Happy Friday! Hope you're doing well -- this week I'm thrilled to share with you a peek at my new one-woman musical show, "Beyond the Frame" -- real and imagined stories based on the artwork of Ădouard Manet. This song, "Ennui," is sung from the perspective of the singer in "The CafĂŠ-Concert" (1879.) (I was able to call on some personal experience for this one.:)) We're hoping to bring this show to museums as soon as we can, as we build up steam for a fully produced/orchestrated off-Broadway...
11 days ago â˘Â 1 min read
Welcome to your pairing, and to a happy Friday. A few notes before we get to it! I'm thrilled to be singing a short program as the finale to a special benefit for Fort Tryon Park (in my nabe!) this Sunday, September 29th, in the tree-nestled Bonnefont restaurant. Come for wine, wooded wanders and a set with me, Ted Nash, Russell Hall & Adam Birnbaum. Find tickets here. A warm welcome to those joining us for the first time this week after our meeting "Beyond the Frame." I'm thrilled to have...
18 days ago â˘Â 2 min read
Welcome to your pairing, and to a happy Friday. Hope you enjoy this week's duo as much as I did! Juice When you think of white Burgundy, you're usually thinking of chardonnay. Unless you think a little more...in which case it's time to talk about aligotĂŠ. While not as popular, or as widely planted, as the famed chardonnay, aligotĂŠ provides lots of pleasure. I think of it as white Burgundyâs B side. Itâs also a more affordable way to get to know top producers â for instance, Burgundyâs lauded...
about 1 month ago â˘Â 1 min read
Happy Friday! I want to thank you if you took the time to answer the survey questions last week -- it's been SO helpful to me, and you'll be seeing changes that reflect your advice! (by the by, there's still time if you'd like to weigh in.:)) In light of what I've learned -- I'll be moving to an every--other week format for the pairing, which will make room for other fun things as we go. Without further ado... Juice Everything about Ficomontaninoâs âZacinta Reviâ 2022 Tuscan wine is...
about 2 months ago â˘Â 2 min read
Happy Friday! Welcome to your Friday pairing. As you'll read, I had an oenologically exciting week that I'm looking forward to sharing with you. Next week there won't be a pairing in your inbox, but rather some questions for you on how you're enjoying J&J and how I can make things even better. I'll be excited to get your thoughts! In the meantime... Juice Wineâs origins are ancient and humble â I mean, in old times it was safer to drink than water, and even as a non-hygienically motivated...
2 months ago â˘Â 2 min read
Happy Friday! Couldn't resist sharing a picture from Monday night -- it was a joyful, musically expansive night at Dizzy's, and so great to see those of you who made it out. Onto the pairing... Juice For some reason, rosĂŠ is a category that sometimes struggles to be taken seriously -- perhaps it's the easy style, it's usually being youthful, perhaps the color (as some kind of subtle aversion to the feminine? I wouldn't wonder...) Most rosĂŠs are fresh, easy sippers -- but that doesn't make...
2 months ago â˘Â 1 min read
Happy Friday! And happy August! This week's song pairing came out of my listening research for Monday's tunes I'm singing with the Ted Nash Big Band at Dizzy's -- for those of you who can't come, I'll explain next week after it's all gone down.:) Enjoy and cheers! Juice mon Dieu! It seems odd to recommend something based on what it isnât, or what hasnât been done to it. But I suppose in wine, as in art, whatâs left out is as important as whatâs in. This weekâs wine is a stunner because the...
2 months ago â˘Â 2 min read
Happy Friday! Hope you're looking forward to a great weekend. I've been working on the tunes for August 5th, tending to a sunburn and working on some new songs...but onto what I've been sipping on and listening to! Juice There is no discovery, really, in matters of wine. If somethingâs made by humans itâs already been some combination of discovered and created. However that doesnât stop me from feeling a sense of satisfaction, victory even, when I encounter something new and seemingly away...
3 months ago â˘Â 2 min read
Happy Friday! Hope you're looking forward to a great weekend. Oh, I'm too excited about singing with Ted Nash's Big Band at Dizzy's Club on August 5th not to remind you about it! Onto your weekly pairing... Juice Greatness in just about anything over time requires a paradoxical balance: that of persistence and consistency matched with innovation and reinvigoration. Too much of the former, things get a little stale; too much of the latter and things become unfocused and diffuse. Rioja is one...
3 months ago â˘Â 2 min read