The Best Is Yet To Come - The Songs Of Cy Coleman

The Best Is Yet To Come - The Songs Of Cy Coleman

2009, New West Records

Cy Coleman, née Seymour Kaufman found success in the classical and jazz worlds before finding his true calling - Broadway. He didn't let being late to the game stop him from having a stellar career, however, garnering 5 Tony Awards, 3 Emmy Awards and 2 Grammys before his untimely death in 2004. Coleman gave birth to the scores and songs of such shows as Sweet Charity, City Of Angels, The Life, The Will Rogers Follies, and Barnum. In the process, Coleman, created songs and shows that continues to have an impact on Broadway even today. It's not surprising, then, that Coleman would be honored with a compilation such as The Best Is Yet To Come - The Songs Of Cy Coleman.

The voices here might surprise you. Artists as diverse as Patty Griffin, Madeleine Peyroux, Sam Phillips, Fiona Apple, Nikka Costa and Jill Sobule offer up their talents in a stunning, stealthy collection that will take you by surprise. Griffin surprises with a wonderful sultry and soulful take on "The Best Is Yet To Come", while Fiona Apple lights up the night with "Why Try To Change Me Now" and "I Walk A Little Faster", showing off an impressive upper range in the latter that you might not suspect from her more alt-pop oriented originals. Madeleine Peyroux and Sam Phillips turn in solid outings on "I Live My Life" and "You Fascinate Me So", respectively, and Nikka Costa is a pleasant surprise on "The Rules Of The Road".

The true gems here, however, are the ones you don't see coming. Julianna Raye brings an amazingly earthy and tonally buoyant voice to "I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out Of My Life", while Sarabeth Tucek hits all the right notes on "Where Am I Going?” Even Jill Sobule shows a surprising versatility on "I've Got Your Number". The highlight of the disc, however, is the closing performance of "(I'm) In Love Again" by Missy Higgins.

Cy Coleman left an indelible mark on American Musical Theater. The songs presented on The Best Is Yet To Come - The Songs Of Cy Coleman, are the proof in the pudding. This is perhaps one of the most inspired composer collections to emanate from Broadway in some time.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Cy Coleman at Notable Music.

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Catch Me If You Can - Original Broadway Cast Recording

Catch Me If You Can - Original Broadway Cast Recording
2011, Ghostlight Records

The Silver Screen and The Great White Way have certainly had their share of trysts over the years.  Recent years have seen a number of hits (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Sister Act!) as well as more dubious efforts (Legally Blond, Footloose), but the stage continues to attract remakes of motion pictures classic and otherwise.  The latest entry of this sort is Catch Me If You Can, based on the book and 2002 Dreamworks film that immortalized Frank Abagnale, Jr., a real-life con man who was brought to justice and ended up working for the FBI.   On Broadway, Abagnale Jr. is played by Aaron Tveit (Hairspray, Wicked), with 2-time TONY Award winner Norbert Leo Butz (Wicked, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels taking on the role of Carl Hanratty).  The remainder of the cast is outstanding, with Tom Wopat (Dukes of Hazzard, A Catered Affair, Sondheim On Sondheim), Rachel De Benedet (The Sound Of Music, Nine) and Linda Hart (Anything Goes, Hairspray).    Ghostlight Records released the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Catch Me If You Can in May in digital format.  The CD follows on June 28, 2011.

For fans of traditional Broadway, Catch Me If You Can is like manna in the dessert.  The only bit of bad luck for this show is opening in the same year that nouveau Broadway juggernaut The Book Of Mormon came to town.  The score, written by Marc Shaiman (Hairspray, Sleepless In Seattle, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, Flipped)  and Scott Wittman (Hairspray) is utterly brilliant, combining the dark beauty of Cy Coleman and the buoyant melodies of Sondheim.  Aaron Tveit and Tom Wopat shine, but its Norbert Leo Butz who makes the world go ‘round in Catch Me If You Can.  The theme song, if you will, of his character, Carl Hanratty, “Don’t Break The Rules”, is perhaps one of the best original compositions to hit the Broadway stage in the past two decades, and Butz plays it from an anachronistic character full of the vim and vigor of a zealot, but with an exceedingly human side. 

The cast album is full of amazing moments, however.  The opening number, “Live In Living Color” sets the stage perfectly for a show that’s larger than life, but never forgets the details of human emotion and imperfection that are the currents the characters travel upon.  “Some Else’s Skin” gets the action rolling; laying out the motivation for Abagnale Jr.’s flights of fancy.  “Butter Outta Cream” is a delicious duo between the Abagnales, father and son, and Aaron Tveit and Tom Wopat achieve an uneasy but comfortable chemistry that will sound familiar to fathers and sons everywhere.  “Christmas Is My Favorite Time Of Year” is a turning point in the show; the first personal contact understanding between Abagnale and Hanratty.  Terrence McNally gives wonderful life to the characters here with his musical dialogue and the construction of relationship archetypes that as personal as they are universal. 

The comedic highlight of the album (and show) is “Little Boy, Be A Man”; an exploration, in caricature, of the imperfections of fatherhood.  The humor here bites hard, but with heart, while Hanratty continues his investigation and begins to close the distance on Abagnale.  This duet between Butz and Wopat features a distinctive chemistry. Things move quickly toward resolution, with Abagnale falling in love (“(Our) Family Tree”), getting caught (“Goodbye”) and being brought to justice (“Stuck Together (Strange But True)”).  This last number closes out the show, and covers both the end of our story, and the aftermath, where Abagnale turns the tables and becomes one of the FBI’s best analysts involving check fraud.  The cast recording also includes a bonus song, Tom Wopat’s “Fifty Checks”.  This is a nice little number that certainly adds to the story, but doesn’t really find a home in the flow of the show. 

