We Pay Tribute to Oscar Hammerstein II on April 30

SING! SING! SING!, the Upper West Side sing-in (we all join together in song, but you knew that), says It Might As Well Be Spring (we're ready and grateful!) with a tribute to lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, one of America's greatest songwriters.

With composer Richard Rodgers, Hammerstein wrote the scores for "Oklahoma!," "South Pacific," "The King and I," "Flower Drum Song," and "The Sound of Music," plus the score for the film "State Fair," from which our theme is derived. With Jerome Kern, Hammerstein wrote the landmark musical, "Show Boat," and with Rudolf Friml, “Rose Marie,” and with Sigmund Romberg, “The Desert Song.”

Join Anne Phillips (piano) and Michael Shepley (background on the songs) for some hearty fun -- belting such tunes (final rundown to be determined) as "Can't Help Lovin' That Man," "Climb Every Mountain," "Edelweiss," "The Folks Who Live on the Hill," "The Gentleman is A Dope," "Getting to Know You," "Hello Young Lovers," "Honey Bun," "A Hundred Million Miracles," "I Enjoy Being A Girl," "I Whistle A Happy Tune," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair," "It's A Grand Night for Singing," "June is Bustin' Out All Over," "The Lonely Goatherd," "Make Believe," "My Favorite Things," "Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'," "Oklahoma," "People Will Say We're In Love," "Sixteen Going On Seventeen," "Some Enchanted Evening," "The Sound of Music," "Stouthearted Men," "There Is Nothin' Like A Dame," and "Younger Than Springtime," among many others.

$10 cover; 2 drink minimum. Cash only, please. Reservations not necessary. Questions? Call Michael at 212-786-9064. Join our Facebook page for SING! SING! SING!

Happy Birthday, Nat King Cole!

Serenade Nat With His Own Hits at
SING! SING! SING! on Friday, March 12

The late pop balladeer Nat King Cole is serenaded by his audience of fans at SING! SING! SING!’s latest sing-in, Happy Birthday, Nat King Cole! on Friday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m. at The Triad on New York’s Upper West Side.

Co-hosts Anne Phillips and Michael Shepley will provide piano and anecdotal accompaniment, respectively, and the audience takes over. Lyric sheets are provided to keep everyone happily in sync.

Songs to be sung together will include “When I Take My Sugar to Tea,” “Straighten Up and Fly Right,” “Sweet Lorraine,” “Nature Boy,” “Ballerina,” “Pretend,” “Mona Lisa,” “Walking My Baby Back Home,” “Too Young,” “Route 66” and “Unforgettable,” among others. Cole’s birthday is March 17; his birth year has been reported as 1917 and 1919.

$10 cover; 2-drink minimum (cash only, please). The Triad is located at 158 West 72nd Street between Broadway and Columbus Avenue. Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 72nd Street. Info and reservations at www.thetriadnyc.com. Questions: Call 212-786-9064.

Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles was born on March 17, 1919 in Montgomery, Alabama (some sources give 1917 as his year of birth). He formed the King Cole Trio in 1939, and wrote the Trio’s first big hit in 1942, “Straighten Up and Fly Right.” With an exceptional voice and phrasing, he had three #1 hits: “I Love You (For Sentimental Reasons)” (1946), “Nature Boy” (1948) and “Mona Lisa” (1950). The Trio broke up in 1951, but Cole’s career soared, with 78 hit singles on the Billboard charts from 1944 to 1964, including “Too Young,” “Unforgettable,” “Pretend,” “Answer Me, My Love,” “Ballerina,” and “Send for Me.” Composer Hoagy Carmichael said Cole’s complete version of “Stardust” (released in 1957) was his favorite. He continued to record until his death from cancer in February of 1965.

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Celebrating the New Year with Songs of Joy and Optimism!

SING! SING! SING! ushers in 2010 with an evening titled "Hallelujah! Songs of Joy and Optimism." After all that's happened in 2009, let's sow the seeds for a great year with some great songs. Anne Phillips plays, Michael Shepley sets up the songs, and we all sing together ... and you get the lyric sheets to make it a pleasure to sing along.

Please note that our January date is rescheduled for FRIDAY, JAN. 29 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. We hope that our first-ever Friday night gathering will be a great opportunity for even more folks to participate in the joys of singing together.

Once again, we'll be at The Triad, 158 West 72nd Street, between Broadway and Columbus (it's located above the Turkish restaurant, one flight up). Cover is $10 with a 2-drink minimum (cash only, please).

On the bill for the upcoming evening are such great tunes as Accentuate the Positive, Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep, It's a Lovely Day Today, Pick Yourself Up, Pennies from Heaven, and Put On A Happy Face -- 20 in all! So warm up those vocal chords for a lovely evening of feeling good!

Questions? Call Michael Shepley (212-786-9064, or email shepleypr@aol.com) or Anne Phillips (212-580-2349, or email annep14@gmail.com).

SING! SING! SING! is on the East Coast after 15 years of monthly sing-a-longs at Ruth Price's Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles, founded and produced by singer Judy Wolman.

Come SING! on December 2!

We had such fun in late October "going places" that SING! SING! SING! welcomes you to our next performance, titled GOING PLACES 2! on Wednesday, December 2 from 7 - 8:30 p.m. at The Triad, with singer/pianist Anne Phillips and song devotee Michael Shepley as your hosts.

