St James Infirmary cartoon --

This is the coolest. It's one hot version of the Gambler's Blues, and the cartoon is totally total. T.U.P. loves it!

Lola Astanova @ CarnegieHall -- A Superstar Is Born

 

Lola Astanova @ Carnegie Hall

(photo courtesy Matt Peyton, Getty Images)

Lola Astanova’s Carnegie Hall performance Thursday was a brilliant evening – though for awhile the seats around me seemed a midget shy of a scene in a Fellini flick. Fortunately, the music was so beautiful and so transporting that all else was subsumed while this talented and unforgettable young woman played.

The evening, a benefit for the American Cancer Society, kicked off with some speechifying. Donald Trump, who was awarded a lifetime appreciation award from the ACS, very generously donated $100,000 to get the evening rolling. (I’m still not voting for him.) Dame Julie Andrews was also honored for her work on behalf of the charity.

 Lola Astanova with 2 fans.

(photo courtesy Matt Peyton, Getty Images)

Then the Stonewall Chorale and Melodia Women’s Choir strolled down the aisles, filling the sold-out 3,000-seat hall with voices in song. They sang another number onstage, to the melody of Midnight in Moscow.

Miss Astanova is everything one expects from the press coverage and her online presence, and more. The planet is a better place due to her musical performances. Her music and her stage presence are beauty in its highest realization. Bravi, Lola!

Of course, I’m a ukulele playing jazz folk gangster, musically speaking. Dixieland is my genre. So my perspective is skewed toward enjoyment. And what a pleasure the music of Astanova is.