American cabaret
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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In the United States, cabaret diverged into several different and distinct styles of performance mostly due to the influence of Jazz Music. Chicago cabaret focused intensely on the larger band ensembles and reached its zenith in the speakeasies, and steakhouses (like The Palm) of the Prohibition Era.
New York cabaret never developed along the darkly political lines of its European counterparts, but did feature a great deal of social commentary. When New York cabarets featured jazz, they tended to focus on famous vocalists like Eartha Kitt and Hildegarde rather than instrumental musicians.
Cabaret in the United States began to disappear in the sixties, due to the rising popularity of rock concert shows and television variety shows. The art form itself still survives vestigially in two popular entertainment formats: Stand-up comedy and the dark comic performances that may still be seen in the drag show and camp performances in the nation's GLBT community.
Cabaret is currently undergoing a renaissance of sorts in the United States as new generations of performers reinterpret the old forms in both music (see Dark Cabaret below) and theatre.
The Boston duo The Dresden Dolls (2000—present) describes their genre of music and performance as "Brechtian Punk Cabaret".
Famous cabaret performers:
- Karen Akers
- Mose Allison
- Joséphine Baker
- Kaye Ballard
- Laurie Beechman
- Tony Bennett
- Ann Hampton Callaway
- Liz Callaway
- Peter Cincotti
- Rosemary Clooney
- Nat King Cole
- Harry Connick Jr.
- Alan Cumming
- Sammy Davis Jr.
- Zooey Deschanel
- Bob Dorough
- Jimmy Durante
- Billy Eckstine
- Michael Feinstein
- Ella Fitzgerald
- Judy Garland
- Murray Grand
- Hildegarde
- Billie Holiday
- Lena Horne
- Etta James
- Norah Jones
- Eartha Kitt
- Nancy LaMott
- Peggy Lee
- Jay Leonhart
- Julie London
- Dorothy Loudon
- Amanda McBroom
- Susannah McCorkle
- Carmen McRae
- Bette Midler
- Liza Minnelli
- Gerry Mulligan
- Mark Murphy
- Anita O'Day
- Renee Olstead
- Mandy Patinkin
- John Pizzarelli
- Faith Prince
- Kenny Rankin
- Annie Ross
- Samantha Shelton
- Bobby Short
- Nina Simone
- Frank Sinatra
- Jeri Southern
- Barbra Streisand
- Elaine Stritch
- Jos Swinkels
- Mel Tormé
- Steve Tyrell
- Joe Williams
- Julie Wilson