March 29, 2015
Theme: “Come Hell or High Water: Songs With Urgency”
Let’s start by give THREE CHEERS to The Salon, which just took home its 6th MAC Award, this year for the 2015 Best Recurring Series. We also want to acknowledge the long-time Salon members and past co-hosts who won awards or were nominated. (Scroll to the bottom of this post for the full list!)
Our Co-Host this evening was the effervescent Ira Lee Collings, and what a following he had! The room was filled to the brim with his supporters and fellow singers who were all there to give The Salon a try - we were so excited to have such a vibrant energy from these curious visitors. Ira was accompanied on the piano by the skillful and charming, Woody Regan.
Ira dedicated the first song of the evening to his partner Owen, and with tears in his eyes sang, “You are So Beautiful.” I immediately teared up as well as I saw the immense love I shared between them. He followed that song by saying that he was convinced that some of the tunes written in the USA must have been done while under the influence of marijuana, even back before the advent of rock & roll. He went on to sing, “The Moon is Blue/A Dreamer’s Holiday” and after certain lyrics (like “Climb aboard a butterfly an' take off on the breeze”) he would hilariously mimic inhaling marijuana. He was not incorrect - some of those lyrics are a little loopy!
At the start of the 2nd half, Ira began his set with a story about growing up in Indiana and discovering he was gay. It was through that lens that he sang, “Loverman, Where Can You Be?” To close the set and with the use of a bundled up scarf as a visual aide, he next sang, “Hurry, It’s Lovely up Here.” For the final song of the evening, Ira gave us a lively and, true to theme, "urgent" rendition of “Nothing Can Stop Me Now!”
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| Your co-host, Ira Lee Collings! |
Quick Wrap: Classical Corner
On November 1, 1923 Paul Wightman put together a concert of songs by various composers, and after its success he went about getting composers for the next concert in February 12, 1924. He asked George Gershwin to write something - something that was a kind of jazzy concerto - but Gershwin blew it off. After all, there were only 3 months between that night and the concert in February. But on January 4, 1924 he noticed an advertisement in the paper that said that George Gershwin was debuting a new song at the February concert, so he knew he needed to get to work. With that, he wrote, “Rhapsody in Blue.” Mark read a quote by Gershwin about the inspiration for the piece - here is what Mark read:
“It was on the train with its steely rhythms, its rattle-ty bang, that is so often so stimulating to a composer - I frequently hear music in the very heart of the noise... And there I suddenly heard, and even saw on paper, the complete construction of the Rhapsody, from beginning to end. No new themes came to me, but I worked on the thematic material already in my mind and tried to conceive the composition as a whole. I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our metropolitan madness. By the time I reached Boston I had a definite plot of the piece, as distinguished from its actual substance.”
After reading that quote, Mark - completely from memory - played the entire piece. It was brilliant! People were cheering, clapping, standing, and yelling, “BRAVO!”- all so well-deserved. It’s also worth noting that tonight we had a very special guest in the audience - Mark’s father, who has never heard Mark *seriously* play the piano. (The story goes that Mark grew up with his stepfather so this is the first opportunity his father has had to hear Mark’s immense talents.) It was a treat to sit and watch Mark’s father watch his son - he was utterly spellbound, with mouth partially agape and head nodding to the beat, as Mark played those ivories with ease. I feel so lucky to have been a witness to such love and grace.
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.
Ira Lee Collings (with Woody Regan on piano)
Sheree Sano
Eric Benjamin Gordon (accompanying himself on guitar)
Lynn McCann (with Woody Regan on piano)
Roseann Sheridan (with Woody Regan on piano)
Ed Vincent (with Woody Regan on piano)
EJaye Tracey (with Woody Regan on piano)
Sally Darling (with Matthew Martin Ward on piano)
Matthew Martin Ward (accompanying himself on piano)
Rosemary Loar (with Frank Ponzio on piano)
Tanya Moberly (with Ritt Henn on guitar)
Meryl and Wade Newbern (with Wade on piano)
Richie Eisenberg
Winston Samuels
Mick Bleyer
Vivian Landau (with Woody Regan on piano)
Rian Keating (with Woody Regan on piano)
Bill Galarno (with Woody Regan on piano)
Janet Sullivan (with Woody Regan on piano)
Sonnyia Stephens (with Woody Regan on piano)
Ladd Boris (with Woody Regan on piano)
Evelyn Simon (with Woody Regan on piano)
Stella Pulo (with Woody Regan on piano)
Special thanks to tonight’s pianists and guitarists: Mark Janas, Woody Regan, Matthew Martin Ward, Ritt Henn, Frank Ponzio, Wade Newbern, and Eric Benjamin Gordon.
And thank you to Gill Alexandre on lights and sound, our amazing waitstaff who always handle the demands of a full house with grace and style, and Steve Bustamante who is providing video footage for people interested in that service!
Upcoming shows:
Ongoing: Sheree Sano plays on Fridays and Sundays (5-9pm) at Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St, NYC.
