The Speakeasy Swingers !
Claire Voyant, Las Vegas Online Nov. 9, 2007 Column (www.lvol.com/gossip)
Lots of excitement taking place in downtown Las Vegas this last week...and we don't mean just that involving O.J. Simpson. (Simpson is charged with robbery using a deadly weapon, kidnapping and conspiracy.) We are talking about another exciting thing. On Wednesday night, a group of fans and friends gathered in the upstairs showroom at Fitzgeralds Hotel/Casino to honor Don Hill on the occasion of his 86th birthday (his actual birthday is November 1st), and to help launch Jeanne Brei's series of Wednesday night shows, Jazzin‘ With Jeanne and Jammin‘ With Jeanne, at the property. Hill performed with the famed Treniers for 55 years. Called "The swingingest saxophonist alive," Hill played with Louis Armstrong before joining The Treniers. He appeared in movies, on television and recordings and performed on stages around the country. It was wonderful to see him in the spotlight again, this time with Charlie Shaffer on piano, Danny DeMorales on bass and Jimmy Racey on drums (and providing some comedy bits), as they backed up singer/dancer, and the show's producer, Jeanne Brei. Joining Hill's wife, Gloria, in cheering on the pioneer musician (who sounds as good today as he did 50 years ago), among the well-wishers, we spotted Skip Trenier, Lonnie Hammargren, Mark Richards, Kid Carey, Bob Kaz and Sonny Charles of The Checkmates. Many happy returns, Don Hill!
Throughout the rest of November, enterprising Jeanne Brei continues her music and dance-filled Wednesday nights in the upstairs showroom at Fitzgeralds. Jazzin' With Jeanne, featuring a series of guest stars, will take place at 7 p.m., followed by Jammin' With Jeanne at 9 p.m. On November 14th, Shaffer, Racey & Don Hill return joined by Ty Lemley, with special guests at 7 p.m., followed by Dehner Franks on piano, and France's popular Sac a Pulses jazz band at 9 p.m. Tickets are $30 (half-price for seniors and locals). Add $10 and stay for the second, and different, show. Check out www.JazzinWithJeanne.com, or call (702) 254-3836 for additional information. Two different shows on one night, folks. Come for one, stay for both.
November 05, 2007 The
Treniers are part of Las Vegas entertainment history, legendary
performers who helped create the local lounge scene in the '40s and
some say created rock 'n' roll. Brothers Claude, Cliff and Buddy Trenier are dead, but nephew Skip Trenier, 71, is still around. So is 85-year-old saxophonist Don Hill, who was with the group from the beginning to the end. Hill will be honored by and perform with singer and dancer Jeanne Brei when she debuts a show Wednesday at Fitzgeralds. "My
very first show will be a tribute to Don Hill since he'll be turning 86
that week," Brei said. "I've been talking with lots of legendary Las
Vegas lounge entertainers about saluting the man with the honking
saxophone who was one of the early founders of rock 'n' roll." Brei will give two performances every Wednesday through November. The early show, "Jazzin' With Jeanne,"
will be a cross between "the Dinah Shore and Nat King Cole shows," she
says. It will feature Charlie Shaffer on piano, Ty Lemley on
bass, Jimmy Racey on drums and Hill on saxophone. The later show, "Jammin' With Jeanne,"
will be "a looser cabaret jam with some very special guests." The
French jazz band Sac a Pulses will be her backup for the late show
during the first three weeks. Dehner Franks will be on piano. Details:
7 and 9 p.m. Wednesdays through November, Fitzgeralds Showroom, $30
general admission. $15 seniors and locals, 254-3836. http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sun/2007/nov/05/566680040.html?jerry%20fink
LOOKING IN ON: ENTERTAINMENT
By Jerry Fink
Vegas classic remembered
"Jazzin’ With Jeanne" (7 p.m.) & "Jammin’ With Jeanne" (9 p.m)
to open at the Fitzgeralds Hotel Showroom
Wednesdays in November
"The Vintage Vegas Experience" is how singer/dancer Jeanne Brei describes her upcoming two shows a night at the Fitzgerald Casino on Wednesdays in November.
"The 7 p.m. show, "Jazzin’ With Jeanne," is going to be like a 1950s musical variety TV show--sort of a cross between the Dinah Shore and the Nat King Cole shows," says Brei, "and the 9 p.m. show, "Jammin’ With Jeanne," will be a looser cabaret/jam with some very special guests. For instance, the first three weeks of November, the French jazz band Sac à Pulses,will be the jammin' band and I'll have the marvelous Dehner Franks on piano. And I'm so incredibly fortunate to have some of the finest LV musicians for my early show--including the incomparable Charlie Shaffer on piano, the wonderful Ty Lemley on bass, the outrageous Jimmy Racey on drums and the legendary Don Hill from the Treniers on saxophone.
