Sinatra in the Park @ SummerStage in Central Park – June 11th
Photos and Words: Jeremy Gordon
Central Park’s SummerStage officially kicked off the their summer season this past week with a multitude of artists coming forth to sing from the songbook of Frank Sinatra. Curated by impresario Michael Dorf, the sold out event helped to raise money for a variety of arts, sports and educational programs throughout New York City. With the weather breaking perfectly and such guests in attendance as NBA coach Jason Kidd, G.E. Smith and Roger Waters, the night was a huge success.
[Marc Cohn and Joan Osborne dance the night away]
Highlights of the evening included:
- Loudon Wainwright III with his amusing antics of drinking, dancing, smoking and antagonizing Mayor Bloomberg
- John Legend sharing his admiration for Frank Sinatra’s phrasing and then putting it to great use on It Was a Very Good Year
- Marc Cohn and Joan Osborne duetting and dancing on stage.
- Aimee Mann & Ted Leo & Andrew Bird combining their talents on Just One of Those Things
- And last but not least, Judy Collins’ classic performance of Send in the Clowns. (John Pizzarelli who was seated behind her was visibly moved)
Setlist:
Marc Cohn – Fly Me to the Moon/Moon River
Suzanne Vega – How Insensitive / Mack the Knife
Joan Osborne – I’ve Got You Under My Skin / Something Stupid
John Pizzarelli – Ring A Ding Ding / You Make Me Feel
Allen Toussaint – Lonesome Road / All the Way
Mary Chapin Carpenter – Nice and Easy/ The Wee Small Hours
Aimee Mann & Ted Leo – Just One of Those Things
Loudon Wainwright III – The Lady is a Tramp / For one my Baby
Andrew Bird – Fall in Love too Easily / Nature Boy
Judy Collins – Send in the Clowns
Bettye Lavette – Come Rain or Come Shine / My Way
John Legend – My Funny Valentine / It Was a Very Good Year / The Way You Look Tonight
Group Encore – New York, New York
Check out a full gallery of photos from the evening by Jeremy Gordon…
