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Album Release: Luba Mason, Jaime Lozano & The Familia: Songs by an Immigrant, THANKFUL and Multi-GRAMMY®-nominated Ryan Shaw

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6 years ago

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With her last album, Mixtura, vocalist and Broadway star Luba Mason (Girl From the North Country, Chicago, How to Succeed, Jekyll & Hyde) established her own musical genre, a “blend of different musical currents” that draws upon a staggeringly eclectic palette of influences and approaches. Her breathtaking new release, Triangle, carries the concept forward with a wholly unique, spare yet vibrant new line-up. Captured before an intimate gathering of invited friends, family and fans at Manhattan’s renowned Power Station studio, the album features an unprecedented trio of vocals, vibraphone and bass featuring master musicians Joe Locke and James Genus and produced by longtime Prince collaborator Renato Neto (who was Keyboardist in Prince’s New Power Generation band for a decade). Triangle is currently available for pre-order at Amazon, iTunes, Apple Music and will be available to stream on all platforms including Spotify. To pre-order and for more info people can also visit: www.bluecanoerecords.com/triangle

Due out October 23, 2020 via Blue Canoe Records, Triangle exemplifies the passion for fresh perspectives and unexpected choices that led Mason to trademark the “Mixtura” name. The material is jaw-droppingly diverse: from pop classics by the Beatles and Paul Simon to a Monk standard, a Slovak folk song and a recent Broadway hit, and surely the first time that Brazilian legend Antonio Carlos Jobim and heavy metal band System of a Down have been represented in the same repertoire. Add to that the surprising instrumentation and you have a collection that is absolutely gorgeous in its unfamiliarity while remaining vividly engaging.

Most recently Mason learned to play the drums for her role in Conor McPherson’s Girl From the North Country, a Broadway musical based on the songs of Bob Dylan that achieved critical acclaim before going on hiatus due to the Coronavirus pandemic. She’s also made the transition from stage to screen, guest starring in episodes of shows like Law & Order and Person of Interest and co-starring with her husband, the Panamanian musician, actor and activist Rubén Blades, in Tonya Pinkins’ upcoming political horror film Red Pill.

“Jaime Lozano & The Familia: Songs by an Immigrant”. Heralded the “next big thing” on Broadway by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lozano’s new album will feature an eclectic collaboration of musical theatre, jazz, Mexican folklore, Tex-Mex, and Latin musicians and performers, with songs and stories about the immigrant experience, finding a new home, learning a new language, dealing with discrimination, trying to fit in, pursuing the American dream, being in love, and missing their native land. The album will also feature original liner notes from Lin-Manuel Miranda has been released to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. A song from the album was also featured at ¡Viva Broadway! Hear Our Voices, a digital celebration of Latinx talent.

“If dreams had a soundtrack, one of my best dreams would sound exactly like this album,” says Lozano. “The Familia is this group of people from around the world, getting together now to tell our own stories. We are all immigrants in this world, and we need to stand together. I feel so honored and proud to have these amazing musicians and performers join The Familia.” 

The album features collaborations with Alex Lacamoire (Hamilton’s multi award-winning orchestrator and music producer), Ana Isabelle (Spielberg’s West Side Story), Antonio Sánchez (Mexican-American multi award jazz drummer), Bobby Pulido (Tex-Mex Billboard artist), Gaby Moreno (Grammy nominee, Latin Grammy winner), Florencia Cuenca (A Never-Ending Line), Jorge Glem (Venezuelan cuatro player Latin Grammy winner), Mandy Gonzalez (Hamilton), Marcial Istúriz (Venezuelan salsa singer Latin Grammy nominee), Marina Pires (The Heartstring Project), Mauricio Martínez (On Your Feet!), Migguel Anggelo (LatinXo), Mireya Ramos (from Latin Grammy Award winner female mariachi Flor de Toloache), Raul Midón (2 time Grammy nominee), among others, as well as an eclectic group of musicians from all over the world and music genres. 
The album is produced by Lozano and his long-time collaborators Demián Cantú and Jesús Altamira, with associate producer Victoria Kühne. Arrangements and orchestrations are by Lozano and Altamira with vocal arrangements by Roke MD. The album is edited, mixed and mastered by Demián Cantú, and illustration cover art is by Martha Orendain. Lozano’s writing partners for the upcoming album include David Davila, Jorge “Georgie” Castilla, Marina Pires, Mark-Eugene Garcia, Migguel Anggelo, Neena Beber and Noemi de la Puente.  

