All posts in Blog

OPENING NIGHT REVIEW: Kim Nalley & Houston Person “A Soulful Jazz New Year” by Ken Vermes

by Lisa Bautista on December 28, 2011 in Blog with No comments

Review of Kim Nalley and Houston Person at San Francisco’s The Rrazz Room
By Ken Vermes

How many performers can bring tears to your eyes? And I mean the good kind of tears, the ones that come from the shear joy of experiencing something special, unexpected and moving to the point of blissful, delightful joy?

Well that’s what you get from singer Kim Nally, now settled in to San Francisco’s The Rrazz Room through New Year’s Day. The tears came at a surprising and delightful moment, when Kim announced she was going to do a tribute to the great singer Etta James, who is ailing. I don’t think anyone in the audience knew that they were about to hear what must be one of the best rhythm and blues performances this listener has ever heard. And the mastery came from the unemotional and beautifully controlled execution that marks the almost casual mastery that Ms. Nally is now ready to deliver. The song, “Sunday Kind of Love,” is one many people have heard, but there are few people on earth who could have taken this tune, wrapped it around their fingers, and put in our hearts in just this way.

Kim Nalley has been a local favorite for some time now, and her level of performance has always been high. But no vocalist can be anything but thrilled to be sharing a stage with the great Houston Person. Houston may very well be one of the last in a long line of classic tenor sax players who dedicated a big part of their lives to supporting and teaming with singers. Many of today’s younger players are great, but it is doubtful that they are willing to travel the long road of one night stands over decades, and develop the unique musical love affair that is at the heart of the sax and vocal duo. Houston has traveled that road, and still has the sheer joy in his playing that he always has demonstrated.

Together, Kim and Houston are digging through to the very roots of American music, and mining gold, silver, diamonds and all of the rest. And powered by the brilliance of bass play Jeff Chambers, and the solid support of pianist Tammy Hall and drummer Kent Bryson, this group is doing a show that is rare and unique. That is the “goin’ to school” style, moving through the rich history of American  and international song, from the blues shouters, to swing, Latin and beyond, and demonstrating all of the excitement and passion that makes this great song book an endless source to draw on.

With these performances, The Rrazz Room will take you back to the days, no so long ago, when emotion, swing and sheer musical power and brilliance ruled the stages of America. So don’t miss this. And this year, let us express thanks that this kind of art is still sailing though the jazz universe and that we are around to experience it one more time. Kim and Houston have arrived on the San Francisco shores. And the real music lives on. Please keep on sailing through our hearts and souls and let the world know that this spirit will never die.

Wednesday, December 28, 8pm $35
Thursday, December 29, 8pm $40
Friday, December 30, 8pm $40
Saturday, December  31, 7:30pm $75
Saturday, December 31, 10:30pm **$150
Sunday, January 1, 7pm $37.50
**10:30pm show includes party favors, champagne toast at midnight, countdown to 2012, and post-show buffet
The Rrazz Room
222 Mason Street
San Francisco 94102
For tickets and more information: 800.380.3095 or http://therrazzroom.com 

 

 Photo Used With Permission

Spreading the “lonipete” love…

by Lisa Bautista on December 8, 2011 in Blog with No comments

Remember the good ol’ days when movies and concerts were “double features”?!  Well, during Week 2 of “Season of Giving,” The RRazz Room would like to spread the love:

Purchase tickets to both comedienne LONI LOVE’s “America’s Sister” Tour  and the PETE ESCOVEDO Latin Jazz Orchestra Featuring JUAN & PETER MICHAEL ESCOVEDO for a $5 discount to each performance.

Enter code “lonipete” at checkout

http://therrazzroom.com/index.html

This holiday season, connect with family and friends through the Universal Language of Love:

laughter and music!

