Laurie Krauz Celebrating 25 Years of Making Music with Daryl Kojak

If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.

-Katharine Hepburn

Happy May 12, 2016!
So much to celebrate today. It is the birthday of one of my favorite actresses of all time, Katharine Hepburn. Also, Happy Birthday to the one-and-only Burt Bacharach! Who's amazing music made the swingin' 60s about 90% groovier.
Today in 1973: Led Zeppelin was at No.1 on the US album chart with Houses Of The Holy.
The word of the day is collaboration. Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Laurie Krauz and Daryl Kojak.
It is worth celebrating the fact that the later are STILL collaborating and are having a very special celebration tomorrow night at The Metropolitan Room in New York City. This is to celebrate their twenty-five year collaboration!

A quarter of a century ago, Daryl Kojak and Laurie Krauz had their first rehearsal session together. It's been an incredible ride and now they are gathering to celebrate the beginning of the second 25 years of collaboration, and they would love you to join them on Friday, May 13th at 7:00 pm at THE METROPOLITAN ROOM (34 West 22nd Street, NYC - 212-206-0440). A QUARTER CENTURY! Who does that in this biz?! Well, they have. And they will celebrate with a show packed with their personal and fan favorites from a catalogue of 25 years. The goal is to do what they did the first day they met in Daryl's studio - express themselves together with every note, every lyric, every moment. Laurie and Daryl are enormously excited to

rejoice in this very long and extraordinarily fulfilling collaboration with you. Of course, they're really just kicking off the next 25 years. There is a $25 cover plus a 2-drink minimum. In 1991, Laurie had cast a wide net until a friend recommended Daryl Kojak and Laurie scheduled a getting-to-know-you session. "I don't exactly recall the first song we worked on together but I felt as if I was being levitated off the floor when he played for me," Laurie remembers. "It was magic and it has remained magic for a 25 years."

Stephen Hanks Presents New York Cabaret’s Greatest Hits!
Has it really been twenty five years since Daryl Kojak and Laurie Krauz joined forces for their first cabaret show!? Yep. And on Tomorrow night, May 13th at the beautiful Metropolitan Room, Daryl Kojak and Laurie Krauz are celebrating this very special collaboration and you are invited to join them. They will once again attempt to bring down the house with some of their own - and their fans' - favs. All the details follow.
 
“For this show, we’re going to present our favorites and our most requested songs from a catalogue of 25 years,” says Laurie. “Our goal with this show is to do what we did that first day in Daryl’s studio--express ourselves together with every note, every lyric, every moment. We’re enormously excited to celebrate this very long and extraordinarily fulfilling collaboration with our audience. And, of course, we promise to bring the house down. Really, we’re just celebrating the kickoff to the next 25 years.”
 

I would like my readers to know a little bit about one of the members of that team, Laurie Krauz.
Laurie Krauz is bubbly, vivacious, stylish and prolific. She is great with the audience. She will bring them in.
She explodes onto stage “moving from a whisper to a joyous howl within the space of a bar” (JazzReview.com).  A jazz singer who fuses blues, gospel, R&B — and anything else she lands her voice on — weaving it into a seamless, mesmerizing genre all her own.
Bronx born and bred Laurie Krauz thrills audiences with her award-winning, blues-influenced jazz vocals and her powerful emotional range.  Blazing new musical territory, Laurie combines improvisational elements with the passion and sensuality found in other forms of music to create a unique, soulful jazz  – “she creates a mood and weaves a musical story with every cell of her being.”  Named one of the top 525 jazz vocalists of all time in a book by noted jazz critic, Scott Yanow, entitled The Jazz Singers (Backbeat Books 2008), Laurie released her first CD, Catch Me If You Can (LML Records) in 2001 to much critical acclaim.

Catch Me If You Can is available at LML Music online as well as most major online retailers (Amazon, iTunes, etc.)

I began by asking her to tell us what this time in her life means to her. 
My collaboration with Daryl Kojak has been one of the greatest joys of my life.  I also feel very proud that we have kept this going for a quarter century.  It has taken enormous dedication from both of us … to keep growing and experimenting in our never-ending search for musical magic.  This show celebrates all of it with music we (and our fans) have loved spanning those 25 years.

Which entertainer is your favorite these days and why?
This may come as a surprise for some but when I think of the word “entertainer" I think of Bette Midler.  She takes me all over the place as an audience member and I LOVE that.

Who originally inspired you to sing/perform/act?
Everybody who was featured on Willie B. Williams' Make Believe Ballroom on WNEW in New York back in the day.
While everyone else was listening to Led Zeppelin, I was secretly in my room with the door closed listening to Ella and Frank.