Ongoing: Matthew Martin Ward plays on Mondays at the West End Lounge, 955 West End Ave, NYC.
Ongoing: Bill Zeffiro plays every Monday at Millesime, 92 Madison Ave, NYC and Tuesday from 9-11pm at La Mediterranee, 947 Second Avenue (at 50th St), NYC.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015 (9:30pm) - Tanya Moberly is bringing a new series of shows called, “Songs I Feel Like Singing” (with a rotation of musicians - this date has Ritt Henn) to Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St, NYC.
Thursday, April 2, 2015 - Rosemary Loar in “Sting-Chronicity” at the Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, NYC.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015 (7pm) - Woody Regan in “Cowardly Swann” at the Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, NYC.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015 (7pm and 9:30pm) - Jaye Maynard in Salon Presents: "Bird Amongst the Blossom: A Tribute to the Blossom Dearie Songbook" at Etcetera Etcetera.
Friday, April 29, 2015 (9:30pm) - Tanya Moberly with Steven Ray Watkins in "Songs I Feel Like Singing" at Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St, NYC.
Sunday, May 2, 2015 (7pm) - Woody Regan in “Cowardly Swann” at the Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, NYC.
Sunday, May 9, 2015 (4pm) - Dawn Derow in LEGIT (with Mark Janas on piano) at the Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, NYC.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015 (7pm) - Erin Cronican featured in "The Diva Selections" hosted by Robin Kradles at Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St, NYC.
Friday, May 19, 2015 (9:30pm) - Dawn Derow in LEGIT (with Mark Janas on piano) at the Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, NYC.
Saturday, May 20, 2015 - Rosemary Loar in “Sting-Chronicity” at the Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, NYC.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015 (7pm) - Dawn Derow in LEGIT (with Mark Janas on piano) at the Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, NYC.
Saturday, June 13, 2015 (1pm) - Adam Shapiro in "Nothing Normal" (with Erin Cronican on vocals) at The Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd St., NYC.
Next Week’s Salon
We will be OFF next week for Easter - so stay home and enjoy your evening! The following week, April 12, we’re return with the theme: “Spring Has Sprung!” Your Co-Host will be Gabrielle Stravelli and the Salon Spotlight will be David Ballard. We’ll see you then!
Erin Cronican
Blogette for the Salon
(Updates? Changes? Email me)
MAC AWARD WINNERS AND NOMINEES FROM THE SALON
The Salon is proud to be the recipient of the 2015 MAC Award for Best Recurring Series.
It’s no wonder that The Salon is a MAC Award winner 6 years in a row - look at th caliber of talent that graces our stage each week! Below we recognize those MAC Award Winners and Nominees who have been long-time Salon performers or co-hosts:
FEMALE VOCALIST
Nominated: SHANA FARR, KIM GROGG, SUSAN WINTER
MALE VOCALIST
Winner: STEARNS MATTHEWS
Nominated: ADAM B. SHAPIRO, JIM SPEAKE
MAJOR ARTIST
Winner: STACY SULLIVAN
Nominated: ERIC MICHAEL GILLETT, MARISSA MULDER
CELEBRITY ARTIST
Winner: MARK NADLER
NEW YORK DEBUT - FEMALE
Winner: CELIA BERK
Nominated: RAIN COLLAZO, LAUREN STANFORD
NEW YORK DEBUT - MALE
Winner: KRISTOFFER LOWE
Nominated: JOSHUA DIXON
IMPERSONATION/CHARACTERIZATION/DRAG ARTIST
Winner: REV ROGER ANTHONY YOLANDA MAPES
DUO/GROUP
Winner: TED STAFFORD AND LORINDA LISITZA
Nominated: ERIC COMSTOCK AND BARBARA FASANO,
REVUE
Winner: REVOLUTION, Produced by and starring Dawn Derow and Kathleen France
Nominated: DIRTY LITTLE SONGS, Produced by Carolyn Montgomery-Forant and Eric Michael Gillett.
SHOWS TO GO YA AND OTHER SONGS BY BOBBIE HOROWITZ, songs written or co-written by Bobbie Horowitz
EMCEE - RECURRING SERIES/SPECIAL PRODUCTION
Nominated: DANA LORGE
ENSEMBLE INSTRUMENTALIST
Nominated: MATT SCHARFGLASS
RESTAURANT/HOTEL LOUNGE INSTRUMENTALIST
Winner: BILL ZEFFIRO
MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Winner: TRACY STARK
Nominated: RICK JENSEN, BARRY LEVITT, STEVEN RAY WATKINS
DIRECTOR
Winner: ERIC MICHAEL GILLETT
Nominated: PETER NAPOLITANO
RECORDING (LaMott Friedman Award)
Winner: STEARNS MATTHEWS
Nominated: CELIA BERK “You Can't Rush Spring”
SONG
Nominated: Scott Evan Davis - SAVE ME THE ROSE
COMEDY/NOVELTY SONG
Winner: Amy Wolk - THE BRIT SONG
Nominated: Scott Evan Davis - JUST A WORD
Congratulations to all of the nominees and winners!
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