Jaylan, Anna & David: Hour of Song

Post author:Bart Greenberg
Post published:November 12, 2024
Reading time:3 mins read

Jaylan, Anna & David

Hour of Song

Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, October 27, 2024

Reviewed by Bart Greenberg

Jaylan Turkkan knows how to throw a party. Her Hour of Song at Don’t Tell Mama seemed less like a cabaret show and more like one of those happy occasions where a group of friends gather together in someone’s home to share their musical gifts. Luckily, those people were all talented musicians who were at home in a wide range of styles. Even the oft-dreaded singalong at the end of the program (to Cole Porter’s “Let’s Do It”) worked fairly well.

Turkkan began the show a bit unsteadily with William Bolcom and Arnold Weintein’s delightful “Lime Jello Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise.” She handled the lyrics with flair but somewhat awkwardly as she was reading them while she juggled a book of music and a microphone; a music stand would have been a big help. She later did a far better job with the same writers’ “Toothbrush Time” as she was obviously more familiar with the lyrics.

David Kelleher-Flight applied his fine crooner voice on some standards—one was “Old Cape Cod” (Claire Rothrock/Milton Yakus & Allan Jeffrey)—showing great awareness of the period in which they were hits. Anna Khanina accompanied most of the performers on the piano, but she also offered a classical piece by Edvard Grieg with a satisfying mix of passion and musicality that pleased the audience. She charmingly confessed that she had had a drink before coming on stage.

A number of special guests were invited to join the show. Elizabeth Thorne was dressed somewhat like a flapper to sing “Love for Sale” (Porter). Bringing the entertainment forward quite a few decades, Joy Piazza-Rupert handled the complicated “Another Hundred People” (Stephen Sondheim) with panache using her light soprano tones.One of the major highlights was the appearance of Brittany Jones and Mitchell Lane, also known as the bluegrass duo Raven and Red; they were both fine musicians and vocalists. They offered several selections, including the classic “Long Black Veil” (Danny Dill/Marijohn Wilkin) with great brio. Robert Silvan brought another musical style to the afternoon with an original jazz piece inspired by Chick Corea which he called “Jaycan La Fiesta.” With his dazzling work on the piano, and with intoxicating Latin rhythms, he added a special shine to this lovely gathering of good friends and fine music.

Tags: CD, Elizabeth Thorne, Another Hundred People, Broadway Musicals, Don’t Tell Mama, Singer, Joy Piazza-Rupert, Bart Greenberg, Toothbrush Time, Love for Sale, Brittany Jones, Claire Rothrock, Stephen Sondheim, Jaylan Anna & David, Cabaret Reviews, Mitchell Lane, Milton Yakus, American Songbook, Hour of Song, CD Reviews, bluegrass duo, Cabaret Scenes, Allan Jeffrey, Nightclubs, Jaylan Turkkan, Clubs, Raven and Red, Musicals, Arnold Weintein, William Bolcom, Robert Silvan, Let’s Do It, Lyricist, Lime Jello Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise, Old Cape Cod, Jaycan La Fiesta, Cole Porter, American Songbook Association, NYC, David Kelleher-Flight, composer, Great American Songbook, Long Black Veil, songwriter, Anna Khanina, Marijohn Wilkin, Broadway, Chick Corea, Vocalists, Edvard Grieg, Danny Dill, Cabaret, ASA

Bart Greenberg

Bart Greenberg first discovered cabaret a few weeks after arriving in New York City by seeing Julie Wilson and William Roy performing Stephen Sondheim and Cole Porter outdoors at Rockefeller Center. It was instant love for both Ms. Wilson and the art form. Some years later, he was given the opportunity to create his own series of cabaret shows while working at Tower Records. "Any Wednesday" was born, a weekly half-hour performance by a singer promoting a new CD release. Ann Hampton Callaway launched the series. When Tower shut down, Bart was lucky to move the program across the street to Barnes & Noble, where it thrived under the generous support of the company. The series received both The MAC Board of Directors Award and The Bistro Award. Some of the performers who took part in "Any Wednesday" include Barbara Fasano and Eric Comstock, Tony Desare, Andrea Marcovicci, Carole Bufford, the Karens, Akers, Mason and Oberlin, and Julie Wilson. Privately, Greenberg is happily married to writer/photographer Mark Wallis, who as a performance artist in his native England gathered a major following as "I Am Cereal Killer."