The Salon Wrap-Up for December 19, 2010 "The Best of 2010"

It was the best of times, it was the ... best of times at Salon this past Sunday, as we celebrated the Holiday season and the end of 2010. The theme was "The Best of 2010," so performers brought out their big guns - the best pieces they sang in the past year, the best songs written, and the work that makes them feel the best! The co-hosts of the evening were members of The Salon Board itself! They took turns throughout the evening, singing and then introducing the other singers. And we had holiday treats too - each singer was given a beautiful Salon-themed ornament, hand-made by David Gillam.

Mark Janas, after playing a little Chopin ballade, introduced the first co-host of the evening, Board member Sue Matsuki, who opened up the holiday cheer with the lovely ballad "Evening in December." Sue brought up Steve "The Whistler" Herbst, who was inspired by last week's Classical Corner to bring in a whistled version of "Maria" from West Side Story. Mark Levy next brought in the darkly hilarious "Twelve Days After Christmas," which answered the question of what the three french hens could be used for... Next, Board member/co-host Bill Zeffiro performed his original "So It's Christmas," a sweet, reminiscent ballad. Then, returning fellow composer Marc Ostrow sang his original comedy song "Let's Have a Jewish Christmas" (you can view the song on YouTube.com). Then Gladys Nilsen, decked out to the nines, sang "Himno Al Amor" and the sing-along "Feliz Navidad."

Bill Zeffiro

Then, Board member and Blogette Sierra Rein (that's me) sang a solo from what she considered was the best show of 2010 - "Move Over" by Janis Joplin, from Marquee Five's fall show "8-Track Throwback." Then, Keni Fine reintroduced his parody comedy show "A Little Radio Show" Sondheim spoof of "Not While I'm Around" (you can see a previous performance of this also on YouTube.com). Jane Glick then brought in a glass of wine and "Have Some Madeira, M'Dear," a funny waltz uptempo comedy song. She said she'd have a show ready in February. Next, songwriter and Board member Nick Levin introduced a new song, "Sing About Love," and also introduced Ellen Bullinger to duet with him on it. You can hear Ellen's vocals on her Holiday CD "Christmastime is Here" on CDBaby.com. Nick then brought Elaine St. George (whose Ray Charles show "InspiRAYtion" has been extended at the Metropolitan Room) up to the stage, and she sang a touching rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." Marya Zimmet then sang "I Remember Sky" from Evening Primrose. To close the first half of the singing, Etceterette Marnie Klar revamped "Maybe I Like It This Way," one of her best from Wild Party.

Mark Janas' Classical Corner theme this week was Chamber Music, whereby classical music is slimmed down to a small group of musicians, typically one to a part. Before recordings were available, most people were not able to listen to music unless they could travel to a big city to hear the opera, or symphony, or if they played their own music. Since Medieval times, music would be arranged so it could travel from towns or rehearsed and performed in the living rooms or chambers of homes. Entire opera pieces would be simplified down to a small group of musical instruments. Mark then introduced Ed Gilmore, an old friend of his who is a master clarinetist. Ed explained that to him, chamber music requires listening, being in tune with other musicians on their parts, and to predict each other's movements, entrances and cut offs. Preparation is key, and it requires strong communication and a musical dialogue between musicians. No musical piece can be played the same way twice. The two of them, Mark and Ed, then performed the second movement of Leonard Bernstein's Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, which was dedicated originally to clarinetist David Oppenheimer and was Bernstein's first published piece, in 1942.

