Bria Skonberg

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Bria Skonberg

Joe’s Pub, NYC, July 25, 2016

Reviewed by Ron Forman for Cabaret Scenes

Bria-Skonberg-Cabaret-Scenes-Magazine_212If Bria Skonberg were only a trumpet player, she would be worth seeing, due to her virtuosity on the instrument. But the dynamic Skonberg is a quadruple threat because, in addition to her musicianship, she is a very talented jazz vocalist, a delightful songwriter, and is oh so lovely to look at.

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She’s backed by four wonderful musicians: Ehad Asherie (musical director/piano), Evan Amtzen (reeds), Jerome Jennings (bass) and Eric Wheeler (bass). The show at Joe’s Pub was a jazz lover’s delight. Skonberg gave each of her accompanists ample solo slots to display their talent.

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The song list was an eclectic mix of Latin, Great American Songbook, swing, rock, original numbers by Skonberg and even a song taken from the Disney film The Jungle Book—all performed with great energy.

Following the opening medley of “Hollywood Swinging”/“Swing That Music” performed by the  quartet, Skonberg began with her own composition “Down in the Deep.” The mood switched with “Don’t Be That Way,” performed with a Latin beat, followed by “Malagueña.” In all of Skonberg’s numbers she amazingly went from vocals to trumpet seamlessly and seemingly effortlessly. In an homage to Louis Armstrong, she echoed his blues/jazzy trumpet style with Sidney Bechet’s “Egyptian Fantasy.” Starting sofltly and slowly she then switched gears and showed her ability to belt out a number with “From This Moment On.” She displayed her sultry side with Robert and Richard Sherman’s “Trust in Me” and had the audience join in by clapping along on her song “Go Tell It.” The closing number, “So Is the Day,” began with Skonberg literally making the trumpet cry and then ending with a bombastic trumpet solo. After the blasting finale, the encore was appropriately a lullaby sing-along: “Dream a Little Dream of Me.”

Ron Forman

Ron Forman has been a Mathematics Professor at Kingsborough Community College for 45 years. In that time, he has managed to branch out in many different areas. From 1977 to 1994 he was co-owner of Comics Unlimited, the third largest comic book distribution company in the USA. In 1999,after a lifetime of secretly wanting to do a radio program, he began his weekly Sweet Sounds program on WKRB 90.3 FM, dedicated to keeping the music of the Great American Songbook alive and accessible. This introduced him to the world of cabaret, which led to his position as a reviewer for Cabaret Scenes.