Mark Janas - The Salon

The Salon Wrap-Up for July 28th, 2019: "Just Out of Reach" 

Our host for Salon on this beautiful summer's eve was singer/photographer/writer/fitness instructor (and a few other things) Stephen Mosher. Stephen made his cabaret debut at Don't Tell Mama in 2017, in a show called "Storyteller."  Tonight he gave us both his songs and his stories.

 He opened the evening's festivities with a charming hit from the '60's, "Come Saturday Morning"(Fred Karlin and Dory Previn), accompanied by some happy reminiscences of the Saturday mornings of his childhood (cleaning the house!).

After the break, Stephen was back with Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets." He relayed a very funny story about the first time he heard an Elton John song at a party. When he went to purchase some of John's albums, he deduced from the outlandish outfits on the album covers that John MIGHT be GAY, and certainly wasn't keeping it a secret (unlike himself). So, he took the records out of their covers so no one could guess his secret. Then, on another occasion, his crush on David Cassidy inspired him to leave the house wearing a jacket with no shirt one night, but fortunately, his mother--as he put it--saved his life, by insisting he rethink that plan.

The next song on the program was a thought-provoking one, written by Henry Mancini and Alan and Marilyn Bergman, titled "Where Do You Catch the Bus for Tomorrow?" Stephen's final song in the three-song-set was Bob Dylan's wonderful "I Shall Be Released."

Stephen closed the evening with his "favorite Christmas song," by Alicia Witt, since, after all, Christmas things are already appearing in the stores, and it's never too early to start the madness. The song is the hilarious "I'm Not Ready for Christmas."

Quick Wrap-Up: Classical Corner

Mark opened Classical Corner tonight with two snippets of music: one from Vivaldi's Gloria, and one from Bach's Prelude in C#. Aside from the fact that both composers died on the same day (this day, July 28th), what they most have in common is that they were both part of the Baroque Era in music. The Baroque Era was a time when buildings, clothing, and many other elements of life, including music, were ornate and elaborate. As Mark described it, if music were a timepiece, the Baroque Era was when composers were concerned with how the mechanism worked, how it all fit together.

Elements of Baroque music include: imitative texture--in piano works, each hand imitates the melody of the other--ornamentation, and clarity of the lines and how they intertwine.
He illustrated, by playing excerpts from several different Bach inventions, how the lines dovetail and sometimes mirror each other exactly (canon). Finally, he played two short pieces for us in their entirety: the C minor Fugue, and the Prelude in C Sharp.

Roster of performers for the evening (in order of appearance):

Click link to visit the performer’s website or other links, when available.
All piano accompaniment by Mark Janas unless otherwise noted.

Co-Host: Stephen Mosher
Gerrilyn Sohn
Rian Keating
Alicia Terry
Bob Simonello
Barb Malley
Richard Eisenberg
Bobbie Horowitz  (Matthew Martin Ward at the piano)
Matthew Martin Ward (accompanying himself)
Sean Patrick Murtagh
Goldie Dver
Candice Oden
Classical Corner

BREAK

Co-Host: Stephen Mosher
Tanya Moberly
Raissa Katona Bennett 
Joan Jaffe
Phillip Kuan 
Steve Bustamante (accompanying himself on guitar)
David Ballard
Joshua Bennett
Co-Host: Stephen Mosher

Special thanks to our musicians for the evening: Matthew Martin Ward and Steve Bustamante. Thanks also to David Ballard on lights and sound, our astounding waitstaff Joshua and Leo, and management at Don't Tell Mama. Also thanks to our videographer for the evening, Steve Bustamante.

Upcoming Shows: 

Thursday, August 1st, 2019 (7pm): Joan Jaffe will be at Pangea with her show "Little Girl Blue"--178 Second Avenue, NYC

Tuesday, August 6th, 2019 (7pm): Joan Jaffe will be at Pangea with her show "Little Girl Blue"--178 Second Avenue, NYC


Thursday, August 8th, 2019: Gerrilyn Sohn will be at Parnell's, 350 E 53rd, NYC

Sunday, August 11th, 2019 (5pm): Sally Darling - with Matthew Martin Ward at piano - presents "And Kurt Weill Begat Kander and Ebb" at Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, NYC.

Tuesday, August 13th, 2019 (7pm): Tanya Moberly will take part in a benefit evening for the Dutch Treat Club, "Jerome Kern & Friends," at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 W 42nd St, NYC

Wednesday, August 14th, 2019 (7pm): Sean Patrick Murtagh will pay tribute to Mario Lanza in his show at The Green Room 42, 570 10th Avenue, NYC

 Friday, August 16th, 2019 (7pm): Sally Darling - with Matthew Martin Ward at piano - presents "And Kurt Weill Begat Kander and Ebb" at Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, NYC.

Saturday, August 17th, 2019: Alicia Terry will perform at Parnell's, 350 E 53rd, NYC

Friday, August 30th, 2019: Tanya Moberly performs in Ricky Ritzel's Broadway.

Friday, September 6th, 2019 (7pm): Candice Oden will produce a benefit to help a Teen Suicide Prevention organization at Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, NYC.

Saturday, September 14th, 2019 (4pm): Tanya Moberly is among the singers performing in Meg Flather's "A Cabaret Sisterhood" at Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, NYC.

Friday, September 27th, 2019 (7pm): Tanya Moberly directs Lisa Viggiano's new show, "The Times, They are a Changin'" opening at Pangea, 178 Second Avenue, NYC.

Sunday, October 13th, 2019 (5pm): Bob Simonello will be "Rollin' A 7" at Don't Tell Mama, 343 W 46th Street, NYC

Thursday, October 17th, 2019: Bobbie Horowitz presents "It's Just A Number" at Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, NYC.

Friday, November 1st, 2019 (7pm): Raissa Katona Bennett is bringing her show "Can't Help Singing: The Music of Jerome Kern," to Don't Tell Mama, 343 W 46th, NYC.

Saturday, November 2nd, 2019 (8pm): Raissa Katona Bennett is bringing her show "Can't Help Singing: The Music of Jerome Kern," to Don't Tell Mama, 343 W 46th, NYC.

Wednesday, November 13th, 2019 (7pm): Tanya Moberly directs Lisa Viggiano's new show, "The Times, They are a Changin" at Don't Tell Mama, 343 W 46th Street, NYC

Friday, November 15th, 2019 (7pm): Tanya Moberly directs Lisa Viggiano's new show, "The Times, They are a Changin" at Don't Tell Mama, 343 W 46th Street, NYC

Thursday, November 21st, 2019 (7pm): Tanya Moberly directs Lisa Viggiano's new show, "The Times, They are a Changin" at Don't Tell Mama, 343 W 46th Street, NYC 

Wednesday, December 18th, 2019: Bobbie Horowitz presents "It's Just A Number" at Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, NYC.

NEXT SALON: August 4th, 2019
Join us next week for "Here's To Life!," with our wonderful co-host, Goldie Dver, and the very special Salon Spotlight, Len Carrie (aka, Mark Janas's 93-year-old father!)

Janice Hall,
Blogette for The Salon
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