Mark Janas and Ed Gilmore

Ed Gilmore

For the second half, Bill Zeffiro (looking dashing in a tuxedo, by the way) returned to sing his devilish holiday tune "What The Hell, It's Christmas." He then introduced Kevin McMullan, who sang composer Jim Fradrich's "Lonely Little Dreamer Boy." Kevin will be taking a multi-month trip around the world, spreading Jim's ashes around the world, and will be bringing back his show "Twist of Fate" in April, 2011. After that touching news, Joan Jaffe sang Kander and Ebb's energetic, comedy rant "Coffee In a Cardboard Cup." Joan is the writer/director of Louisa Poster's show at Don't Tell Mama in February, and will perform her own show "by purim" of next year. Sue Matsuki then sang a wonderfully dark holiday song (a recurring theme for the evening) entitled "The Pretty Little Dolly" by Doctor Demento. This song can be purchased from Sue & Ed Clark's holiday CD on CDBaby.com. Staying on the comedic wry tone, Adam Shapiro sang "Lonely Jew on Christmas" from South Park. His absolutely-no-christmas-carols-whatsoever show "No Chestnuts" has one more performance at The Duplex - 12/30 at 7pm. Directing another singalong, composer Steve Schalchlin performed an original song inspired by flowing ice and water - while he sang the verses, he invited the audience to sing "hey-oh's" in three part harmony. Next, Richard Eisenberg brought back his sexy story-song "Ulterior Motive." To inject some more brand new composer blood into the Salon, returning Jordan Siwek played piano and sang his original piece "Shall I Compare You?" a beautiful pop song that he has been developing in Salon over a number of weeks.

We then had time for some repeats in the second half. Jane Glick returned to sing, as did Elaine St. George with "What More Can I Say" from Falsettos. Singing without a piano, Keni Fine did an a cappella version of "Hymn" from an original musical he's working on, and then Mark Levy invited everyone to join him in the last chorus of "White Christmas." Steve Herbst whistled through "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables, and then Adam Shapiro sang "Ordinary Miracles." Joan Jaffe sang the funny "Istanbul, Not Constantinople," Kevin McMullan sang "Minnie the Moocher," and Steve Schalchlin performed "Coming Back" a hopeful piece inspired directly from a conversation with the mother of a soldier. Richard Eisenberg next performed his "Winter Arrives," then Bill Zeffiro returned one last time to perform his popular number, "The Final Daze." Sierra Rein completed the solo numbers of the evening with "Trouble in Tahiti." For one final encore, Mark engaged us all to sing "Auld Lang Syne."

NEXT YEAR (!!!!) Salon will return in 2011 on January 16th, on which the co-host will be the gorgeously snappy Rosemary Lohr and the theme will be "January Jazzathon." Mark also hinted at some inventive astrological-themed evenings, as well as a parody/spoof/satire evening. We'll see you all in 2011!!!

Sierra Rein (photo: Steven Herbst)

-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 December 12, 2010 "6 Degrees of Jerome Kern"

The room was packed and full of energy as Salon got underway this past Sunday, with everyone excited to to see Salon Board member Raissa Katona Bennett light up the stage. The night’s theme was 6 Degrees of Jerome Kern - songs by Kern or any of the many talented collaborators (Oscar Hammerstein II, Dorothy Fields, Johnny Mercer, Otto Harbach, P.D. Wodehouse - just to name a few.) And with a full house, we started at 7pm without hesitation.

The evening began with Co-Host Raissa singing the adorable “Can’t Help Singing” (which, to our delight, was reprised throughout the evening, to great comedic effect.) She then charmed us with an updated version of “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” which was written by Kern for the classic musical, “Roberta.” Our first singer Salon guest singer was Mark Levy, who sang “September Song.” Mark tells us that he is performing at Grace Church in White Plains with his cabaret, “An Old Man Singing Old Songs About Old Age.” Next up was Elaine St. George with a gorgeous version of “Many a New Day” from “Oklahoma.” Following Elaine was songwriter David Rigano, who sang his touching tune “It’s Art” (a song in the style of Jerome Kern, of course.) Rosemary Loar then graced the stage with surprise guest Steve “The Whistler” Herbst, as they scatted and improv-ed their way through, “All The Things That You Are.” Steve then stayed on stage and wowed us with his whistling talent with, “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.” Next up was Joey Infante, with Mike McDonald on piano, singing the deeply moving, “Old Man River” from “Showboat.”