Daryl and Laurie

What do you do to refill the well when you've worked too hard and feel your life is out of  balance.
Hike.  Get me in the woods!

What is your biggest fear or an activity that you would never do, now that you’re older?
Heights.  And given my love for hiking, it can be a bit tricky to find great hikes with great views where I don’t get the sense that I’m going to fall off the side of a mountain!

How do you measure success?

Well, my goals are definitely not about being rich and famous.  For me it’s about reaching artistically.  Finding new ways to wind my way through music and/or touch the hearts and minds of my audience.  If I walk off stage and feel like I’ve moved you, I’m a happy camper.

DO YOU COOK? If yes, What is your specialty? Share your recipe with my readers! If not, what is your favorite restaurant?
Oh I used to cook as a kid (my mom would be very happy to wax poetic about the messes I made).  I used to love to bake but, alas, no time these days.  There’s a restaurant on 52nd and 10th that I love — Taboon. 

What one thing would you change in the world, to make it a happier place for yourself?
This is going to sound “pageant-y" but it really is World Peace.  People loving, respecting and lifting each other up rather than knocking each other down.

What disappointment ended up teaching you an essential lesson?
Years and years ago (when I first started out) I received a horrifying review.  BEST thing that ever happened.  What didn’t kill me made me stronger.  It didn’t stop me and I’ve never been afraid of reviews since then - heck if I didn’t die then I never would.  That reviewer subsequently became quite the supporter of my work so, for me, the lesson was never ever give in or give up.  Just keep exploring and growing. 
​

What comes up next for you?
Ahhhhh, we’re working on something but it’s a secret!

WHAT'S THE ONE THING YOU'RE RELIEVED I DIDN'T ASK YOU?
My weight?  My age?  My secret crush?  There … I gave you three!

Extraordinary work.  Every element and every moment contribute unerringly to an unforgettable, quite remarkable whole.         
Roy Sander, critic and columnist

A night of brilliance. Whatever is cooking for future Laurie Krauz's productions, she has proved it will be something to look forward to. Elizabeth Ahlfors, Cabaret Scenes Magazine

You won’t believe your ears – this jazz singer’s velvety voice

is a wonder to behold.  (Critic’s Picks)..H. Scott Jolley, Time Out New York


Visit www.tapestryrewoven.com for the latest news about Daryl and Laurie's award-winning project!

Tapestry Rewoven is the brainchild of Laurie and the arranging genius of Daryl .  A thrilling jazz, blues, R&B-infused re-imagining of the Carole King classic, the group’s interpretations of the iconic original have been heralded for being fresh, new and musically inventive— while still being reverent to the brilliance of the original.

For many years Laurie has been bringing her unique educational and professional background

spanning the entertainment, corporate, health care, and image industries to the world of Presentation Skills/Public Speaking Coaching. Visit www.krauzconsulting.com for more information.
Follow Laurie on Facebook and Twitter 

In the ginchy yet tasteful digs known as the Metropolitan Room on West 22nd Street, I saw the most outstanding act Tuesday night with my friends Kevin and Amy: Laurie Krauz -- with The Daryl Kojak Octet! High-concept, high-octane cabaret. Dubbed Tapestry Rewoven, the show is a jazz interpretation of the iconic Carole King album that, surprisingly, pulls off its conceit big time! Even Laurie and Daryl were surprised initially, according to Ms Krauz' patter. 
Read MORE
  
Bistro Pick AND Cabaret Scenes "Pick of the Week."Laurie Krauz and Daryl Kojak Celebrate 25 Years of Making Music (produced by Stephen Hanks as part of his Cabaret's Greatest Hits Series) at Metropolitan Room
34 W 22nd St., New York, NY 10010 (United States) -
212.206.0440     7:00 PM

    Tickets: $25 Cover - 2 Beverage Minimum

Additional Sources: BroadwayWorld.com, AllOutJazz.com


Thank you, to all of the artists mentioned in this blog for the gifts you have given to the world and continue to give!

With grateful XOXOXs ,

 

Check out my site celebrating the legacy of Dolly Gallagher Levi!

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Please do what YOU can to be more aware that words and actions DO HURT...but they can also heal and help!   

        

American Popular Song Society Presents Annual Songwriter's Showcase Hosted by Award Winning Songwriter Tom Toce Saturday Afternoon in NYC!

Here's to an INCREDIBLE tomorrow for ALL...with NO challenges!

