Cabaret Classics celebrates new big band album featuring De Lorenzo and the Tom LaMark Orchestra
McGRATHPR.com – Cabaret Classics announces the release of “Toast of the Town, Vol. 2,” the second big band album from Boston-based vocalist Brian De Lorenzo, available on CD and streaming on all mainstream digital platforms on Friday, April 24. The release features Tom LaMark and The Tom LaMark Orchestra, performing a swinging collection of tunes that reimagines time-tested standards with fresh interpretations. The album release will be celebrated with De Lorenzo performing in concert on Friday, April 24, at 7:30 pm in the Moonshine Room at Club Café, 209 Columbus Ave., Boston. Tickets are $30, available at clubcafe.com. Produced by Doug Hammer for Dreamworld Productions, with music direction and arrangements by LaMark, the new album features exclusive cover art by famed Vanity Fair illustrator Robert Risko.
“Toast of the Town, Vol. 2” spotlights beloved big band favorites associated with iconic midcentury vocalists, including Frank Sinatra, Edith Piaf, Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Nat “King” Cole, Barbra Streisand, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. Highlights include classics by Julie Styne (“Just in Time”), Frank Loesser (“Luck Be a Lady”), Cole Porter (“In the Still of the Night”) and three songs by master lyricist Johnny Mercer. Part of what distinguishes the album — and the April 24 concert — are the rarely heard verses and De Lorenzo’s inventive song pairings.
“One morning when I had awakened but was still in bed, ‘Just in Time’ was going through my head, but it morphed into ‘Fly Me to the Moon.’ A new song pairing was created,” De Lorenzo said. “And I include the verse to ‘Just in Time,’ which I’ve never heard anyone else sing.”
He also brings fresh structural choices to familiar material. “Take ‘Blues in the Night.’ Most singers use the structure of the original sheet music, but on one of the Capitol Sings recordings in my library, the lyricist of the song, Johnny Mercer, sings an ending that’s quite different from the sheet music. I decided to use Mercer’s ending; and I thought it would be fun to play with the time signature, so in the last third of the song, I alternate between 4/4 and 3/4,” he said. “It adds a bit of excitement.”
With De Lorenzo’s spirited vocals and LaMark’s masterful music direction, “Toast of the Town, Vol. 2” offers more than a nostalgic tribute. The album explores how the Great American Songbook continues to evolve while honoring its roots.
De Lorenzo — named Edge Media’s “Top Ten of New York Cabaret” and Talent America’s “Performer of the Year” — is an award-winning singer, actor and songwriter equally at home in nightclubs, concert halls and theaters. He has performed from Alaska to England and from the Mediterranean to Mexico, presenting programs spanning the Great American Songbook, musical theater, pop and contemporary cabaret. He created the cabaret show “Found Treasures,” later his first recording, featuring songs from lesser-known musicals. The album was nominated for Recording of the Year by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs. In 2022, he premiered his original song “Things Will Get Better,” written during the COVID-19 lockdown and released as a single the following year.
Critical response to his previous recording, “Toast of the Town Vol. 1,” was enthusiastic. Betsyann Faiella of Cabaret Scenes wrote that De Lorenzo “has contributed a timeless recording of Great American Songbook classics.” Rob Lester of Talkin’ Broadway called the album “nostalgic, romantic, buoyant, sincere and solid.” Bart Greenberg of Cabaret Scenes praised his performance of “Blues in the Night” at Don’t Tell Mama in New York City as “outstanding,” noting that his commitment was “totally satisfying.” In addition, “Toast of the Town, Vol. 1” was recently nominated for the Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs’ MAC Awards for the prestigious LaMott Friedman Recording Award, one of the organization’s only two recording honors.
De Lorenzo is featured on the original cast recording “Made in America: Vaudeville Songs,” a tribute to Judy Garland and the Gumm Sisters, in which he starred at Don’t Tell Mama. He is a founding member and former president of the Boston Association of Cabaret Artists and previously served as editor of BACA News. He also wrote about Boston-area cabaret news for Cabaret Scenes. He holds a BFA in musical theater from the State University of New York at Fredonia School of Music.
