That's right! BRING TWO PEOPLE THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN TO SALON BEFORE AND YOUR ADMISSION IS FREE!


See you Sunday!

Jewelry by Shana Farr

Kay models some silver-blue stone jewelry by Shana Farr.

-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.

Update from Producer Tanya Moberly!

SALON, that unique, Bistro & MAC Award winning Weekly Open Mic Event created and hosted by Mark Janas returns to Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 - on Sunday, October 17th from 7-10:30PM.

We are running a Special for the month of October. Bring two new people and get in for free! That's right! BRING TWO PEOPLE THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN TO SALON BEFORE AND YOUR ADMISSION IS FREE!

The optional theme for the evening is “The Great American Chorus Line – A Tribute to Gypsies Everywhere”.

Remember, any material, on or off theme, is always welcome at Salon.

Our Co-Host will be the Delightful Valerie Lemon! Valerie will be performing “Music by Marvin Hamlisch” on October 24th at 8:30pm at Feinstein’s at The Regency, 540 Park Avenue, NYC 10065, (212) 339-4095, www.feinsteinsattheregency.com. For more information: www.valerielemon.com.

There will be a $10 cash cover at the door UNLESS YOU BRING TWO NEW PEOPLE, IN WHICH CASE THERE'S NO COVER CHARGE FOR YOU, collected by 'Etceterette/Blogette', Sierra Rein and a $15 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For further information visit www.etcrestaurant.com or call 212-399-4141). There are no reservations; seating is on a first come/ first served basis, with one intermission. Doors open and sign up begins with 'Etceterette', Annie Kozuch at 6:15pm.

Salon continues every Sunday (EXCEPT Oct 31st, November 28th & December 5th) through December 19th!

October 24th:
Theme: Demo Night with Pete Millrose Part II
Co-Host: Annie Kozuch
Salon Spotlight: Janice Hall

October 31st: NO SALON

November 7th: Here Come the Holidays!
Co-Hosts: Edd Clark & Sue Matsuki

November 14th:
Theme: TBA
Co-Host: TBA

November 21st:
Theme: Flower Power – Music of the 60's & 70's
Co-Hosts: Lennie Watts, Scott Coulter & Steven Ray Watkins

Our good friends at The York Theatre wanted us to let you know about:
Evans Haile, pianist, at the York. Join Host & Pianist, Evans Haile (Artistic Director of the legendary Cape Playhouse and newly named Producing Artistic Director of the North Shore Music Theatre) for a cabaret-style performance in which his witty and sophisticated banter is delightfully matched by his mastery of the keys. Haile’s dryly perceptive commentary will give an insider’s perspective to this concert event celebrating such musical greats as George Gershwin, Claude Debussy, Johann Strauss—and many more. Saturday, October 16, 2010 at 3 PM Tickets: $35 at www.yorktheatre.org

Visit our website at www.markjanasthesalon.com and look for us on Face Book!

Here's some important information about the Salon you should know. The Salon is an ongoing open entertainment event in which singers, writers and musicians share their talent with each other and audience members. We are currently enjoying our new venue, Etcetera, Etcetera where there is a $10 COVER (cash) AND a $15 FOOD/BEVERAGE MINIMUM (cash or credit). You may sign up to perform starting at 6:15 by seeing one the evening's 'Etceterettes' to fill out a card with your name, the name of your song, whether it's a ballad or an up tempo,(up tempos and comic songs are greatly encouraged!) and any upcoming events you'd like the co-host to announce. Please remember that we do not present performers in order of sign-up and, due to our time restraints and other variables, filling out a card does not guarantee you will perform, but we do our very best to get you up! It is usually a good idea to bring a few different song choices to avoid duplication. All types of material including spoken word are welcome at the Salon but please limit your selections to three or four minutes in length and please bring clear, complete charts for Mark to read. Sitting on the piano is not allowed, nor is flash photography. If you would like to add a (or remove your) name from our list, e-mail me at tanyamoberly@juno.com.

Looking forward to seeing you all Sunday, October 17th!

Thanks,

Tanya Moberly
Producer-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.

The Salon Wrap Up for October 3, 2010: "Weather or Not"

Daryl Sherman

As New York begins its shift from Summer (with its heat and humidity) into Winter (with its rain, snow and cold), The Salon took an evening to discuss "Weather or Not." The evening was hosted by the shimmering, talented, funny pianist and vocalist Daryl Sherman. Daryl won the 2010 MAC Award for "Best Major Recording" and is a permanent fixture at the Waldorf Astoria Cocktail Terrace. She can be classy and traditional one moment, then sneak a twinkle and a musical joke in when you least expect it! As a co-host, she fluttered from singer to singer, adding praise, encouragement and jokes. She will be performing this Sunday at The Oak Room at the Algonquin as part of "1910 - It Was A Very Good Year" (songs associated with Artie Shaw, Frank Loesser, Kitty Carlisle), hosted by K.T. Sullivan, 7:30pm.