Perception is not always reality

by Lisa Bautista on December 4, 2011 in Blog with No comments

Recently, I was in a sparsely attended Bikram Yoga class, and soon after the class began, I noticed a girl crying.  I have practiced Bikram to help heal breakups, family drama, injured tailbone from snow-boarding, leg bruises from jumping off cliffs, carpal tunnel surgery, knee surgery, blah, blah, blah.  Whatever the reason, this girl seemed to be in pain.  I tried not to stare, but it broke my heart to watch her pick up a tissue, blow her nose, and struggle to keep it together.  Actually, it was killing me.  I kept wondering whether or not the Bikram instructor would notice any time soon.  Call it a blessing or a curse, but my “channel” is wide open, so I have the tendency to really feel other people’s energy.  When it comes to seeing another person in pain, my natural instinct is to help alleviate it in some way.  Finally, an opportunity presented itself.

The instructor was unhappy with our triangle postures, and decided he would demonstrate for us.  Not to be disrespectful, but after 10 years of practicing Bikram, I had the attitude of  ”I’m good,” and walked out to the lobby to pick up a couple of hand towels for my fellow yogini.  I walked back in class, gave her the hand towels, and this is what transpired:

ME:  Are you all right?
SHE:  Yeah.  Did you think something was wrong?
ME:  Oh, I thought you were crying, and I felt bad.
SHE:  No, I was laughing.  Thank you for the hand towels.

Okie dokie.  Wow, I was way off!  Once class resumed, I forced myself not to look back at this person, whose “laughter” appears to be “extremely dramatic crying fits.”

After class, this was our follow-up conversation:

SHE:  Thank you for your empathy.
ME:  No worries.  I’ve cried in class for a variety of reasons, and I thought you were really struggling with something.  Watching you brought tears to my eyes, and when I saw you wiping your eyes with the tissue, I thought the least I could do was get you a couple of hand towels.
SHE:  That was so kind of you, and I appreciate it.

While perception is not always reality, kindness never goes unnoticed!  At the end of the journey, it’s all LOVE, and hopefully LAUGHTER :)

 

Season of Giving

by Lisa Bautista on December 1, 2011 in Blog with 1 Comment

SEASON OF GIVING

Beginning Thursday, December 1 through Friday, December 30, The RRazz Room will celebrate its first annual “Season of Giving,” a benefit to raise funds for San Francisco Bay Area nonprofits making a difference in our communities.  100% of the proceeds will be donated.  Patrons will be asked at the end of each performance to donate whatever they can, in the spirit of love.  This year’s “Season of Giving” benefits the Bay Area nonprofit organization BREAD & ROSES.  Founded in 1974 by singer-songwriter Mimi Fariña (sister of Joan Baez), BREAD & ROSES brings hope and healing through live music to isolated individuals in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Every day, they bring the healing power of live music to children undergoing chemotherapy, teens battling substance abuse, families in homeless shelters, seniors nearing the end of life transition, and others living apart from friends and family while facing challenging times.  During the past year, with the help of 1,500 volunteers, they uplifted 28,000 individuals being cared for in 120 Bay Area facilities by presenting more than 600 live performances.  Visit the BREAD & ROSES website for more information:  http://breadandroses.org/
The RRazz Room supports Bread & Roses, and we hope you will, too.  Please give what you can.  We thank you in advance!
# # #

Thanksgiving Charities ~ 23 years of giving with host Gil Gross

by Lisa Bautista on November 16, 2011 in Blog with No comments

 


KGO Newstalk 810’s 23rd Annual Thanksgiving Charities

KGO Newstalk 810’s 23rd Annual Thanksgiving Charities fund-raiser kicked off October 24, 2011 and runs through mid-December.  This charity drive will benefit four Bay Area agencies that assist the homeless and hungry throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and is spearheaded by KGO talk show host Gil Gross.  In the past 22 years, KGO Newstalk 810 has raised over $4.7 million for the hungry and homeless.

Listeners are encouraged to donate by sending checks to:  Thanksgiving Charities, 900 Front Street, San Francisco, CA 94111 or donating online at KGOradio.com (http://kgoradio.com//Article.asp?id=2307930)

The benefactors for KGO’s Thanksgiving Charities are St. Anthony’s Foundation in San Francisco, St. Vincent De Paul of Alameda County in Oakland, Sacred Heart Community Service in San Jose and Fresh Start of Walnut Creek.