A portion of proceeds generated from sales of the album will benefit R.Evolución Latina. R.Evolución Latina, is led by founder/director Luis Salgado and co-directors Denisse Ambert, Heather Hogan and Gabriela García. It is an organization that activates individual and collective human growth through artistic experiences for transformation and social change. A Revolution of Evolution, Making a difference through the Arts. To learn more, visit www.revolucionlatina.org.

Jerad Bortz and Steven Skeels today announced that THANKFUL: A Benefit Album for Jerad Bortz will be available for pre-order beginning Friday, October 23 on iTunes. The album will officially be released on Friday, November 27.

Executive and lead producer Lynn Pinto of Rock-It Science Records is well-known in the Broadway Community both as a performer and for creating and producing each of the 21 volumes of the annual holiday album, “Broadway’s Carols for a Cure” which benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Since 1999, “Broadway’s Carols For A Cure” has captured original recordings by almost every cast on Broadway. In addition, she has produced several other albums in various genres including Off-Broadway, Pop & Cabaret.

The album is co-produced by Steven Skeels, THANKFUL presents 22 original songs written by Skeels and features an impressive lineup of singers, arrangers, orchestrators and musicians. All participants donated their time and award-winning skills to help raise funds for Jerad’s ongoing medical needs, and a portion of proceeds will go to The Actors Fund of America and Canine Companions for Independence (CCI). The organizations supported Bortz after a spinal cord injury left him paralyzed from the chest down. 