Daryl started The Salon with "Isn't It a Lovely Day To be Caught in the Rain," showing off her vocal jazz prowess and her deft piano skills in the instrumental bridge. Then, Richard Eisenberg brought in a poetic, Weill-esque departure from his normal, upbeat fare entitled "Winter Arrives." Tony Imgrund, who is now no longer a "newbie" to Salon, sang a medley of "Blue Skies" and "It's A Lovely Day Today," both by Irving Berlin. We then had a treat from foreign lands; Gabriela Bojorquez from Tijuana, Mexico, sang a bossa nova version of "Fly Me to the Moon" in both English and Spanish. This was her first time in New York, but it was obvious from her talent that she was no stranger to music, with her smooth vocals and beautiful interpretation!

Gabriela Bojorquez

We then were treated to another mix of languages, as Janice Hall came to sing "Ich Hab Noch Einen Koffer in Berlin (I Always Keep a Suitcase in Berlin)" in both English and German. Janice has a new show, "Grand Illusions: The Music of Marlene Dietrich," and if there's not a perfect meld of singer and inspiration, I don't know what it would be! The show will perform at the Metropolitan Room November 3 (9:30pm), November 6, 13, 21st (all at 4pm) and December 8 (9:30pm). Directed by Peter Napolitano with Paul Trueblood as Musical Director.

To whip us into a whirly frenzy, Dr. Sue brought in her new song, "Hurricane!" She has a CD entitled "Keys of Love" and will have a new variety show (dates to be announced) at the Lafayette Grill! After the Dr. sang, Dani Rhodes played piano and sang through her driving blues-rock song, "Right As Rain." Then, Michael Colby performed his own lyrics (with music by Jack Urbont) to "Soon We'll Be Home" from his musical Mrs. McThing. He will debut two new songs at the Iguana on November 3rd, and has a number of things in production at the moment!

Next, we had a double hail storm (of sorts) of Bill Zeffiro - first, he played piano and sang a completely brand new song entitled "The Final Daze," then he gave up his piano spot to Daryl Sherman and sang "As Long as We're in Love" (Dorothy Fields/ Jimmy McHugh)with her as a duet! Returning Sue Marcus Rauch then performed "Pennies From Heaven" with her proud son in the audience. She's working on a Cabaret show for next Spring and is currently performing in How to Succeed In Business in Matawon, NJ. After Sue, David Ballard sang the touchingly beautiful "A World Without You" from Children of Eden, then Sierra Rein was coaxed into belting out "Don't Rain on My Parade" from Funny Girl. To round out the singing portion of the first half, Etceterette Erin Cronican showed her sexy-funny bone with "Everybody's Girl" from Steel Pier.

Sunday's Classical Corner with Mark Janas centered around Robert Schumann, who I had never heard of before but was instantly fascinated by as Mark talked about his Gemini personality, mental illness, and unique composer qualities. He wrote pieces that focused on two personalities: the outgoing vs. the introspective, and had a bipolar feel throughout much of his work. He was born in 1810, so technically this year is his 200th birthday! Mark performed Schumann's "Piano Concerto in A Minor" with a very unique twist: seeing as a complete orchestra could not fit comfortably in the Etcetera Etcetera dining room, Mark performed his part of the piano to a track on the "Music Minus One" CD, a learning tool meant to help budding pianists learn how to play their piano part along with a "karaoke" orchestra (or, as Mark referred to them, "The Short Notice Players"). It was a surreal experience to hear the orchestra play through the speakers, and then see Mark perform brilliantly (as always), even pausing and trilling for a moment ("any time now") and wait for the orchestra to catch up with him. Bravo!

After the break, Daryl took the piano for a short set of songs. She first performed a Henry Nemo piece entitled "'Tis Autumn," complete with wonderfully jazz "vocal-scat" birds. She then sang "Wendell's Cat," an original piece inspired by the events surrounding Hurricane Katrina which made all the humans in the audience a little teary-eyed. She completed her set with the classic "Come Rain or Come Shine" by Mercer and Arlen.

Salon Producer Tanya Moberly then sweetly sang "Raining in My Heart," a simple and classic period piece from Dames at Sea. After Tanya, fellow powerhouse Gretchen Reinhagen - with Tracy Stark at piano - rocked out "Me and Bobby McGee" from her Under The Covers show "Pearl." She and Tracy are starting a brand new class for 6 weeks starting October 18th, which will incorporate vocal, performance, patter, song interpretation - and all closing with a Cabaret performance in November. More info can be found here. After Gretchen sang, Tracy stayed at the piano to sing her own original piece called "Memory to Wear."

