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Friends,
Are the holidays as crazy for you as they are for me?
Between the parties, the shopping and the special shows,
it's hard to get it all done - which is why my newsletter is
a day late this month!
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It's a Holiday Hit!
 I
am so excited about the response we've been
getting for the holiday CD!
First of all, as I told you last month, the CD
(along with my other CD, A Little Travelin'
Music) was selected for the Nominating
Ballot for this year's Grammy Awards,
in the category of "Best Traditional Pop Vocal
Album" - one of only two holiday CD's to be
included on the ballot!
Next, San Francisco's
KOIT 96.5-FM - the
NUMBER 1 Adult Contemporary radio station in the
4th largest market in the US - added
the CD to their playlist rotation the week
before Thanksgiving. KOIT is the "Official
Christmas Music Station for the Bay Area", and
was rated the Number 2 station in all formats
during last year's holiday period. The program
director at KOIT told me that they have replaced
Vic Damone's version of "Christmas in San
Francisco" with mine in their rotation. They've
played it every day for the last two weeks, and
have been getting positive calls and emails each
time they've played it.
This week the CD was also added to the playlist
of "The Bay Area's Jazz Station",
KCSM 91.1 FM. KCSM will be giving away two
pairs of tickets to my CD Release Party at Jazz
at Pearl's, so if you're in the San Francisco
Bay Area, listen for your chance to win!
And the reviews are starting to come in!
Richard Banks of ChristmasReviews.com said,
"I was overjoyed to find Russ Lorenson's
What I Want For Christmas
in the mailbox. It blew in like a blue norther,
changing the atmosphere from warm to cool in an
instant...Indeed, cool is the word for this
piano and saxophone-laden sound..." (read
the full review here)
Rob Lester of TalkinBroadway.com wrote:
"To be honest, what I want for Christmas is
always What I Want for
Christmas or something like it -
meaning holiday songs I like that don't get
recorded as much, plus a singer being able to
surprise me with a fresh take on something
that's been overexposed. Russ Lorenson has done
it...This has been the album I find myself
coming back to..." (read
the full review here)
So how do you get a copy? Funny you should
ask...
The CD is now available at all of the major
national music retailers (Amazon, Barnes &
Noble, Virgin, Borders, CD Universe,
ArtistDirect.com, etc.), and you can order
autographed copies
through my website. For you mp3-ers out
there, the CD is available digitally on
iTunes.
eMusic.com,
Rhapsody.com, and
Napster.com.
Better yet - you can buy one in person and
have me autograph it at our blow-out CD Release
Party at Jazz at Pearl's in San Francisco on
December 14! Details are below...
You can
hear samples of all of the songs on my
website, and as a special treat for you faithful
newsletter readers, you can still get a free mp3
download of "Snow" by clicking on the link
below!
Download "Snow" (mp3) |
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Did I mention the CD Release Party?
 The
CD Release
Party will be held at
Jazz at Pearl's in San Francisco, one of the
top jazz clubs in the world:
Best Jazz Club in San Francisco -
7x7 Magazine
Top 100 Jazz Clubs in The World -
DownBeat
Top 30 Hottest Clubs Worldwide -
Condé Nast Traveler
Skip the Christmas caroling this year and spend
a cozy winter's evening with me and my fantastic
band celebrating the release of What I
Want For Christmas. From the swingin’ to
the romantic, there's something for everyone in
this "jingle jazz" collection!
To really make this party swing, we've got the
boys in the band - Kelly Park on piano, Reid
Whatley on bass, Tony Malfatti on sax &
clarinet, Brian Carmody on drums - plus I've
invited a couple of special guests to help us
celebrate! Jeff McNish, who's played guitar on
both of my CD's will join us at Pearl's to make
it a 5-piece band. And Alexandra Kaprelian, part
of the "Snow" quartet on the CD, will join me in
a duet of the Frank Loesser classic, "Baby, It's
Cold Outside". It's gonna be a blast!
We're doing two shows on Thursday night,
December 14, at 8pm and 10pm. Tickets are $15,
with a two-drink minimum.