St. Anthony’s Foundation www.stanthonysf.org

St. Vincent De Paul www.svdp-alameda.org

Sacred Heart Community www.shcstheheart.org

Fresh Start Walnut Creek www.walnut-creek.org

The 23rd Annual Thanksgiving Charities drive is supported by Fremont Bank and Mancini’s Sleep World.

 

Behind The Scenes with Ottmar Liebert

by Lisa Bautista on November 12, 2011 in Blog with No comments

Five-Time GRAMMY Nominated Ottmar Liebert took some time to answer a few questions about his return engagement at The RRazz Room.  Ottmar Liebert harnesses the emotional fire and mournful tonalities of traditional Flamenco music, updates it with the subtle rhythms of Jazz and makes it widely accessible with the melodic song structures of Pop. The acoustic guitarist summed it up with the apt comment that Nouveau Flamenco is to the traditional variety what Bossa Nova is to Samba. But even the cleverest formulas are worthless without the animating spark of genius, a quality for which there is no formula, only serendipity.

LISA:  Welcome back to San Francisco, Ottmar!  I read that In May 2006, you were ordained as a Zen Monk by Dennis Genpo Merzel at the Kanzeon Zen Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.  How has your music changed since becoming a Zen monk?

OTTMAR:  I don’t have a good answer to that question. I haven’t noticed any particular changes, but other people might feel differently about that. I did not perform solo before 2006, but don’t know whether that is related.

LISA:  For this run at The RRazz Room, is the set list a highlight of your career, or are you focused on songs from, say, the past five years?

OTTMAR:  When I perform by myself I don’t use a set list. I play whatever comes to mind.  That said, on Thursday and Friday I played music from the past twenty years, as well as playing two or three pieces that will be on my next album. The album will be called “Dune” and should be released in the Spring of 2012. I have been recording since returning from our Summer tour and am really excited about the music we are making.

LISA:  As a music aficionada, I listen to music with my eyes closed, especially if I feel a strong spiritual connection.  As a musician, when you perform on stage, do you play with your eyes open or closed?  Please elaborate.

OTTMAR:  I usually play with my eyes closed, which makes it easy to concentrate on the sounds I am producing. I find that movement can be distracting, since we are programmed to react to movement – like having a conversation in a bar that has one or more big TVs – as soon as our eyes detect movement on the screen they will be drawn there, whether we like it or not. So yes, I mostly play with my eyes closed.

LISA:  What type of music do you listen to; specifically, which artists?

OTTMAR:  That changes constantly, but this past week I listened to Glenn Gould and Keith Jarrett’s performances of the first book of Bach’s well-tempered clavier, a whole bunch of music by the Temptations, a few songs by the band War, the new album by Stephen Duros, Rai music by various artists, but especially Cheb Mami – in other words, I am all over the map.

LISA:  What’s new on the horizon for you?

OTTMAR:  As I mentioned, I am working on a new band album that will be released in the Spring. In March I am doing a solo tour in Europe and a little later the band will tour the East Coast of the US and Canada. After that I am hoping to start work on a second solo guitar album and then we will be out for most of the Summer with the band – the western states plus Canada.

LISA:  Thank you in advance for taking the time to do this.

OTTMAR:  You are most welcome.

Three more chances to Spend An Intimate Evening With Ottmar Libert:  Saturday, 11/12: 7:00 & 9:30pm and Sunday, 11/13:  7:00pm.  The RRazz Room, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102.  For tickets and more information: 800.380.3095 or http://therrazzroom.com

Media Contact:
Lisa Bautista
JFM Presents, LLC

Ottmar Libert / Photo Credit: Joe Mozdzen


 

 

Set List: Todd Murray in “CROON”

by Lisa Bautista on October 26, 2011 in Blog with No comments

Photo Credit: Marina Rice Bader

Last night, Todd Murray made his debut at The RRazz Room with a musical journey of CROON: how the invention of the microphone forever changed the connection between crooner and audience. Murray provided backstories for songs from 1920 to 1988. The top quality of the overall presentation is what you can expect from The RRazz Room, and I highly recommend tonight’s final performance!