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PLEASE CELEBRATE WITH US MAY 25th in NYC at The Triad!
Richard Skipper Celebrates May 25th! A New Talk/Variety Show! He will be joined by Carole Demas (celebrating her Birthday!), Kristoffer Lowe, Carolyn Montgomery-Forant, Gretchen Reinhagen, Adam Shapiro, Leslie Orofino, Wendy Scherl, Carol Skarimbas (accompanied by Larry Woodard), and a Mystery Guest! celebrating the many gems of May 25th 8PM Show! Who Will Be OUR MYSTERY GUEST! You'll Have To Be There To See Who It Is! Reservations a MUST! You Never Know Who You Might See There!
http://www.richardskipper.com/celebrates.html
What would YOU like to celebrate?

call 888 596-1027 to purchase tickets or YOU can also do it on THEIR website. http://www.triadnyc.com/

Check out Our Promo: https://vimeo.com/166378806

Carole Demas

TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED DAY

Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com

Have A Minnie Day!

" ...Oh dear, oh my, will you look at that, ten o'clock and the shop not opened yet..."
-Minnie Fay, "Hello, Dolly!"


Happy Tuesday!
I hope this finds you well. Today's blog was suggested to me by Stephen Artist after my blog of two days ago saluting Irenes and most specifically, Irene Malloy! So he suggested going from Minnie Faye, Irene Malloy's sidekick in The Merchant Of Yonkers, The Matchmaker, and Hello, Dolly! and building upon famous Minnie's from there! If there are others we've left out, please let me know!

Going back to The Merchant of Yonkers, The Broadway production, directed by Max Reinhardt, opened on December 28, 1938 at the Guild Theatre, where it ran for 39 performances.
The cast included Jane Cowl and Tom Ewell.

Minnie Faye was played by Nydia Westman.

Westman's career ranged from episodic appearances on TV sitcoms and uncredited bit roles in movies to appearances in groundbreaking films (such as Craig's Wife), which starred Rosalind Russell, and the first film version of Little Women which starred Katharine Hepburn in her first great movie success).
Song by Joseph Cawthorn, Irene Dunne, Phil Regan, Hugh Herbert and Nydia Westman.
Written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II.

When Ruth Gordon did The Matchmaker, her Minnie Faye was Rosamund Greenwood.

In a career stretching more than 50 years, Greenwood appeared in productions including The Prince and the Showgirl, Night of the Demon, Upstairs, Downstairs, Angels, Crown Court and A Perfect Spy. Her final role, at the age of 83, came in 1990 when she played a witch in the screen adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel The Witches. Here she is as Miss Prism in The Importance Of Being Ernest .

When The Matchmaker transferred to film, Minnie Faye was played by Perry Wilson. She was best known for her role in the 1957 film Fear Strikes Out.

When Hello, Dolly! opened on Broadway in 1964, Minnie Fay was played by my friend Sondra Lee!

(Sondra Lee (Original Tiger Lily) with Peter Pan Michael Darling Bear)
SONDRA LEE - HAS SLEPT WITH EVERYBODY - IN A MANNER OF SPEAKING

She was the original Tiger Lily in Peter Pan. She was also the lead producer of Charles Busch's Shanghai Moon and was recently working on the production of a musical based on women of Appalachian.
She's had affairs with Baron Phillippe de Rothchilde, Italian film director Federico Fellini and Broadway impresario Billy Rose. She's coy about her sexual involvement with Marlon Brando saying; "let's just say he was my first love."

She didn't care for Frank Sinatra and she has some interesting stores about - a lot of bold names, which Sondra Lee has disclosed in her book I've Slept with Everybody: A Memoir.

When Hello, Dolly! closed on Broadway at the end of it's original run in 1971, Minnie Faye was being played by Georgia Engel.

Georgia Bright Engel (born July 28, 1948) is best known for her roles as Georgette Franklin on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Pat MacDougall on Everybody Loves Raymond.

When Hello, Dolly! transferred to film, Minnie Faye was played by E. J. Peaker.

She has made over 50 television commercials, guest-starred on television and appeared in films. She co-starred with Robert Morse in the 1968 musical television series That's Life She was the associate producer of the 1993 made-for-TV movie Broken Promises: Taking Emily Back.

When Carol did her first Broadway revival in 1978, Minnie Fay was played by Alix Korey.

