eva cassidy benefit..would love to know how it went

ANYONE?

Just got back...it was just amazing. I'll post a full review tomorrow, but i'm sure you'll hear more about it before then.

It was a mixed bag, thanks in part to the very large crowd in a very small space and very tiny performance area (I wouldn't exactly call it a stage). The heart was in the right place...

It's hard to comment on how the performers handled the songs because the beauty of Eva Cassidy's music is not only how she reinterprets classic songs with different arrangements but how hauntingly beautiful her voice is. So you're immediately thrown off by the fact that it's not her singing or at least I am/was.

Several of the performers, while possessing great voices, didn't seem to know how to handle the delicate grace of Eva's interpretations of the songs. I'm not sure if they were just putting their own stamp on things, or what, but it would seem in this unique case you would try to match the original as closely as possible since she never sang original songs.

There were some gorgeous interpretations though. Chief among them that stand out in my mind are Natalie Joy Johnson singing "People Get Ready" (she managed to do the one thing that I think everyone else didn't, get to the heart of Eva's music while still sounding like herself), Lisa Brescia's wistful "Time After Time", Cheyenne Jackson doing a melancholy "Danny Boy" which even made the waitstaff stop moving for a moment, Jenna Leigh Green's pretty and vulnerable "True Colors" and Kristin Rossi singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".

The rest of it was fairly unmemorable in my mind to be honest. Though Orfeh (who'd sung on her own earlier) and her husband Andy Karl dueted on "You Don't Know Me" (which was originally a duet with Eva and Chuck Brown) and sounded really great, I'm not sure I was on board with the interpretation of the song.

As for the title song of the evening "Songbird" which happens to be my favorite Eva Cassidy song, originally Eden Espinosa was supposed to cover it, but she was home sick so Scott Alan stepped in for her at the last minute. All I'll say is that he's a trooper, that boy.

ETA: I agree, the hosting was just bad. Thankfully Scott stepped in during the second act and at least made folks laugh (though probably not the best place for it, but it was much needed). I kind of feel like having known about this benefit for some time, there should have been better preparation.

---

Updated On: 2/1/05 at 10:11 AM

Not being a big enough Cassidy fan to endure standing around a space like Prohibition, I'm not sure I would have attended had I been on the East coast, (even for Orfeh) but I don't think I had to actually be there to know that Boxfives' review holds no water with me...You had some of the best Broadway singers singing Eva Cassidy and the ONE person you chose to single out was the actress from Sabrina The Teenage Witch? Are you joking?

Have you ever actually heard Jenna sing, Al Dente? I don't think she deserves to be blown off just because of her past TV credits. Her voice is actually quite powerful.

ETA: And for what she was singing last night, Eva's music, she was exactly what the music called for.

---

Updated On: 2/1/05 at 10:24 AM

Fair enough, but having seen Jenna sing many more things besides Bare, I totally disagree. Her voice is quite stunning.

---

And I do. Like you said Jeff, we'll never know. Again, wild horses couldn't drag me to that upper west side nightmare of a dive bar.

the whole point was to pay tribute to Eva and to raise money... and they raised A LOT of money, which classifies it as a success. I thought each performer seemed very involved and caring... and everyone in the audience recieved them well.

I understand boxfive... the place was small, but it was also because we had a huge turnout... which isn't a bad thing, haha.


And I'm sure Sabrina will come on if she wants and post the final amount that was raised... but it's pretty impressive

no, no one sang it