Linda Eder Revisited Again For The First Time!

It's been a while since I put a post up.  I'm back in NJ now but I have had lots on my "To Do" list since I got back from the desert.  Being in the desert this winter gave me time to do some research of a few older CDs that I had missed, and I thought my blog readers might be interested in some of the gems I found. At the top of the list is a CD that was recorded by Linda Eder and released in January of 2008, "Greatest Hits".  If you love great singing and great Broadway standards you must, and I mean must hear this CD.  Linda's interpretations of some outstanding show-stopper Broadway tunes is nothing less than sensational!  In particular, I just can't stop listening to these four songs:

1. I Am What I Am, from La Cage Aux Follies

2. Someone Like You, from Jekyll & Hyde

3. What Kind Of Fool Am I?, from Stop The World

4. Over The Rainbow

Even if you heard these outstanding performances a while ago, they have lost nothing with age.  They are great performances by an outstanding artist.  Linda performs all over the country, and when she gets in your neighborhood, don't miss a chance to see her in person.

Dance The Night Away With The Johnny Meza Dance Band

Last Wednesday night, the night before we started our trip back to NJ, we had a great time at Bing Crosby's Restaurant listening and dancing to Johnny Meza's cool dance band.  We arrived early at 6:00 pm and thought we would be the first to arrive. However, we found that a lot of people already knew about this great party because the restaurant and dance floor was already full.

I think our readers already know about Johnny Meza's terrific act from Desert Sage but his performance on Wednesday nights at Crosby's is something you need to see.  Johnny gets to just sing and perform and he is really good at it.  Lots of fun for all ,and the dance floor is never empty.  The Johnny Meza fans come to dance and that's what they do.

Johnny's band consists of 4 outstanding sidemen: Al Lopez on sax and flute and in my opinion the best sax player I heard while in the desert, Donnie Beck on piano and key bass, Sal Frisuara on drums and Jack Pina on bongos. It's not easy to get to hear and dance to a dance band of this quality so don't miss the chance to catch this act.  If you are in the desert and going out to dinner on Wednesday nights, this is the place to be.

The "Other" Toni Curtis

 This Toni Curtis is not the movie star most of us remember.  This is the woman named Toni Curtis that shows up at the Desert Sage Restaurant many nights and sings a few songs with Johnny Meza.  Toni loves to sing and even though she has never had any professional instruction, she really does quite well. She sings because she has a love for good melodies and good lyrics and is a great supporter of the "Great American Song Book".   She has a great stage presence and infectious personality.  Keep singing, Toni, "The best is yet to come".
Try to catch her act, she sings whenever she wants to when Johnny Meza is at the keyboard at the Desert Sage Restaurant in LaQuinta.

Sharon Sills Excites The Regulars At Desert Sage Restaurant

We were at Desert Sage again this past Tuesday to hear more from Johnny Meza, and it was great fun for everyone who was there.  There was a small group of people celebrating the birthday of a women who was a very young 91 years of age.  She was all dressed up and still drinking and dancing the night away. I have to say again, one of the joys of living in the California desert is that no matter where you go, you see people of all ages living their lives to the fullest.  I think it all has to do with the "attitude".   Just because you are getting older doesn't mean you can't continue to have fun and open as many new doors as you desire.  And speaking about opening new doors, one musical door opened for me and a lot of others when a women in the audience named Sharon Sills stepped up to the microphone and sang three or four great songs, including "Over The Rainbow", "Wind Beneath My Wings" and the old time favorite, "Crazy".   It turns out that Sharon Sills has been performing in the Newport Beach area for over 25 years. I am so happy that I got to hear her and hope I get to hear more of her in the future. Sharon is another example of a great talent just not getting the public exposure she deserves.  She should be a major recording star.  She is the total package,  funny, confident, attractive and has a great voice. I understand that Sharon has a new CD called  "At Last" but I was unable to find it on iTunes. If I get any information on it, I will post it.  In the meantime, if you are in the Newport Beach area at VIlla Nova, or the Balboa Bay Club, make an effort to see if Sharon is performing, I can guarantee it will be worth the effort. You can get more information about Sharon from her site: www.ssills.com.  Sharon, the picture above is of one of my favorite roses, it's especially for you!