Alix continued on and made her Broadway debut as Minnie Fay in the 1978 revival of HELLO, DOLLY!, starring Carol Channing. The result of that experience made her run for Equity Council in 1980, on which she served for an extremely rewarding 15 years. In 1987, Alix and four other councilors formed the Equity Fights Aids Committee, later to become BCEFA on whose board she served with pride and joy for many years. Bless you, Tom Viola. And Bless YOU, Alix Korey!I have been lucky enough to share a stage with Alix on more than one occasion. Alix is currently residing in Rancho Mirage and she just opened a voice studio in North Hollywood. If you are in the area and get the opportunity to work with Alix, do!

In the 1994 Broadway Revival, Minnie Fay was played by Lori Ann Mahl.

(Lori Ann Mahl, Tyne Daly and Jonathan Hadary
Photo by courtesy of Teri Furr and Shirley Herz)

I LOVE ALL YOU, MINNIE FAYS...Now on to some other famous Minnies!

Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon (October 25, 1912 – March 4, 1996), known professionally as Minnie Pearl, was a country comedienne who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years (from 1940 to 1991) and on the television show Hee Haw from 1969 to 1991.

Sarah Colley was born in Centerville, in Hickman County, Tennessee, about 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Nashville. She was the youngest of the five daughters of a prosperous lumberman in Centerville.
She graduated from Ward-Belmont College (now Belmont University), at the time Nashville's most prestigious school for young ladies, where her major was theater studies and dance was a particular interest. After graduation she taught dance for several years.

Her first professional theatrical job was with the Wayne P. Sewell Production Company, a touring theater company based in Atlanta, for which she produced and directed plays and musicals for local organizations in small towns throughout the southeastern United States.

Minerva "Minnie" Mouse is an animated character created by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney. The comic strip story "The Gleam" (published January 19-May 2, 1942) by Merrill De Maris and Floyd Gottfredson first gave her full name as Minerva Mouse. Minnie has since been a recurring alias for her. Minnie is currently voiced by actress Russi Taylor. Both Minnie and Mickey were first drawn in 1928 by Ub Iwerks.
The comic strip story "Mr. Slicker and the Egg Robbers" (published September 22 – December 26, 1930) introduced her father Marcus Mouse and her mother Margie Mouse, both farmers. The same story featured photographs of her grandparents Marshall Mouse and Matilda Mouse. Her best known relatives, however, remain her uncle Mortimer Mouse and her twin nieces, Millie and Melody Mouse, though most often a single niece, Melody, appears. In many appearances, Minnie is presented as the wife of Mickey Mouse, a close friend of Daisy Duck, Donald Duck's wife, and occasionally a friend to Clarabelle Cow. Minnie's sister, Mandie Mouse was a recurring character early on.

Minnie Driver (born Amelia Fiona J. Driver; 31 January 1970) is an English actress and singer-songwriter. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting, as well as for an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for her work in the television series The Riches.

Driver was born Amelia Fiona J. Driverin Finsbury Park, London, the daughter of Gaynor Churchward (née Millington), a designer and former couture model, and Ronnie Driver, a Welsh businessman and financial adviser from Swansea.Her mother was her father's mistress, and her father's wife was not aware of his other family.

Driver has Irish, Welsh, Scottish, French, and Italian ancestry.
Her sister, Kate, is a model and producer.
Driver was brought up in Barbados and educated at Bedales, an independent school near Petersfield, Hampshire, England, and the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Minnie Julia Riperton (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979) was a singer-songwriter best known for her vocal range of five-and-a-half octaves and her 1975 single "Lovin' You".
She was married to songwriter and music producer Richard Rudolph from 1972 until her death in the summer of 1979. They had two children - music engineer Marc Rudolph and actress/comedienne Maya Rudolph.

Riperton grew up on Chicago's South Side. As a child, she studied music, drama, and dance at Chicago's Lincoln Center. In her teen years, she sang lead vocals for the Chicago-based girl group, The Gems. Her early affiliation with the legendary Chicago-based Chess Records afforded her the opportunity to sing backup for various established artists such as Etta James, Fontella Bass, Ramsey Lewis, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, and Muddy Waters. While at Chess, Riperton also sang lead for the experimental rock/soul group Rotary Connection, from 1967 to 1971. In 1969 Riperton, along with Rotary Connection, played in the first Catholic Rock Mass at the Liturgical Conference National Convention, Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, WI, produced by James F. Colaianni. Riperton reached the apex of her short, but esteemed, career with her number-one hit single, "Lovin' You," on April 4, 1975. The single was the last release from her 1974 gold album entitled Perfect Angel.
n January 1976 Riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a radical mastectomy.