"As a matter of fact, my very first show on Nov. 7 will be a tribute to Don Hill since he'll be turning 86 that week. I've been talking with lots of legendary Las Vegas lounge entertainers about saluting the man with the honking saxophone who was one of the early founders of rock and roll. And the second show of the night will feature a fabulous band currently on tour in America, Sac à Pulses. They've opened for such luminaries as DeeDee Bridgewater but defining their sound is very difficult to do since they serve up jazz instrumentals and vocals in 2 & 4-beat swing, Charleston, beguine, blues, boogie-woogie, Cajun & modern New Orleans parade rhythms. Not only do they play a fiery New Orleans jazz (including the funky sounds of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and the Rebirth Brass Band), they appeal to a much wider audience because they mix up their rhythmic styles. Plus, Christian Vaudecranne's unique scat and stage presence is a value sure crowd pleaser. Trombonist Pierre Guicquéro can play Teagarden or Turré; his approach to harmonies work in old style but are more akin for more modern jazz."
Brei's performing credits began as a child when her widowed mother
married her tap dancing instructor and he created a family vaudevillian act. "Vaudeville may have died before WWII," says Brei, " but we played what I call the "animal" circuit - the Elks, the Eagles, the Moose lodges along with senior citizen centers." Her unusual upbringing led to her enjoying multi-generations of music -- from trad jazz to Broadway, from standards to pop. She headed to NYC after college and co-starred in the national tour of "No, No Nanette" with Phil Ford and Mimi Hines, performed with the American Tap Dance Orchestra at the Cotton Club in New York and worked off-Broadway in "Give My Regards To Broadway." Since moving to Vegas, she was Gloria in "Damn Yankees" at Spring Mtn. Ranch, the Mother in Nevada Opera Theater’s "Hansel & Gretal," Christmas Carol in "Twas: A Christmas Musical" at Cashman Field, and, as Artistic Director for Tin Pan Alley Cat Entertainment, she’s written, produced, performed, directed and choreographed musical revues at several casinos including the New York-New York Casino, Debbie Reynolds Hotel, Westward Ho Casino and Sun City Anthem, Summerlin & MacDonald Ranch's theatres. And just last year she lost 47 pounds in five months learning how to pole dance for a Flirty Girl Fitness infomercial! Brei is self-producing the series of shows and is determined to keep it affordable for those on fixed incomes. “Since there will be a completely new show every week, we’re going to offer monthly passes of all four early shows, all four late shows or all eight shows for the month – bringing the cost per show down to $12.50. But even if you only come for one show, we’ll offer seniors and locals half price tickets ($15) and if you’d like to stay for the second show, it’ll be just $10 more with your ticket from the first show.” Of course, for those whose budget allows them to splurge, VIP tickets for the first two rows will be $40 and will include a meet-and-greet and photos with the cast.
“I’m as bullish on downtown Las Vegas as the mayor is,” says Brei. “For those locals who haven’t been downtown lately, they haven’t been there at all. The new East Fremont street area is like “CityWalk Vegas-style” with its 40-foot martini glass, ruby slipper and other neon signs from the Neon Museum. And each of the downtown hotels have been renovated – especially the Fitzgerald’s which now has a gorgeous SkyVue bar with a balcony that overlooks the Fremont Street Experience and a beautiful, intimate showroom that seats 170. We’re hoping to fill it with folks who love Rat Pack-style, ‘Vintage Vegas’ entertainment – singing, dancing, carousing and an all-around great time.” "Jazzin’ With Jeanne" opens Wed. Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. with many special guest stars paying homage to Don Hill from the Treniers. "Jammin’ With Jeanne" also opens Wed. Nov. 7 at 9 p.m, and will feature the French Jazz Band, Sac à Pulses. Tickets are $30, $40 VIP, $15 seniors & locals for each show. Monthly passes are $50 for 4 shows, $100 for all 8 shows. Tickets are on sale at www.JazzinWithJeanne.com or will be available at the showroom two hours prior to showtime (beginning at 5:00 p.m.). For more show info, call (702) 254-3836.
