April 27, 2007

Hungarian Ambassador's CoW Rocks the Big Apple for the Big Easy at the Cutting Room
 

The Coalition of the Willing at the Cutting Room

Diplomats, musicians and donors traveled from Washington DC, Seoul, New Orleans and Budapest to New York to take part at a special benefit event on Friday night. "Rockin' in the Big Apple for the Big Easy" was a charity concert to raise funds for the musicians of Katrina-struck New Orleans through the New Orleans Musicians' Clinic in cooperation with the Embassy of Hungary in Washington. Substantial amount of money was collected from corporate and individual donations, entrance tickets and a silent auction.

Ambassador of Hungary András Simonyi on guitar

"The Coalition of the Willing" band gave a two-hour concert with huge success. The band includes rock legend Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, formerly with the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan, currently a Pentagon advisor on national security matters; Hungarian Ambassador to the U.S. András Simonyi; U.S. Ambassador to Korea Alexander Vershbow; former Assistant Secretary of State Lincoln Bloomfield; former presidential aide Daniel Poneman; and the Executive Vice President of The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness, Dan McDermott. The Coalition performed classic rock and blues hits like "Secret Agent Man," "Back in the USSR," "The City of New Orleans," and "Wild Thing" (in Hungarian). The set ended with their take on the classic rock tune "House of the Rising Sun" a song about New Orleans.

A star from the 1960s: Ronnie Spector from the Ronnettes

 The band was preceded by Steven Mayer, a classical and jazz pianist from New Orleans. The Coalition of the Willing performed with guest artist Ronnie Spector, the lead vocalist of the 1960s star group The Ronnettes - she played her ever-lasting hit "Be My Baby" with the band. The evening's hostess, Arlee Leonard, a singer with roots in New Orleans but based in New York, played "Stormy Monday" with the rockers.  

U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Alexander Vershbow on drums

Ambassador András Simonyi, the host of the event, said: "Hungary was among the first to help the Gulf Coast area after Katrina, and the Coalition of the Willing performed a benefit for Katrina victims in Cleveland a few weeks after the disaster." The band decided to take the stage again in New York "because we wanted to help the musicians of New Orleans who make the heart and soul of the Big Easy, and to play for the people who resurrected and for those we will never forget."

Lincoln Bloomfield, former Assistant Secretary of State, and president of the international business advisory firm Palmer Coates LLC, on bass

Among the dignitaries attending the benefit were Susan Eisenhower, the granddaughter of President Eisenhower; Bálint Magyar, Hungarian State Secretary for Development Policy; Hungary's Honorary Consuls Stephen Gergátz (New Orleans) and John Parkerson (Atlanta); Hungarian businesswoman Izabella Zwack, heiress to the Zwack liqueur company and leader of their U.S. campaign; Hungarian and American diplomats, Hungarian-Americans, New Orleans personalities, representatives of the Hungarian and U.S. media.
 

The founder and the musical director: András Simonyi and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter on stage

The presenting sponsor of the event was the Open Society Institute, founded by Hungarian-born philanthropist George Soros. The supporting sponsor was Zwack, the maker of the national shot of Hungary. Sponsors and corporate donors included JetBlue Airways, Marriott International, Time Warner Cable, John Allen's and Gibson Foundation. Some of the silent auction items were donated by artists Noah G, John Glenn, Irene Young and Sandra Schwartkopf.
 

Ronnie Spector sang her biggest hit, "Be My Baby" with the Coalition

Rockin' in the Big Apple for the Big Easy Event Program Booklet (in DOC format)

Special Thanks go to:

Presenting Sponsor: Open Society Institute

In-Kind Sponsors: Zwack Hungary, Gibson Foundation/Gibson, D H Krahn Gin, Jet Blue Airways, Marriott, John Allen’s Club, Southern Comfort, Sam Ash Music Stores, Time Warner Cable of NYC

THE CUTTING ROOM: Steve Walter and Peter Abraham

Event Chairpersons: Zoltán Fehér, Cynthia M. Revesz, Tristan D. Bultman

In-Kind Donors of services:

John M. Fink, design services – save the date and invititation

Noah G - program cover art and design

Richard Patterson – New Orleans film footage

Silent Auction Donors:

Sandra Russell Clark, photographer; Sandra Schwartkopf, artist; Noah G; Irene Young; Gibson Foundation/Gibson; Bumble and Bumble; Time Warner Cable of NYC

Gift Bag Donors: John Allen’s Club, Sam Ash Music, McIlhenny Company Tabasco

Volunteers and Advisors: Rory Beelek, Virginia Bell, Susy Nason, Wendy Norris, Ann S. Kaufman, Petra Hanson, Mark Linn, Ed Agostini, Joy Zurzolo

Rockin' for the Big Easy (Simonyi and Baxter)

Photos by Tamás Révész, Hungarian News Agency, New York, www.revesz.net