November 9, 2014
Theme: “Happiness Is...”
To start the evening, Salon founder and host, Mark Janas, asked the audience to share shows they’d seen recently that made them happy. (Among them, Ben Rimalower and Adam Shapiro were lauded!)
Tonight’s Co-Host was Marnie Klar. Marnie will be doing her final performance of HOME with Steven Ray Watkins, Matt Scharfglass & Terese Genecco at Don’t Tell Mama – 343 West 46th St, NYC 10036 – on November 12th at 9:30pm. For more information: www.marnieklar.com
For the first song of the evening, Marnie sang a fun yet poignant, “Lying.” In her mid-show set, she gave us a tender and heartfelt, “What Do I Do?” She followed that with “Consequence of Sounds” by Regina Spektor (with “percussion” by Mark Janas) and “100 Years” by Five for Fighting. She closed the show with the incredible audience pleaser, “Happy” (by Pharrell) with backup singers Mark Janas, Janice Hall, and yours truly. :)
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| Co-Host Marnie Klar |
Our Salon Spotlight featured MAC, Bistro & Nightlife Award Winner Carolyn Montgomery-Forant! Carolyn will be at The Laurie Beechman Theater – 407 West 42nd St, NYC 10036 – in VISIBLE PHOENIX November 21st, December 22nd, March 13th, April 10th & May 8th. All shows at 7pm. For more information: www.carolynmontgomeryforant.com
Carolyn started her set with a very touching, “Make Me a Kite.” Her next song was a charming, original piece, “Lady Phoenix.” She finished with another original song, inspired by the infamous posters that hung in gyms across the nation which pictured two differently-sized women and the question, “Would you rather be a mermaid or a whale?” I’m so glad that someone is taking this topic on in a fun (and direct) way. It's sorely needed (no pun intended!)
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| Salon Spotlight Carolyn Montgomery-Forint |
Quick Wrap: Classical Corner
Mark started out by saying, “So... happy? (and then played a bit of “Happy Talk” from South Pacific.) He mentioned that today is the anniversary of two historic events - 25 years ago (1989) the Berlin Wall fell, and Mark played a bit from Beethoven’s 9th in commemoration. The 2nd event was not quite a “happy” - the anniversary of Kristallnacht (Crystal Night), a night when throughout Germany & Austria the military action was so intense that broken glass was strewn across the city. It’s rumored that the evening left 91 dead, 30 committed suicides, and 30,000 arrested, but Mark thinks that numbers may be much higher.
What do either of these things have to do with happiness? Mark talked about how music is something that is drawn forth from musicians/composers and can be a way to find solace. He mentioned the French composer Olivier Messiean, who was arrested and thrown into a concentration camp. Even that could not stop him from composing - he wrote a song for the only 4 in their possession: piano, violin, cello, clarinet - “Quatuor pour la fin du temps” (or Quartet for the End of Time) - which was first performed in the concentration camp for prisoners and the guards.
Next, Mark started talking about what makes music sound happy:
1) Major chords
He talked about how one kind of one chord can sound universally happy, which all comes down to the physics of sounds - overtones. When you play a string, you hear 2 octaves and a 3rd note (which is the 5th, in the middle.) his chord is intrinsic to sound - every single sound has a major chord
2) Minor chords
Minor chords sound sad because of the tension - hidden within in a minor chord is the major chord which creates dissonance.
Modes - Mark talked about how the Greeks really started exploring chords and their structure, and these chords ended up with Greek names (Ionian, Dorian, etc)
3) Tempo and Articulation
Mark talked about the term ”allegro” which indicates a fast, peppy, bright tempo and literally means “cheerful” in Italian. A song’s tempo and articulation can give “happy” music a sense of bounciness and ebullient.
A few tunes that Mark played as examples:
Prelude in C major (Bach - Ave Maria)
Butterfly Etude (Chopin)
E minor Prelude (Chopin)
Raindrop Prelude - inspired by the patter of rain on a windowsill (Chopin)
To close the night, Mark mentioned that Keys and Mood of the composition also make a big difference. He encouraged the singers to think about all of these areas as they construct their shows.
Roster of singers for the evening (in order of appearance):
Click link to visit the performer’s website, when available.
All piano accompaniment by Mark Janas unless otherwise noted.