There are so many great songs about towns, cities, states, countries and travel that we've put together another bill of songs not duplicated from our last sing-in.

Get ready to warble Sentimental Journey, Shuffle Off to Buffalo, It Happened in Monterey, Take the "A" Train and many others.

One devoted fan (and we're equally as devoted to you, Amy) wrote, "Thanks for holding these utterly joyous and re-energizing and companionable evenings." And now we have one official "follower" on our blog ... thanks, Chas!

If you've got some suggestions for songs, become a follower of this blog or email us at shepleymichael@gmail.com or annep14@gmail.com.

If you're new to this blog or to SING! SING! SING!, we believe in reviving the great old songs (traditionally 1920s to 1950s, with some exceptions) with you. We have the place, the piano, complete lyric sheets, and some anecdotal information to start us off, but the fun is that everyone joins together in song. It really beats the blues.

The Triad is located at 158 West 72nd Street, between Broadway and Columbus -- right above the Turkish restaurant on the south side of the street. There are stairs to the second floor, but we can provide an elevator if needed. $10 cover; two-drink minimum (cash only, please). Need more information? Call Michael Shepley at 212-786-9064 or Anne Phillips at 212-580-2349. We can also tailor our material for birthdays, anniversaries or benefits -- everyone has fun.

See you soon! Bring friends! Let's get the holiday season going with a bang. (And mark your calendars for Jan. 6 for our next SING! night. We couldn't do it without you!)

- Anne and Michael

Coming on October 21 - "Going Places!"

SING! SING! SING! welcomes you to our next performance, titled GOING PLACES! on Wednesday, October 21 at 7 p.m. at The Triad, with singer/pianist Anne Phillips and song devotee Michael Shepley as your hosts.

The mind reels thinking of wonderful songs about places -- I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo, Sentimental Journey, Fly Me to the Moon, Chicago, etc. We're still making lists.

If you've got some suggestions for songs, become a follower of this blog or email us at shepleymichael@gmail.com or annep14@gmail.com.

We had a great time at the last SING, with songs about dancing. The crowd offered very smooth interpretations of Dancing in the Dark, It Only Happens When I Dance With You, and Begin the Beguine, and jazzed up the place with Let Yourself Go and The Joint is Jumpin'. We customarily sing about 20 songs, and the evening concludes at 8:45 or 9 p.m.

If you're new to this blog or to SING! SING! SING!, we believe in reviving the great old songs (traditionally 1920s to 1950s, with some exceptions) with you. We have the place, the piano, complete lyrics sheets, and some anecdotal information to start us off, but the fun is that everyone joins together in song. It really beats the blues.

One fan wrote, "Thanks for holding these utterly joyous and re-energizing and companionable evenings." Who could ask for anything more?

The Triad is located at 158 West 72nd Street, between Broadway and Columbus -- right above the Turkish restaurant on the south side of the street. There are stairs to the second floor, but we can provide an elevator if needed. $10 cover; two-drink minimum (cash only, please). Need more information? Call Michael Shepley at 212-786-9064 or Anne Phillips at 212-580-2349. We can also tailor our material for birthdays, anniversaries or benefits -- everyone has fun.

See you soon!

- Anne and Michael

Next SING to Feature Songs about Dancing on Tuesday, Sept. 22

After a lovely evening singing together about songs (the crowd did a magical Moonlight Serenade and The Song is You, among others), SING! SING! SING! - The Great American Songbook Sing-In will feature songs about dancing on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. at The Triad.

There are, of course, the beautiful songs from the Astaire and Rogers musicals -- Let's Face the Music and Dance, Cheek to Cheek, Let Yourself Go among them -- but there are a lot more, including Let's Dance and even Charleston.

We were amazed and gratified to see so many of you for the August performance ... the end of summer is unpredictable, but we had our biggest house yet! Thank you for all of your kind words and offers to bring friends. Mark Wednesday, October 21 for a future sing-in.

See the blog below for all location and contact information.

An evening in which everyone participates by singing together (using lyric sheets provided), SING! SING! SING! is hosted by singer/pianist Anne Phillips and Songbook devotee Michael Shepley. Brief, informative, and often humorous background about each song, its creation, and its lyric references is shared – then everyone sings the song together.

In lifting the spirits, and reconnecting the heart to songs from the past, SING! SING! SING! becomes, said one past participant, like “song church.”

See you in September!

- Anne and Michael

New Dates Announced!

Upcoming dates for SING! SING! SING! are now announced for the continuing monthly series at The Triad.

Please join us and tell your friends:

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

The fun begins at 7 p.m. and customarily lasts till 8:30 or 9 p.m. $10 cover charge and 2-drink minimum (CASH only, please).

The Triad is located at 158 West 72nd Street, between Broadway and Columbus. The place is an intimate performing space with an old-fashioned theatrical feel. The theatre is on the second floor, with an approach by stairs. If you need to use the elevator, please email Michael Shepley at shepleymichael@gmail.com so that we can make arrangements for you.

Questions? Email shepleymichael@gmail.com or call 212-786-9064 or 212-580-2349. Reservations: www.triadnyc.com