It has just been revealed that the next single from multi-GRAMMY®-nominated vocal powerhouse RyanShaw’s forthcoming album IMAGINING MARVIN will be a duet with GRAMMY® Award-winning singer/songwriter and pop superstar Rob Thomas (Matchbox Twenty).  “Love In Pain” is co-written by Shaw, Thomas and Derek Fuhrmann.  Thomas and Shaw are both signed to Round Hill Music for publishing with Thomas just joining that roster.  “Love In Pain” is the result of their first writing session together.  Click here to access the single cover.
In addition to Rob Thomas, IMAGINING MARVIN also features a stellar array of guests.  Joining Shaw on the album are guitar legends Robert Randolph and Derek Trucks, who each have been honored with multiple GRAMMY nominations (10 collectively for Randolph and 7 collectively for Trucks).  Trucks has garnered three GRAMMY Award wins.  Lending their respective unique playing styles to the mix, Derek Trucks can be heard on “Love In Pain,” while Randolph is featured on another Shaw original “Get Home”.  Also appearing on the album is Broadway star and recording artist Shoshana Bean, known for starring turns in “Waitress” and “Wicked”.  Bean duets with Shaw on the classic Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell duet, “Good Lovin’ Ain’t Easy To Come By,” written by Valerie Simpson and Nick Ashford.  The tracks on the album are a combination of Shaw’s renditions of some of Marvin Gaye’s best-loved hits as well as original material.  Please see below for the track listing.
Of the album’s unsurpassed guests, Ryan Shaw commented, “I get by with a little help from my friends” are the words that come to mind when I think about all the guests on this new record. They are all connected to me in a special way.  Robert Randolph and the Family Band was the first tour I did when I signed to Columbia Records back in 2006.  Robert is a masterful musician and has a great heart.  Derek Trucks was the third and fifth tour I did in those days…he is also a master at his craft, we hit it off right away. He invited me back on stage to jam with his band after I did my set.  It created some of my most memorable nights of performing live. To now have him on this record is humbling and nostalgic for me.  
What can I say about Shoshana Bean?  Whatever is said about her usually follows the words “amazing” or “beast,” which would make everything after that true.  Shoshana and I have been talking about collaborating for years now and it’s finally here.  I couldn’t be more happy.  And my new good friend, Rob Thomas, is the best at what he does in both performance and writing.  He is a brilliant collaborator, as he absorbs music and comes back with many variations of an idea so you never feel trapped or gridlocked or at a dead end during the session. I’m thankful that Rob not only lent his pen, but his voice to this project. As I said, “I get by with a little help from my friends.”
In other news, Ryan Shaw is confirmed to appear in a very special livestream performance event, Live From Daryl’s House Club, on Wednesday, December 2nd, just days following the release of IMAGINING MARVIN.  Live From Daryl’s House Club stems from the iconic concert series hosted by pop legend Daryl Hall (one half of Hall & Oates).  For ticketing and more information, please click here.
IMAGINING MARVIN is set for a November 27th release via Shaw’s own FORM (Fans Of Real Music) Records and Broadway Records.  Inspired by one of Shaw’s idols, Marvin Gaye, IMAGINING MARVIN is the powerful new project that originally premiered live in New York City in 2019 to a sold-out crowd.  Showcasing Shaw’s soaring and impassioned vocals, the album features numerous Marvin Gaye hits alongside five of Shaw’s original songs; the latter inspired by Gaye’s legacy.  Click here to access the IMAGINING MARVIN cover art.  Click here to pre-order the album.  
The first single from the album recently had its worldwide premiere via Soul Tracks.  “Strong Men Can” is co-written by Shaw and iconic songwriter, Valerie Simpson (who with her late husband/partner, Nick Ashford, is responsible for some of Marvin Gaye’s biggest hits; Gaye is the inspiration behind IMAGINING MARVIN).  The heartfelt ballad encourages emotional vulnerability in men and supports good mental health via such expression.  “Strong Men Can” can be purchased here; click here to access the single art.
Ryan Shaw has received widespread critical acclaim over the course of his career with an abundance of accolades.  Of Shaw’s incredible vocal prowess, The Los Angeles Times declared, “Prepare to have your soul rocked…”, while Billboard deemed him “a massive talent with a huge voice.”  The Washington Post avowed, “So big and rangy, that voice.  So churchy and unmistakenly Southern.  So full of fire and conviction, exploding with emotion.”
Ryan Shaw is a three-time GRAMMY-nominated artist. He recently appeared as Judas at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in the U.S. premiere of the critically acclaimed London/Regent’s Park’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar, which won the Olivier for Best Musical Revival. He starred as the original Stevie Wonder in Motown: The Musical on Broadway, and on London’s West End as the Soul of Michael Jackson in Thriller Live. As a recording artist, Shaw has released three solo GRAMMY-nominated projects to date:  2008’s THIS IS RYAN SHAW, 2011’s IT GETS BETTER, and 2014’s REAL LOVE.  He has toured the world and shared the stage with such artists as Van Halen, Bonnie Raitt, Joss Stone, John Legend, B.B. King, Bruce Hornsby and Jill Scott, to name a few. On television, Ryan has been a guest artist on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ellen’s Really Big Show, Last Call with Carson Daly, and The Martha Stewart Show. His music has been featured in television on FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance and ABC’s Dancing withThe Stars, Grey’s Anatomy, and Lincoln Heights, as well as in films My Blueberry Nights and Bride Wars and the Sex and the City soundtrack.
As a concert soloist, Shaw made his Radio City Music Hall debut at the Dream Concert benefit to build the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. His Carnegie Hall appearances include Elton John and Bernie Taupin Tribute, A Celebration of The African American CulturalLegacy, curated by Jessye Norman, and a recent Nat King Cole centennial concert with the New York Pops.  His concert schedule also includes Nat King Cole at 100 with the National Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Center, and A Tribute to the Queen of Soul:  Aretha Franklin with numerous major orchestras throughout North America.  Shaw continues to be a return featured special guest with the Houston Symphony, as well as performing with the Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Philly Pops, Seattle Symphony, Utah Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Arkansas Symphony, Tucson Symphony, Utah Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic, Helena Symphony, Mississippi Symphony, Anchorage Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic and numerous others.