By the time of diagnosis, the cancer had metastasized and she was given about six months to live. Despite the grim prognosis, she continued recording and touring. Riperton was one of the first celebrities to go public with her breast cancer diagnosis, but did not disclose that she was terminally ill. In 1977, she became spokesman for the American Cancer Society. In 1978, Riperton also received the American Cancer Society's Courage Award which was presented to her at the White House by President Jimmy Carter. She died at age 31 on July 12, 1979.

Minnehaha was the legendary wife of Hiawatha. The Dakota name, Minnehaha, means "laughing waters." In Minneapolis/Saint Paul, MN, parks, streets and a waterfall are named after her. Her legend may be read at the Minnesota Museum of History in St. Paul, MN.

(Skeeter Phelan (Emma Stone), left, Minnie Jackson (Octavia Spencer) and Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) recreate life in Jackson, Miss., in 1963 in the movie version of best-seller "The Help.")A class act such as "The Help" is rare enough in Hollywood. Coming at the tail end of summer blockbuster season, it's almost unheard of. GO, GO, GO SEE THIS MOVIE!!!!!"The Help" is the sort of film that studios typically save for the holiday prestige season in November or December, when Academy Awards voters start thinking ahead to the films they want to anoint.
Come awards time, many of them likely will be thinking of "The Help," whose remarkable ensemble of women offers enough great performances to practically fill the actress categories at the Oscars.

What about Minnie Marx? She was the mother of The Marx Bros. A play called "Minnie's Boys" was about her starring Shelley Winters.

Mother of the Marx Brothers. The fifth of Levy Schönberg and Fanny Sophie Salomons's nine children, Minnie Marx was born in Dornum, Germany and grew up in a family of entertainers.

What about Minnie Marx? She was the mother of The Marx Bros. A play called "Minnie's Boys" was about her starring Shelley Winters. My friend, Diane J. Findlay stars as Minnie Marx, mother of Groucho, Chico, Harpo, Zeppo and Gummo and brings down the house with her eleven o'clock number, "They Give Me Love,"in this live performance from "Minnie's Boys: The Marx Brothers Musical In Concert."

Minnie Minoso

This young Cuban third baseman broke in with a .309 average for the New York Cubans in 1946 and continued his hot hitting into the next season. He was the top hitter on the team with a torrid .336 average going into August, Before cooling off and finishing at .294. Minoso's offensive production from his leadoff spot in the batting order aided the Cubans as they captured the Negro National League pennant and won World Series from the Negro American League's Cleveland Buckeyes. He was the starting third baseman in both the 1947 and 1948 East-West All-Star games before entering the major leagues with the Cleveland Indians in 1949.

Mini-Me is a character played by Verne Troyer in the second and third Austin Powers movies: Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Austin Powers in Goldmember.

It was midnight in Miss Pickswinger's Select Seminary for Young Ladies (country location, hot and cold water, wrestling, bull-baiting and other outdoor sports; washing, ironing, and Bulgarian extra). A group of girls had gathered in a cozy room. There was going to be a midnight feast. Oh, goody! There was but little light, for, fearing to turn on the acetylene, they had built a bonfire on the table, and one girl was appointed to feed the faint flames with false hair and legs which she wrenched quietly from the chairs and tables. A saddle of venison for their little supper was turning over and over on a spit in the cooking stove in the corner, and the potatoes were boiling noiselessly in the steam radiator. Perched like a little queen on the armchair sat Louise Sangfroid the hostess, on the mantle-piece lay Mary Murgatroid in red and white striped pajamas while balancing on the molding sat Minnie McCloskey in a nightshirt of yaeger flannel. Other girls sat around the room, two on a trunk which they had ingeniously improvised as a chair, one on an empty case of beer and three on a heap of broken glass and tin cans in the corner.
Little Minnie McCloskey
A story for girls
by F. Scott Fitzgerald

A miniskirt, sometimes hyphenated as mini-skirt, is a skirt with a hemline well above the knees – generally no longer than 10 cm (4 in) below the buttocks;and a minidress is a dress with a similar meaning. A micro-miniskirt or microskirt is a further abbreviation of the miniskirt and short shorts are the shortened versions of the shorts.From the lounge masters album '1968'. If you are into lounge music, easy listening and space age pop then this is the man for you.
Enjoy.

And what's lounge music without a mini-bar?

A mini-bar is a small, private snack and beverage bar often found in upscale Western-style hotel rooms.



Here's to an INCREDIBLE day for ALL...with MINI challenges!


Now, GO OUT AND DO SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE ELSE TODAY!

Thank you WIKIPEDIA for many of the details of this blog.


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TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED WEEK!
Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com