Paul Shapiro’s Ribs & Brisket Plays the Music of “Mrs. Maisel”

“The band plays like a juke joint combo used to dodging beer bottles and bullets. Shapiro’s nasty tenor sax breaks would have qualified him for duty at Duffy’s Gaieties on Cahuenga Boulevard, when Lenny Bruce emceed for the peelers in the ’50s.”
—Kirk Silsbee, The Jewish Journal

Paul Shapiro’s Ribs & Brisket has been delighting audiences since the release of “Essen” (Yiddish for “eat”) on Tzadik Records. Featuring smoothy-bluesy vocalist Cilla Owens and Shapiro’s soulful tenor, they’ve reveled in the music of the 1930s and onward, intertwining jazz, swing and Yiddish, celebrating where the Borscht Belt intersected 52nd Street.

Shapiro loved the music chosen for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” so he’s put his Ribs & Brisket up to the task of revisiting those classics and putting their own spin on them.

Expect anything from Connie Francis and the Barry Sisters to Blossom Dearie and Ella! Joining them will be special guest Eleanor Reissa, who has been winning audiences with her singing and acting talents but most uniquely as one of the world’s most recognized interpreters of Yiddish song.

Shapiro has composed for film, most notably an original score to accompany the 1925 silent film “His People,” and “Watermelon Woman” directed by Cheryl Dunye. He was a founding member of Brooklyn Funk Essentials, a member of The Microscopic Septet and led his own band Foreign Legion throughout the 1980s. Shapiro has recorded with Lou Reed, Jay-Z, Queen Latifah, Rufus Wainwright, David Byrne, Michael Jackson, Frankie Knuckles, Ofra Haza, Majek Fashek and many others.

The concert will be in The Haymarket Lounge at City Winery. Join us before the show in our music venue and experience our full menu from the comfort of your concert seats. We offer the unique opportunity to enjoy dinner throughout the performance and encourage you to arrive early and “Indulge Your Senses” with wine, music and great food!