Once again, cabaret denizens from around the country make a pilgrimage to Manhattan to celebrate the art of cabaret and support live music. They connect with old friends, compare opinions, and take the opportunity to talk to artists more heard than seen. From the valued familiar to newbies, the Convention offers a smorgasbord of entertainment.

Night One: “Put On a Happy Face”- A Celebration of Charles Strouse
Hosts Andrea Marcovicci and Jeff Harnar

Charles Strouse (1928-) composed music for 14 musicals (three Tony Awards) and five films, wrote two orchestral works and an opera. Having studied with Aaron Copland and Nadia Boulanger, the composer’s classical background might’ve led him into other arenas. Like many musicians just out of school, however, Strouse played at cocktail lounges and accompanied singers. In 1949, he met lyricist Lee Adams at a cocktail party. Kismet.

Bryce Edwards’ (banjo, vocal) “Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile” opens festivities with jovial brio. Playful sax by Danny Bacher and Jon Weber’s inventive piano create a lighthearted mix. “Bla dat da dat” Edwards and Bacher scat, managing to simultaneously grin. The artist’s “Frivolity Hour” always raises spirits. Hosts Andrea Marcovicci and Jeff Harnar follow with an enthused “NYC” then introducing Charles Strouse – in the house. (Both lyrics Martin Charnin). The New York Times estimates 1997’s Annie is produced 800-1000 times a year. “You go into music because you love it. If it catches on, that’s a gift from God,” Strouse has said.

Stephen Schwartz assumes the piano bench thanking the honoree, “for lessons and laughter” garnered during their collaboration on 1986’s Rags, being revived at City Center’s Encores. “Children of the Wind,” normally performed by a soprano, is here made vivid by Ari Axelrod. Arms at his sides, hands curling just short of fist, the vocalist accosts truth with aching elegy (Jim Piela-clarinet, Joey Lamp-trumpet). Axelrod is the winner of the 2024 Julie Wilson Award enabled by Linda and Peter Hansen. The worthy artist is shocked. Most of us are not.

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The Cool Cat – Danny Bacher

You know those people who are just seemingly endlessly talented?  You look at everything that they do and wonder if they have some sort of special secret?  Or maybe you are just an underachiever?  That’s Danny Bacher.  Thanks to his publicity photos it’s hard not to know that he plays the Soprano Sax, and thanks to his reputation, you know that his shows and CDs are a mixture of his playing the music and singing the music.  Then you see him live and get a gander at the onstage persona made up of equal parts Master of Ceremonies and Atlantic City comic.  Occasional onstage patter leads to stories about his acting career and (whattaya think?) his TAP DANCING.  Are you exhausted?  Well, he’s not.  Danny Bacher isn’t just a Jack of All Trades and A Master Of Same, he is one of the most industrious people working in cabaret and concert.  Danny Bacher plays his solo shows here in town and can frequently be found joining fellow jazz artists in their shows as a guest, or in group shows in which many members of the jazz community can shine together… the creatives of the jazz community have incredibly deep friendships steeped in respect for each other and their individual talents.  Danny Bacher seems, always, to be up to something, whether it is a live performance, a record release, or something online.  In fact, Danny was one of the first artists to create a live-streaming show on the Metropolitan Zoom platform, during the pandemic.  This was so early in the life of the company that Danny broadcast from his living room with a glittery backdrop behind him and light cues that he, himself, managed from his out-of-sight laptop… while singing and playing the Soprano Sax.  Jack of all trades, indeed.

Here’s the thing about Danny Bacher.  It’s the goodness.  It’s the kindness.  It’s the smile, it’s the glint, it’s the wink, it’s the laugh.  Danny Bacher is so much fun.  He’s fun to be around, he’s fun to watch, he’s fun to listen to.  He’s fun to look at!  He has a fashion sense all his own and he puts effort into it.  You know, some people go out on the stage without giving any consideration to what they’ve put on their backs before leaving the dressing room.  Danny Bacher makes sure that his style matches his art – and that art is really good.  Danny’s gift with music is comprehensive and it is entertaining.  When he’s singing, the atmosphere in the room is like a beach party in a jazz club – everyone is jovial in their jiving and ebullient in their enjoyment.  And when he is playing that Soprano Sax, it’s all you can do to just rest your elbow on the table, rest your chin on your palm, and sit, wide-eyed, staring at an artist so accomplished that you might wonder if your ears are really hearing what you think they are.   They are.  Danny Bacher gives great show AND he gives great recording studio.  Check out one of his albums online and you’ll see what a glory it is to have all that music and talent wash all over you.

