Janet Seidel's Doris Day tribute show
Janet Seidel presents her delightful celebration of the life and songs of Doris Day.
In her long film career Doris Day made 39 movies, 18 of which were musicals. Yet it is as a singer that she is most remembered. She recorded 650 songs many of which became popular in the standard repertoire. Songs like 'Secret love', 'Pillow talk' 'Somebody loves me' and 'Que sera sera' are forever associated with her sunny feel good delivery and pleasant sounding voice.
It is from this huge repertoire that JANET SEIDEL, one of Australia's most accomplished song stylists, has devised a one-woman cabaret celebrating the life and and songs of Doris Day.
Janet has often been vocally compared to Doris Day and her show, funny and poignant at times, is presented with the superb arrangements which are very much the hallmark of Janet Seidel.
Appearing with Janet in 'Doris and Me' is accomplished double bass player, DAVID SEIDEL - Janet's brother - ensuring that the material swings with the authentic jazz approach.
Janet's Tasmanian tour of 'Doris and Me' in November was a great success and a good time was had by all.
The tour covered Hobart, Launceston, Burnie and St Helen's - on the lovely Sun Coast, where these photos were taken at 'Mahogany Hall'.
The photos show Janet in full swing in her role as Doris Day.
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Janet Seidel presents Doris and me.
24th Nov 2001
Burnie Civic Theatre
Reviewed by Murray Lavelle
Janet is unquestionably one of our best known and respected Jazz performers.
This respect had been justified due to her ability not only as a singer but as an accomplished pianist as well.
It was with interest and curiosity that I approached this concert:
Why Doris Day? I was soon to find out.
Janet arrived appropriately attired and coiffured in the style befitting the Doris Day period.
The program presented a broad cross selection from Doris' recording and film repertoire.
From a musical point of view her trio was perfect: consisting of her brother David on double bass and Chuck Morgan on guitar. They did it all in the best tradition: they swung on the quickies, took well constructed improvised solos and when required on the ballads played sensitively.
Sound production was the tops. We were able to pick up on Janet's near-perfect diction and the crisp chords of Chuck's comping.
Thank you Janet, Chuck and David for such a delightful musical experience. The whole program was so professionally executed and Janet's commentary was informative, humorous and easy to follow. We have decided to catch up on some of Doris' old movies. I now look forward to seeing Doris Day in a new perspective.
Doris and Me
CD reviewed by Pete Hunt
UK magazine Sinatra
Dec 2001
Janet has sung with with some of the worlds best musicians. Like Doris she is equally at home with slow sultry numbers and has a great way with faster swinging arrangements.
Janet's version of Canadian Capers besides her great vocal shows her nimbleness on the piano keys.
Doris's swinging version of Lullaby of Broadway and Janet's track are hard to separate and Janet's piano backing is excellent.
Janet showed that she had the pathos to tackle Ten Cents a Dance .
The best tracks in this latest offering from Janet are 'I know that you know' and 'Crazy rhythm'.
The comprehensive accompanying booklet has a quote from Doris' singing teacher: a singer should master not only the technicalities of the art but also should always sing as if you were singing to one special person.
Janet has no problem there: just listen to her versions of 'I'll string along with you' and Ray Noble's 'The very thought of you'.
Another performer whose name should be in the Diva list is Adelaide born Janet Seidel.
Her Doris and Me has not been out of my CD player since it arrived.
A one woman show, this one focuses on the life and times of Hollywood legend Doris Day.
Seidel is fantastic in not only sounding like Doris Day but capturing her style perfectly.
An accomplished jazz player with several albums under her belt: this is highly recommended and will bring back very pleasant memories.
'With all the right nuances of phrasing, with the sunshine sincerity of the voice, it was like an uncanny channelling, done with great musicianship and love....the audience was spellbound'
'I first heard of Janet Seidel when a friend was visiting Sydney caught her act in a ritzy piano bar and raved about her performance, saying 'Just like Doris Day!'. The accomplished jazz singer has now created a special cabaret show to truly sing the praises of a performer who has all too often been relegated to the realms of camp'.