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Suzanna, co-owns and publishes the newspaper Times Square Chronicles or T2C. At one point a working actress, she has performed in numerous productions in film, TV, cabaret, opera and theatre. She has performed at The New Orleans Jazz festival, The United Nations and Carnegie Hall. She has a screenplay and a TV show in the works, which she developed with her mentor and friend the late Arthur Herzog. She is a proud member of the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics Circle and was a nominator. Email: suzanna@t2conline.com

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Broadway

Songbook Sundays: Life Is Kander and Ebb: When the Songbook Leaves You Wanting More

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23 hours ago

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October 5, 2026

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There are few places better suited to celebrating John Kander and Fred Ebb than Dizzy’s Jazz Club. On Sunday, October 4, New York was misty beyond those magnificent windows, the room was filled with Kander and Ebb melodies, and, making the evening even more special, John Kander himself was sitting at the table directly behind me listening to his music come alive.

John Kander

Hosted and curated by Deborah Grace Winer, Songbook Sundays: Life Is Kander and Ebb brought together three very different vocalists—Karen Ziemba, Matthew Scott and Vanisha Gould—with music director and pianist Jon Weber, Mark McLean on drums, Jay Leonhart on bass and Sam Chess on trombone. The talent was unquestionable, the musicianship superb and the surroundings quintessentially New York.

Karen Ziemba

Yet I left wanting more as I know this songbook inside and out.

Vanisha Gould, Karen Ziemba, Matthew Scott Vanisha Gould

Not more talent. There was plenty of that. What I wanted was more Kander and Ebb.


Karen Ziemba opened with “Where You Are,” immediately reminding us why she has had such a remarkable career. Ziemba doesn’t merely sing a lyric; she understands what is underneath it. That quality served her particularly well throughout the show, whether she was having wicked fun with “Don’t Tell Mama,” finding the aching simplicity of “My Coloring Book,” or delivering “How Lucky Can You Get.” Kander and Ebb frequently wrote characters who perform one emotion while another one is quietly breaking through, and Ziemba knows exactly how to live in that contradiction.


Matthew Scott has a terrific voice coupled with genuine acting chops, something especially evident in “Not Every Day of the Week” and “Love and Love Alone.” When he arrived at “Theme from New York, New York,” he wisely didn’t try to compete with the ghosts surrounding one of the most recognizable songs ever written about this city. Instead, he found his own way into it, allowing us to hear the song rather than an imitation of the singers who made it famous.


Then there was Vanisha Gould, who possesses a fabulous smoky, growling voice that sounds as though it was made for the 1930s. There is something wonderfully lived-in about her sound, a little dangerous around the edges, and it gave “Funny Honey” and “All That Jazz” an entirely different texture. “Maybe This Time” allowed her to move beyond the sass and into the vulnerability underneath, where Kander and Ebb so often do their best work.


The musicians were every bit as important to the performance.


Weber knows how to support a singer without disappearing beneath one, and McLean, Leonhart and Chess gave the music the swing and bite it requires. “Sing Happy” put the band front and center, while


Leonhart—whose career has included playing for an extraordinary roster of great performers—stepped into the spotlight to deliver his own “Razzle Dazzle.” It was an irresistible reminder that sometimes the musicians have a few tricks of their own.


Ziemba and Scott joined forces for “But the World Goes ‘Round,” another quintessential Kander and Ebb song about continuing when life has other plans. “Cabaret,” naturally, also made its appearance, bringing us back to the musical that remains inseparable from the Kander and Ebb name.


Which brings me to the one thing that bothered me about an otherwise beautifully performed performance.

Jon Webber and John Kander

Perhaps having John Kander sitting directly behind me made me even more aware of the sheer size of the catalogue being celebrated. Here was one of the architects of American musical theatre, listening to songs from a collaboration that stretched across decades, and I kept thinking about everything we weren’t hearing.

Vanisha Gould, Karen Ziemba, Matthew Scott

There were three selections from Chicago and three from Cabaret, along with two each from Flora the Red Menace and New York, New York. They are terrific songs, certainly, and nobody is going to object to hearing them sung this well. But Kander and Ebb wrote so much more.