Sound Man Tommy Shull then took the piano bench and played another score work of his(from an as of now uncompleted film), which he entitled "Untitled - Ice 9." Madeline Kerns - a Broadway Broad if I've ever seen one! - showed us how it's done with the Ethel Merman favorite "I Got the Sun in the Morning." She will have a solo show at Don't Tell Mama soon! Next, Barry Lloyd (fresh from San Fransisco) played piano for himself on "I've Got Everything I Want," singing with rich baritone vocals. He has one show only here in New York, performing at the Metropolitan Room on October 11th, 9:30pm, with "A Humble Diseur." A Diseur is a male professional entertainer who performs monologues, so Barry will perform an eclectic collection of musical monologues. Daryl closed the evening with "Here's that Sunny Day." by jazz guitarist Barney Kessel.

Madeline Kerns

NEXT WEEK!

SALON, that unique, Bistro & MAC Award winning Weekly Open Mic Event created and hosted by Mark Janas returns to Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 - on Sunday, October 10th from 7-10:30PM.

The optional theme for the evening is “Color My World”.

Remember, any material, on or off theme, is always welcome at Salon.
...
Our Co-Host will be the Enchanting Shana Farr! Shana recently made her Feinstein's debut with “Whistling Away the Dark – A Tribute to Julie Andrews”. Shana is also a Designer and will be bringing her colorful jewels as well as her beautiful voice. For more information: www.shanafarr.com

SALON NEWSFLASH!

We are running a Special for the month of October. Bring two new people and get in for free! That's right! BRING TWO PEOPLE THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN TO SALON BEFORE AND YOUR ADMISSION IS FREE!

SALON is that Unique, Bistro & MAC Award Winning Weekly Open Mic Event created and hosted by Mark Janas and produced by Tanya Moberly at Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 - on Sundays from 7-10:30PM.

There will be a $10 cash cover at the door, collected by 'Etceterette', Sierra Rein and a $15 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For further information visit www.etcrestaurant.com or call 212-399-4141). There are no reservations; seating is on a first come/ first served basis, with one intermission. Doors open and sign up begins with 'Etceterette', Erin Cronican at 6:15pm.

Salon continues every Sunday (EXCEPT October 31st, November 28th & December 5th) through December 19th!

October 17th:
Theme: The Great American Chorus Line – A Tribute to Gypsies Everywhere
Co-Host: Valerie Lemon

October 24th:
Theme: Demo Night/Recording Arts II
Co-Host: Annie Kozuch

October 31st: NO SALON

November 7th: Here Come the Holidays!
Co-Hosts: Edd Clark & Sue Matsuki

-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.

Salon Wrap-Up for September 26th, 2010: "Happy Birthday Georgie!"

"Happy Birthday Georgie!" That's what we could have exclaimed to George Gershwin, had he still be alive to celebrate his 112th Birthday with us on Sunday. Alas, twas not the case, but we celebrated his birthday by singing and playing his works with aplomb, some pomp, and lots of glee over Gershwin!

The talented, dreamy co-host of the evening was Todd Murray, who is now performing in his solos show, "Croon." - the last performance is this Monday, October 4 at 9:30pm at the Metropolitan Room. Swoon (to rhyme with "croon") is what we did as we heard him start the evening off with "Shall We Dance," and an effortless "Fascinatin' Rhythm.". He then brought up Marilyn Cooney, who sang an original piece inspired by a trip she once took with her husband, "One More Song About Paris." Returning Salon singer Tony Imgrund then took to the mic to sing a ballad version of "Lady Be Good." Then, ever to spice up an old standard, Louisa Poster sang a funny rendition of "Orange Colored Sky." Helena Grenot, whose show "Damned If I Know" returns to Don't Tell Mama on October 22nd and 29th, plus November 6th, sang Gershwin's classic "They Can't Take That Away From Me."

We then saw Sue Matsuki - she's now on the writing staff for Cabaret Hotline Online! - and she sang the heartfelt "Love Walked In". She'll be singing at a Baptist church benefit on October 21st at 7pm. After Sue, Joan Crowe broke from her saucy, silly jazz image and sang a smokey blues ballad entitled "Since I Fell For You." Bill Zeffiro then grabbed the piano bench and sang a cut song from "Damsel in Distress" (later put into "Cover Girl") called "Put Me To the Test.". It had smart, witty lyrics that sounded like they were penned just yesterday! After Bill we had the pleasure of hearing Annie Lebeaux, who brought into the light another song cut from "Damsel in Distress" (who knew?!?) called "Just Another Rhumba." Having those back to back really made me wonder why they cut such great music! Marya Zimmet took to the stage and beautifully sang "It Ain't Necessarily So" in her jazzy, smokey vocals. Edie Stokes sang "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?" and announced that she'll be doing her own show, "I'm On a Carousel," at Don't Tell Mama November 7th.