'For slick presentation and stylishness, Janet Seidel and James Morrison were at the top of the list. Seidel's Doris and Me oozed class in her soft swing recasting of Doris Day numbers with herself on piano and brother David on bass. Hers is a crystal clear voice that caresses, winks and weaves with sophistication'
'Doris and me is well paced. There is a good balance between the music and the stories and Seidel, a seasoned performer handles the songs deftly. Her voice, light but with an attractive hint of smokiness conveys the humour of the material and her piano playing has the muscle to drive the show forward'
The Queanbeyan Age on Friday May 26th, 2000
by Rama Gaind
This is a delightful celebration of the songs associated with Doris Day from one of Australia's most acclaimed song stylists.
The setting was the 'School of Arts cafe' in Queenbeyan, which is a charming intimate cabaret room.
The cafe has a website at http://cafe.showbuzz.com.au
Being a class act comes naturally to vocalist - pianist Janet Seidel.Performing to packed houses over 3 nights, the melodious magic of Doris Day shines through.
Playing the piano, Janet interspersed the song brackets with snippets of the trials and tribulations of the star's life.
Being an ardent fan of the singer - actress, it's easy to see why Janet is compared to the woman best known for movie comedy musicals in the 50s and 60s.
You don't have to close your eyes to feel as if Doris herself is centre stage.
Janet's 'Doris and Me' repertoire could not be faulted: the best of the old familiar standards were a joy to listen to. The medley of some 'cheesy songs' including Pillow Talk was memorable and the two songs from Calamity Jane were sheer delight.
To see this picture full size (8" x 5") please click HERE
Janet's CD 'Doris and me' was in the final nominations for best Cast/Show recording in the 2001 ARIA awards.
This is how David Schwartz reviewed Janet's
appearance at the June 2000 Cabaret Convention:
Janet Seidel. Singer/pianist, smooth song stylist... David Schwartz wrote in Cabaret Org:
I loved this act, but then I love Peggy Lee and Doris Day, and Janet Seidel can sound just like each of them and she performs with great charm. I could imagine her in a piano bar setting or playing to a small dinner. Janet has a show 'Doris and Me' which must be worth seeing.
Janet Seidel, performer in some of Sydney's finest hotels and veteran of several cabaret conventions, performed a beautiful set of songs associated with the career of Doris Day and made this material seem charming and unhackneyed. Though this was an excerpt from her show Doris and Me, Ms.Seidel managed to convince us that this performance could stand alone.
David Schwartz earlier reviewed Janet's 'Doris & Me' show
in the June 99 Sydney Cabaret Convention online review:
Last night was the opening night and the Cabaret Space at the Sydney Town Hall was filled. The night began with an opportunity to hear one of the really smooth piano and bass duos of this country, Janet and David Seidel.
This sister/brother team is one of the treasures of Sydney and should be heard more widely. The highlights for me were...truly elegant jazz styling by Janet Seidel, a cool professional with a sort of Barbara Carroll sensibility. She did a great rendition of Hoagy C's Skylark.
Get hold of a couple of their CDs and hear for yourself what artistry these two and their jazz colleagues are capable of.
Janet Seidel in "Doris and Me," with David Seidel on double bass. Following her sell-out season in May, Janet returns to the cafe with her delightful celebration of the life and songs of Doris Day.
Janet Seidel presents her delightful celebration of the life and songs of Doris Day. In her long film career DD made 39 movies, 18 of which were musicals. Yet it is as a singer that she is most remembered She recorded 650 songs many of which became popular in the standard repertoire. Songs like 'Secret love', 'Pillow talk' 'Somebody loves me' and 'Que sera sera' are forever associated with her sunny feel good delivery and pleasant sounding voice.
It is from this huge repertoire that JANET SEIDEL one of Australia's most accomplished song stylists, has devised a one-woman cabaret celebrating the life and and songs of Doris Day. Janet has often been vocally compared to Doris Day and her show: funny and poignant at times is presented with the superb arrangements which are very much the hallmark of Janet Seidel.
Appearing with Janet in 'Doris and Me' is accomplished double bass player, DAVID SEIDEL - Janet's brother - ensuring that the material swings with the authentic jazz approach.