John Kander, Matthew Scott

Where was The Happy Time, Zorba, 70, Girls, 70, The Act, Woman of the Year, The Rink, Steel Pier, Curtains, or The Scottsboro Boys? There is an astonishing amount of material in that catalogue, including songs that deserve to be rediscovered rather than allowed to sit quietly in the shadow of “All That Jazz” and “Cabaret.”

That is particularly what I look for from something called Songbook Sundays. A songbook series has the opportunity not merely to celebrate the songs everybody already knows, but to open the book a little wider. Give us something we have forgotten or haven’t heard in years. Give a younger audience a song they didn’t know existed. Let us hear the journey of the writers, not simply their greatest hits.

Kander and Ebb were never just Chicago and Cabaret. Their partnership was far richer and stranger than that. They could be cynical and sentimental, sophisticated and vulgar, politically savage and heartbreakingly romantic. Again and again they wrote about people performing confidence while quietly falling apart underneath it. Their characters keep dancing, keep singing, keep putting on the makeup and facing the world because, as one of their greatest songs reminds us, the world goes ’round.

Maybe that’s why I wanted more.

What Winer gave us was beautifully sung and beautifully played. Ziemba remains a masterful interpreter, Scott impressed with both voice and dramatic instinct, and Gould made me want to hear much more from that wonderfully smoky voice. Weber and his musicians gave us sophistication, warmth and swing.

Outside those windows was a mist-covered New York, while inside sat John Kander himself listening to his songs. Really, how much more New York can you get? Except, of course, for a few more Kander and Ebb songs.

I enjoyed Life Is Kander and Ebb immensely. My complaint is actually a compliment: with a songbook this extraordinary, I didn’t want the afternoon to end with so many pages still unopened.

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Celebrity

The Glorious Corner

Published

23 hours ago

on

October 5, 2026

By

G.H. Harding

I COME TO SKYDANCE — Much chatter about David Ellison this week, after buying Paramount and Warner Brothers, and formerly changing the corporate name to Skydance; which was originally just his production company. For the 103-year old Warner’s and the 114-year old Paramount, it was quite a shock. The Warner’s logo remains on the full menu card, along with Paramount (albeit in a smaller format), but still, quite a shock.

Hey. Things change … that’s the one constant. The average person may not know that Universal Pictures is owned by Comcast … or, care, but these days, a more corporate name, and image, is in order. More Silicon Valley, less Hollywood.
For someone like me, whose been involved in Hollywood for probably far too long, it’s both sad and a full realization that the beans-counters are more in charge than ever before.
To tell you the truth, I’m waiting for Deadline’s master-seer Peter Bart to weigh in. He’s been around long-enough to give the whole affair a proper perspective.
For a great article on the ch-ch-changes in tinsel-town, take a read here from theHollywood Reporter:https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/skydance-paramount-warner-bros-name-1236720868/

SHORT TAKES — The opening of Tom Cruise’s Digger was his lowest opening in 19 years. Sure, it’s di rigueur to dislike it now, but I still want to see it. I mean, it can’t be that bad,  can it? Deadline’s Pete Hammond said the film: “is unlike any film coming from a major Hollywood studio in years” and that Inarritu “takes things much further and thus could be one of the more divisive movies for the masses in a very long time.” Early reporting says the movie could lose around 150 million …

Pete Townshend

Pete Townshend: Behind Blue Eyes held its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival.  It’s directed by Frank Marshall (The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart) and Nigel Sinclair (producer, Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It). The Preston doc was superb, but almost no one saw it and currently the Townshend doc doesn’t have a distributor yet, but should. Townshend remains one of the pillars of rock ‘n roll in my book …

Lizzo

Excellent Willie Geist interview with Lizzo yesterday on Sunday Today, on her new kids book. Towards the end of the interview, Geist delved into the scandals that enveloped her and the fact that they were summarily dismissed. Her career was severely derailed and the powers that be are trying to resurrect it with minimum success thus far. Good dialogue for sure …

We saw  a great movie called Tuner. Yes, about a piano tuner, with Dustin Hoffman and a great performance from Leo Woodall (White Lotus), Havana Rose Liu and Alisen Richmond-Peck. It starts out great and ends a little roughly, but rolls on with tremendous heart. Epic for sure. Sharply directed and written by Daniel Roher, it’s quite a tale. There’s even a cameo from our old friend Herbie Hancock! A must-see for certain … Rolling Stone’s Andy Greene at Micky Dolenz’s weekend show at AC’s Borgata … Happy BDay Lindsey Buckingham and Brent Blanchard.