We next had my vocal group, Marquee Five, sing two numbers from our currently running show, "8-Track Throwback." Although he's not in our official band, Sean Harkness was on hand to read the music over Mark's shoulder and add his guitar styling to the mix. Marquee Five sang "Sounds of Scarborough," which is a mix of Simon & Garfunkel music, and then "Ain't No Sunshine, Jack", a medley of "Hit the Road, Jack" and "Ain't No Sunshine." Our remaining show will be Saturday, October 16th at 6pm, Don't Tell Mama! After Marquee Five, our favorite waiter David Ballard sang the classic "Embraceable You." To close out the singers for the first half, Maureen Taylor next sang the beautiful "Still."

Mark Janas' Classical Corner that evening centered around George Gershwin and what "transcription" meant for his work. Transcription is literally a piece which is already arranged but which is then played on a different instrument; thus, how "Rhapsody in Blue" is transcribed from an orchestral piece to a single piano rendition. And "Rhapsody" was originally a jazz band orchestration to begin with, so the full "legit" orchestral version we are most familiar with is a transcription in and of itself! Accidental transcriptions, based on our unique individual interpretation of a work of music, happen all the time. The art of transcription is in the giving of a sense of an orchestra in piano form. We then were treated with a fantastic rendition of the "Rhapsody" itself by Mark on piano, and he received a great standing "O" as soon as the last notes echoed from the piano.

After the break, we were treated again to Todd Murray, who brought in Sean Harkness to play with him. Todd sang a wonderful jazzy "It Might as Well Be Spring," then a Harkness original arrangement of "You Are Too Beautiful." The latter is in Todd Murray's show, "Croon," and we were excited to hear that all the musicians sang with Todd in harmony for the show. Sounds fantastic! After Todd's two solos, Sean himself performed what he called "Summer Solstice," an original piece of his. Sean Harkness has a show at "The Top of the Rock" on Wenesday night, October 6th between 7-9pm!

Tanya Moberly next came up to sing the Meredith Brooks song "Birthday," in reference to birthday-boy George. Her show "Theater Songs" took place this past Thursday at Don't Tell Mama, and I had the pleasure of attending - it was terrific! Then Joann Sicoli crooned herself through "Someone to Watch Over Me," and Deb Berman returned to Salon to sing "Day In, Day Out" with Sean Harkness - her show will perform October 17th and 25th and November 2nd. Next, our sound man (and a musician in his own right), Tommy Schull, performed on piano a haunting piece that he composed for the film "Charlie's Motivation."

Adam West Hemming (tenor, musical director and arranger for Marquee Five) then sang from "8-Track Throwback" what he entitled "An Honest House," a mix of Burt Bacharach/Hal David's "A House is Not a Home" and the theme of Billy Joel's "Honesty." We then were treated to David Vernon's sultry vocals on "How Long Has This Been Going On?" To break out the operatic style of Gershwin, Sierra Rein (me) sang "By Strauss" to the high heavens.

Adam West Hemming, of Marquee Five

We then had some wonderful Broadway talent on stage - Douglas Sills (Scarlet Pimpernel, On the Twentieth Century, Little Shop of Horrors, Monty Python's Spamalot) performed the beautiful piece "Soon." With one last song from Todd Murray, the evening came to a close!

SALON NEWSFLASH!

We are running a Special for the month of October. Bring two new people and get in for free! That's right! BRING TWO PEOPLE THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN TO SALON BEFORE AND YOUR ADMISSION IS FREE!

SALON is that Unique, Bistro & MAC Award Winning Weekly Open Mic Event created and hosted by Mark Janas and produced by Tanya Moberly at Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 - on Sundays from 7-10:30PM.

October 3rd:
Theme: “Weather or Not”
Co-Host: Daryl Sherman

October 10th:
Theme: "Color My World"
Co-Host: Shana Farr

October 17th:
Theme: "The Great American Chorus Line – A Tribute to Gypsies Everywhere"
Co-Host: Valerie Lemon

October 24th:
Theme: TBA
Co-Host: TBA

October 31st: NO SALON

There is a $10 cash cover at the door UNLESS YOU BRING TWO NEW PEOPLE, IN WHICH CASE THERE'S NO COVER FOR YOU, and a $15 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For further information visit www.etcrestaurant.com or call 212-399-4141). There are no reservations; seating is on a first come/ first served basis, with one intermission. Doors open and sign up begins at 6:15pm.

Visit our website www.markjanasthesalon.com and our Facebook page for continual updates.


-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.