Hey all,
Very busy here, auditioning for some stuff. Doing some new anime work. Putting concerts together.
I will be in Bridgewater MA on Friday at my alma mater singing for (what I believe) is a fundraiser for the theatre department. That should be fun...and then I'm very busy this weekend with some parties, etc...rough life.
I am also dealing with my landlord...ugh...makes ya hate living in this city. Anywho, gotta run, hope everyone is well. Check out my Jamie Recommends section for some fun crap to do!
Love, Jamie
with love from Jamie at 8:14 PM
WOOHOOO!
Congratulations to my friends Jeff Marx and Bobby Lopez on their INCREDIBLE RAVES from the NY TIMES for their show AVENUE Q! I've had the fantastic opportunity of hearing this show be written in the BMI Workshop. They are incredibly talented guys, and now they are certainly getting the recognition they deserve!
Go see Avenue Q!
Love, Jamie
with love from Jamie at 10:37 AM
Hey all,
Staying busy here in the city...
Monday was one of the best days I've had in NYC ever. I started with a rehearsal for "Isabelle...," then I went over to the BMI Workshop and sang a great song for Andrew Gerle, a very talented composer in the workshop. I then went to dinner with my friend Pat, another very talented composer whose work I have been doing for a while now, and for whom I will be singing at BMI next week. Pat then surprised me by taking me back up to ASCAP (where "Isabelle..." was being performed that evening) on his MOTORCYCLE!!! I was clearly the coolest guy in NYC... helmet and all. We went all the way up and around through Central Park. It was SOOO much fun. We then performed "Isabelle..." to a wonderful reception from some of NY's top theatre professionals. Then I walked over to the Supper Club's King Kong room and joined my friend Jim Caruso in celebrating Amanda Green's show at Second Stage and her CD Release. There were wonderful performances by Johnny Bucchino, Stephen Schwartz, my friend Brian J Nash, Lukas Steele, Natalie Douglas, Billy Porter and tons of others. I must say it was a most perfect day! Also at the party was my friend, Julia Murney, whose concert will be posted under the "Jamie recommends" section here. GO SEE IT! She is one of the most gifted performers we have here in NYC. Also, my friend Chuck Cooper will be doing a show at Don't Tell Mama's (also to be posted in the Jamie Recommends section). check it out!
I think that's it for now...I need to go to bed!
Love, Jamie
with love from Jamie at 2:12 AM
Hey there,
What a day! The strike has ended! WOOHOO! I got to see my brother's good friend, Kurt, who is a fantastic tenor with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus (performing at Carnegie Hall tomorrow). And Kurt took me to see a cabaret by his friend (actually childhood sweetheart), Julie Reyburn Check out her site! Buy her CD! Go see her perform whenever you can. She is not only one of the sweetest individuals I've come across in a very long time, but a truly gifted performer. Oftentimes you go to a cabaret and you feel a certain amount of very safe distance between yourself and the performer. Julie's candor with the audience and her honest, sincere charm make for a delightful evening of no-holds-barred, sheer fun. If that's not a rave, I've never read one! So don't miss her!
Also met Brian Nash this evening...I am hoping to work with him at some point in the near future. He played a quick set at the Duplex, in hopes to get a job there playing. They're insane if they don't hire him. Truly, an incredibly talented musician and incredibly funny performer.
I've also been rehearsing for the ASCAP musical, Isabelle...It's going very well, a lot of fun. I'm singing with Jamie LaVerdierre (covers Carmen Gia and Leo Bloom in Broadway's The Producers). I'm very anxious to see him stop covering people and become a big star in his own rite. So there ya go...thee people to really watch out for! Hope everyone is happy healthy and well!
Love, Jamie
with love from Jamie at 1:24 AM
Hey...