Please don't wait to buy your tickets - these
shows (especially the 8pm) are selling fast, and
are sure to sell out! There are two ways to get
tickets:
1.
Click here to buy online through the Jazz at
Pearl's website
2. By phone via Brown Paper Tickets at (800)
838-3006. |
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TONIGHT!
"Happy Holidays...and All That Jazz!", a
star-studded Gala Musical Event and Silent
Auction benefiting the
Young Actors’ Theatre Camp Scholarship Fund.
My good friends,
Shawn Ryan and his partner
John Ainsworth are the program directors for
the
The Young Actors' Theatre Camp, a 6-day,
5-night intensive theatre training congress,
specially designed for young actors between the
ages of 10-18 years old who are interested in
the performing arts. An accomplished group of
Instructors and Counselors, remarkable Master
Class Teachers, and the brightest, most talented
students come together for an unforgettable
theatre experience!
Shawn and John are being honored at this event,
with all proceeds to benefit the camp's
Scholarship Fund.
Produced by Esses Productions (the marvelous
team that brought my Tony Bennett tribute to the
Dean Lesher Center last month) and hosted by
award-winning cabaret & theatre star Samantha
Samuels, the line-up includes such guest artists
as Shawn Ryan, Terese Genecco, ODC Dance
Theatre’s Private Freeman, and stage and cabaret
star Cynthia Myers.
The show is TONIGHT, Saturday, December 2, at
the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts in
Walnut Creek, CA. The Silent Auction runs
7pm-8pm, with the performance beginning at 8pm.
Tickets are $25 for General Admission, $23 for
Seniors & Youth, and $20 for Groups of 10 or
more, and are still available by calling the Box
Office at (925) 943-SHOW (7469).
Additionally, there is a 2-for-1 ticket discount
available for friends of the cast (that would be
YOU!). Simply call the Box Office and
mention the code "Cabaret Special."
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TOMORROW!
 ...both
Shawn and I will join such stars as Nancy
Sinatra, Broadway ("Mamma Mia!", "Sunset
Boulevard") and cabaret star Karen Mason,
"Phantom of the Opera" star Dale Kristien,
recording artist Jane Olivor, "American Idol"
finalists LaToya London and Anthony Federov,
comedian Rip Taylor, recording star (and Barbra
Streisand's half-sister) Roslyn Kind, and
jazz/cabaret goddess Wesla Whitfield for the
Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation's annual
holiday gala, "Help Is On The Way For The
Holidays VIII"!
"Help is on the Way for the Holidays" is a San
Francisco Bay Area holiday tradition and
benefits children and youth with HIV and AIDS.
This event celebrates the holidays of all faiths
at this time of year and promotes hope, caring
and compassion through holiday music. It
features a mixture of top San Francisco Bay Area
talent alongside internationally acclaimed
performers and includes a silent auction along
with a special wine and dessert reception with
the cast for premium level ticket buyers and
corporate sponsors following the performance.
The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation raises funds
for AIDS service provider agencies, primarily in
the San Francisco Bay Area, through the
production of quality entertaiment events.
Currently REAF produces three primary products,
"Help is on the Way," "Help is on the Way for
the Holidays" and the "One Night Only" series of
cabaret nights with the touring casts of
Broadway shows appearing in the Bay Area as tour
schedules permit.
This year's beneficiaries of "Help is on the Way
for the Holidays" are:
The Pediatric HIV/AIDS Program at Children's
Hospital Oakland
Lyon-Martin Women's Health Services
Project Inform
The event is TOMORROW, Sunday, December 3 at The
Herbst Theatre in San Francisco. The Silent
Auction runs from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm, and the
Performance starts at 7:30 pm. Tickets are
$45-$100, and can be ordered by calling the REAF
ticket and information line at (415) 273-1620,
or online by
clicking here. |
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NEXT WEEK!
