Edinburgh, The Isle of Wight and back again……...

Well the Edinburgh Festival was marvellous. We all arrived in various states of jet lag form all over the world and lived in a flat in Leith, my brother in law Tim, Mirek my nephew, Vasily Senin the Russian director and John McDaniel my glorious collaborator on Come Together (The Beatles collaboration). We did a radio show together after he got off the plane, and amazingly he managed to play and sing, which is more than I would have done straight off a transatlantic flight. We saw a bunch of fabulous shows including Penny Arcade, David Benson's Boris World King, Todd Gordon's Sinatra show, some brilliant acrobats called Cirque La Roux and a truly hideous thing cavilled Velvet I think, I might have blanked the title we loathed it so much. If by chance I go to hell I am pretty certain they'll be showing shows like that. Here's some Edinburgh fun photos.

With Dillie Keane, Warren Lakin and Ronnie Golden after a show

With Michael Parker and legendary comedian Arnold Brown, with whom I won The Perrier Award in  the 1980s

It was absolutely great to do the Come Together set 3 times, and after each show to hang out with such fabulous friends, many of whom I've worked with over a 40 year period. Just gorgeous. Our apartment in Leith was near my old collaborator and fellow song writer and musician and dear friend, Michael Parker, and he found time for us to catch up, for which I was dearly grateful. We made this together years ago, the album's available here now at last for download

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/blue-devils/id974596330

and the video is here

And there was the doing of the new show. John and I found so much in it, and thank you again to the glorious Vasily for this wonderful photograph of us taking a bow together.

John McDaniel and I taking our bow in Edinburgh after Come Together at the Old Assembly Rooms.

We performed at the Old Assembly Rooms. Well, memory lane. They've made a mess of the refurb, trashing the old supper room and turning it into a Jamie's. The old Music Hall and Ballroom are shadows of their former selves and the studio that Todd played in was in one of those formats that prompt the question "Are you havin' a laugh?". Then came the news that the officialdom of Edinburgh is going to - not being content with the above - bring in "a variety of promoters" to programme the venue next year. What a rubbish idea. So they really are killing one of the most legendary of the old venues. It used to be the only performers' bar to be seen in, that Assembly Bar. The deals that were done there. Gone. I despair at the idiocy of some planning and council decisions when it comes to the arts. Why not consult us? We know. Don't get me started.

For something much nicer here are some people I love.

Mirek my beloved nephew, Tim my brother in law, the gorgeous Earl Dax and Joey Arias's friend in a selfie of great joy after the show.




And if you forgot what the Come Together show is about……here's a taster, and there'll be a lot of chances to see it in the autumn in New York, San Francisco, LA and London. All dates are on my website at

www.barbjungr.com

Here's the taster…..Vasily Senin's fabulous film…..

And then I went on my family holiday. The Isle of Wight is a little island off the south coast of England. Rolling hills, cliffs and downs, heather heaths and headlands. We saw badgers at night eating from the waste bins on the sea front beside our apartment (I did take a photo but its so dark there's no point showing it to you, I know there's a badger there but digital photography failed me and I couldn't use a flash for fear of frightening the little fellow), bats danced over heads on dusk walks, foxes slunk across our paths, salamanders lounged on the wooden steps from the beach to the headland. It was alive! We visited a donkey sanctuary that was truly magical. We fell in love with donkeys. Who wouldn't? There was a falconry display, with kites soaring over us and falcons swooping down to grab tiny pieces of meat from the hilarious joke man and handler. We wandered around Queen Victoria's rural hideaway Osborne House wondering how you could have so much money and buy such hideous paintings, and ate seafood in Ventnor in the sunshine. Heavenly.

And every day I ran up to the headland and back, and watched the Needles change under the varying skies.

The Needles from my headland daily run

At night we walked the beach and watched the waves.

Dusk at Totland

Perfect holiday Totland Bay dusk at low tide

Now its back, and shows are looming. I'm at St George's Hall Bristol

http://www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk/event/barb-jungr-hard-rain/

and Chiddingly Festival with Hard Rain,

http://chiddinglyfestival.co.uk

 and then to the US to film the new album live at The Kate.

http://thekate.tv/artists/barb-jungr/

and after that there'll be a new blog, with any luck!

Come see us somewhere, we are all over the country and in October in Berlin. The USA this autumn and more.

Till then, happy autumn. Jeremy Corbyn elected leader of the Labour Party gives me hope for the future, as do the many people giving of their time and money to help those less fortunate on the move in mass migrations from the rest of the world to Europe. Its, I hope, a new dawn and a new day for more people, everywhere.