TODD MURRAY

in “Croon”
Mon-Tue, 10/24-25, 8pm
$30

The RRazz Room

222 Mason Street

San Francisco, CA 94102

For tickets and more information: 800.380.3095, or http://therazzroom.com

From swinging & crooning, to finger-snapping big band numbers, to gently caressing heartfelt ballads, Todd Murray’s smooth baritone voice can woo & wow an audience, sending them away with a swing in their step. Murray is one of today’s premier interpreters of the American popular songbook. He has performed to rave reviews at some of the most prestigious venues across the nation, including New York’s Jazz At Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Room, & Feinstein’s at the Cinegrill and Loews Regency.

Crooner/Songwriter, Jazz, Swing, Traditional Pop, Cabaret

BAND:
ALEX RYBECK ON PIANO
SEAN HARKNESS ON GUITAR AND UKELELE

STEVE DOYLE ON BASS

LOVER
Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, 1932, from “Love Me Tonight”

I WANNA BE LOVED
Johnny Green music, Edward Heyman & Billy Rose lyrics, 1933

WHISPERING
Richard Coburn & Vincent Rose lyrics, John Schonberger music, 1920

THE NEARNESS OF YOU
Hoagy Carmichael music, Ned Washington lyrics, 1937

LEARN TO CROON
Sam Coslow lyrics, Arthur Johnson music, 1933

YOU ARE TOO BEAUTIFUL
Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, 1932

DON’T GET AROUND MUCH ANYMORE
Bob Russel lyrics, Duke Ellington music, 1942
(originally an instrumental called Never Non Lament, by Ellington 1940)

YOU’LL NEVER KNOW
Harry Warren & Mack Gordon, 1943, from “Hello, Frisco, Hello”

PERHAPS, PERHAPS, PERHAPS
“Quizas, Quizas, Quizas” by Osvaldo Farres, 1947, Joe Davis English lyrics

I’VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN
Cole Porter, 1936, MGM movie “Born to Dance”

LOVE ME TENDER
“Aura Lee”, Civil War tune, 1861, George Poulton music, W.W. Fosdick music

CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOU
George Weiss, Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore, 1961, Movie “Blue Hawaii”

TODD TO PIANO
MICHELLE/
McCartney and Lennon, 1965

HEAR COMES THE SUN
George Harrison, 1969

IF EVER I WOULD LEAVE YOU
Alan Jay Lerner and Fred Loewe, 1960, from “Camelot”

THIS GUYS IN LOVE
Burt Bacharach music, Hal David lyrics, 1968

SWEET CAROLINE
Neil Diamond, 1969

I’M YOUR BOOGIE MAN
KC and The Sunshine Band, 1976 THIS IS JUST A QUICK REFERENCE

YOU’LL NEVER FIND (Todd to use Hand Mic)
Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, 1976

I’M YOUR MAN
Leonard Cohen, 1988

AND I’M LEAVING TODAY
Todd Murray lyrics, Alex Rybeck music, 2010

WHEN I SING LOW
Todd Murray, 2002

WHISPERING
Richard Coburn & Vincent Rose lyrics, John Schonberger music, 1920

ENCORE:
I Wish You Love/God Bless America

WHERE OR WHEN
Richard Rodgers music, Lorenz Hart lyrics, 1934

Opening tonight @ The RRazz Room: CROON

by Lisa Bautista on October 24, 2011 in Blog with No comments

(croon) 1. To hum or sing softly.
2. To sing popular songs in a soft, sentimental manner. 3. To sing intimately with a microphone.