Johnny Meza Entertains at Desert Sage

Last week my wife and I had dinner at the wonderful Desert Sage Restaurant in La Quinta and while we were enjoying our dinner in one of the dining rooms, we heard some great music via the speakers in the room. At first we thought it was recorded music, but then we discovered that the great sounds were coming from the piano bar in a nearby room. After we finished our meal, we decided to go into the bar area to see who was responsible for the music we had enjoyed during our dinner. It's there we got to meet and enjoy more music from Johnny Meza.   Johnny plays piano and sings in a small area off the bar that also has a small dance floor. The whole atmosphere seems like a throw back to the Sinatra days when you could sit at the bar and enjoy live music in an intimate way that is very hard to find in 2010! Johnny's expertise enables him to play different kinds of music, but his roots are still with the Great American Songbook including many favorite Sinatra songs that he handles perfectly. Not only does Johnny play and sing, but he also entertains with his commentary that results in an immediate connection with his audience. And as it turned out, we were not the only ones that recognized Johnny's talents. While we were enjoying one of his songs, a long time resident of the California desert, a music legend in his own right and a long time Frank Sinatra favorite, Frankie Randall, walked up to say hello to Johnny and then sang a song with him. Frankie Randall's history with Sinatra goes way back to when Mr. Randall was playing at Jilly's Bistro. When Sinatra was in the desert, it was always Frankie Randall who was at Sinatra's home to play for his late-night, after-dinner parties. In addition, Frankie Randall is still one of the strongest supporters of keeping the Great American Songbook alive and well. After Frankie Randall, another member of the audience, a women named Tony Curtis, came up and beautifully sang a couple of great standards. This is what the California desert is all about. Great entertainers live here, and they support each other at the local restaurants. If you are in the area, Johnny plays at Desert Sage on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and also at Bing Crosby's on Wednesday. He is definitely worth seeing!

Live Jazz In The California Desert

As I have stated before in this blog, the area around Palm Springs California is the "mother load" for outstanding musicians and outstanding live music. Another example that proves this statement is correct occurred on this past Wednesday night at the small, but wonderful "Cafe des Beaux-arts in Palm Desert, Ca. My friend Steve Madaio brought together three other highly experienced professionals for the night so they could play the kind of music that they love. In my opinion, the difference between musicians playing music to suit their audience compared to when they play music they love is remarkable! That's what the result was on Wednesday night. Steve got to showcase some of his great trumpet skills on up-tempo songs and also got to play one of the "Top 10 Great American Songs, Here's That Rainy Day" for me. Steve said he had not played this great standard for over a year, but he had no problem playing with his usual extraordinary emotional approach. Seems to me that when Steve plays the great standards, you somehow don't miss the lyric because you can heard it in Steve's sound. Few musicians have the ability to play more than just notes, but all the great ones have the ability to inject the emotion of the lyric into the notes. Steve is certainly one of the greats.

I also want to note that the bass player in the group, Bill Saitta, put on a really impressive display of why the stand up bass will never be replaced by the electric bass. His ability to solo on the stand up bass was wonderful to see and hear. In another posting, I will highlight the keyboard performer in this group who needs more than just a couple of comments!

Gladys Knight Stars At McCallum In Palm Desert

Last night we were given a real musical treat by Gladys Knight as she performed at The McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert California to a sold-out audience. She was backed by a seven piece band and three "Pip-like" singers. Every new singer should be required to see Ms. Knight in action.  There is no doubt that she could teach a class in what it means and takes to have "Stage Presence".  From the moment she walked on stage, she connected with the audience and never let the attachment go from the beginning to the end of her performance. What a pro; what a voice; what a sense of rhythm!! She also brought her brother, the last living Pip, on stage to recreate his thing for the audience. It's a warm feeling to see big stars never forget their roots. Gladys Knight started her career at the age of 7 on the popular "Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour" and luckily for us has kept singing through the last 40 years.