The only surviving brother, Milt Trenier, has lived in Chicago for many years. At one time, he ran his own nightclub in the Windy City. Today, he still makes an occasional appearance at local clubs. Las Vegas Review-Journal Summerlin View, June 28, 2002 http://www.viewnews.com/2002/VIEW-Jun-28-Fri-2002/Summerlin/19044673.html Even though her brand of entertainment is far from the beloved hijinks of the Rat Pack, you could say Jeanne Brei is a lot like Frank Sinatra. They've both played Vegas, and they've both done it their way. All Talk Radio Interview Dec. 13, 2005 http://www.alltalkradio.net/main/modules/Audio_Archives/Coffee%20With%20Caryll/coffee121305.MP3
Clair Voyant, Las Vegas Online
July 6, 2007 Column (www.lvol.com/gossip)
You say you don't know who Don Hill is? Well, let's fix that. At 86-years-young, Mr. Hill was the bandleader for the famed Treniers, and is the group's last surviving original member. Hill, along with identical twins, Claude Trenier and Cliff Trenier and brother Milt Trenier, began performing in the 1940s. The swinging Treniers were considered by many to be one of the first self-contained rock 'n' roll groups around. Anyone that knows the history of Las Vegas entertainment, knows these musical clowns were pioneers of the city's lounge era. Thanks to Las Vegas, the Treniers name became known around the country. Appearances on popular TV music/variety shows of the time - Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town, Steve Allen and Jackie Gleason - helped. The group released the song Say Hey (The Willie Mays Song), about the Giant's centerfielder. The clever ditty featured some dialogue by the Hall of Famer and was included on the soundtrack of Ken Burns' 1994 documentary, Baseball. In the 1950s, the Treniers even appeared in a couple of movies, including Don't Knock the Rock and The Girl Can't Help It. Released in 1957, The Girl Can't Help It starred Jayne Mansfield, Tom Ewell, Edmund O‘ Brien, Henry Jones and a very young Barry Gordon. It also featured musical acts such as Julie London, Fats Domino, The Platters, Little Richard, Nino Tempo (without April Stevens), Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Ray Anthony and, of course, Las Vegas favorites, The Treniers. Hill writes, It sure is nice to hear about all my friends, entertainers who are still here entertaining like we did in the lounges when there were only three casinos. Claude Trenier passed away four years ago and since then no one but me wanted to keep going. Jeanne Brei, Artie Schroeck and Linda November still make me keep playing but now it's a little too much to play long periods at a time. I had a wonderful life, first playing with Louie Armstrong for four years, then with Tiny Bradshaw, Gerald Wilson and finally with The Treniers for 55 years. So the ride is about over but I love hearing about those still in there performing. I only wish there were more jobs for these talented people. 
Tin Pan Alley Cats On Stage
Performer enhances Starbright Theater productions
By BROCK RADKE VIEW STAFF WRITER
Brei, a New York City transplant since she moved to Las Vegas in 1995, is the writer, producer, performer and the force behind Tin Pan Alley Cat Entertainment.
The Lakes-area resident is known in Summerlin and other Sun City and Anthem neighborhoods thanks to her popular cabaret-style shows, such as the "It's Make Believe Ballroom Time" show that drew a sizable audience to the Starbright Theatre in May.
Now Brei is keeping busy pitching a new idea to venues off the Strip and even downtown. She's keeping quiet on the details, but rest assured that the show is New York cabaret flavored.
"It's kind of like Vegas B.C., like who was there at the opening nights at some of the famous showrooms in town," she said. "I'd love to do something historical like that, and I think it's vintage Vegas."
Brei grew up in Colorado, tap dancing and singing to the music of the 1920s, '30s and '40s. After graduating from Northwestern University in the Chicago area, she headed off to New York and performed in several off-Broadway productions. She also wrote, produced, directed and starred in three cabaret productions, two of which featured her own band, the Tin Pan Alley Cats.
Brei has since sung and performed all over the country, and in Las Vegas with the Nevada Opera Theatre, Nevada Chamber Symphony and the Nevada Performing Arts Society at the Debbie Reynolds Hotel.
With that hotel out of commission, there are not a lot of venues available to the all-singing, all-dancing, sometimes naughty and always funny style of show Brei is good at. But that doesn't change the fact that there is a local audience for her particular entertainment niche, she said.
"People love this music but they don't always know they do until they hear it," she said. "The Sun Cities love these shows because its big live music with an orchestra, they can dance, and they know this stuff. But most of the time there's no place to do this kind of thing here.
"I tried doing the lounge thing at a hotel but it was totally different. The casinos only want you to sound good, like on the radio, so people don't get off the slot machines to come check it out. The audience is there for cabaret shows, but the venue is not yet."
Having a perfect place to play hasn't prevented Brei from going the extra mile in her Sun City productions. She frequently employs residents of those neighborhoods to perform as dancers in the shows.
"The last one we had a huge cast of Copa Girls, and we got some Sun City Summerlin residents for that," she said. "They had an absolute blast, and most of them were old pros that had been dancers or performers. It was great to feature them and kind of honor the community that way."
Between planning the next local show, shopping new ideas around town and performing in other cities, Brei stays pretty busy. Last year, she even made her first venture into the world of television, producing a PBS special on Maceo Anderson.
While Las Vegas and New York are vastly different entertainment cities, Brei said she will continue to focus on her specialty type of cabaret production.
"It might be easier to do something like this in New York, if you find the right people," she said. "It's tougher to sell this niche here, but the audience is there. And it's what I do."
"Coffee With Caryll"
