The 7-piece Roger Salloom Band is playing New Year’s Eve for the first time in over 25 years. The location is the fabulous restaurant Hope & Olive in Greenfield, Massachusetts.
It’s a great story and a chance to see an eclectic entertainer at a wonderful venue to welcome in 2017.
In fact, here’s Roger’s comment and the story behind how this unique booking came about…
“Well, folks, this is a bit ornate, so I appreciate your following along….
PART ONE: About four years ago, I was introduced to the Emmy Award winning actor, Tony Shalhoub (Monk, Big Night, Men In Black etc.)Emmy winner …because I was an obsessive fan for the character Monk…
And also because…. he was being asked, coincidentally, by a triple Emmy-Award winning producer if he wanted to play me in a bio-pic film!
He made me and others breakfast in Boston, and then we met him again in NYC backstage at a Broadway show. I was as much interested in him playing me in a movie as I was meeting in the obsessive-compulsive character, Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub), detective. At the time, in my mind, I could not really separate the actor from the character he played. I was pitiful at that first meeting. He was funny as a person… a real person too.
He did not do the Roger film. See how complicated it quickly came and went?
So, the curtain closed on all of that a few years ago.
PART TWO: …Donna and I love the restaurant, Hope & Olive in Greenfield, MA, frequently bypassing the fine restaurants in Northampton to drive for a half hour to go to it. Eventually the restaurant owners and we started talking about a New Year’s Eve booking. Keep in mind that I have not voluntarily performed at a restaurant on NYE for, at least, 25 years.
Now here is the catch: Coincidentally the owners have loved the film Big Night in which Tony starred. And the owners wanted Big Night as the theme for NYE. They had been wanting that theme long before I arrived as a prospective musician…… Mambo Italiano, they said! I told them that Donna and I also too loved the film, Big Night, and loved Tony and I knew Tony and Brooke, his wife. Would I be interesed doing the gig? Well, I said yes and then I told them that I had my dna analyzed and it turns out that I am about 26% Italian-Greek! I could now play Sinatra, Dino, Darin and eat Parmigian, pizza, pasta etc. as a native! So, there you go. Food meets music and we are all happily in the middle of it! Anthony Bourdain could not be more pleased with such coincidences.
Yes, of course, I will invite Tony and as in Big Night’s biggest suspense, “Would Louis Prima show up?” Will Tony?
We will be seven pieces and will do our regular songs as well as some Big Night soundtrack music, Sinatra, Dean Martin, Darin, Clooney, Prima, Louis Jordan, Robert Burns..of course, Louis Armstrong, Herbie Hancock, plenty of dancing et al.
So if you are looking for a fun and unique New Year’s Eve, contact Hope & Olive to save your seat at what proves to be an exceptional night and a great start to 2017.