Lots going on here in NYC, as most of you know. I joined the picket lines tonight outside the Broadway theatres in support of the musicians' union strike. All of the Broadway unions have banded together behind Local 802. It seems the producers of Broadway shows want to do away with a minimum number of musicians in the pit, which will ultimately lead to more shows pre-recording their music. Putting hundreds of first rate Broadway musicians out of work and providing a product which is far less than first rate to the patrons of Broadway shows. Visit www.savelivebroadway.com and sign the petition, or call the number listed on the site and tell them that you don't want to hear canned music on Broadway...ESPECIALLY when they would still be charging you $100 if not more, for your seats!
In other news, I will be performing in an ASCAP Foundation Musical Theatre Workshop on Monday, March 17th and Wednesday, April 23 at 7PM. The show is called Isabelle and the Pretty-Ugly Spell...its actually quite a charming piece. For the first presentation, I will be playing several roles in the ensemble and on the 23rd, I will be playing the clutsy leading man, Clyde. I will have mor info on whether or not it is open, in coming days.
Hope all is well! Check out Raw Impressions Musical Theatre this week, featuring a new musical by my dear friend, Pat!
Love, Jamie
with love from Jamie at 1:07 AM
Hey there,
Me again. A little bit of news...well first off, I met a remarkable young man this past weekend, whom I forgot to mention in my last post...a singer from Wales named David Longden. He was over here touring as part of a small group sent here to promote Welsh tourism. So keep your eye out for him, and if you happen to be over in the U.K., look him up and see if he is performing anywhere. You'll be very pleasantly surprised.
I also saw Anne Runolfsson perform last night at the ARS NOVA Theatre on West 54th Street and New Jersey (You New Yorkers will understand that joke). She sang a tribute to the lyrics of Marilyn and Alan Begman. I believe she will be doing the show again at the Duplex soon. Check out her website at www.annerunolfsson.com. Please check it out if you can. She is one of the most underappreciated female performers we have in NYC. It's truly a blessing to hear her sing. DON'T MISS OUT!
I sang yesterday for the BMI Wokshop for composer/lyricist Howard Levitsky. It was a very fun song which he has been commissioned to write for a musical versio of Plautus' The Rope. The song was received very well and several of the other writers in the class requested my contact info to hopefully do some work for them in the future. And lo and behold, I got a call today from Joan Roth Sorkin who has written a musical which I will be performing in for the ASCAP Workshop on March 17th and then a fuller-length version of it in April. All I have been told is that the cast will be lead by Alison Frasier, so that should be fun! Anyway, I believe that's about it for now. Hope everyone is wel!
Love, Jamie
with love from Jamie at 2:56 PM
Wow, It has been a while since I've journaled. I've been pretty busy rearranging things in my life. Getting reacquainted with a number of people from my past. Planning a lot of concert/cabaret work for the coming months. I will be doing a few performances in coming months in Boston and at my alma mater. I've also gotten back in touch with my kindergarten and second grade teachers...Im not sure why, but its really thrilling to be in touch with them again.
I also attended a memorial service for Rusty Magee today. Rusty was a very talented composer and performer whose work I was first introuced to in Boston. He wrote a musical version of Ubu Roi for the American Repertory Theatre, called UBU ROCK. It was a huge hit and one of the most hysterical things I have ever seen on a stage to this day...primarily because of Rusty's contributions to it. I was then working at th Wilbur Theatre in Boston as the Ass't Theatre Manager when The Irish...and How They Got That Way came through. That's where I really got to know Rusty. We had some really nice conversations and got a very brief glimpse of who this guy was. I regret not having known him better, especially after the beautiful service today. It was quite clear how remarkable a person he was and the indellible stap he left on such a huge number of lives. Visit his website and buy his music www.sweetappreciation.com. He is an incredible talent who's memory will clearly live on through his work and the lives he touched.
On another serious note...Please see the banner ad on the welcome page and please make a donation (however small) to the AIDS Walk, May 18th, which I will be walking in with my friend, Sue Gilad. Sue walked in it last year at 8 months pregnant. I hope this year we are able to walk with her beautiful baby, Noa. So either pledge me or join our team and start collecting pledges yourself!
Jack will be performed at the York Theatre April 7...visit the York's website for details!
Love, Jamie
with love from Jamie at 12:37 AM