-->Return to romance at
Michael Arenella's Sumptuous Sweetheart Soirée.
For our Soirée's sixth, swoonful year, we again have the pleasure of hosting at
the only rendezvous befitting - NORWOOD. "A home for the curious," the
landmarked 1847 mansion is a strictly private club. Enjoy a rare opportunity to
experience this stylishly bohemian hideaway as our guest.
Whether with an amour, wedded to one you adore, or hoping to meet the one
you're looking for, this promises to be an evening of enchantment and
delightful intrigue. Plenty of plush seating, room for dancing, artisanal
cocktails and an array of delectable hors d'oeuvres and sweets assure a most
divine affair.
A passionate programme of entertainment will be featured over four floors of
this lavish Victorian manse: MICHAEL
ARENELLA and His Sextet, your devoted host and beloved
bandleader
Jazz royalty, QUEEN ESTHER and Her Trio
Tap-dance darlings THE MINSKY SISTERS
Enjoy a dance lesson for both singles and doubles at 9:30PM with
The ever-dapper and undeniable adorable RODDY CARAVELLA
A cheeky portrait in our sweetheart kissing booth with your nibs
Cupid-approved cocktails alongside fabulous wines will be available.
For purchase at three unique bars, complimentary gourmet hors d'oeuvres.
And sweet treats will be featured throughout the evening.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH
DOORS AT 9PM
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT FROM 9:30PM - 1AM
ADMISSION: $90
ALL GUESTS MUST BE 21 AND OVER
FORMAL EVENING ATTIRE IS ENCOURAGED.
**ALL TICKET SALES ARE FINAL. NO REFUNDS AVAILABLE**
This is it -- the party of the season! -- and tickets are available now. Please note: I'll be performing with my quintet on June 14th and August 17th. See you on Governor's Island!
Please note: for this event, I'll be performing a program of Lady Day's rare sides on the third floor of this beautiful, well-appointed mansion with my trio -- Hilliard Greene (bass), Marvin Sewell (guitar) and Wayne Tucker (trumpet). Huzzah!
**ALL TICKET SALES ARE FINAL. NO REFUNDS AVAILABLE**
Return to romance at Michael Arenella's SWEETHEART SOIRÉE.
To celebrate the Soirée's fifth flirtatious year, we have, in
collaboration with ST-GERMAIN, chosen a most posh and exclusive
rendezvous point - NORWOOD, a perfectly preserved, landmarked 1947
mansion. A strictly private club, enjoy a rare opportunity to experience
this stylishly bohemian hideaway as our guest.
Whether with
an amour, wedded to one you adore or hoping to meet the one you're
looking for, this promises to be an evening of enchantment and
delightful intrigue. Plenty of plush seating, artisanal French cocktails
featuring St-Germain and wooden floors for dancers will assure a most
chic and intimate affair.
A passionate programme of entertainment will be featured over four floors of this lavish Victorian manse:
*MICHAEL ARENELLA and His Sextet, your devoted host and beloved bandleader *NICOLE RENAUD, the luminous accordionist and chanteuse *Jazz royalty, QUEEN ESTHER and trio *Tap-dance darlings THE MINSKY SISTERS
Enjoy a dance lesson for both singles and doubles at 9:30PM with the ever-dapper and undeniably adorable RODDY CARAVELLA.
A gorgeous gratis portrait in our St-Germain KISSING BOOTH.
