Joining Monday Off's Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, Richard Roland and Raymond Sage will be Michael Cabe on piano, Mark Lau on bass, Ernesto Cervini on drums and Joel Frahm on saxophone. The group will be featuring tunes from its forthcoming CD, due for release this summer.
Performances play 8 and 10 PM. The group was praised by Skitch Henderson as having "exquisite taste, rich creativity, fresh ideas, spread over a palate of standard repertoire."
All four singers bring together years of experience in both musical theatre and jazz singing, "blending both worlds into one, forming a unique and exciting vocal jazz group." Inspired by vocal groups of the big-band era and of more recent years, Monday Off brings fresh and inventive vocal arrangements to a repertoire of standards, pop, jazz, Latin and vocalese tunes — and Broadway songs, as well.
One of their specialties is taking tunes from the Broadway musical and adding their style of swing and vocal harmony. These songs will play a large part in the repertoire at Sweet Rhythm.
Monday Off has appeared regularly in clubs in New York (Birdland, The Bubble Lounge, Chez Suzette, The C-Note), in clubs and festivals across the country, on television and radio — and the Broadway stage. They have appeared twice at Carnegie Hall to sing with The New York Pops. The group's first CD "Christmas Time Is Here," a collaboration with jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, was released in 2001. They recently completed recording their second CD which is due for release in the summer of 2006. To find out more about Monday Off, visit www.mondayoff.org.
Sweet Rhythm is at 88 Seventh Avenue South, between Grove & Bleecker Streets. Cover is $15 with a $10 minimum.