Allyson Briggs and Fleur Seule Emphasize the Songbook in NYC

There are so many reasons to visit New York City. Musically, you can find almost anything you want there. For example, if you are looking for a cosmopolitan retro jazz band that often performs World War II era selections like “Shoo-Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy,” Fleur Seule is just that. If you care to visit one of the city’s storied locations, try the famed Tavern on the Green, the home of Fleur Seule. The band is the creation of its vocalist, Allyson Briggs, who, while born many decades after that disastrous, but storied conflict, feels at home performing such selections because, “It was the music of that era that always speaks to me.” While her band has had the Tavern as home base long enough to seem to have always been there, Briggs herself is from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, where she decided on her career path at the tender age of five. She explained, “I was in a musical theater production, and I was just hooked. I said, ‘This is this is what I want to do forever.’” Fortunately, her parents provided the nurturing environment that kept that goal in focus. They realized the importance of music for their children’s lives and provided all types to nourish its appreciation. She heard many kinds of singers at home from the giants of opera to Sinatra, Ella, Lady Day, and the Andrew Sisters. Also, Briggs experienced some of the best. “I got to see Pavarotti in con