LaMark, a celebrated pianist, arranger, conductor and orchestra leader, is a graduate of Berklee College of Music with a degree in arranging and composition. Since his first professional job at age 13, he has built a lifelong career in music, including years in New York City performing everywhere from Broadway to the Rainbow Room.
He has accompanied artists including Aretha Franklin, Anthony Newley, The Smothers Brothers, Carol Lawrence, Al Martino, Rita Moreno, Bobby Vinton, Bobby Rydell, The Four Lads, The Four Aces, Donna Summer and Robert Merrill. He has performed with jazz greats Buddy Rich, Dizzy Gillespie, Phil Woods and Johnny Hartman, and in 2007 played at Carnegie Hall with soprano Karyn Levitt. In 2025, LaMark received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 25th Anniversary CabaretFest celebration in Provincetown.
“Toast of the Town, Vol. 2” will be available on CD and all major streaming and digital platforms. To purchase online, or for more information, visit BrianDeLorenzo.com.
About Brian De Lorenzo:
Named Edge Media’s “Top Ten of New York Cabaret” and Talent America’s “Performer of the Year,” Brian De Lorenzo is an award-winning singer, actor, and songwriter equally at home in nightclubs, concert halls, and theaters. He has traveled from Alaska to England and from the Mediterranean to Mexico, to sing for appreciative audiences. Brian enjoys performing a variety of music including songs from The Great American Songbook, musical theater, pop, and contemporary cabaret.
He created Found Treasures (a cabaret show, subsequently his first recording) which is primarily comprised of songs from lesser-known musicals. The recording was nominated for the “Recording of the Year” award by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs (MAC). In 2022, Brian premiered the song “Things Will Get Better,” which he wrote during the Covid-19 lockdown and released as a single the following year. Of “Toast of the Town, Volume 1,” Betsyann Faiella of Cabaret Scenes said, “Vocalist De Lorenzo has contributed a timeless recording of Great American Songbook classics.” Rob Lester of Talkin’ Broadway said, “Nostalgic, romantic, buoyant, sincere, and solid: that’s what you get with singer Brian De Lorenzo and his new album [Toast of the Town, Vol. 1].” Bart Greenberg of Cabaret Scenes said of one of Brian’s shows at Don’t Tell Mama, “De Lorenzo delivered an outstanding interpretation of “Blues in the Night” and found all the pain in the material. De Lorenzo’s commitment was totally satisfying and a reason to hope he returns to New York soon.”
De Lorenzo is featured on the original cast recording “Made in America: Vaudeville Songs,” a tribute to Judy Garland and the Gumm Sisters, in which he starred at Don’t Tell Mama in New York City. He is a founding member of the Boston Association of Cabaret Artists (BACA) and served as the organization’s president for four years, and was editor of their newsletter, BACA News, for more than four years. Brian wrote about Boston-area news for Cabaret Scenes, the international cabaret magazine. He holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from The State University of New York’s Fredonia School of Music.
About Tom LaMark:
Celebrated pianist, arranger, conductor, and orchestra leader Tom LaMark is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music with a degree in arranging and composition. Since playing his first professional job at age 13, Tom has made the music business his livelihood. In the 1970s, Tom lived and worked in New York City working everywhere from Broadway to the Rainbow Room. He has accompanied show business greats, such as Aretha Franklin, Anthony Newley, The Smothers Brothers, Carol Lawrence, Al Martino, Rita Moreno, Bobby Vinton, Bobby Rydell, The Four Lads, The Four Aces, Donna Summer, Robert Merrill, and many more. He has performed with many great jazz musicians including Buddy Rich, Dizzy Gillespie, Phil Woods, and Johnny Hartman. In 2007, LaMark had the pleasure of playing at Carnegie Hall with soprano Karyn Levitt. He is active in the Boston cabaret community acting as musical director, arranger and album producer for the region’s best performers. In 2025, LaMark received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the 25th anniversary “CabaretFest” celebration in Provincetown, MA.