Lucky for us, Bill Zeffiro was in the house to honor the birth of Frank Sinatra, by playing a song that he got to sing for the man himself - “This Love of Mine.” Next up was a real treat- Terri Givens not only soothed us with her powerful rendition of “My Funny Valentine” but also revealed that she was the childhood babysitter of Salon Producer, Tanya Moberly (we could see how that voice would soothe her as a child!) Following Terri was the producer of “Musical Mondays,” Stephen Hawks, who sang, “”If I Only Had a Match.” Next up was Daniel Wasserman, who gave us his version of “Make Believe” from “Showboat.” Bringing the tempo up a little was Joy Lober with the jazzy standard, “The Lady Is a Tramp.” Yours truly (Erin Cronican) then shifted the mood by NOT singing a Kern song, instead choosing a song (perfect for the holidays) entitled, “How To Return Home.” Etceterette Jan Brennan then graced us with her lovely, soprano voice as she sang, “The Song Is You.”

Closing out the first act was Mark Janas’ “Classical Corner” where he talked about the always inspiring, “West Side Story.” First, Mark invited Bill Zeffiro to come up to sing the Jets song from the musical, and then explained that when the song was originally written, the content was completely different. The gang, The Jets, was so named because of the men’s fascination with space travel. Mark then played an old recording of one of the backer’s auditions for “West Side Story” which included a sung through version of the prologue, where the Jets sang about flying rockets to the moon (say what??) Mark’s moral of the story -- “KEEP TRYING, COMPOSERS & LYRICISTS!” Mark then went on to talk about how Sondheim really grasped the idea of writing characters deeply and specifically. He quoted a song from “Sunday in the Park With George” - “Look, I’ve made a hat where there never was a hat.” Mark said that this is very much what artists do. He then invited Tanya Moberly and Julie Reyburn to the stage to sing the gorgeous, “A Boy Like That / I Have Love.” And thus ended the first half of the show.

Part Two of the evening was kicked off by a 2-song set by Raissa, who indulged ys with a possible medley for her next show -- “I’m Old Fashioned” and “The Folks That Live on the Hill” (I vote YES on adding these to her show- they were wonderful!) Next up was Blogette Sierra Rein with “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” Sierra came directly to the Salon right after her Birdland appearance with Broadway veteran James Barbour, which she achieved after submitted for a contest and WON! Bravo to Sierra, and to her accompanist Brian Allan Hobbs, on a fine performance. Following Sierra was producer, Tanya Moberly, with the adorable, “Life Upon the Wicked Stage.” Tanya just completed a successful run of her show, “Theater Songs” with Mark Janas and Ritt Henn at Don’t Tell Mama’s. Next on the stage was Gladys Nilsen with her rendition of Edith Piaf’s “Mon Dieu.” Up next was the full voiced, David Auxier, who wooed us with “If Ever I Would Leave You” from “Camelot”, who explained that Camelot starts with a C, and so does Carousel, which was written by Kern collaborator, Hammerstein. (That’s only 3 degrees of separation, in my book - great work, David!)

Next on the docket was songwriter, Jordan Siwek, who accompanied himself with his own lyrics to the tune, “Can’t Help Loving That (Piano) of Mine.” Bobbie Horowitz was the next to sing, entertaining us with her original song, “Plastic Plants.” Bobbie just published a book called, “Find Your Mini Q’s” which is available on Amazon. Michael Rose came up next with the charming, Arlen/Mercer (1 degree to Kern) classic, “Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home.” Next up was Janice Hall, straight from her successful cabaret run of Marlena Dietrich songs. Janice sang the holiday appropriate, “The Three Kings” written by California friend, Ali B. Olmo. Stacey Ward MacAdams then came to the mic with “A Neapolitan Song,” followed by Steve Schachlin (with Mark Janas on voice!) singing “More Than a Calling,” which was written for the consecration of Salon sponsor, Father Jeff Hamblin. Maureen Taylor then gave us her lovely rendition of the Shelly Markham tune, “The Sweetest of Nights and the Finest of Days.” Following Maureen was Christopher Sale, who sang the Sheldon Harnick piece, “Far From The Home I Love” from “Fiddler on the Roof.” And rounding out the evening, Raissa Katona Bennett sang the Mark Janas/Peter Napolitano song, written expressly for her, “All I Can Give.”

