Deanna Bogart Brings Down the Roof at Vicky's in Indian Wells, CA

Jeff Olson, Deanna Bogart and Bob Gross

Chuck Alvarez

Composer/Vocalist/Arranger/Keyboard and Tenor Sax player, Deanna Bogart is bringing down the house aided by her talented band at Vicky's of Santa Fe every Monday starting at 6:30.  For those who have not seen Deanna perform,  she is a spinning domino of musical talents and energy.  She loves to perform and nobody does it better!  Deanna's musical tastes span many musical schools including Blues, R & B and Pop, but her love is for Boogie Piano.  I would guess that for most of you, it has been been a long-time since you heard Boogie Piano being played live. Also, my guess is you have never heard it played like Deanna plays it.  Her fingers move at an unbelievable rate of speed up and down the Keyboard, never missing a note or a beat!  It's fun to see the members of her band, all veteran Jazz players,  just watch with the rest of us marveling at her dexterity.  Her bandmates are the-always-wonderful Jeff Olson on Drums,  Composer/Guitarist wonder Chuck Alvarez on Guitar and the talented Bob Gross on Electric Bass.  Deanna is a test for these three veteran musicians as they never really know where Deanna may be going during a song because she is a free spirit and takes the music wherever she feels it's telling her to go.

Music has been Deanna's life from a very early age, and she never had a doubt of what she wanted to do the rest of her life.  It's very seldom that you have the chance to experience a musical talent with such energy like Deanna live and close up.  Now you get that chance every Monday night at Vicky's with no coverage.  Just one word of advice, get there early because when she performs there are no empty seats in the house!   She is a delight to see and hear.

I have attached a real treat for you.  This is a "Youtube" of Deanna performing live, one of her original compositions, "Still the Girl in the Band".   Fasten your seat belts and listen to this!

CD Review: Deanna Bogart's "Pianoland"

One of the brightest stars musically performing in the Coachella Valley this year is Deanna Bogart.  I first saw Deanna when she was playing her Tenor Sax with Pat Rizzo.  I thought she was good but I had no idea how talented she was until I saw her perform at Woody's a few weeks ago.  Deanna is a dynamo on stage and a lot of that excitement has been captured on her latest CD, "Pianoland".  On this CD, Deanna gets to showcase not only her wonderful Keyboard playing but also her marvelous voice and world-class composing skills.  On this CD, Deanne sings and plays with a blend of Country Rock and R & B.  But she also shows that her musical roots include music from years ago when she was learning her trade.  Deanna wrote 6 great songs for this CD.  The lyrics for these songs tell stories that are interesting, and I am pretty sure express Deanna's life experiences.  My favorites were Cut# 1, "In the Rain" Cut#4 "Couldn't Love You More" and Cut#9 "Pianoland".  Also included on the CD is Deanna's own styling of "Over the Rainbow" and  two fabulous Boogie Woogie classics, "Boogie Woogie Boogie" written by Errol Garner and "Death Ray Boogie" written by Pete Johnson.  My guess is that it has been a long time since you heard anyone play Boogie Woogie and Deanna's versions on this CD are hard to top!  Cut#6 "I Love The Life I Live" pretty much states how much she love her music. Deanne's songs are a perfect fit with her voice.

I highly recommend this CD!  Deanna is fun to listen to and this CD can give the listener a clear picture of all of her talents.  Interesting to note that Deanna has chosen to use both Electric Bass and Upright Bass in her band.  This produces a wonderful driving rhythm that supports Deanna's voice and singing style perfectly.

Deanna has selected a top-draw cast of supporting musicians for this CD:

Deanna Bogart: Acoustic Piano, Vocals, Arrangements, and Producer
Scott Ambush: Electric Bass
Mike Aubin: Drums
Dan Leonard: Guitar
Jeff Reed: Upright Bass

       Playlist
1. "In The Rain"
2. "On And On And"
3. "Boogie Woogie Boogie"
4. "Couldn't Love You More"
5. "Where The Well Never Runs Dry"
6. "I Love the Life I live"
7. "Death Ray Boogie"
8. "Over The Rainbow"
9. "Pianoland"
10. "Blues At 11"
11. "Close Your Eyes" 

I found a couple of "Youtube" videos of Deanna that will give you a good taste of the range of her talents.  The first one is a Boogie Woogie tune"Down The Road" with Del Pushcart on Tenor Sax. The second and third videos are of songs from her previous CD entitled, "Just A Wish Away": "If You Had Crying Eyes" a duet with Chris Jacobs and  "Just A Wish Away".  

                                               
                                               "Down The Road With Del Puschert"

                                                      "If You Have Crying Eyes"

                                                           "Fine By Me Good Bayou"

Deanna Bogart Brings Down the House at Woody's in Palm Springs

Chuck Alvarez, Jeff Olson, Bill Saitta and Deanna Bogart

Deanna Bogart

Chuck Alvarez

Jeff Olson

Steve Sarandos

                                                           Debbie Davies, Bill Saitta and Deanna Bogart

I first heard Deanna Bogart play Sax last year when she sat in with Pat Rizzo any played a few tunes.  I thought she was exceptional  talented and so did Pat.  No one sits in with "The Riz" unless they have some chops.  As soon as I found out that Deanna had a regular Wednesday gig at Woody's great Jazz Club in Palm Springs, I decided to catch her act.  I called for a reservation only to find out that her show was sold out.  I decided to call the owner of Woody's, Wayne Woodliff and ask if he would do me a favor and find me a spot.  I arrived at Woody's about 6:00 PM, one hour before the show, and the entertainment room was already packed.  I knew I was about to see and hear something special.  We were not disappointed as Deanna rocked the place from the first note she played on the Keyboard.  In addition to Sax, Deanna plays Keyboard and sings like a Blues angel.  Deanna loves making music and she transfers her love of performing directly to the audience that was totally captured by her performance.  Tonight, Deanna had invited a special guest, renown guitarist, Debbie Davies, to join her and the marvelous guitar wizard Chuck Alvarez,  everyone's favorite bass player Bill Saitta on Electric Bass and marvelous Jeff Olson on Drums.  I have never heard the level of excitement as high as Deanna brought it tonight.  She is a musical dynamo with unlimited energy.  Over and above that she exhibits "Sprezzaturo" with her incredible mastery of her craft and the effortless ability of her performance.

Deanna had always know what she wanted to do.  She posted the following on her web-site "Around the  age of six, she was "gently removed" from the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music for playing piano by ear instead of learning to read music.  While in middle school, Deanna yearned to play the Sax.  Typical of those times though, she was told, Girls play the Clarinet, not the sax."  Thankfully, nothing could stop Deanna from creating her own music.  Deanna has created her own style of music by blending the best of Boogie-Woogie, contemporary Blues, Country and Jazz into what she calls "Blusion".  It works for her and certainly works for her audiences who never stop loving her.

Deanna has several CDs she has recorded including her most recent, "Pianoland" that I intend to review soon.  Deanna and her talented bank own Woody's on Wednesday nights.  Don't wait to see her as she finishes her current Wednesday engagement  on January 21. I found a "YouTube" of Deanna performing one of her original compositions which will give you a taste of her talented voice.