A new twist on the ancient tradition of oral history.

SpeakEasy is people telling stories-- true stories. Period. No scripts. No crib notes. No rehearsals. SpeakEasy has a dynamic and constantly changing cast of storytellers that include such greats as Mike Daisey, Jonathan Ames, and Reno, along with homemakers, lawyers, dog walkers, street magicians and writers

You never know what you'll hear. So join us for what could be a life changing experience!

Peter Aguero's BTK BAND plays with Sexy Women telling Sexy Stories: Darlene White, Tracy Rowland, Cyndi Freeman, Jennifer DeMeritt & Michele Carlo!
 Cover $10   www.speakeasystories.com

For more than fifteen years, legendary jokesmiths Hecht, Josephson & Korman have been discussing, sometimes in the presence of the cafe's Minister of Culture, the notion of joke, not as an excuse for a punchline, but as the ever more refined telling of a story. Tonight we put this theory to the test.

Our text tonight is taken, not from Bergson, not from Freud, but from Groucho on his years of training in vaudeville:

"We learned the importance of delivery. One cannot pull phrases at random and sling them together in a sloppy manner with no consideration as to style. The suspenseful building of the structure toward the punchline will, hopefully, make the audience respond with laughter. These phrases must be carefully chosen and planned in order to gain the audience's response. It takes many years on the stage, in front of a live audience, to learn this art, to learn how to deliver those carefully chosen words in the most artless way. Finally, if you are dedicated enough, you learn, subconsciously, HOW TO TELL A STORY.

Cover: $8/$6 w/ Student ID   www.myspace.com/thebrooklynproject

Cellist Alexis Pia Gerlach has performed extensively as a soloist with orchestras and in recitals across the United States, as well as in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and South America. She has collaborated with conductors Mstislav Rostropovich, James DePreist and Peter Oundjian, and with The Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Fort Worth Symphony , the Charleston Symphony, the Lake Forest Symphony (Chicago). Her recording with pianist Fabio Bidini of the Franck and Rachmaninoff Sonatas is released on the Encore Performance label. With the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Ms. Gerlach performed solo cello music on a month-long tour of India and at New York’s City Center, and she has collaborated in a duo with New York City Ballet principal dancer, Damian Woetzel, at the Caramoor Festival. As a chamber musician, Ms. Gerlach has performed at numerous festivals including Marlboro, Aspen, Piccolo Spoleto and Caramoor, where she is a Texaco Rising Star. She is a member of Concertante, a string sextet based in New York City.

British pianist Simon Mulligan celebrated his début aged 19 at London's Barbican Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; a month later he recorded his first compact disc under the direction of Yehudi Menuhin. This led to a seven-year collaboration and friendship, culminating in what was to be Lord Menuhin's final concert in Dusseldorf, March 1999. Described by The Times of London as 'the most abundantly gifted of pianists', Simon performs and records internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. He has made over twenty recordings for compact disc, including performances of Martinu's Triple Concerto (conducted by Menuhin), Rozsa’s Spellbound concerto with the BBC Symphony conducted by Slatkin, Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition, his own Suite for Piano and Orchestra, the Beethoven Sonatas, and the Nocturnes of Chopin. As a chamber musician, Simon collaborates with many notable artists, including violinist Joshua Bell, with whom he has appeared at New York’s Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, Hamburg’s Musikhalle, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, the 2002 Grammy Awards, and a recent performance for President Obama at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC.. In other fields, Simon has supported Van Morrison, Dame Shirley Bassey and Liza Minnelli, and was invited to perform for Her Majesty The Queen and the Royal Family at London’s Royal Albert Hall.   www.SimonMulligan.com

Cellist Alexis Pia Gerlach has performed extensively as a soloist with orchestras and in recitals across the United States, as well as in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and South America. She has collaborated with conductors Mstislav Rostropovich, James DePreist and Peter Oundjian, and with The Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Fort Worth Symphony , the Charleston Symphony, the Lake Forest Symphony (Chicago). Her recording with pianist Fabio Bidini of the Franck and Rachmaninoff Sonatas is released on the Encore Performance label. With the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Ms. Gerlach performed solo cello music on a month-long tour of India and at New York’s City Center, and she has collaborated in a duo with New York City Ballet principal dancer, Damian Woetzel, at the Caramoor Festival. As a chamber musician, Ms. Gerlach has performed at numerous festivals including Marlboro, Aspen, Piccolo Spoleto and Caramoor, where she is a Texaco Rising Star. She is a member of Concertante, a string sextet based in New York City.

British pianist Simon Mulligan celebrated his début aged 19 at London's Barbican Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; a month later he recorded his first compact disc under the direction of Yehudi Menuhin. This led to a seven-year collaboration and friendship, culminating in what was to be Lord Menuhin's final concert in Dusseldorf, March 1999. Described by The Times of London as 'the most abundantly gifted of pianists', Simon performs and records internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. He has made over twenty recordings for compact disc, including performances of Martinu's Triple Concerto (conducted by Menuhin), Rozsa’s Spellbound concerto with the BBC Symphony conducted by Slatkin, Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition, his own Suite for Piano and Orchestra, the Beethoven Sonatas, and the Nocturnes of Chopin. As a chamber musician, Simon collaborates with many notable artists, including violinist Joshua Bell, with whom he has appeared at New York’s Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, Hamburg’s Musikhalle, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, the 2002 Grammy Awards, and a recent performance for President Obama at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC.. In other fields, Simon has supported Van Morrison, Dame Shirley Bassey and Liza Minnelli, and was invited to perform for Her Majesty The Queen and the Royal Family at London’s Royal Albert Hall.   www.SimonMulligan.com

Simon Mulligan
British pianist Simon Mulligan celebrated his début aged 19 at London's Barbican Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; a month later he recorded his first compact disc under the direction of Yehudi Menuhin. This led to a seven-year collaboration and friendship, culminating in what was to be Lord Menuhin's final concert in Dusseldorf, March 1999.

Described by The Times of London as 'the most abundantly gifted of pianists', Simon performs and records internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. His recent recording of Beethoven sonatas will soon be released on Sony Masterworks. His previous solo album for Sony Classical, “Piano” won great acclaim throughout Europe, South America and the Far East, and featured in various television, radio, and internet campaigns. He has recorded more than fifteen discs, including performances of Martinu's Triple Concerto (conducted by Menuhin)

As a jazz pianist, he has led several of his own groups since he was 13, performing at festivals throughout the UK, Europe, Shanghai and Barbados. His new jazz quartet album, “Playlist”, will soon be released by Sony.

James Weidman
A valued and talented pianist, James Weidman has been a sideman and accompanist in many settings over the past 20 years, from Abbey Lincoln and Steve Coleman to Kevin Mahogany and Joe Lovano. He has also proven to be an increasingly significant bandleader and composer. His most recent CD, Three Worlds (released September 2009 on Inner Circle Music), is arguably his finest recording to date.

James Weidman’s music fits into the modern mainstream of jazz without being predictable. With original chord changes and voicings, his mastery is demonstrated with various changes in rhythm and time.   www.SimonMulligan.com ,  www.jamesweidman.com