Blog

Hiatus No More - May 5, 2014 

I've discovered that having twins keeps you quite busy, leaving little or no time for music (besides lullabies)!  After a couple shows over the last few months though, I'm now starting to get back into the music world, and am motivated to keep it going.  I have a few shows coming up with Lolita's Way this summer. Check my "shows" page for upcoming dates.

A Night of Music @ 1927 American Bistro 

I can't get enough of Detroit Music!  There are so many talented musicians in this city, and the music scene continues to pick up, year after year.  Tonight, I went to 1927 American Bistro for the first time and had the pleasure of hearing Toty Viola (guitar), "Greco" Freeman (percussion), Gerard Gibbs (organ), and Brandon Williams (drums).  The entire joint was jumpin from their lively music, and I was lucky enough to be able to sing a couple tunes with them.  Definitely check out The Bistro if you haven't already.  www.1927americanbistro.com


Learning Portuguese through song 

Lately, I've been given the pleasant task of learning some Brazilian jazz tunes to sing with my friend/Brazilian jazz guitarist, Anthony Lanni.  His original songs are in English so those are easy enough to learn, but most of the songs I've been learning are, of course, in Portuguese.  This has proven to be a challenge.  The little Spanish that I know is barely coming in handy.  To me, Portuguese sounds more French-like with splashes of Spanish.  I'm starting to get the hang of how to pronounce certain letters I've never seen before just by constantly listening to Brazilian jazz artists.  One of my favorites is Marisa Morente.  What a great voice!   I find it especially interesting that I'm actually learning a little bit of Portuguese just by singing these Brazilian songs and repeating certain words over and over.  I think that'd be a great way to learn a foreign language - through song!  I'll get there eventually with the pronunciation.  In the meantime, I'm having fun learning.  So thank you, Anthony, for forcing me to stretch my limits and learn a new genre of music. 

Anthony and I will most likely be performing together the next time he visits Michigan (he currently lives in NY).  A recording of one of our rehearsals will be up on the site soon.

More info on Anthony Lanni:  http://www.anthonylanni.com/

HAPPY WORLD MUSIC DAY!  

Today is World Music Day. My kinda day! Music is such an important part of my life. I grew up with it in my home, singing and playing the piano with my family. To this day, one of my favorite things to do is to make music with my family and friends as much as possible. When I'm not doing it myself, I enjoy listening to other people make music. Music is the international language, and a very therapeutic one at that.

To help celebrate this happy day, here's a clip of an impromptu music session with me and accordion player, Joe Recchia, in my backyard. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQSOdkgL6Oo&feature=plcp

Continue celebrating World Music Day on Sat., June 23rd @ 7-10pm at Bean & Leaf Cafe in Royal Oak with me and Joe Pytel on guitar. (no cover; all ages welcome)

The Fête de la Musique, also known as World Music Day, is a music festival taking place on June 21. World Music Day is a day on which the world celebrates the magical gift of music. The idea of the World Music Day was conceptualized first in France in 1976 by American musician Joel Cohen who proposed an all-night music celebration to mark the beginning of the summer solstice.

My trip to Italy, MI 

To celebrate our five year anniversary, my husband surprised me with a wonderful dinner prepared by a personal chef in our home, as well as an accordion player, all while sitting by the pond, reminiscent of our honeymoon in Italy. It was such a wonderful experience! Joe Recchia, the accordion player, is such a great guy not only musically, but personality-wise. He played longer than the time he was scheduled to be there, and we have now become friends. I've never sung with an accordion player before, but I did that night and had a great time. Click on the link below to see a video of us playing/singing.  Very impromptu stuff, but it was a lot of fun. Can't wait to see what's in store for our 10 year anniversary...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQSOdkgL6Oo&feature=plcp

June 23, 2012 show added 

I'll be singing/playing with Lolita's Way on Saturday, June 23rd at Bean & Leaf Cafe in downtown Royal Oak, MI @ 7-10pm. See the SHOWS page for further details. Come on out for a fun summer night!

Clowin' around in the D 

Last night was spectacular!  I started the evening off having dinner with my husband at Angelina's on Broadway (Detroit).  http://www.angelinadetroit.com/  The gnocchi and the NY strip steak were excellent!  We've always had a good experience at Angelina's.  People were dressed for many different events going on that night (Tiger's game, the opera, Steve Winwood concert). 

We happened to be going to the opera that night, one of my favorite things to do.  The Detroit Opera House is a beautiful venue opened in 1922.  If you ever have a chance to see a performance there, take it!  http://www.michiganopera.org/

We saw I Pagliacci ("The Clowns" in Italian) written by Ruggero Leoncavallo.  What a delightful opera!  It was short (running time is 1:40 w/ an intermission), and to the point.  When the soprano hit those piercing high notes, or the tenor sang his mournful arias, tears filled my eyes.  The opera is a constant reminder of my father, a former Detroit opera singer himself.  He performed the two famous arias from I Pagliacci ("Vesti la giubba" and "No! Pagliaccio non son!") - very powerful music.  Here's Pavorotti performing these two songs:  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0PMq4XGtZ4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUe2OnXIBEg&feature=related


After the show, we stopped into Motorcity Wine, a happenin' wine boutique in Detroit (in Campus Martius)  http://motorcitywine.com/.  Skeeto's Funhouse was playing, which consists of some of Detroit's finest musicians.  They perform at MCW every Wed night around 10pm.  It's always a good time at Motorcity Wine!

All in all - a great night to remember.

5.18.12 show 

Gearing up for this Friday's show! We may have a special guest joining us as well, and we will be performing a few new songs. This is a "no cover" show, so hope you can stop by. Bring the kids!

Friday, May 18, 2012
Bean & Leaf Cafe in downtown Rochester, MI
(S/W corner of Main Street & University)
439 South Main Street
Rochester, MI 48307

Singing w/ Toty Viola 

Hung out at Lino's Italian Restaurant last night for an after dinner drink and dessert.  The great jazz guitarist, Toty Viola, happened to be performing.  He called me up to sing a few songs.  Very fun!  It's always a pleasure singing with great musicians, such as Toty.  You can see him every Friday and Saturday night at Lino's (50 West Tienken Road Rochester Hills, MI 48306)  http://www.totyviola.com/Index.html   I'm there a lot too, so you may see me as well.