The 5th Annual Union Square Holiday Stroll,
is this Thursday, December 7. San Francisco's
famed Union Square shopping district comes
together for a spectacular evening of holiday
sales, live music, and festivities for the
entire family! With more than 50 boutiques,
department stores, restaurants, and Union Square
merchants offering fantastic one-night-only
savings, the Holiday Stroll is the perfect
opportunity to get a jump on all your
gift-giving needs! Begin the evening by picking
up your Holiday Stroll shopping guide at the
American Express Holiday Stroll Pavilion on
Union Square, where you'll enjoy complimentary
holiday treats, live performances, caroling for
the entire family, and exclusive American
Express® Cardmember giveaways! Adding to the
evening's excitement, each of the participating
merchants will be offering an exclusive item for
silent auction, with all proceeds benefiting San
Francisco's
American Conservatory Theater.
The band and I will be performing as the
opening and closing act for this festive event,
with sets at 5:00pm and at 7:45pm, in the
American Express Holiday Stroll Pavilion. And
best of all - it's FREE!
For more information, visit the
Holiday Stroll website. |
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Christmas Eve!
 In
what's becoming an annual tradition, I'm
spending Christmas Eve performing at
Kelly's of Alameda. We'll be doing a special
version of the holiday show, paired with the
fabulous food of
Barceluna Restaurant!
Barceluna Restaurant has moved its
critically-acclaimed cuisine to the kitchen of
Kelly's of Alameda, one of the Bay Area's
hottest jazz clubs. Pomegranate Lamb Skewers,
Duck Tostadas, Chipotle/Guava Baby Back Ribs,
Lamb Tacos and the Seared Ahi with Avocado and
Cucumber "Tuna-Luna" are a mere preview of the
variety of flavors available at this secret
neighborhood gem.
 The
doors open at 6pm for dinner, and the show
starts at 7pm. The price for the dinner show
package is $40 per person - where else can you
get dinner and a show for that? Reservations can
be made by calling Kelly's at (510) 769-1011.
There are also a limited number of discount $30
tickets available through Goldstar Events by
clicking here. |
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New Year's Eve!
What are you doing New Year's Eve? Well, I'll be
singing that song, and many others, at "No
Resolutions! A New Year's Eve Cabaret."
Terese Genecco and I will be headlining this
private event, exclusively for the residents of
the
Rossmoor community. Rossmoor is a nationally
recognized and award winning senior adult
community located in the picturesque 2,200-acre
Tice Valley area of Walnut Creek, California. |
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2007!
2007 is shaping up to be even busier and more
exciting than 2006! I'll tell you more in future
newsletters, but for now, I'll leave you with a
couple of tidbits...
 I'm
excited to announce that I will be returning to
The Willows Theatre early in 2007, in a show
and role that I have wanted to perform since
seeing the original cast on Broadway in 1992.
I have been cast as Archibald Craven (first
played by Mandy Patinkin) in the Tony
Award-winning musical "The Secret Garden." This
is one of my very favorite shows, and I am
beyond words to express how thrilled I am to be
doing it! The show runs February 19-March 25.
 Benedetto/Blessed,
my tribute to Tony Bennett, goes back into
production, with performances in early 2007.
Over 1,000 people have seen this show since
we premiered it last July - and the critics have
raved about it:
"...Lorenson’s tribute is solid gold."
~ L. Pierce Carson, Napa Valley Register (read
the full review here)
"Lorenson sings these Bennett hits with
heart. You can tell that he really is into the
music – his soul won’t let him do anything else.
I might even go so far as to say that Lorenson
is possessed by Bennett’s hits."
~ Lee Hartgrave, BeyondChron.org (read
the full review here)
"Russ Lorenson has brought the crooner
style back to the cabaret scene...reminiscent of
those singers that I used to hear when the 52nd
Street cabarets were the cat's meow."
~ Richard Connema, TalkinBroadway.com (read
the full review here)
We are returning to The Hideaway Room at
Helen's in New York City with
two shows on January 20th & 21st, in
conjunction with the annual Association of
Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) Convention.
And on April 28th we return to the Napa Valley
with a show at
COPIA - The American Center for Wine, Food & The
Arts.
We're adding more dates all the time so watch
your email for a show near you, or check out the
calendar on the website! |
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Until next month...have a blessed and joyous holiday season!
Russ Lorenson
phone: (415) 674-3863
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