NEXT WEEK: The optional theme for the evening is “The Best of 2010”! Bring in whatever you feel your best work of the year was, and revel with Salon regulars and newbies by ringing in the holidays. Our Co-Hosts will be The Salon Advisory Board! Julie Reyburn, Bill Zeffiro, Sue Matsuki, Stephen Wilde, Nicholas Levin & Sierra Rein will be joining Mark Janas & Tanya Moberly for this end-of-the-year Salon Celebration! (Raissa Katona Bennett & Roy Sander are, sadly, unable to attend.)

Update from Producer Tanya Moberly - December 13, 2010

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, December 19th from 7-10:30PM.

The optional theme for the evening is “The Best of 2010”!

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

Our Co-Hosts will be The Salon Advisory Board! Julie Reyburn, Bill Zeffiro, Sue Matsuki, Stephen Wilde, Nicholas Levin & Sierra Rein will be joining Mark Janas & Tanya Moberly for this end-of-the-year Salon Celebration! (Raissa Katona Bennett & Roy Sander are unable to attend.)

There will be a $10 cash cover collected at the door by 'Etceterette/Blogette/Board Member', 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 at 6:15pm with 'Etceterette', Marnie Klar.

Also, as members of Salon you and your friends are invited to a Private Concert with Len Cariou!!!

Special Preview: A Night with Len Cariou
Saturday, December 18th
Concert begins at: 6:30pm
Ripley-Grier Studios 520 Eighth Ave., 16D, NYC 10018
Directions: Subway 1/2/3, & A/C/E to 34th Stop, at Penn Station. Walk to 520 Eighth Avenue, bet 36th & 37th Street.

Len will give a special preview performance (a "Gypsy Run Through") of concert/cabaret material for upcoming dates in 2011. Musical director: Mark Janas. $25 suggested donation (or whatever you can). All proceeds to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. By invitation only. Limited seating - so please RSVP ASAP by emailing perry@broadwaycares.org or calling 212-840-7310, ext 242.

December 26th: NO SALON

January 2nd: NO SALON

January 9th : NO SALON

January 16th:
Theme: January Jazzathon
Co-Host: Rosemary Loar
On Bass: Ritt Henn

Thanks,

Tanya Moberly
Producer

-Erin Cronican,  Alterna-Blogette for The Salon Spelling mistakes? URL's we missed? Did we mess up? Please email Sierra.

Update from Producer Tanya Moberly - December 6, 2010

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, December 12th from 7-10:30PM.

The optional theme for the evening is “Six Degrees of Jerome Kern”, which means anything written by Jerome Kern OR the over 60 lyricists who wrote with him – Oscar Hammerstein II, Dorothy Fields, Johnny Mercer, Otto Harbach, P.D. Wodehouse - just to name a few.


Remember, any material, on or off theme, is always welcome at Salon.
Our Co-Host will be the Delightful, Bistro Award winning Raissa Katona Bennett! Raissa will be returning to Feinstein's, 540 Park Avenue (at 61st Street), NYC 10021, in “Can't Help Singing – The Music of Jerome Kern” on January 13th,14th & 15th. For Reservations: 212-339-4095 / www.feinsteinsattheregency.com.

There will be a $10 cash cover collected at the door 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 at 6:15pm with 'Etceterette', Erin Cronican.

December 19th:
Theme: The Best of 2010
Co-Hosts: The Salon Advisory Board

December 26th: NO SALON

January 2nd: 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 tanya@tanyamoberly.com.

Looking forward to seeing you all Sunday, December 12th!

Thanks,

Tanya Moberly
Producer


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