NAMES IN THE NEWS — Elon Musk; Tom & Lisa Cuddy; Scott Shannon; Eppy; Dan Zelinski; Race Taylor; Don Grolnick; Will Lee; John Pagliano; Pam Andy; Michael DeLuca; Cory Robbins; Bobby Shaw; Izzy Sanchez; Stuart Shabman; Kent Hotak; Thomas Silverman; Monica Lynch; Raspin Stuwart; Richard Johnson; Cori Gardner; and CHIP!
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Entertainment

Russell Moss Brings A Night of Cool Back to The Triad

Published

2 days ago

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October 4, 2026

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Cool is a peculiar thing. The moment you have to tell everyone you possess it, chances are you don’t. Frank Sinatra had it. So did Bobby Darin, Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley, Louis Armstrong and Sam Cooke. Burt Bacharach made it sound effortless, Cab Calloway made it swing, and Tom Jones somehow made an open shirt seem like formalwear. On Thursday, October 8 at 8 p.m., Russell Moss brings that particular breed of American cool back to The Triad Theater with the return of his acclaimed A Night of Cool.

Russell Moss and five piece orchestra – Photo Courtesy DDPR

Moss isn’t simply assembling a collection of familiar songs. He is recreating the atmosphere surrounding them, turning The Triad into a 1960s-style showroom complete with a five-piece orchestra, choreographed production numbers, dancers Brooke Schulte and Shanley O’Brien, and guest artists Hannah Celeste and Evan Buckley Harris. It is a throwback to the era when going to see an entertainer meant exactly that—you expected to be entertained.

At the center is Moss, a singer and showman who has performed everywhere from Las Vegas to New York and clearly understands the difference between singing a great song and knowing how to sell one. A Night of Cool moves through music associated with Sinatra, Armstrong, Jones, Presley, Hank Williams, Darin, Cooke, Don Ho, Bacharach, Calloway and Cole, allowing Moss to wander through several decades when singers had distinctive voices, orchestras mattered and personality was part of the arrangement.

Russell Moss & Hannah Celeste – Photo Courtesy DDPR

Joining him is Evan Buckley Harris, who knows a thing or two about stepping into the shoes of an American music legend. Harris played Johnny Cash in both the national tour and Las Vegas productions of Million Dollar Quartet and has also appeared as Corny Collins in Hairspray, Huey in Memphis and Kenickie in Grease. Hannah Celeste, meanwhile, began her professional career at eight in Annie under the direction of the musical’s creator Martin Charnin, and has since appeared in productions including The Diary of Anne Frank and The Miracle Worker.

Then there is the band—which is hardly background decoration. Music director Andy Warren leads on trumpet, joined by Grammy Award winner Paul Francis on drums, Grammy nominee Stan Killian on saxophone, Peter Brendler on bass and Antongiulio Foti on piano. Andrea Bodine supplies the choreography. With musicians of that caliber in a room as intimate as The Triad, there is nowhere for the music to hide—and absolutely no reason it should.

Moss says the evening is ultimately about “great music, laughter, and that wonderful connection that happens between a performer and an audience,” and that may be the most old-fashioned thing about A Night of Cool. Before concerts became oceans of cell phones and performers became content, there was simply a room, a band, an audience and somebody charismatic enough to make everyone forget about everything outside.

That kind of cool never really went out of style. It was simply waiting for somebody to bring the band back.

A Night of Cool plays Thursday, October 8 at 8 p.m. at The Triad Theater.