Richie Eisenberg
Ira Lee Collings
Matthew Martin Ward
Rob Davis (with Bill Zeffiro)
Bill Zeffiro
Ann Dawson (with Don Rebic)
Christine Reisner Rebic (on voice & violin, with Don Rebic)
David Ballard
Janice Hall
Nick Miller
Richie Eisenberg (encore)
Rob Davis (encore)
Ira Lee Collings (encore)
David Ballard (encore)
Matthew Martin Ward (encore)
Erin Cronican (encore, with Matthew Martin Ward)
Janice Hall (encore)
Christine Lavin
Daniel Cainer (also on piano)
Special thanks to tonight’s pianists and musicians: Mark Janas, Matthew Martin Ward, Don Rebic, Christine Reisner Rebic, Daniel Cainer, and Bill Zeffiro.
And thank you to Gill Alexandre on lights and sound, our videographer Steve Bustamante, and our amazing waitstaff (David Ballard and team!) who always handles the demands of a full house with aplomb!
Upcoming shows:
Ongoing: Matthew Martin Ward plays on Mondays at the West End Lounge, 955 W End Ave, NYC.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014 (9:30pm) - Marnie Klar is bringing back her show, “Home”, (directed by Tanya Moberly) to Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St, NYC.
Friday November 14, 2014 (7pm) - Tanya Moberly is appearing in Dana Lorge’s Variety Show at the Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, NYC.
November 21 & 23, 2014 - Nick Miller will be performing a recital of opera scenes at Manhattan School of Music, 120 Claremont Ave, NYC.
Friday, November 21, 2014 (7pm) - Carolyn Montgomery-Forant will be performing in “Visible Phoenix” at The Laurie Beechman Theater, 407 West 42nd St, NYC.
Sunday, November 23, 2014 (5pm) - Sally Darling is bringing her new show “Matters of the Heart” (with music director Matthew Martin Ward) to Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St, NYC.
Monday, November 24, 2014 (7pm) - Bobbie Horowitz announced that she is being honored with a show “This Is Your Life, Bobbie Horowitz,” with musical direction by Bill Zeffiro and featuring Dana Lorge and other fabulous singers at the Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, NYC.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014 (7pm) - Bill Zeffiro is co-hosting & music directing “A Tribute To Bing Crosby” as a part of the Winter Rhythms Festival at Urban Stages, 259 W 30th St, NYC.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014 (7pm) - Erin Cronican is appearing in “Cole Mining: The Lyrics of Stephen Cole”, music directed by Matthew Martin Ward as a part of the Winter Rhythms Festival at Urban Stages, 259 W 30th St, NYC.
Friday, December 5, 2014 (7pm) - Bill Zeffiro is playing & music directing the show, “Marissa Mulder in Living Standards” as a part of the Winter Rhythms Festival at Urban Stages, 259 W 30th St, NYC.
Saturday, December 6, 2014 (5pm) - Sally Darling is bringing her new show “Matters of the Heart” (with music director Matthew Martin Ward) to Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St, NYC.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014 (9:30pm) - David Ballard is appearing in a brand new show (name TBD - directed by Tanya Moberly) at Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St, NYC.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014 (7pm) - Adam Shapiro is appearing in “Nothing Normal”, (with Erin Cronican on vocals) as a part of the Winter Rhythms Festival at Urban Stages, 259 W 30th St, NYC.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014 (9:30pm) - David Ballard is appearing in a brand new show (name TBD - directed by Tanya Moberly) at Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St, NYC.
Saturday, December 13, 2014 (3pm) - Adam Shapiro is producing and starring in “The Lovers, The Dreamers and Jim: The Music of Jim Henson,” with Special Guest Erin Cronican (and others), as a part of the Winter Rhythms Festival at Urban Stages, 259 W 30th St, NYC
Monday, December 22, 2014 (7pm) - Carolyn Montgomery-Forant will be performing in “Visible Phoenix” at The Laurie Beechman Theater, 407 West 42nd St, NYC.
Next Week’s Salon
THERE IS NO SALON 11/16/14.
The following week, November 23, we will kick off the winter season with “That Holiday Feeling” featuring co-hosts Sue Matsuki and Edd Clark. Our Salon Spotlight will be Robert Yarnall. We’ll see you then!
Erin Cronican
Blogette for The Salon
(Updates? Changes? Email me.)
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