Guests are welcomed with a complimentary ST-GERMAIN COCKTAIL. Cupid-approved
cocktails alongside fabulous wines will be available for purchase at
three unique bars. Complimentary gourmet hors d'oevres and sweet treats
will be featured throughout the evening.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15TH DOORS AT 9PM LIVE ENTERTAINMENT FROM 9PM - 1AM ALL GUESTS MUST BE 21 AND OVER BLACK TIE/EVENING ATTIRE IS ENCOURAGED.
when people ask me what i do for a living, it's pretty easy to say
that i'm an artist. things tend to get dicey when i am asked to get
specific. aren't you a jazz singer?
just for
the record: i'm classically trained (mezzo soprano), i've got a four
octave range (my highest note is e flat above high c) and i can safely
say that i've sung just about everything to pay my rent. girl group
stuff. light opera. musicals. blues. soul. gospel. rhythm and blues --
old school (the real stuff) and contemporary (which is really black pop
music). and yes, pop music. i've sung lead. i've sung -- and yes, arranged -- back-ups. why not? a gig is a gig, as far as i'm concerned. i find that people usually get snotty about what style of music they will or won't do when they are incapable of actually playing or singing it. but that's a whole other conversation.
my next album (yep, it's almost finished!) is going to be country rock. (for more details, please check out my discography.)
asking
if i'm a jazz singer is a fair question. if you see me at a gig with a
swing band, for example, it's a fairly easy assumption to make. but
saying that i sing jazz is like saying that i eat food. jazz is a kind
of technicolor behemoth, alive with pleasure and filled to the brim with
various and sundry subgenres that change and shift with any given
decade, musician, trend or feel that's copped along the way. jazz is a
road that never, ever really ends. it's just that complicated and it's
just that simple.
things get more layered and intense when you're creating the music and/or the work opportunities that let you perform the music. somewhere along the way, i fell so far down the rabbit hole as a vocalist that originated music and work situations that i found myself singing with michael arenella and his dreamland orchestra (1920s), james "blood" ulmer (harmelodics), the billie holiday project
(1930s) and my own trio/quartet/quintet (originals and standards)
amongst other set-ups, can you sit in tonight situations, wedding gigs,
organ trios, swing big bands, back up singer situations and what not --
all at the same time.
here i am, singing back ups with singer/songwriter joseph arthur on the david letterman show -- with mary worm, maya azucena and martha redbone.
one
thing is for sure: i have to look the part when i show up, whatever
that is. i can pull of the 1930s effortlessly and yes, the bombshell
look is not a problem. the 1920s, on the other hand, is especially
unforgiving because i'm not androgynous enough to pull of the essence of
the look and i'm not committed enough to wear a corset that flattens my
d cup chest. of course, all of this requires a great deal of research. i
find myself reading books and sifting through photographs to figure out
how to wear a brooch correctly, how to roll down my stockings, how to
style my natural hair or my wig just so. and because stylistically,
things change so drastically in a fast-paced decade like the 20s, i have
to be very specific when i'm digging through information about that
decade. needless to say, finding that just right dress is a must. i
don't mind the search. i'm a vintage girl.
it's not that i enjoy playing dress up and prancing around in vintage attire. well, yes -- i do enjoy it but that's not it. not exactly.
the truth is, i'm a theater actor. i do my homework. i research every
role. i cover all my bases. when i decided to take acting seriously, i
realized that i was a changeling, of sorts. i had a becoming thing with
everything i did, and singing was no exception. that's a part of the
reason why presentation is so important to me. the other part of the
equation is that the scene itself requires it. with most of the gigs i
do -- especially the 1920s gigs -- a bigger part of the work is showing
up dressed, as they say, to the nines.
this is me, inbetween sets at michael arenella's sweetheart soiree last month. (photo credit: mpb!)
and yes -- that's just the jazz. nevermind the other stuff. (please see paragraph 2.)
next up: what i do for a living, part 2: didn't i see you on tv?
We will be performing rare sides and well known standards from Billie Holiday's body of work. It should make for an interesting evening of romance and love.
More details:
Doors open at 7pm
Live entertainment from 8pm to 1am
Admission: $60
One complimentary glass of Prosecco upon entry
Complimentary hors d'oevres
All guests must be 21 and over
Black tie and evening attire is encouraged
Please note: This event will sell out. Tickets are limited. Please click here to get your tickets now.