Before the age of electified amplification, songs and the singers interpreting them were slave to confines of the room or hall they were performing in, and if they wanted to be heard, they had to sing, well, loudly. With the introduction of the microphone, a new style had to be developed, one that was intimate, a technique of singing as intimate as if you were singing in someone’s ear, a new technique that became known as crooning. Todd Murray’s CROON begins by Todd demonstrating to audiences the experience and the limitations of singing without amplification, then he steps up to the microphone, and a marked warmth and richness fills the room. A sigh of relief and comfort is felt in the roon, and everyone knows they are in good hands. The song selections begin in the 1920’s, then as crooning became popular (much to the dismay of older generations, voice teachers, and the church) Todd works his way through each decade to the present. With lush popular ballads, swing, latin beat, all with lyricists such as Berlin, Porter, Lerner/Lowe, Hal David, Leonard Cohen and even Mr. Murray h imself. Todd demonstrates that they all popular music has it’s roots in crooning. With the support of piano, bass, jazz guitar and back-up vocals, CROON is not merely a concert, it is an experience. CROON is back, but in truth, it never left us. Todd connects with conversational lyrics set to heartfelt tunes, and even though it is a public setting, he sings to you, and only you.

TODD MURRAY

in “Croon”
Mon-Tue, 10/24-25, 8pm
$30
The RRazz Room

222 Mason Street

San Francisco, CA 94102
For tickets and more information: 800.380.3095, or http://therrazzroom.com
Crooner/Songwriter, Jazz, Swing, Traditional Pop, Cabaret

All That Glitters IS Gold: Beverly Lee and CliC-Gold

by Lisa Bautista on October 21, 2011 in Blog with No comments

Ron Lando with Beverly Lee (Photo Credit: Lisa Bautista)

Opening Night of The Shirelles @ The RRazz Room (Photo Credit: Pat Johnson)

Call it serendipity: The Shirelles featuring Legendary Original Member & Co-Founder Beverly Lee were dressed in gold gowns for opening night at The RRazz Room. Prior to the show, I introduced Beverly Lee to Ron Lando, CliC CEO, and Hugh Power, Designer of CliC-Gold. The events that followed were truly unexpected, and I am thankful that we were able to capture it on video.


Video: The Shirelles Wear “CliC-Gold” Eyewear

Video: The Shirelles & CliC-Gold @ The RRazz Room

“When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream.” ~Paulo Coelho

The Shirelles feat. Legendary Original Member & Co-Founder Beverly Lee

by Lisa Bautista on October 14, 2011 in Blog with No comments

Photo Credit: Shawn Blair

Beginning as New Jersey schoolgirls, The Shirelles quickly became rock & roll’s first female super group and were the inspirations for a legion of female groups that followed. They are universally credited as the originators of the Girl Group Sound that is so beloved by the Baby Boomer generation. Their long string of hits, including “Soldier Boy,” “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” “Dedicated To The One I Love,” “Mama Said,” and so many others, have been recorded by hundreds of artists, including The Beatles, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton & The Yardbirds, The Mamas & the Papas, Bernadette Peters and Smokey Robinson.

Since their 1958 debut at the New York’s legendary Apollo Theater, The Shirelles have graced virtually every important stage in the world, countless supper clubs, discos, state fairs, hotel ballrooms and casinos.
They continue to thrill audiences worldwide with their high-energy show, An Evening With The Shirelles, that includes their many hits interspersed with a wide range of selections from pop, rock and soul to standards, gospel and country, mixed with spirited dancing and comedy, all done in the inimitable style that millions of fans have come to expect of the legend that is The Shirelles.

Visit The Shirelles on the Web at: http://www.theshirelles.com/
The Shirelles is a legally registered trademark in active use ONLY by Original Shirelle Beverly Lee. (Bevicorp)

The Shirelles feat. Legendary Original Member & Co-Founder Beverly Lee
Tue-Sat, 10/18-22, 8pm
Sun, 10/23, 7pm
$40-47.50
The RRazz Room
222 Mason Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
For tickets and more information: 800.380.3095, or http://therrazzroom.com

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →