Rob Langeder, Jenna Esposito, me & Terese Genecco at
the debut of mine & Jenna's new show,
The First American Idols: The Music of Rosemary
Clooney and Tony Bennett
Finally, after months of back-to-back
performances, a little down time! It's amazing
(and exhausting!) to realize that it's only the
beginning of May and I've already given nearly
50 performances of three different shows so far
this year!
I was honored to have been nominated for a MAC
Award for my debut work in New York in 2006, and
while I didn't win, I'm thrilled that it was my
friend
Rob Langeder (pictured, left) who did.
Congrats, Rob!! (See? I told you you'd win!)
We've got a new promotional video of
Benedetto/Blessed, taped live at our
shows last October at the Dean Lesher Center for
the Arts in Walnut Creek, California. It's
embedded here in the email, but if you don't see
the little video screen, just click on the link
and you can see it on YouTube.
My musical director
Kelly Park and I are off to Nevada this week
for 2 private performances of
Benedetto/Blessed, and then (in theory),
I've got a little break.
That being said, I'm already booked into 2008,
so be sure to keep an eye on the website (and
your email) for updates!
As always, thanks for your love & support!
Russ Lorenson
Benedetto/Blessed
The best is yet to
come with new performances of my tribute to an
American music icon, the man whom Frank Sinatra
called "the best singer in the business."
About the show
He's
that regular guy from Astoria, Queens, who left his
heart in San Francisco. He's the civil rights
pioneer whose groundbreaking friendship with an
African-American Army buddy during World War II
caused his superiors to punish him by making him dig
graves. He's the postwar heartthrob who inspired
hundreds of young girls to wear black outside St.
Patrick's Cathedral on his wedding day. His first
music video - at age 67 - made him the darling of
the MTV generation. He's the consummate artist known
worldwide for his paintings. He's the recording
artist who's sold over 50 million records, 13 Grammy
Awards, and released the best selling album of his
career - at age 80! The world knows him as Tony
Bennett, but his birth name -
Benedetto - means "blessed", an accurate
adjective to describe both the man and his fans.
Here's what the press has had to say about my
tribute:
"...Lorenson's tribute is solid gold."
~ L. Pierce Carson, Napa Valley Register
"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
"Lorenson's voice is lighter than Bennett's...a
satisfying instrument for the genre of songs dear to
the heart of Bennett fans."
~ Peter Leavy, Cabaret Scenes
"...a handsome baritone with a lot of charisma...his
adoration for Bennett and that genre of songs is
admirable and the ingredients are all there."
~ John Hoglund, Backstage
"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
Upcoming dates for the show (click on a show to
get full details):
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!
Book me for your
private party or corporate event!
Though I stay plenty busy, I am available for
private parties and corporate events. If you or
someone you know is looking for a way to make
your event something to remember, give
Aaaartistes International a call at (212)
799-4814 and see how affordable live
entertainment can be!
In addition to
Benedetto/Blessed, there are three other
shows available for booking:
He's
that regular guy from Astoria, Queens, who left his
heart in San Francisco. He's the civil rights
pioneer whose groundbreaking friendship with an
African-American Army buddy during World War II
caused his superiors to punish him by making him dig
graves. He's the postwar heartthrob who inspired
hundreds of young girls to wear black outside St.
Patrick's Cathedral on his wedding day. His first
music video - at age 67 - made him the darling of
the MTV generation. He's the consummate artist known
worldwide for his paintings. He's the recording
artist who's sold over 50 million records, 13 Grammy
Awards, and released the best selling album of his
career - at age 80! The world knows him as Tony
Bennett, but his birth name -
Benedetto - means "blessed", an accurate
adjective to describe both the man and his fans.
