The Salon Wrap-Up for January 5, 2020: First Impressions

Co Host: David Maiocco as Liberace

It's a beautiful night for some singing, and for new beginnings. I for one feel renewed, as today is my first night back at The Salon in over a year due to, among other things, a substantial vocal injury. The warm welcome I felt was so soothing and also electric - music is a force for healing, and with everything going on in the world we need as much healing as possible. Thank you, Salon, for welcoming me back with open arms.

As Host Mark Janas reminded us, today was the 12th Day of Christmas which is meant to be the biggest party night of the season. Here we were, inaugurating our time in the Brick Room at Don't Tell Mama. And it was an absolutely sold out room for our first night of 2020. So who better to usher in the biggest party night but Liberace himself, brought to us by David Maiocco! David’s busy schedule will be taking him to Jackson, Mississippi in January, Puerta Vallarta, Mexico in February & The Palm Springs Art Museum Gala in Liberace’s house in March. He and Chuck Sweeney as Peggy Lee will be appearing in LEE SQUARED in Kalamazoo & Natchez, Michigan in April and at Birdland in NYC in May. David makes his Netflix film debut as Liberace in Zach Snyder’s ARMY OF THE DEAD in 2020. For more information: www.david-maiocco.com

David Maiocco as Liberace

Liberace started the evening with some riotous stand-up and an enthusiastic medley of classic songs - complete with audience participation and the requisite handsome winks and smiles! For his second song of the night Liberace gave us the most splendid (and classically driven) mashups of "Chopsticks" that I've ever heard! He finished the evening with an absolutely exquisite, "Tea For Two" - with an epilogue of "I'll Be Seeing You" that the entire room sang together without having to be cued. It was an absolutely lovely cap to the evening.

Mark Janas/Classical Corner 

Mozart's Birthday is this month! So of course Mark Janas wanted to give us a Classical Corner full of the gorgeous textures of this influential composer. Mozart was known for reviving the Classical themes of Bach (and others), but with "modern" flair for his own era. "I mean, he practically invented the piano concerto," Mark says. Mark demonstrated Mozart's use of the "Alberti Bass" (the art of breaking up a chords into individual parts.) He also shared how you can use the piano pedal to keep that "Clarity, Balance and Transparency" of the music - so important when interpreting work like this.

Interesting to Note: Beethoven idolized Mozart, and as they were only about 15 years apart, it is possible that they may have met (Scholars have not met eye to eye on this.) Mark demonstrated using music from both Mozart and Beethoven to show the influence that Mozart had on Beethoven.

The final piece that Mark played for us, sometimes grouped with a Sonata 476, was "Fantasia in C Minor" - written in 1785. And it was gorgeous. I had to stop typing while I listened, because I couldn't keep my eyes off of Mark while he was playing. He feels the music through his whole body - he truly is the epitome of who an artist is.


Roster of Performers for the Evening (in order of appearance): 
Click the link to visit the performer’s website or other links, as available.
All piano accompaniment by Mark Janas unless otherwise noted.

Co-Host Liberace (on piano and vocals)
Richard Skipper (with David Maiocco on piano)
David Sabella (with David Maiocco on piano)
Wendy Scherl
Monica Allan
Deborah Stone
Ellen Allan
Bobbie Horowitz
Rian Keating
Ira Lee Collings
Alex Marchesani
Maureen Taylor
Erin Cronican
Classical Corner
Co-Host Liberace (on piano and vocals)
Tanya Moberly
J Michael Reeds (with Marc McMarron Kessler on piano)
Marc McMarron Kessler (on piano and vocals)
Matthew Martin Ward (on piano and vocals)
Ann Talman (with Greg Tororian on piano)
Maria Corsano (with Greg Tororian on piano)
Kati Neiheisel (with Greg Tororian on piano)
Bob Simonello
Richie Eisenberg
Barb Malley (with Matthew Martin Ward on piano)
Angela Leone
Phillip
Ruben Olvera
David Ballard
Joshua Bennett
Co-Host Liberace (on piano and vocals)


Special thanks to Mark Janas, and our guest pianists David Maiocco, Greg Tororian, Marcus and Matthew Martin Ward. Thanks also to David Ballard on lights and sound, and to the wonderful waitstaff and thoughtful management at Don't Tell Mama. Finally, a big thank you to our videographer for the evening, Ruben Olvera.

Upcoming Shows

Ongoing: 

Tuesdays 2020 (6-7pm): Join Erin Cronican and others for "Peaceable Hour," a beautiful, relaxing hour of music to sooth the soul. St. Clements Church, 423 W 46th St, NYC. (www.peaceablehour.com for schedule updates)

Upcoming:

Saturday, January 11, 2020 (9:30pm): Deborah Stone is appearing in "Here I Am" at the Beach Cafe, 1326 2nd Avenue, NYC.

