Alison Lewis

What was billed as a low-key, casual evening of music by three individual performers turned into a show with moments of extremely high energy. The performers were Alison Lewis, Terri Turco and Dave Bass.
Lewis was clearly the discovery of the evening — a singer with a hauntingly beautiful voice who transformed the ordinary into the extraordinary with brilliant arrangements and vocal experimentation. A transplant from San Francisco exploring the broader opportunities of Los Angeles, she said she likes to take risks and experiment with different rhythms to uncover new colors and meanings. She demonstrated the results in a powerful version of Paul McCartney's “Blackbird,” slowing the tempo and letting her voice soar to show off her wide vocal range; Stephen Gernhauser’s “Be My Baby,” sung with a jazzy blues beat; and finally an earthy, bluesy take on Rodgers and Hart’s “My Funny Valentine,” playing around with the melody to make the cabaret standard an entirely new and exciting experience. - Cabaret Scenes Review

Los Angeles - Alison Lewis is an absolutely essential “must hear”. Having seen her several times now, her show is consistently filled with lovely musical surprises with her unlimited vocal style and eclectic repertoire. You may hear Joni Mitchell, Cole Porter, Bob Dylan, Jerome Kern – you never know, it just depends on the evening, the instruments and the venue, but you do know it will be thoughtfully well-done no matter what. She talks to the audience with grace and ease, but keeps it to a minimum, only to tell us some background story to the upcoming song. The background stories are interesting in themselves: Travelling in India, singing for ten years with a Gospel choir in San Francisco, being a synagogue cantor, earning an MA from the London School of Economics – but that another story.
It’s possible to see Alison again at TNL this Tuesday evening , January 26th with the evening including performances by Alison Jennings, Zak Aster and Holly Gleason. Tuesday Night Live at The Four Seasons in Beverly Hills is turning out to be the terrific new premiere showcasing venue for talented up-incoming new music artists. It's an elegant, intimate atmosphere which gives talented musicians who have a decent sized fan base, a new CD/album out , singer/songwriters who want to try out new tunes, or up-incoming talent who wants more exposure a wonderful venue in which to perform. The room provides a wonderful, relaxed cabaret ambience of casual overstuffed lounge chairs and banquettes, or traditional tables and chairs. - LA Examiner

Los Angeles – Alison Lewis. I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again; she is an absolutely essential “must hear”. Having seen her many times now, her show is consistently filled with lovely musical surprises with her unlimited vocal style and eclectic repertoire. You may hear Joni Mitchell, Cole Porter, Bob Dylan, Jerome Kern – you never know, it just depends on the evening, the instruments and the venue, but you do know it will be thoughtfully well-done no matter what. Alison was recently described by Cabaret Scenes Reviewer Elliot Zwiebach as, "A singer with a hauntingly beautiful voice who transformed the ordinary into the extraordinary with brilliant arrangements and vocal experimentation." And now, Ali and Stephen Gernhauser team up for an evening of great Delta blues.

Stephen and Ali, sometimes also known as Blindfish Jellyroll, will be playing Delta Blues in a restaurant named Genghis Cohen located in the Fairfax District that serves Chinese food, and that’s just the beginning! Stephen will be playing his 1969 Ovation Legend, probably giving us some slide guitar on the twelve string, sometimes known as bottleneck, using a back-sliding technique introduced to him by the great Sonny Landreth.

Stephen’s reputation precedes him. “Cold-blooded”, is how Art Neville describes Stephen’s songwriting; finger-picking blues built around a variety of rhythms and chord progressions to accommodate his choice lyrics. Stephen grew up in New Orleans where the music, like the people and food, is spicy and diverse. He’s played in most of New Orleans’ major venues including House of Blues, Tip’s, Tyler’s Beer Garden, and Muddy Waters. Not so long ago, Stephen joined Art and the Meters on stage at Tipitina’s and treated the crowd to the funkiest version of “ Life’s A Bitch “ ever.


Hopefully Ali, besides sharing her voice with us, will share some of the background stories of the songs and what they mean to her which may include her traveling in India, singing for ten years with a Gospel choir in San Francisco, being a synagogue cantor, earning an MA from the London School of Economics – but that’s another story. And, that story could be how they got together.


Stephen & Ali (aka Blindman Jellyroll) first met about 3 years ago when Ali was hunting for a lyricist to help with her upcoming solo CD. Shortly after meeting and determining they made a great team, they decided to record “By My Baby” on the fly. The tune has since won a number of awards on GarageBand including,“Best Blues Song,” "Best Female Blues Vocalist,” "Best Blues Guitar,” and “Best Blues Lyrics.” Following this early success, Stephen and Ali performed live at a number of venues in LA and New Orleans. Now that Ali is living in LA, they decided to reunite forces and get the show back on the road!


Experience all of this and more with Stephen and Ali at Genghis Cohen this Monday, May 17th at 7PM sharp (!). Genghis Cohen, 740 No. Fairfax Ave., 323.653.0640 - LA Examiner