From the Queen's Hall, thank you Billy for filming this in 2012, sound not great but feeling good is the watchword.

and lest I forget a wonderful review by Alex Ramon of the Crazy Coqs Stockport To Memphis show last weekend on Boycotting Trends website.

http://boycottingtrends.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/concert-review-stockport-to-memphis.html

So a brilliant Namaste - which I say as a yoga practitioner and not as a noodle!

Barb

Connecticut The Beatles Shirley Jones new Video and more

So here we are, as the sun sets over Waterford public beach, and all the members of the 2015 Cabaret Conference head homewards, some of us to other continents, some to NY City, and what a wonderful 2 weeks we had.

On the rocks at Linda Mariani's party for us all at her gorgeous seafront house. 

The last couple of days went in a blur with the legendary Shirley Jones visiting us and performing and talking with us and giving us a window into her Hollywood life. What a dream of a woman - still gorgeous at 82, still singing, and so smart and witty. We all managed to crowbar ourselves into photos with her, I wish I'd have been in slightly more glamorous gear for mine, but it was in the middle of a teaching day…..thats my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Lennie Watts and I with the great Shirley Jones

A few days before we'd had a superb day off and we'd all been invited to Linda Mariani's beautiful waterfront home for cocktails and canapés and we'd stumbled over the rocks tipsy with sun and freedom.

That break was so welcome as the day before John McDaniel and I launched/birthed, whatever, our new Beatles collection Come Together. This is us at the encore. There'll be video soon. And here it is!

Thank you Vasily Senin for making this fab video of our new show.

At the encore of Come Together O'Neill Center, Waterford, Connecticut.

So here's some photos Vinnie took of the show

And here is Vasily Senin with Molly Pope and I after the Gala ending show.

With the wonderful Lennie Watts with whom I worked.

Lennie Watts and I.

And now its a few days of getting my head together and I'm off to mix the new album. So here's a taster shot from the session in July in New York.

Michael Olatuja on bass at Sear Sound NYC

And straight after  mixing I'm at the Edinburgh Festival doing 3 shows of Come Together with John McDaniel, have you booked yet?

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/come-together-barb-jungr-and-john-mcdaniel-perform-the-beatles

Last day of New York shows, new recording,filming ...the tale thus far….

Last Day of New York shows, new recording and the tale thus far….

and this is a rush job because I have to get to a soundcheck and the breeze is blowing and the sun's shining and its my last night at Joe's of this run, and its been beautiful being there. The staff, the sound and lights, the audiences…..gorgeous….and so many friends have popped by or will pop by tonight. And I've been on the Boardwalk with Pamela Lewis and seen friends and had a ball and after tonight start another chapter which will be in the next photo blog…….so here's the skinny so far…..

Calum Malcolm and I at Sear Sound

I'd spent a weekend after the first couple of brilliant Joe's nights recording in Sear Sound Studios with legendary producer Calum Malcolm at the controls, working with Laurence Hobgood, Michael Olatuja and Wilson Torres on what will become the next CD.

So tonight's the last of the Joe's Pub run and here are some fun things in no order at all.

Tracy Stark and Mike Lunoe outside Joe's Pub

OK and now, I am looking out of my window as I write and I can see the reservoir in Central Park that I only an hour ago ran around, slowly, to be fair, but with joy and zest. I may not be the fastest runner in the world but I am certainly one of the jolliest, spreading song and joie de vivre liberally among all I pass, and all who pass me, which from a running point of view is pretty much everyone else on the running track. Here are the views from the running track this lunchtime -

There have been some gorgeous moments at Joe's Pub with lots of friends dropping by, a handful of them are here -

Dr Thelma Reyes, Tonya Pinkins and I after the Joe's Pub show.

Joey Arias and Earl Dax popped by and one night we had a wonderful dinner, after which we were all in love with life and the city and one another……

Earl looking sultry and Joey and I looking cool despite the humidity and being generally hot…..

One afternoon I recorded a Russian TV show with Oleg Frish. He is a tour do force and no mistake.

Oleg Frish and I at his studios.

There was recording at our album rehearsals for a new TV series over here called The Kate which I'll have a full hour of in the New Year, here's the producer, Jennifer Boyd and I, during a singing break at Michiko Rehearsal Rooms.

Jennifer Boyd, series producer of The Kate, andy I at Michiko Rehearsal Rooms, Midtown.

There have been some nice reviews, too -

http://cabaretscenes.org/2015/07/15/barb-jungr-hard-rain-the-songs-of-bob-dylan-and-leonard-cohen-2/


http://www.newyorkcabarettoday.com/#!Barb-Jungr-Presents-a-Gripping-and-Fun-Hard-Rain-at-Joes-Pub-with-Songs-by-Dylan-and-Cohen/cmbz/55a93b430cf21636d300a172

And now I really do have to run to soundcheck….and sing. Otherwise there'll be no roof over my head nor food on my table…….have a great weekend, I'm going to Minnesota. More of that, next week!

