Fifteen musical artists will be honored for their cabaret and/or jazz artistry at the 38th annual Bistro Awards gala on Monday, April 17 at Gotham Comedy Club at 7 PM.
As previously announced, jazz and cabaret performer Ronny Whyte will be presented with the ASCAP-Bob Harrington Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades of music making in the New York City area and beyond. Whyte is considered one of the premier interpreters of classic American songs. He has performed in such clubs as Café Carlyle, Rainbow & Stars, and the Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, as well as in larger venues in Manhattan, including Carnegie/Weill Hall and The Town Hall. He appeared Off Broadway in the hit musical Our Sinatra and has been an international headliner, performing in Paris, Tel Aviv, Sao Paulo, Caracas and Johannesburg. He’s also an ASCAP Award–winning songwriter, actor (Company, Pal Joey), and a prolific recording artist. His most recent album is 2019’s Whyte Witchcraft: Songs of Cy Coleman.
Honored with a special award for Enduring Artistry is another performer in the classic singer/pianist tradition, Daryl Sherman, who was honored by Hothouse magazine as “Best Jazz Vocalist” in 2015. She has played at such clubs as Birdland, Jazz at Kitano, Mezzrow, Dizzy’s and Iridium; has made several recordings and has performed overseas, including in the UK and Japan. Perhaps her most renowned gig was a 14-year run at Manhattan’s Waldorf-Astoria, where she played Cole Porter’s Steinway.
The Ira Eaker Special Achievement Award, named after the founder of Back Stage magazine (and the father of Bistro Awards producer Sherry Eaker), recognizing the achievements of an up-and-coming performer, will go to an artist who is helping to extend the tradition of singer/pianist, into a new era, Brandon James Gwinn. Gwinn brought his piano-bar experience and his wealth of musical knowledge to the cabaret stage in Four Pianos at 54 Below, paying tribute to Blossom Dearie, Frances Faye, Diana Krall and Bobby Short. When not entertaining in clubs, Gwinn is also an accomplished composer-lyricist and an experienced producer. He has recorded two solo albums: Bullit and Not Too Late.
Following is a complete list of artists who have attained outstanding achievement in 2022 and/or for their body of work:
DANNY BACHER / Singer/Instrumentalist
TIM CONNELL / Vocalist
TAWANDA / Jazz Vocalist
DANNY BOLERO / Musical Characterization (They Call Me Cuban Pete)
SCOTT F. MASON / Comic Characterization (One Dame Funny Night)
THERESE LEE / AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SHOW (Riding the Bus to the Red Carpet)
ANN MORRISON / SOLO MUSICAL (Merrily from Center Stage)
JOSEPHINE SANGES / TRIBUTE SHOW (The Funny Girl in Me)
ANN TALMAN / MUSICAL MEMOIR (Elizabeth Taylor and the Shadow of Her Smile)
MELISSA ERRICO / CONCEPT RECORDING (Out of the Dark: The Film Noir Project)
BEVERLEY CHURCH HOGAN / JAZZ RECORDING (Sweet Invitation)
MARK WINKLER / SINGER/SONGWRITER RECORDING (Late Bloomin’ Jazzman)
The evening’s musicians include the Bistro Award show’s resident maestro, Musical Director Daryl Kojak (piano), along with Ritt Henn (bass) and Rex Benincasa (drums).
Longtime BistroAwards.com critic Gerry Geddes will direct. Sherry Eaker, the former longtime Editor-in Chief of Back Stage and the producer of the event since its inception in 1985, heads up the BistroAwards.com roster of writers and critics. This team includes Gerry Geddes, Mark Dundas Wood (Associate Producer of the show), Penelope Thomas, Lisa Jo Sagolla and Betsyann Faiella.
Tickets range from $75.00 to $275.00. Ticket buyers in all categories are invited to the Bistro After Party as guests of the Bistro Awards. For details about the various ticket categories and early-purchase prices, visit www.BistroAwards.com. For additional information, call or text: 917-239-5467.
Gotham Comedy Club is located at 208 W. 23rd Street, Manhattan
