Russ' Shows

Each show has three versions available for booking:
    - Two acts, total running time approximately 1:45, which includes a 15min intermission
    - One act, total running time approximately 90 minutes
    - One act, total running time approximately 65 minutes

The best is yet to come as Russ Lorenson honors an American music icon, the man whom Frank Sinatra called "the best singer in the business."

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, won 15 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.

"...Lorenson’s tribute is solid gold."
-L. Pierce Carson, Napa Valley Register

"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

"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

"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

"...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

An evocative excursion through the Great American Songbook with your host, Russ Lorenson...in this cleverly conceived and beautifully balanced program of jazz standards and obscure Broadway gems, Russ has assembled a unique nightclub show that takes audiences on a musical journey via the great standards of the 20th century. Backed by his jazz quartet and featuring songs by composers such as Cole Porter, George and Ira Gershwin, Johnny Mercer and Cy Coleman, audiences travel with Russ on wings of song...from London to Chicago, Paris to New York, and from Rome to San Francisco. It's a journey you'll always treasure...

"Russ Lorenson is a performer that is reminiscent of the old greats...His voice transcends mainstream artists and is placed in a category in itself, one where the world of acting and jazz are interchangeable entities in the music spectrum."
-Jennifer Herrera, The Juice Weekly

"Mr. Lorenson's superb vocals and easy-going manner made for an hour of pure entertainment."
-Stu Hamstra. Cabaret Hotline Online

"Why do the wrong people travel, instead of staying in town to see Russ Lorenson's show? Because they don't know how much fun they will have at this festive, fresh, musical trip around the globe with this lovely crooner!"
-Shaynee Rainbolt, 33 Jazz Recording Artist

Once upon a time, pop music was jazz, the hippest singers were also the most popular, and the elastic swing of jazz propelled feet as well as toes. But with the dominance of hip-hop, the fragmentation of the music audience, and the current distance of real jazz from the cultural center, it's easy to see why the Great American Songbook has been declared dead, if not at least on life support. Russ Lorenson disagrees, and has a show full of "new standards" to prove his point that well-written songs with meaningful lyrics are still being written today, just waiting to be interpreted by thoughtful, jazz-inspired vocalists. Standard Time explores the Great American Songbook of the New Millennium, featuring songs written within the last 20 years - the Standards of a new generation.

Skip the Christmas caroling this year and spend a cozy winter's evening with Russ Lorenson. With songs by such great composers and lyricists as Irving Berlin, Johnny Mercer, Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn, and Frank Loesser, there's something for everyone in this wonderful holiday show! From the swinging "My Favorite Time Of Year" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas", to the intimate and romantic "Christmas Waltz" and "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?", to the plain old ragtime fun of "If I Hear Another Song About Christmas," it's pure magic listening to these classics (some practically forgotten), dusted off and delivered with Lorenson's fresh delivery. With jazzy arrangements by Kelly Park, which vary from softly sweet to full-out swing, this show is full of delightful surprises to keep your Christmas merry and bright. What YOU'LL want for Christmas is to don your gay apparel and head over the river and through the woods to Russ Lorenson's holiday show, a new Christmas tradition!

"Russ Lorenson is a pure joy on any stage! He has such a warm, rich, relaxed voice that when he sings a ballad, you imagine being with your lover in front of a cozy winter fire...and when he swings, you want to hit the clubs and dance the night away!"
-Terese Genecco, 2006 MAC Award Nominee

Before Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini...before Clay Aiken & Ruben Studdard...and long before Taylor Hicks and Carrie Underwood were even born – there were Rosemary Clooney and Tony Bennett, TV’s first “American Idols.” Jenna Esposito and Russ Lorenson pay tribute to these icons of American music in their show, The First American Idols: The Music of Rosemary Clooney and Tony Bennett.

Before the world had Simon, Paula and Randy, Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, one of the first and most popular TV talent competitions, ran on CBS from 1946 until 1958. The concept for the show was that Arthur Godfrey had several "talent scouts" who brought their discoveries onto the program to showcase their talents. In February 1948, two new “discoveries” – Rosemary Clooney and Tony Bennett – competed against one another, with Rosie beating Tony, in what she described as “the only time I ever won anything against Tony Bennett.”

That competition sparked a lifelong friendship between the two singers, who were both quickly signed to Columbia Records, starred together on two different television shows in the 1950’s, and went on to brilliant solo recording careers. And as Mr. Bennett has said, "At the time Columbia signed us, Rosemary Clooney and I were really the first ‘American Idols.’"

Now, nearly 60 years later, Jenna Esposito and Russ Lorenson – solo artists recognized for their individual achievements in nightclubs, theatre and recordings – join forces to celebrate the lives and music of these two legendary performers. In Miss Clooney’s honor, Esposito brings to life such classic songs as “Come On-A My House,” “Mambo Italiano,” “Come Rain or Come Shine,” and the hauntingly beautiful “When October Goes.” In tribute to Mr. Bennett, Lorenson will perform an array of the crooner’s biggest hits, including “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” “Fly Me To The Moon,” “Because of You” and “The Shadow of Your Smile.” The pair will also duet on such popular American Songbook standards as “Exactly Like You,” “I’ve Got The World On A String” and “Fancy Meeting You Here.”

“Jenna Esposito...singing songs made famous by Rosemary Clooney, succeeded in putting her own stamp on a charming show, choosing a winning simplicity of style and focusing on the music.”
-Peter Haas, Cabaret Scenes

“Not only does Lorenson have the soul of the greats – Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and other dream crooners of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s – he has the band with him to really bring those decades to life...He was just tremendous.”
-Lee Hartgrave, BeyondChron.org