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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Keeping Entertainment LIVE!

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