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| Eric Comstock Opens New Music Venue Eric Comstock, hailed as "the heir to the cabaret throne" by Stephen Holden of The New York Times, performs every Tuesday night of the summer at an exciting new music venue, Café Noctambulo at Pangea. He will perform sets from 8pm to midnight. Pangea, a Basque restaurant in the East Village for over 25 years, is located at 178 Second Avenue between 11th & 12th Streets. Comstock, who has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and virtually every important nightclub in New York and across the country, is returning to his piano bar roots. "Hotel bars are where I learned how to entertain, and it is such a joy to have that spontaneous thrill of an audience of listeners to sing to, and take requests from, " he says, "and there's nothing more soul-satisfying than to sing whatever song you need to sing at a given moment." An acknowledged master of the American Songbook, Comstock is one of only a handful of singer/pianists who can command a room merely by sitting at the piano, singing and telling stories. In addition to his extensive knowledge of repertoire, Comstock has a seemingly unending supply of anecdotes about the songs, the writers, and the stars who sang them. His unique combination of musicianship, history and charisma creates an experience that is as entertaining as it is musically savvy, and his audiences feel they've been to a terrific party where the music and the stories have been equally great. Comstock's saloon-singer style has been compared to such masters of the genre as Bobby Short and Frank Sinatra, two of his idols. He co-wrote and starred in the successful revue OUR SINATRA, which began at The Oak Room of The Algonquin and ran for four years Off Broadway. With his enviable command of both pop and jazz repertoire, Eric performs and records with some of the world's finest jazz musicians, such as Andy Bey, Frank Wess, Houston Person, Peter Washington, Wycliffe Gordon, Dena DeRose, Bill Henderson, Matt Wilson, Ken Peplowski and Harry Allen. His fourth and most recent CD "bitter/sweet" is a collaboration with jazz guitar star Randy Napoleon. Other CDs include "No One Knows", "All Hart" and "Young Man of Manhattan". Comstock will be inviting celebrated colleagues such as his frequent collaborator, vocalist Barbara Fasano, to join him for a song or two. The entertainment policy at Café Noctambulo (which is Spanish for "night owl") will expand in the fall, and Comstock and the venue's Entertainment Director, Christopher Gines, hope its success will lead to a renaissance in the New York nightclub experience. For now, Tuesday night offers an elegant piano bar experience that recalls the best of New York nightlife. write your comments about the article :: © 2014 Jazz News :: home page |