We were honored to be asked to supply two hours from our diverse roster for a tasting at The Crystal Tea Room .

Leading off the event we had one of our premier classical and ceremony groups. The group had Philadelphia Orchestra violinist Louis Lanza, Jr., regional symphonic trumpeter Steve Skahill, classical vocalist and pianist Charlene Angelini, and finally yours truly on vocals. The set included classical pieces such as The Intermezzo from "Cavalleria Rusticana" & Bach's Bist Du Bei Mir, as well as the instrumental theme from "The Notebook" and songs such as With This Ring (which can be heard on our website).

Batting second was a tasty jazz duo/trio featuring the prodigiously talented Tom Lawton on piano, the legendary tenor sax man, Larry McKenna, and myself on vocals. The set featured instrumental versions of songs like Out of Nowhere and Too Marvelous For Words as well as vocal versions of perennial Sinatra standards such as I've Got You Under My Skin and All The Way. They are the perfect group for a cocktail or dinner party as well as themed events or concerts.

Staying with the baseball theme (it is Red October IV, isn't it?), batting third was the incomparable and unique Nora Whittaker on vocals and keys. She played a diverse mix of songs suitable for anything from secular ceremony to cocktails or dinner. Songs that were in the mix included the classic songs Summertime and At Last, as well as The Beatles' I Want To Hold Your Hand, & Carole King's You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman.

And batting cleanup for the Inspired Emotions roster was the Beth Dzwil Duo featuring Beth on violin and her pianist/vocalist. They covered material that ranged from the Canon in D to Celine Dion to to Elton John's Your Song to an Irish reel.

At a separate site, Stringsations, our premier string ensemble, was playing a wedding mass at St. Augustine's Roman Catholic Church. They were augmented by Pat Gallo on organ, one of the finest organists in the city, and the aforementioned classical soprano, Charlene Angelini. The songs included traditional wedding fare such as Trumpet Voluntary and The Hornpipe from Handel's "Water Music," as well as more contemporary Catholic wedding songs such as "And On This Day" and "Bridal Prayer." Technically this wedding was part of a long distance Blend with Jellyroll playing the reception for the happy bride and groom at The Rittenhouse.

Saturday night, I and members of the Inspired Emotions and BVT roster were pleased to be part of Merion Golf Club's member's event celebrating "Golf Through the Decades." Jeremy Sweet played a tasty cocktail hour on piano accompanied by Beth Dzwil on vocals. He was followed by Lou Lanza & Swing Easy for a set of music from the 1940's to the mid 1950's. Second Chance, a cool doo-wop group brought the people from Bobby Darin to the street corner sounds of Frankie Valli and more music from the late '50's to the mid '60's. Group Therapy had them dancin' in the streets from the mid '60's on up to the current scene. It was said to be THE best event in 10 years.

Till next time...

Name

Email

Subject

 

Comment 1000 Characters left

Antispam protection  

 Send Reset