MUSIC

Melissa Kassel – voice

Tom Zicarelli – piano

Bruno Raberg – bass

Phil Grenadier – trumpet

Gary Fieldman - Drums

On December 16th Melissa Kassel and Tom Zicarelli return to the Lily Pad for more mirth, music, and mayhem. Forget the shopping. Let the sounds and spirits lift your soul and light the darkest days of the year. Last month we heard new arrangements of Janis Joplin, George Gershwin, and a sleigh-load of original material. This month the group welcomes back percussionist Gary Fieldman along with Bassist Bruno Raberg and Trumpeter Phil Grenadier. Did somebody say Beethoven’s 240th birthday? "The Boston-based vocalist [Melissa Kassel] rarely, if ever, takes the standard approach to standards. Where the typical singer shouts, she might whisper; a passage usually taken quickly, she may stretch out like taffy. Yet it’s all in service to the improvisational moment being shared with her top-notch band: pianist Tom Zicarelli, trumpeter Phil Grenadier, and bassist Bruno Raberg." - Kevin Lowenthal, Boston Globe