Palm Beach Pops 2009

American Songbook Spectacular

• November 4-5, 2011 at 8pm – Kravis
• November 7, 2011 at 8pm – Eissey
• November 8-10, 2011 at 8pm – FAU

Bob Lappin, Music Director and Conductor
Tony DeSare & Lynn Roberts, Guest Artists
Tickets $29 to $89

Tony DeSare

Singer, pianist and songwriter Tony DeSare was named a “Rising Star” Male Vocalist in the 2009 Downbeat Critics Poll. He has won critical and popular acclaim for his concert performances throughout the United States as well as in Australia, Japan and Hong Kong.

“With his dark hair, bright brown eyes and toothpaste smile that rarely fades,” raved The New York Times, “DeSare is one of the most promising young male performers. He is a Sinatra acolyte in his early 30s who sings Prince as well as Johnny Mercer.” According to USA Today, “DeSare belongs to a group of neo-traditional upstarts stretching from Harry Connick Jr, to Michael Bublé and Jamie Cullum. DeSare covers old and newer pop and jazz standards without smothering or over-thinking the material.”

Tony DeSare performs with infectious joy, wry playfulness, and robust musicality. His takes on classic standards and sophisticated original compositions have earned him a reputation as one of country’s hottest young singer/pianists. His sound is romantic, swinging and sensual, but what sets Tony apart is his ability to write original material that sounds fresh and at the same time blends seamlessly with the Great American Songbook. Tony has the capability to glide from a standard by George Gershwin to a contemporary classic by Bob Dylan or Phil Collins to one of his inventive original songs with ease.

With a sexy, distinctive sound, Tony’s 2007 recording, Last First Kiss, spotlights a refreshingly contemporary combination of originals and standards, from Prince’s “Kiss” and Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move” to classics like “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To” and Sammy Cahn/Jimmy Van Heusen’s under-recorded gem “Come On Strong.” The CD – which debuted at #5 on the Billboard chart and #3 on the Amazon.com ranking and also #2 on the iTunes jazz chart – was featured on NPR’s “Weekend Edition Saturday.”

He was personally selected by Sam Arlen, son of Harold Arlen, the composer of classic songs like “Over The Rainbow,” “Get Happy,” and “Stormy Weather,” to perform with the Duke Ellington Orchestra at Birdland for the recent Harold Arlen Centennial. His new big band show was presented by “Saturday Night Live” alum Joe Piscopo in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

Tony was born and raised in Glens Falls, New York to a musical family and began singing and playing professionally at 17. By the time Tony started college, he had opened for visiting headliners and built a large regional following playing to packed houses. The Tony DeSare trio was one of the most popular bands in central New York State while Tony attended Ithaca College. Tony and his band continually sold out shows in clubs and showcases throughout upstate New York. He took first place in the “IC Showcase,” a college sponsored national battle of the bands and was a semi-finalist in the MasterCardActs, a national talent search for college performers.

Shortly after moving to New York City in 1999, Tony was cast as the star of the long running Off-Broadway musical smash, Our Sinatra, in which he was praised by Variety for his “dapper charm.” In the fall of 2002, Tony performed at the legendary Apollo Theater where he first met jazz guitar icon Bucky Pizzarelli. Since then, Bucky has continued to perform with Tony’s band around the country. Tony was also featured in New York TV personality Bill Boggs’s Off Broadway show Talk Show Confidential at the John Houseman Theater.

DeSare’s noted versatility enables him to headline a variety of venues. He has performed at major jazz rooms like Birdland and the Blue Note with his quartet; posh nightclubs like the Café Carlyle and Feinstein’s at the Regency; with his big band in concert halls like Jazz at Lincoln Center; or with a 60-piece orchestra.

Lynn Roberts

Those of us who have been privileged to share musical moments with Lynn Roberts, are grateful that she has prevailed as one of the few stars to bridge the decades. Her dedication and success have provided us with a legacy of an endless flow of wonderful music from the Big Band era to the present. It takes only one short session with her to convince anyone that Lynn Roberts is their favorite singer, and one of the super songbirds of all time.

Lynn started her exciting career with Charlie Spivak at the age of 15. Songbird Roberts spent one year with Charlie, a year with Vincent Lopez, five years with Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, ten years with Benny Goodman and four years with Harry James. She also shared the spotlight with Sammy Kay for a year and a half, on the ABC-TV show “Music From Manhattan.” Lynn also sang with the Pied Piers for many years. Her career momentum led her to stellar performances throughout the United States, Europe, Japan and Israel. Many famous clubs became routine stops on her busy schedule; the Café Rouge at the Statler Hotel in Manhattan, the Coconut Grove and the Palladium in L.A., and the renowned Paramount Theatre in New York with the fabulous Dorsey Brothers and Frank Sinatra. Lynn’s distinction of being the only girl singer to have sung with all the superstar band leaders.

In 1978 producer Michael Bennett featured her as “Marlene” in the Broadway production of “Ballroom.” It was there that the critic Rex Reed said “Lynn Roberts sings like an angel, and the way she handles “Dreams”, the evenings best song, is a thing of pure beauty.

In recent years Lynn has performed with over 40 symphonies throughout the U.S. and Canada, featuring Lynn in major productions ranging from specials to Judy Garland, George Gershwin, Doris Day, Songs of World War II and tributes to Benny Goodman, Harry James, Frank Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey.

Lynn released ”The Men in My Life”, a CD dedicated to the superstar band leaders with whom she has worked.

Back in the 60’s, Lynn worked with another student of the legendry Tommy Dorsey. They were studio performers in New York City singing commercials and Doc Severensen blowing his trumpet in the background. Like Lynn, he paid his dues in those recording studios and she and Doc became friends. After his retirement from the tonight show, Doc toured the world with his “Big Band” show and yes he chose Lynn Roberts as his featured singer. They are still performing with symphony’s here and abroad.

Well… she is still pretty as her pictures and enjoying the best “voice” of her career constantly winning over a growing number of fan club listeners throughout the world. Recently, she performed in England, and they gave a wonderful interview with the late Benny Goodman on the BBC Radio Network in London.

There has been considerable speculation as to the reason why Lynn Roberts has not become a household name among big band fans, even though she has enjoyed a wonderful career spanning over 65 years. The most probable answer is that her birth date put her on the music scene just at the end of the flood of recordings and radio shows which highlighted the era.

Make no mistake, the Songbird is still going strong and singing better than ever. Last year she released her new CD “I’ll Never Stop Loving You”, a collection of love songs that will pull the heartstrings. Lynn asked Doc Severensen to listen to it and, afterwards he insisted on writing the liner notes.

Over the last 20 years, Lynn has been asked to record a Christmas Album. Well, it is finally here! She assembled some of the all time great musicians, led by her musical director, an unparalleled pianist, Bob Alberti, along with one of the most versatile musical talents in the world, Bill Prince, coupled with a new and amazing young guitarist, James Hogan, also Charlie Silva, an incredible bassist and on drums, her very talented grandson Zachary Campbell. This recording will bring you joy, make you smile and maybe even shed a tear or two remembering some of your own Christmas’s from the past.

Once you have seen and heard Lynn and reflect upon the grand period called the “Big Band Era” you will place the name Lynn Roberts right at the top and consider yourself lucky to have found her at last.