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Celebrities

The Glorious Corner

Published

4 days ago

on

October 2, 2026

By

G.H. Harding


KIMMEL IN BROOKLYN — After a wildly, odd interview with Howard Stern this week, where he put down both ABC and Disney, he looked terribly fatigued.

I’ve been a fierce advocate for Stern for years, but I did detect just a touch of wanting to take-a-step-back.

He conquered radio and now I expect him to do the same with HBO/MAX.

Interesting for sure.

Ray Caviano

CAVIANO PASSES — You might not recognize the name Ray Caviano, but he passed this week. Ray had the distinction of being one of the youngest-ever record company presidents in the music business and really unparalleled success back in the 80s. He was the one constant voice behind the disco-explosion back then. The Village People; Br. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band; Voyage; and Peter Brown … all his.

Ray negotiated this success into a tremendous deal with Warner Brothers commanding a staggering $6 million dollars a year and his own label and staff. His PR-team at the time, which included veteran-PR-meister Howard Bloom, termed him the six-million-dollar man, and it was a great rags-to-riches story. From Madeline Kahn, to George Benson, the B52s, Grace Jones, The Doobie Brothers, Prince to Chaka Kahn, Rod Stewart and Ashford and Simpson, Caviano just scored a staggering degree of success.

From what I remember, all the other-labels modeled what they did after Ray and his christened label, RFC Records; which introduced Venus Dodson; Gino Soccio; The Mighty Pope; and Change, which featured Luther Vandross. He hit the top, no question, but then personal problems got in the way and he was essentially blacklisted.

 I never met him, but constantly hear some of his successes and they were indeed cataclysmic as his music lives today. RIP.

SHORT TAKES — Edna Gudnersen, from USA Today fame, wrote a terrific article for AARP on who should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. No big surprises, but once again she’s hit the nail right on the head. One interesting post simply said: the voters can change it. Take a read: https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/music/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-snubs/?fbclid=IwY2xjawUrIH1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mBWJyaWQRMU9mVTJENHlUU21yQm8wbHdzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeCMUfSZdob2E0b7OqMN0tqZbMXfnFz1ib0PrxztT-BeCdBi54rZKmIAL-s50_aem_-r3LegoVNsCszZW3QsX1hQ …

Slow Horses

Wednesday night meant a new Slow Horses and Ted Lasso on Apple+. Surprise. Both shows have been staggeringly lackluster this season so far. U.K.’s The Guardian even termed Horses whiny! The fellow who created Horses, Will Smith, left and it’s become still good, but terribly ordinary and a lot less of Gary Oldman. Sad …

This week the long-expected merger between Paramount and Warner Brothers took place and guess who was installed as boss? The CEO of Mattel. People in Hollywood are sending are their resumes right now …

Ringo Starr

Still more buzz on that Far Out/Todd Rundgren interview. In a further missive, after dissing Taylor Swift, Rundgren now claims that Ringo best-survived The Beatles. Fascinating. Take a read: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/todd-rundgren-ringo-starr-only-one-survived-beatles/?fbclid=IwY2xjawUqT4hleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mBWJyaWQRMWlGYWlyRW14Z24wNHIwUEJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeH9wqOi0plYRGr801XxzuKtasXnT8D_3b9Dfn_FPCaUOrH88qlWOw_CkfdCA_aem_Hap2wxG63VvIwa5wC0KzGw … And, Chuck Darrow had a great piece on Micky Dolenz for his weekend show at The Borgata in AC. Take a read: https://shorelocalnews.com/when-being-an-architect-was-micky-dolenzs-career-blueprint/

NAMES IN THE NEWS — Anthony Pomes; Fred Goodman; Allen Klein; Paul Bartels; JIm Yukich; Tracy Lords; Bryce Grakal; Ken Sharp; Chuck Darrow; Melissa Davis; Magda Katz; Cori Gardner; Donnie Kehr; Bill McCuddy; Deb Caponetta; Jeff Vogel; Steve Leeds; Ed Steinberg; John Sykes; Tom & Lisa Cuddy; and SADIE!

