I got to know Gina Samardge about four years ago when my daughter and I became regulars at a weekly sing-a-long she did at the Crossroads Cafe in Windsor Terrace.  Gina did a great job choosing engaging and culturally diverse songs and playing them with energy and enthusiasm every week.  But the thing that made her sing-a-long so popular was that Gina genuinely cares about the kids and adults who came to sing with her. She has a friendly and generous way about her that makes everyone feel welcome and that they could participate with her however they wanted—singing, dancing or just sitting sucking their fingers which my daughter often did.

You can have this sing-a-long experience at home when you listen to Gina’s new CD, Together. It really sounds exactly like you’ve gotten a high quality bootleg of a sing-a-long in a backyard or cafe somewhere in Brooklyn.  The music and performances sound totally live and the kids that sing on most of the tracks, give the songs the kind of energy and exuberance we enjoyed so much at the sing-a-longs.  In fact many of the songs on the CD are ones that my daughter and I sang with Gina.  We particularly loved Tingalayo, Going to Kentucky, and El Coqui in which Gina would bring out a magical little wood carved frog that could make a clicking sound just like the real frog.

Gina’s moving out of Brooklyn and having a Farewell Sing in Prospect Park (just in from Grand Army Plaza) at 11 am on Sunday June 27^th.  Stop by to meet her before she heads out of town (she’ll come back to visit) or if you already know her, come wish her well on her move!

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