Thursday, January 16, 2020 (7pm) - Wendy Scherl is bringing back her show, "Town and Country" to the Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 42nd Street, NYC.

Friday, January 17th, 2020 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings Seals & Crofts, Cat Stevens, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young with Sean Harkness at Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, NYC.

Saturday, January 18th, 2020 (4pm); Rian Keating encores his show "In This Traveling Heart," at Don't Tell Mama, 343 W. 46th St, NYC

Sunday, January 19, 2020 (5pm): Matthew Martin Ward is music directing Bob Diamond's show, "The Game of Life" at Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, NYC.

Monday, January 20th, 2020 (7pm): Stephen Hanks's Blue Wave series returns, raising money for Stacey Abram's "Fair Fight Georgia." Come see a cavalcade of cabaret stars, including Janice Hall and Katie Dunne McGrath. Hidden Cabaret, 707 8th Avenue, NYC.

Monday, February 3, 2020 (7pm): David Ballard is appearing in Julie Reyburn's show at Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, NYC.

Friday, February 7, 2020 (7pm): David Ballard is appearing in Julie Reyburn's show at Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, NYC.

Wednesday, February 12, 2020 (7pm): Welcome another edition in Bobbie Horowitz's series (music directed by Matthew Martin Ward), "It's Just A Number" at Don't Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St, NYC.

Thursday, February 13, 2020: Barb Malley is the Featured Singer at Parnells, 350 E 53rd St, NYC.

Thursday, February 13-Sunday, February 23, 2020 (14 performances): Erin Cronican is appearing in a world premiere theatrical adaptation of George Orwell's famous novel, ANIMAL FARM with The Seeing Place Theater, 64 E 4th Street, NYC.

Saturday, February 15, 2020 (4:30pm): Angela Leone is bringing her show, "Mathis and More" to Don't Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St, NYC.

Friday, February 21st, 2020 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings Seals & Crofts, Cat Stevens, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young with Sean Harkness at Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, NYC.

Wednesday, February 26th, 2020 (7pm): Rian Keating encores his show "In This Traveling Heart," at Don't Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St, NYC.

Saturday, February 29, 2020: Bob Simonello is bringing his show "Rollin' A7" to the Magnolia Room in Norwalk CT.

Friday, March 20th, 2020 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings Amy Winehouse, Ani Di Franco, Rickie Lee Jones, and Joni Mitchell with Ritt Henn at Don't Tell Mama, 343 W 46th Street, NYC.

Spring 2020: David Sabella sings "Illegit: the Cabaret Countertenor Conundrum at TBA.

Friday, April 17th, 2020 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings Amy Winehouse, Ani Di Franco, Rickie Lee Jones, and Joni Mitchell with Ritt Henn at Don't Tell Mama, 343 W 46th Street, NYC.

Friday, May 15th, 2020 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings Led Zeppelin and The Beatles with Ian Herman at Don't Tell Mama, 343 W 46th Street, NYC.

Friday, June 19th, 2020 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings Led Zeppelin and The Beatles with Ian Herman at Don't Tell Mama, 343 W 46th Street, NYC.

Friday, July 17th, 2020 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings Stephen Sondheim and Stephen Schwartz with Mark Janas at Don't Tell Mama, 343 W 46th Street, NYC.

Friday, August 21st, 2020 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings Stephen Sondheim and Stephen Schwartz with Mark Janas at Don't Tell Mama, 343 W 46th Street, NYC.

Friday, September 18th, 2020 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings Pat Benetar, Chrissie Hynde, and Annie Lennox with Steven Ray Watkins at Don't Tell Mama, 343 W 46th Street, NYC.

Friday, October 16th, 2020 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings Pat Benetar, Chrissie Hynde, and Annie Lennox with Steven Ray Watkins at Don't Tell Mama, 343 W 46th Street, NYC.

Friday, November 20th, 2020 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman with Jon Weber at Don't Tell Mama, 343 W 46th Street, NYC.

Friday, December 18th, 2020 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman with Jon Weber at Don't Tell Mama, 343 W 46th Street, NYC.

NOTE: THERE IS NO SALON JANUARY 12, 2020. 

We will return on Sunday, January 19th, 2020, with the theme, "BREAKING RESOLUTIONS"
Co-Host: Lennie Watts.

We'll see you then!


Submitted by Erin Cronican
Blogette for The Salon
Email me with any additions or corrections.