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Celebrities

Who Has the Power to Shape What Comes Next? TIME Reveals the 2026 TIME100 Next

Published

5 days ago

on

October 1, 2026

By

Art Direction and Set Art by Jana Frost for TIME @janafrost.art and Photography by Stefano Giuliano for TIME @stefanogiovannigiuliano

Power used to arrive with age, position and a very impressive office. Not anymore.

TIME has unveiled its 2026 TIME100 Next, its annual look at 100 rising figures already altering the worlds of entertainment, music, sports, technology, business, science, politics and culture. The list was created in 2019 around a deceptively simple idea: influence itself was changing. Increasingly, people weren’t waiting for traditional institutions to hand them authority. They were building audiences, companies, movements, careers and entirely new avenues of influence for themselves. TIME

This year’s three worldwide covers make the point rather beautifully. Raye, Ashley Padilla and Druski occupy wildly different corners of contemporary culture, yet each represents the kind of career that doesn’t necessarily follow the old map. Raye has become an international musical force, Padilla has emerged as one of Saturday Night Live’s breakout talents, and Druski has transformed digital comedy into an expanding entertainment empire. TIME

The fascination of TIME100 Next has always been less about celebrity than trajectory. These are not lifetime-achievement awards. The question is not simply, What have you done? It is: Where might what you’re doing take the rest of us?

That makes some of the pairings between honorees and the people writing about them almost as interesting as the list itself. LeBron James writes about Tyrese Maxey; Matthew McConaughey takes on Arch Manning; Natalie Portman writes about Charles Melton; Rafael Nadal considers Alexandra Eala; Anya Taylor-Joy writes about Raye; Trevor Noah celebrates Wawira Njiru; Kylie Minogue writes about Troye Sivan; Charli xcx takes on Alex Consani; Bill Nye writes about Gretchen Goldman; Lin-Manuel Miranda on Joshua Henry: Sarah Michelle Gellar on Sarah Pidgeon and chef Eric Ripert weighs in on E.J. Lagasse.

Joshua Henry

Taken together, the names reveal just how broadly TIME now defines influence. Entertainment is represented by Ashley Padilla, Druski, Charles Melton, Eiza González, Joey King, Molly Gordon, Cooper Hoffman, Himesh Patel, Sarah Pidgeon, Paapa Essiedu, Dominic Sessa and Joshua Henry, among others. Music brings Raye, Troye Sivan, PinkPantheress, Megan Moroney, Conan Gray, Alex Warren and Sombr, while the sports world includes Arch Manning, Tyrese Maxey, Naomi Girma, Alexandra Eala, Folarin Balogun and Olivia Miles.

Perhaps the most striking name in that last group is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old cricket player and youngest person on the 2026 list. There is no age requirement for TIME100 Next, which seems entirely appropriate for a project built around the proposition that influence no longer waits politely for seniority.

Elsewhere, the list stretches from fashion designers Robert Wun and Daniella Kallmeyer to chef E.J. Lagasse, model Alex Consani, artist Claire Tabouret and an expanding class of entrepreneurs, scientists and AI innovators. The result is less a traditional power list than a snapshot of where power appears to be migrating.

There is an interesting distinction there. Fame and influence are not necessarily the same thing. One attracts attention; the other changes behavior, industries, conversations or possibilities. The strongest choices on TIME100 Next are the people beginning to do both.

As TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs explains, the publication launched the franchise because influence increasingly arrives earlier and through channels operating outside traditional establishments. The editors spent months looking internationally for people connected to the stories reshaping the moment, including artificial intelligence, education, immigration and emerging forms of political leadership. TIME

The list will move from the page to New York on October 29, when TIME gathers its 2026 honorees for the sixth annual TIME100 Next event. Raye will perform, with appearances scheduled from Druski, Conan Gray and Eiza González, among others.

Perhaps that is the most interesting thing about a list devoted to the future. Inevitably, some names will become enormous, some will surprise us, and others will eventually make us wonder what we saw in them in the first place. That’s part of the fun.

Identifying established power is easy. The far more interesting question is recognizing it while it is still becoming.

Explore the 2026 TIME100 Next

 

 

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