Showing posts with label robert kotonly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label robert kotonly. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

RIP Nickolas Ashford


In November 2009, The RRazz Room owners-- Robert Kotonly and Rory Paull -- interviewed me for a new position: Publicist for Jazz and R&B. Following our interview was opening night of Ashford & Simpson, and the owners invited me to stay for the performance. I felt like a kid in a candy store; I was amazed by not only the intimacy of the room, but also its classiness.

As I watched Robert Kotonly escort Nick and Val on stage, I had no doubt in my mind that what was to follow would be a musical journey down memory lane. Nick and Val shared stories of how they met and auditioned for Barry Gordy of Motown, and the amazing blessings that manifest along the way. So many songs; so little time. So little precious time.

March 29 - April 3, 2011, Ashford & Simpson returned to The RRazz Room for seven SOLD OUT performances. Nikki Thomas was my guest for opening night. For several months before opening night, Nikki and I spoke about Ashford & Simpson during the KBLX Sunday Brunch live broadcast at Restaurant Anzu inside Hotel Nikko. To us single ladies, Ashford & Simpson were the ultimate in relationships: one grounded in music and love for life.

Last night, just before I left boot camp, I checked my messages. Nikki Thomas sent me a text message, "Omg! Nick Ashford! Did u hear?" I knew what that meant, and I immediately called Robert Kotonly and Rory Paull, who are good friends with Nick and Val. Ashford & Simpson were scheduled to return to The RRazz Room May 8 - 13, 2012. We are broken-hearted.

After speaking with Robert, I sat in my car and just cried. While my encounters with Nick and Val were short, I cried for love, and all that it endures. Energy never dies....

RIP Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1942 – August 22, 2011)
Photo Credit: Pat Johnson @ The RRazz Room March 29, 2011

Saturday, February 19, 2011

3rd Annual RRAZZiversary Gala Celebration & Benefit For St. Jude

The Rrazz Room banner


Rory, Marilu & Robert 2010 gala
Rory Paull, Marilu Henner & Robert Kotonly @ 2nd Annual RRAZZiversary Gala Celebration & Benefit For Haiti Relief (Photo Credit: Pat Johnson)

San Francisco, CA -- February 19, 2011 -- On Thursday, March 17, 2011, at 8pm, co-owners Robert Kotonly and Rory Paull of Rrazz Entertainment West, Inc. dba "the RRAZZ room" at Hotel Nikko San Francisco will host their 3rd Annual RRAZZiversary Gala Celebration & Benefit For St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The star-studded *lineup will include Sarah Dash (of LaBelle), Joyce DeWitt (of TV's Three's Company), Sally Kellerman (in the film MASH), Florence LaRue (of The 5th Dimension), Gloria Loring (co-composed theme songs to Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life; mother of R&B singer Robin Thicke), Deana Martin (daughter of Dean Martin), Melba Moore (Tony Award winner for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her role in Purlie), Kim Nalley ("Most Influential African-American in the Bay Area" Award 2005 City Flight Magazine), CeCe Peniston (R&B and Dance-Pop Singer-Songwriter, Actress), Martha Reeves (Queen of Motown), Paula West (Currently in Week 5 of 8-week residency at the RRAZZ room), Edna Wright & Honey Cone (Left Motown to become the premier female group for Hot Wax Records, best known classic hits "Want Ads" and "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show") and Pia Zadora (Golden Globe Award "New Star of the Year" winner for Butterfly) *Lineup subject to change.

3rd Annual RRAZZiversary Gala Celebration & Benefit For St Jude Children's Research Hospital is a special night to celebrate the premier nightclub of the West Coast. Located in the lobby level of Hotel Nikko San Francisco, the RRAZZ room offers a variety of headline entertainment seven nights a week. An intimate, acoustically perfect, and sophisticated setting, the RRAZZ room seats just under 200. The programming is as eclectic as it is top-notch. On any given night, expect to see Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Grammy winners as well as rising Bay Area stars. As one customer recently stated, "I'm from the East Coast, and the RRAZZ room is one place where nightlife in San Francisco feels like New York." Not just another gala celebration, but an opportunity to help change lives across the world.

Since they opened the doors to the RRAZZ room, Kotonly and Paull have donated a portion of their annual gala celebration proceeds to non-profit organizations: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (2009), Haiti Relief (2010) and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (2011). When late entertainer Danny Thomas opened the doors to St. Jude Children's Hospital in 1962, he not only changed the lives of those children who walked through its doors, he changed lives across the world. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering research and treatment for children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Ranked the No. 1 pediatric cancer hospital by Parents magazine and the No. 1 children's cancer hospital by U.S. News & World Report, St. Jude is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. http://www.stjude.org

3rd Annual RRAZZiversary Gala Celebration & Benefit for St Jude Children's Research Hospital at the RRAZZ room at Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco, 94102, Thursday, March 17, 2011, 8pm. Tickets $75 (General Admission; rear of house seats); $125 (Preferred seats); and $175 (Includes post-show wine and cheese reception with the artists). Fabulous cocktail attire recommended. Tickets: 800.380.3095 or http://www.therrazzroom.com

High-res Artist Photos Now Available:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jfmpresents/sets/72157625944330609/

the RRAZZ room at Hotel Nikko is San Francisco's premier nightclub, offering the finest in world-class Classic Soul, R&B, Traditional Pop, Jazz, Comedy, Revue and Cabaret entertainment. This intimate and acoustically perfect venue has been the home for past performers such as: Ashford & Simpson, Oleta Adams, Larry Carlton, Bobby Caldwell, Spyro Gyra, Hiroshima, Diane Schuur, Ben Vereen, Martha Reeves, Miki Howard, The Zapp Band, Con Funk Shun, Pete Escovedo feat. Juan & Peter Michael Escovedo, Freda Payne, Cloris Leachman, Sally Kellerman, Kenny G, Lil' Kim, The Angela Bofill Experience, Australia's Thunder From Down Under, All-4-One, Taylor Hicks, Marlena Shaw, Mary Wilson, Janis Paige, Mark Curry, Stefanie Powers, Davy Jones, Russell Thompkins, Jr. & The New Stylistics, Dame Cleo Laine, Jacqui Dankworth, Keiko Matsui, Ruben Studdard, Eddie Money, David Campbell, Barb Jungr, Lenny Williams, Paula West and Kim Nalley. Host-escorted seating assigned on a first come, first serve basis. Doors open 90 minutes prior to show. the RRAZZ room is a two-drink minimum, all-ages venue, and tickets are non-refundable. Limited Club R VIP Memberships available: 415.394.1189 or Kris@TheRrazzRoom.com

Additional helpful information: the RRAZZ room Bar is open daily at 2pm. Happy Hour is from 2PM - 6PM, seven days a week. Dress Code is upscale casual. Inappropriate attire is: ripped jeans, flip-flops, baseball caps and jerseys. No audio nor video recording without prior approval. Absolutely no flash photography. Please silence cell phones, refrain from use, and keep conversations to a whisper during performances. With a validation from the RRAZZ room, parking at the Mason O'Farrell Garage is $12 (up to five hours). Enter the garage from Mason or O'Farrell Streets.

Media Contact:
Lisa Bautista, Entertainment Publicist
JFM Presents, LLC
510.967.1109
jfmpresents@gmail.com


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