Danny Bacher leads a double life, too.  When he isn’t an active performing artist, he is a teacher of performing arts.  As a member of New Jersey’s Education Arts Team, Danny Bacher instructs young people of all ages on acting, magic, puppetry, and more, and he has spent fifteen years as a member of the Camp Liberty team, a Jersey City-based summer program.  All that generosity of talent that you see up on the stage spills off of the stage in Danny’s real life as generosity of spirit.  But if you spend even a moment thinking about Danny Bacher and the example he sets with the life that he lives, the generosity and the joy are definitely authentic.  That’s Danny Bacher, all over the place – a mass of mischievous and marvelous authenticity… in a brocade blazer and a pair of purple shades.

Read a Broadway World Cabaret review of Danny Bacher HERE

Danny will appear at Jazz Loft in Stony Brook, Long Island November 16 through 18 at 7 pm with a 2 pm matinee on Saturday.  Tickets to be gotten HERE.

Danny will stop by The Lineup With Susie Mosher at Birdland Theater on November 21st (tickets HERE) to preview his upcoming show at The Green Room 42 on December 13th at 7 pm (tickets HERE).

 Danny Bacher is working on a Harry Nilsson recording project and he has a book being released in autumn of 2024.

Danny’s pronouns are he/him/his.

Benny can be found online at the following links:

Website:  HERE 

Instagram:  HERE 

Facebook:  HERE  

Twitter:  HERE  

TikTok:  HERE  

YouTube:  HERE

Photos by Stephen Mosher

Ninety-eight-year-old Terry Gibbs started writing composing music in 1948 when he joined Buddy Rich’s big band. There are about 200 extant to date. This, he says, will be his last CD, “and I feel like a winner.” Joining Gibbs, who here plays a two-finger piano, is his dream band: Scott Hamilton (tenor sax), Harry Allen (tenor sax), Tom Ranier (piano), Mike Gurrola (bass), Gerry Gibbs (drums), and Danny Bacher (vocals).

At age 92 years old, vibraphonist Terry Gibbs was still a musical force when he recorded 92 Years Young Jammin’ at the Gibbs House (Whaling City Sound, 2017). His son, drummer Gerry Gibbs, paid homage to him with Songs from My Father (Whaling City Sound, 2021) with the Thrasher Dream Trio band. As for this recording for his father, Gerry Gibbs says, “Recording this record with my Pops will always be so memorable because it will be his last work.” Accordingly, at the ripe age of 98 years old, Terry Gibbs has released the last album of his storied career and life with The Terry Gibbs Songbook, recorded and performed by the Terry Gibbs Legacy Band featuring Gerry and an all-star cast of players including saxophonist Scott Hamilton and vocalist Danny Bacher, who fit the bill to the tee.

Celebrated musician Terry Gibbs, whose remarkable career spans over eight decades, is set to delight audiences once again with the release of his highly anticipated album, The Terry Gibbs Songbook. This momentous album, which pays homage to Gibbs’ exceptional talent as both a composer and a vibraphone player, features 15 original songs, all penned by the jazz icon himself.

There is something special in the sound, the style, and the phrasing of a horn player who sings; I think back to my favorites of the past like Chet Baker, Jack Sheldon, and even Louis Armstrong.  They brought a unique musicality and lightness to their delivery while paying attention to the lyrics, both narratively and rhythmically.  In that grand tradition, Danny Bacher brought his quartet last Friday night to “Jazz Nights at Baretto,” upstairs at the Fasano Restaurant on West 49^th Street,  and put his stamp on a nice selection of songs from the Great American Songbook, along with some rarities and a few well-crafted originals. The musicians who supplied first-rate support throughout the evening were Allen Farnham on piano, Dean Johnson on bass, and Ben Saporito on drums; Bacher supplied tasty soprano saxophone as well.

By Marilyn Lester . . .

Every autumn, there’s a much-anticipated event in the worlds of cabaret, popular song and jazz—the Mabel Mercer Foundation’s Cabaret Convention. This 33rd edition—Look To The Rainbow: The Songs of Yip Harburg—was the proverbial breath of fresh air following several years affected by the COVID pandemic.

The cure-all for stress may just be Christine Andreas’ voice.

On Sunday June 12, the stars converged at the Cutting Room to honor the great Lee Roy Reams with a Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the nonprofit American Popular Song Society (“APSS”), with a fine presentation of songs, stories, and anecdotes about working with Mr. Reams. There were also pre-recorded and recited love letters to Lee Roy from some of the performers who could not be present at the Gala, which overlapped with the Tony Awards ceremony which was being held a mile north at Radio City Music Hall.

By Marilyn Lester*** | ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AT NITE LIFE EXCHANGE

Vocalist and soprano sax-master, Danny Bacher, is one of those performers who truly loves what he does, and it shows in his every performance. Versatile and multi-talented, this outing at Pangea as as part of the Spring Swing Jazz Series, featured the Danny Bacher Quartet: Steve Myerson on piano, Dean Johnson, upright bass and Alverster Garnett, drums—musicians at the top of their game. The cumulative effect was an evening of great music wrapped in a terrific bundle of joy. And it didn’t hurt an iota that Bacher was played onto the stage by Duke Ellington’s uptempo, inherently cheerful toe-tapper, “C-Jam Blues”—a great tone-setter.

