NEWS FLASH!
July 30, 2010
Greetings from NYC, during what may soon be declared the hottest month in the history of this city!
Against all logic, I've been practicing Bikram (aka Hot) Yoga a few times a week, a benefit of which is supposedly a greater tolerance for hot weather. I'm thinking that might actually be true, since I haven't died, melted, or clawed anyone's face off. Yet.
It's been so long since my last email that I think I've released two podcast episodes since then: "Valentine," a little, olde-timey, February 14th ditty, and "Touched," a song commissioned for an American Cancer Society benefit. You can check out both/either on iTunes or on my podcast page.
I want to let you know that I've made a new piece of sheet music available: "Crowd Control," aka the cell phone song, i.e. the song I often use to open my concerts, asking the audience to turn off their cell phones, etc. Here's me singing it on youtube.
I should also mention that a handful of my songs are now available for purchase on the fantastic new sheet music website: New Musical Theatre.
Here's a new recording of one of my Millay settings, "Time Does Not Bring Relief," on Jennifer Brennan-Hondorp's terrific CD, All Will Be Well. Her pianist, Bruce Dudley, has given the song a cool jazz spin, which I love.
The highlights of this past spring for me were two really fun performing gigs:
The first was a concert bill I shared with the amazing Liz Callaway. I "opened" for her at my local JCC in Deal, NJ, and then after she finished her set, we performed a couple of duets. (!!) She is such a pro, I'm constantly inspired.
Next, I had the great privilege of performing in the staged reading/concert of Sondheim and Laurents' Anyone Can Whistle as part of the Encore Series in April, sharing the stage with musical theatre greats Raul Esparza, Sutton Foster, and Donna Murphy, with direction/choreography by my dear friend Casey Nicholaw. What an incredible experience! Working with that cast was like a master class in musical theatre acting, particularly awe-inspiring considering the time constraints. And watching Casey in action gave me an even greater appreciation for his mad skills. Here are some pictures.
Other than that, I've been focusing on my new project, The Red Rose Girls, a musical adaptation of the historical biography of the same name. My collaborator, playwright Laura Shamas, and I have been hard at work, completing our first draft. We can't wait to share this wonderful story with you!
(FYI, I finally "graduated" from Martha Stewart's Cooking School, i.e. I finished my year of blogging, aka Jeff and Martha. I'm still cooking quite a bit, although I have to confess, my latest obsession is Cook's Illustrated. Cooking + Science = Amazing!)
Hope you all enjoy the rest of the summer!
Best-
Jeff
Greetings from NYC, during what may soon be declared the hottest month in the history of this city!
Against all logic, I've been practicing Bikram (aka Hot) Yoga a few times a week, a benefit of which is supposedly a greater tolerance for hot weather. I'm thinking that might actually be true, since I haven't died, melted, or clawed anyone's face off. Yet.
It's been so long since my last email that I think I've released two podcast episodes since then: "Valentine," a little, olde-timey, February 14th ditty, and "Touched," a song commissioned for an American Cancer Society benefit. You can check out both/either on iTunes or on my podcast page.
I want to let you know that I've made a new piece of sheet music available: "Crowd Control," aka the cell phone song, i.e. the song I often use to open my concerts, asking the audience to turn off their cell phones, etc. Here's me singing it on youtube.
I should also mention that a handful of my songs are now available for purchase on the fantastic new sheet music website: New Musical Theatre.
Here's a new recording of one of my Millay settings, "Time Does Not Bring Relief," on Jennifer Brennan-Hondorp's terrific CD, All Will Be Well. Her pianist, Bruce Dudley, has given the song a cool jazz spin, which I love.
The highlights of this past spring for me were two really fun performing gigs:
The first was a concert bill I shared with the amazing Liz Callaway. I "opened" for her at my local JCC in Deal, NJ, and then after she finished her set, we performed a couple of duets. (!!) She is such a pro, I'm constantly inspired.
Next, I had the great privilege of performing in the staged reading/concert of Sondheim and Laurents' Anyone Can Whistle as part of the Encore Series in April, sharing the stage with musical theatre greats Raul Esparza, Sutton Foster, and Donna Murphy, with direction/choreography by my dear friend Casey Nicholaw. What an incredible experience! Working with that cast was like a master class in musical theatre acting, particularly awe-inspiring considering the time constraints. And watching Casey in action gave me an even greater appreciation for his mad skills. Here are some pictures.
Other than that, I've been focusing on my new project, The Red Rose Girls, a musical adaptation of the historical biography of the same name. My collaborator, playwright Laura Shamas, and I have been hard at work, completing our first draft. We can't wait to share this wonderful story with you!
(FYI, I finally "graduated" from Martha Stewart's Cooking School, i.e. I finished my year of blogging, aka Jeff and Martha. I'm still cooking quite a bit, although I have to confess, my latest obsession is Cook's Illustrated. Cooking + Science = Amazing!)
Hope you all enjoy the rest of the summer!
Best-
Jeff