Namaste, y'all, big summer love. Barb 

New Video filmed Live at Crazy Coqs and upcoming dates UK and USA

The wonderful Matt Lynch has just finished editing some of the live shows we have filmed this spring at Crazy Coqs in Soho, and here's the first, of Cole Porter's I Love Paris from April's Sunday residency show, where he filmed with Marcus Reeves and Justin Smith did the sound. Simon Wallace was on piano and Davide Mantovani on double bass. It was a fab night.

I'm hard at work preparing for both the new album which is recording in a month's time in New York with the fabulous Laurence Hobgood, and the new live show which I'm preparing with John McDaniel for both the O'Neill Cabaret Conference where we'll launch it on August 3rd, and the Edinburgh Festival here, where we'll do 3 shows in August.

http://www.arfringe.com/show/1821/come_together_barb_jungr_and_john_mcdaniel_perform_the_beatles

Barb and John McDaniel

Meanwhile I'm at The City of London Festival end of June with Simon Wallace and Davide Mantovani  singing Nina Simone and Hard Rain.

http://www.colf.org/whats-on/?EventID=1433

and

http://www.colf.org/whats-on/?EventID=1434

Exciting times. In New York there'll be 4 Hard Rain shows, and at The Rrazz Room in Hope, PA -

http://www.therrazzroom.com/event/43742db44410022407c6207103579d9f

and here's the Joe's Pub info

http://joespub.publictheater.org/en/tickets/calendar/playdetailscollection/joes-pub/2015/b/barb-jungr/?SiteTheme=JoesPub

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Namaste! Happy summertime……..

Back from New York, photos, wild spring stuff and Crazy Coqs….

It was still cold when I was in New York just over a week ago - I'd been rehearsing with John McDaniel in Long Island

Ice on pool so no swimming in Long Island when we were working, not this time!

and Laurence Hobgood in Queens, and staying courtesy of Beverly and Richard, Andy Goldberg's fabulous parents, opposite the Lincoln Centre. Even though my nose was to the grindstone constantly I managed to attend the MAC awards, sitting next to Billy Stritch and John McDaniel, Pamela Lewis and Bill Hurley were there, Stephen Hanks and a massive bunch of other cabaret chums. Lennie Watts hosted, and John and I presented two of our great mates with awards - Tracy Stark and JP Perreux both won their categories.

John and I had our photos done by the fabulous Rick Stockwell. Here are a couple

And there's - apropos of none of the above - a new channel intro filmed by Marcus Reeves The Web Coach on my youtube channel - check it out -

Gail was there, and Rick got a beautiful couple of shots of us together.

Gail and Barb at by Rick Stockwell

The fabulous Lennie Watts and I hosted a workshop with Tracy on piano.  Laurence took me to see Paul Taylor's superb dance company at the Lincoln Centre as Arianne Reinhart, his partner, is on their board. And I managed to sneak in an evening of fun and chat with Jane and Luka in the East Village, and another one with Andy and Maamoun in Hell's Kitchen.

The view from the rooftop at Andy and Maamoun's as night fell NYC March 2015

I ran into a bunch of people including Michael Barakiva at a reading of Carmencita Jones, (book my my mate Stephen Clark), and bought my mum an handbag and myself some terrific face cream. It was a very action/work/packed trip.

Returned to a wonderful Easter Sunday show with Simon Wallace and Davide Mantovani at Crazy Coqs.

Superb audience, packed house, my family and friends there, and a lot of wild crazy audience folks. We filmed the show and there'll be a superb film by Matt Lynch of it all soon. In case you forgot Matt made this of my version of Sweet Thames Flow Softly, music produced and played by Simon Wallace and Neville Malcolm. Here it is - spring love for all - Ewan MacColl's great song, packed with London place names……

And now back to April and all that it brings, and remember…. all you need is…..love……

Namaste! Peace and love to all. May your daffodils blossom and your heart be filled with joy.

And come to a concert - all dates here -

www.barbjungr.com

and we'll sing in the spring into summer - and don't forget to catch up with Eve Ferret and I on Passport2Pimlico Podcast.

Valentine's Night, spring, Julian Clary and old and new videos and podcastsBarb and Davide at The Purcell Room, Valentine's Night 2015…..

