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| Russ Lorenson's tribute to Tony Bennett in New York Russ Lorenson returns to New York City with his show, Benedetto/Blessed: A Tribute to the Life and Music of Tony Bennett, for two performances only, at The Hideaway Room at Helen's. The shows are being presented as official Showcase events as part of the 50th Annual Members Conference of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, to be held January 19-23, 2007 in New York City. The best is yet to come as singer and recording artist Russ Lorenson honors American music icon Tony Bennett in his show, Benedetto/Blessed: A Tribute to the Life and Music of Tony Bennett. Lorenson's tribute to the man whom Frank Sinatra called "the best singer in the business" premiered in July 2006 as the opening act for the legendary Eartha Kitt and is currently enjoying sold-out runs across the country, including San Francisco's Empire Plush Room, Sterling's Upstairs in Los Angeles, and New York's famed Iridium Jazz Club. The show is musically directed by renowned jazz pianist Kelly Park and written by Lorenson. In tribute to Mr. Bennett, whose birth name translates to "blessed" in Italian, and his successful career spanning over five decades, Lorenson will perform an array of the crooner's hits in the warm and husky style of the star, including "I Left My Heart in San Francisco, " "Fly Me To The Moon, " "Because of You" and "The Shadow of Your Smile." "I find great inspiration in Mr. Bennett's music and artistic vision, " says Lorenson. "The Great American Songbook has had no greater champion, and I am honored to be singing Mr. Bennett's greatest hits." Russ Lorenson's passion for Broadway, pop and jazz began as a youngster, with a performing career that began at age seven. As a choral conductor and vocal coach, Russ was the Associate Conductor of the award-winning California Youth Chorale, and as an actor he appeared in musical productions with San Diego's Starlight Musical Theatre, Lyric Opera San Diego and toured with the National Theatre for Children. After a 15-year break as an executive in high-tech, Lorenson made a triumphant return to his performing career, appearing as an actor with various San Francisco Bay Area theatre companies, as a recording artist on the LML Music label, and as a concert and nightclub vocalist touring the US. With his quartet, Russ has quickly established a reputation as one of the San Francisco Bay Area's leading interpreters of jazz standards, with a sound and approach that place him at the intersection of Broadway, jazz, and pop - the very essence of the Great American Songbook. Lorenson's previous nightclub show, A Little Travelin' Music, played to sold-out audiences on both coasts. His debut CD, of the same name, was released in May 2006 on the LML Music label and features songs from the show and includes duets with special guests Shawn Ryan and Klea Blackhurst. His second CD, What I Want For Christmas, was also released on LML Music, and has received extensive radio airplay in major markets across the US. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |