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CABARET VILLE MAGAZINE. P184.

UNUSUAL DUOS! BY THE PAIR...

Karen Benjamin and Alan Chapman at STEINWAY HALL: SONGWRITERS AND THEIR SONGS

Karen Benjamin and Alan Chapman.

Multitalented and uniquely gifted, Karen Benjamin and Alan Chapman bring back to life the work of great American songwriters amid their own repertoire. One of the most fascinating part of their show is the exploration and storytelling  of the lives and times of composers and writers, including untold stories behind their songs. Alan Chapman goes one step further to illustrate the art and magic of creating the best of music and lyrics. A rare opportunity given to the audience to appreciate and understand the talents and secrets behind the creation of a great musical work. Don't miss their show. It is real treat and an enjoyable experience at many levels. In December 2005, The Los Angeles Times wrote: "On Thursday at Steinway Hall in West Los Angeles, they (Karen Benjamin and Alan Chapman) immersed themselves in the musical and lyrical sophistication of Cole Porter...What emerged from this colorful tapestry of song, enhanced by Chapman's intriguing anecdotes, was a sense of the length and breadth of Porter's talent. And if there's any justice in the world, it will eventually find its way to a CD, providing a valuable and immensely entertaining chronicle of the work of one of the most vital contributors to the Great American Songbook."

Benjamin and Chapman have performed at the Los Angeles Music Center, Westwood Playhouse, Ford Amphitheatre, Pepperdine University, Dallas Museum of Art, and New York's Town Hall, as well as numerous galas, benefits, and private parties. In 2000 they made their Carnegie Hall debut with Michael Feinstein. The show will take place at the Steinway Hall -Saturday, April 8, 2006, 8:00 p.m. 12121 Pico Blvd, WLA (one door west of Bundy) -- Level P2. In the Los Angeles Times, Don Heckman wrote: "A delovely evening of Porter treasures: Karen Benjamin and Alan Chapman mine the riches -- and the rarities -- of the Cole Porter songbook...Few performers understand the full extent of that treasure musical trove as well as the husband-wife team of singer Karen Benjamin and pianist Alan Chapman. Fewer yet comprehend the importance of looking beyond the great classics to find the extraordinary material that has either been dimmed by the passage of time, or that never made it into the spotlight. Benjamin, a gifted soprano who starred in the L.A. production of "Phantom of the Opera," and Chapman, a radio host on KUSC-FM (91.5), have always included offbeat items in their cabaret duo act. But recently they have embarked on a series of fascinating concerts illuminating the lives and the music of great American songwriters, with Chapman offering insightful commentary and Benjamin applying her versatile voice to familiar material as well as to songs that have not seen the light of day since they were written."

 

 

JANIS FINE AND JEFF WINTER: COME TO THE JEWISH CABARET

Janis and Jeff.

You got to hear Janis Fine and Jeff Winter sing a medley from Fiddler on the Roof or Yerushalayim Shel Zahav. Absolutely a real treat. Janis Fine's silky, well-cultured with a gypsy flair voice, and Winter rich and cabaret-caravan serail-concerto voice blend in utmost beauty and vocal harmony. This duo is the perfect formula for cozy parties, friends gathering, even ethnic festival. Jeff and Janis are a Chicago based duo who perform in many places and  at functions including  premieres, show openings, synagogue events, festivals, family gatherings, ad infinitum. Their repertoire is rich, for it includes gypsy music, cabaret, Israeli folklore, Jewish ballads and American standards.  Their music is as unusual as the way they met. Where did they meet? In a concert? No? On a Kibbutz? Guess again! On campus, for both are college professors. And here is their story in a few words.

A boy from Milwaukee discovers a love for Israel, Jewish education, and Jewish music—and becomes a professor of education at a university in Chicago. While a girl from the southside of Chicago is enamored with American musical theater and Jewish music—and becomes a professor of education at a university in Chicago.  For both, performing Jewish music was placed on the back burner. That is, until a funny thing happened on the way to a Hillel event. Introduced by Patti Ray, Chair of the citywide Hillel group, as "two singing profs who must meet", Jeff and Janis the musical duo was born "at last."  And what duo it is!