So happy today to see this Matthew Lynch Inside out film made for the BBC on youtube at last. Of course there's a bit in there where I'm a tad cross with time wasting, so thanks a lot Matt I-thought-you- were-my-friend for keeping that in! Lovely also that it shows rehearsals both with the fabulous Gareth Fuller and the Deep Roots Tall Trees choir, and also me with the band in rehearsal at Mark Brennan's studio, and the stage and the Corby audience at the concert and of course a few teeny tiny clips of us working with Antony Weeden and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Valentine's Night at The Purcell Room was a total joy. Sometimes it all just hangs together and you don't know how and you don't know why, it just does. It was one of those nights. Simon Wallace and Davide Mantovani played beautifully and the audience was terrific and the house was full. Essentially the force was with us, we were in the flow and coursing down the river of song. Glorious. And afterwards a bunch of us went to Ping Pong and ate our bodyweight in Dim Sum and drank it in prosecco. Here are some of the wonderful Habie Schwarz's photos from it all……

Barb and Davide at The Purcell Room, Valentine's Night 2015

Barb at The Purcell Room, Valentine's Night 2015

Grooving to Simon Wallace's piano at The Purcell Room, Valentine's Night 2015

There have been some lovely UK shows, too, In Didcot and Diss in Norfolk, and the Sunday residency at Crazy Coqs with my great mate Julian Clary was a triumph. Its always fab to go back and sing all those songs together again, but we put a couple of new country duets into the mix, and they were hilarious. We managed to share the dressing room, too - which for those who know the Crazy Coqs is actually a cupboard, and here's the selfie to prove it!

Julian and Barb hot to trot in the Crazy Coqs' hilarious dressing room.

And finally, I realised that there were a ton of fabulous songs on the Cheek2Cheek film Chansons Encore that we made ages ago when I had long hair, at New Greenham Arts, with their wonderful film production team. And they've found this rap I did years ago about Battersea Park, before singing the song "Where Are You  Now?" which I share since there's very little of my raps on youtube.

So. Its spring. I'm soon off to Barton on Humber to the fabulous Ropery Hall, and the new Rialto in Brighton to do my chansons.

http://www.roperyhall.co.uk/2014/12/08/barb-jungr-hard-rain/

http://www.rialtotheatre.co.uk/whats-on/music-events/barb-jungr

Hope to see you among the daffodils.

Till then,

subscribe to the youtube channel where you'll find everything

https://www.youtube.com/user/barbjungrsings/featured

and Namaste,

Barb xxx

Valentine's Day at the Purcell Room and talking Bob Dylan and podcasts

Tomorrow I'm rehearsing for The Purcell Room Valentine's special I'm doing - have you booked? Do, cos tickets are going fast now - and we are doing the best collection of love songs. I've titled the show my Funny Valentin - Songs For the Wild at Heart. Partly because my hearts pretty wild and partly because those are the kind of love songs I love above all, for example my version of Wichita Lineman, I Saw The Light, I Love Paris, Sweet Thames Flow Softly - its a brilliant collection of songs though I say it myself and the superb Davide Mantovani is on double bass with of course the wonderful Simon Wallace on piano. Here's info and tickets and all

http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/barb-jungr-my-funny-valentine-87920

My Funny Valentine - songs for the wild at heart - The Purcell Room, SBC, 14th Feb 2015.

Last Monday night I was at The Islington Pub, which is amazingly in Islington, to talk about Bob Dylan for near 2 hours with musician Sid Griffin, writer David Hepworth and DJ and journalist Mark Ellen. The room was packed to bursting. The Bobcats were there. We were united in our delight in, and  fascination with, all things Bob. Here we are afterwards the 4 of us, in the bar - surprise surprise -

Mark Ellen, Sid Griffin, Barb and David Hepworth at the Word In Your Ear Bobcast recording

David Hepworth's blog on more Dylan thoughts is here

http://whatsheonaboutnow.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/more-thoughts-on-bob-dylan-from-last.html

Gorgeous way to spend a freezing Monday night in London. Here's the big piece in the American magazine that gave a load of the Dylan new album away, for the Bobcats reading today -

http://www.aarp.org/entertainment/style-trends/info-2015/bob-dylan-aarp-the-magazine-full-interview.1.html

And afterwards film maker Mathew Lynch, performer and writer Kerry Shale, David and I went to Yipin, the Hunan Chinese restaurant around the corner, which has a very different menu to any Chinese restaurant I've ever been in, anywhere. Admittedly I've not been to your actual China, but I have eaten Chinese food in nearly every other town and country I've ever been in.

http://www.yipinchina.co.uk

Yipin, Islington

They have a really diverse and fabulous menu and you can eat jolly well if you're a veggie there, too. Or not. Either way.

And Kerry has a new show coming in March - the 2000 Year Old Man. Read about that, here - he's recreating the fabulous Mel Brooks Carl Reiner classic comedy routine at JW3.

https://www.jw3.org.uk/event/2000-year-old-man

And as I always like to end with a fab video. Here's one of mine. I'm in that kind of love song mood today. Here's MacColl's beautiful Sweet Thames Flow Softly filmed by above mentioned and wonderful Matthew Lynch.

Come see us at The Purcell Room, and laugh and cry and love with us on Valentine's.
Namaste,
Barb