Various jazz artists will perform for a tribute to famous jazz vocalist Marlen VerPlanck. Marlene Paula VerPlanck was an American jazz and pop vocalist whose body of work centered on big band jazz, the American songbook, and cabaret. VerPlanck sang backup for Tony Bennett, Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, and Mel Torme, and she performed around the United States and internationally as a cabaret singer. Her solo career then began in earnest, and she released more than 20 albums, mostly on the Audiophile label, and toured extensively as a soloist. She specialized in the Great American Songbook, especially the works of Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, Cole Porter, and Richard Rodgers, and gained a reputation as one of the most accomplished interpreters of the genre. Performers Ben Cassara, Carol Fredette, Carrie Jackson, Daryl Sherman, Sandy Stewart, Boots Maleson, Jay Leonhart, Ron Vincent, Tedd Firth, Russ Kassoff, Tomoko Ohno, Ronny Whyte. Vocalist Ben Cassara has performed in many avenues including Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Kitano, the Metropolitan Room among others. Russ Kassoff is playing trio and solo jazz concerts, clubs, festivals, master classes, private parties, and continues to perform in concert as conductor/pianist to Rita Moreno with her heartfelt and sumptuous autobiographical show. In addition, he recently went into the recording studio as pianist/conductor/arranger for Tony Award winner Debbie Gravitte and the Russ Kassoff Big Band for an exciting and wonderful new recording called Big Band Broadway! which will be available in the not too distant future.
New York City, NY; NYC