Bacher self-identifies as an entertainer—and that he is. The description befits one who is equally skilled at playing an instrument, singing, humor (with classic jokes living side-by-side with quips and ad-libs) and storytelling. He accomplishes the latter through the music and in his ability as a raconteur. The essence of Bacher can be summed up in one of his own compositions, “In Spite of All This (I’m Still Happy.)” That happiness is authentic; it spills into the room, permeates it and is a great take-away when the show ends. Yep, he’s a feel-good kind of guy and…entertainer.

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At a charity event in 2008, Sidney Myer (performer, booker, mentor, and beating heart of Don’t Tell Mama) told actress/vocalist Stacy Sullivan she should do a Peggy Lee show. “When I was pregnant with my daughter, I did an evening with Paul Horner who co-wrote with Peggy Lee and co-wrote the musical Peg. I fell in love with her as a songwriter.” (Sullivan)

CLICK HERE to read the full article at the Women Around Town website.

Danny Bacher is a music man and when he has a chance to play, he doesn’t miss it. This horn-playing, jazz-singing entertainer has garnered fans everywhere, reaching even more during the pandemic with live stream events possessing of a global reach. Come April 20th, Bacher and his sax will be appearing in New York City with the other three musicians who make up the Danny Bacher QUARTET. Appearing as part of the Spring Swing Jazz Series at the downtown joint Pangea, Bacher, Steve Myerson (bass), Dean Johnson (bass) and Alvester Garnett (drums) will present a jazz set that can be enjoyed by both fans of the genre and fans of just plain great music.

CLICK HERE to read the full article and watch the videos.

Danny Bacher has been called a lot of things – most of them good – and one of the most common, usually after someone has watched his stage show, is “old soul.” This singer, songwriter, arranger and gifted soprano sax player can come across as someone who’s time-traveled from the 1930s or ‘40s.

“If I had a nickel for every time someone said that to me, I’d have … a lot of nickels,” Bacher laughs.

Today, in fact, is his 44^th birthday.

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October 23, 2021 marked the first outdoor public concert to celebrate the official NYC landmark designation of Tin Pan Alley. The building addresses 47 to 55 West 28^th Street are now historical  landmarks in keeping the birthplace of American Popular Music alive. It didn’t come easy, but took several years spearheaded by George Calderaro (now Director of Tin Pan Alley Project) who brought Erik Bottcher (City Council Member) aboard as they brought their landmark preservation requests to the Mayor’s Office several times to be turned down until Anne del Castillo (Commissioner Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment) heard their plea.

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On Saturday, the Tin Pan Alley American Popular Music Project in collaboration with the Flatiron 23rd Street Partnership presented a free, outdoor public concert at the Flatiron North Plaza featuring more than two dozen leading performers of Tin Pan Alley music and the Great American Songbook.

This event celebrates the official New York City landmark designation of Tin Pan Alley buildings at 47-55 West 28th Street and publicly launches the Tin Pan Alley American Popular Music Project, a new nonprofit organization dedicated to the commemoration and continuation of the legacy of Tin Pan Alley, the birthplace of American Popular Music in New York City in the late 19th and early 20th century.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE AND SEE ALL THE PHOTOS FROM THE DAY!

Saturday, October 23rd was Tin Pan Alley Day in New York City – a day celebrating the official New York City landmark designation of Tin Pan Alley buildings at 47-55 West 28th Street. The day publicly launched the Tin Pan Alley American Popular Music Project, a new nonprofit organization dedicated to the commemoration and continuation of the legacy of Tin Pan Alley, the birthplace of American Popular Music in New York City in the late 19th and early 20th century. In honor of the occasion, a free public concert was scheduled to run from Noon until four pm, a concert that featured some of the cabaret industry’s most cherished and respected artists. Excited by the introduction of the foundation and their goals (and the free concert, hello!) Broadway World Cabaret wanted to maintain a presence on the day. Four hours, though, is a chunk of time to donate to a day of the week usually filled with housework, chores, and weekend errands, so Ricky Pope and I agreed to divide the duties, with each of us taking one hour each, to report on the festivities; to further help bring the story to Broadway World Cabaret readers, I reached out to some fine folks via their social media to ask if they might share some of their photos with us.

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Singer/saxophonist and entertainer extraordinaire, Danny Bacher, joins forces with Metropolitan Zoom for a new and true one-of-a-kind event brought directly to your home! Don’t miss this unforgettable night of swingin’ jazz, American popular song, storytelling and laughs in this virtual night club experience.