Catch Me If You Can borrows some of the musical-noir atmosphere from Cy Coleman’s City Of Angels while telling a compelling story riddled with human imperfection and the hope of redemption.  Anyone who has seen the movie of the same name or read Frank Abagnale Jr.’s book will be familiar with the premise going in, and while liberties have been taken to help the flow of the story for the Broadway stage, the heart and soul of the tale remain intact.  Terrence McNally’s book and Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman’s score go together like butter and toast, and the all star cast, including TONY winner Norbert Leo Butz, Aaron Tveit and Tom Wopat, make the most of every delicious minute.  Catch Me If You Can is everything you could want out of a Broadway Cast Recording, a Wildy’s World Certified Desert Island Disc.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Catch Me If You Can at www.catchmethemusical.com.  Catch Me If You Can drops on CD on June 28, 2011.  You can pre-order your copy from Amazon.com.  Digital versions are already available from Amazon and iTunes.

Isabel Rose - Swingin' From The Hip

Isabel Rose - Swingin' From The Hip
2010, The Jubilee Recording Company

Isabel Rose is a lady who makes things happen, both onstage and off. Screenwriter, novelist, movie star, off-Broadway star... none of these callings has proven too much for Isabel Rose. It should be no surprise that her debut album, Swingin' From The Hip looks poised to prove another facet of this versatile and prolific performer. Born on Manhattan's Upper East Side, Isabel Rose has steeped in New York's culture almost from her birth, and her love of both jazz, Broadway and pop music shines through on Swingin' From The Hip.

Rose opens with the bossa nova swing of "Aquarius", adapted from the rock musical hair. Rose has a fine voice, a bit reserved but full of warm tone and a bit of Vegas swagger here (that sophisticated Rat Pack swing). Rose swings up Irving Berlin's "Lovely Day" (Call Me Madam) in fine fashion, keeping the Broadway feel of the original while updating it for hep cats everywhere. Rose goes big band for Rodgers & Hammerstein's "I Enjoy Being A Girl" (Flower Drum Song). The arrangement fits Isabel Rose nicely. "Temptation" is well done, and leads into the slinky nightclub arrangement of Pat Benetar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", injecting burlesque undertones into a generally torch-styled interpretation.

One of the highlights of the album is Rose's version of "Haven't We Met", where her voice takes on a slightly darker aspect that's nothing short of breath-taking. The clarity of vocal tone and warmth of Isabel Rose's voice is a real treat. Rose plays it straight on the Harry Noble-penned "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me", which originally spent 18 weeks on the Billboard pop charts for singer Karen Noble in 1952. Rose seems to have a special connection with this one, and makes it her own without substantially changing the song. Rose gives listeners a lighter moment with her cover of "I Only Wanna Be With You", the first single Dusty Springfield ever released. Perhaps Rose's only misstep on the entire album comes on the George Ira Gershwin tune "Boy Wanted". Perhaps it's just the chemistry of the song, but Rose never really sounds like she connects with this one (and its tough trying to stand in the shoes of Ella Fitzgerald, even for a performer of Isabel Rose's talent).

Rose rebounds nicely on Lerner & Lowe's "On The Street Where You Live" (My Fair Lady), an amazing swing version of the Broadway classic. Rose is inspired here, as will you be. Johnny Mercer's "Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive" gets the royal treatment from Rose. Vocally the song is well performed, although the tempo, and therefore Rose, do sound a bit rushed at times. Rose closes with Cy Coleman's "The Best Is Yet To Come" in a stripped down arrangement that shows off Rose's voice and also features some tremendous guitar work.

Isabel Rose is now officially a quintuple threat. Swingin' From The Hip should establish Rose as a vocal force to be reckoned with, and you can't help but have respect for the highly professional and accomplished band she has behind her on the album. Rose recalls the days when great performers would tackle almost any style and make it their own. It's not just a matter of having a voice or a band; there's a cult of personality that surrounds great performers. Sinatra. Babs. Bette. Torme. Bennett. Newton. It wouldn't be entirely surprising if twenty years down the road people were adding Rose to that list.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Isabel Rose at http://www.isabelrose.com/. Swingin' From The Hip drops in the digital world on September 14, 2010, with a CD release planned for October 19, 2010.  You can pre-order the digital release from Amazon.com.

Review: Stefon Harris And Blackout - Urbanus

Stefon Harris And Blackout - Urbanus
2009, Concord Jazz

Stefon Harris And Blackout return in August, 2009 with Harris' seventh album (and first on Concord Jazz); Urbanus. Recorded in the days leading up to the inauguration of President Barack Obama, Urbanus reflects tidal waves of hope and excitement about the days and years to come. Harris and Blackout mix elements of traditional Jazz with modern and progressive strains, but also weave R&B, Funk and Soul the musical tapestry presented here.

Urbanus opens with Gone, a variation on Gershwin's Gone, Gone, Gone (Porgy And Bess). Gershwin's theme is heard here in passing moments, with Harris and Blackout expanding the boundaries and playing vociferously in the margins. There are one or two moments where the experimentation becomes so progressive it will lose fans of traditional jazz, but there's definite artistry in the moment. Buster Williams' Christina features some wonderful work on the vibes by Harris and interesting use of a Vocoder to create a sly yet sophisticated piece of mood music you won't quite be able to get out of your head. Tanktified finds Blackout dancing on the out bounds of jazz form with runs and divergences that seem more about making a musical point than adhering to any semblance of history or structure. Shake It For Me takes similar side trips but never strays quite so far off-track. There are some meticulous and unusual runs presented here that features sax, piano and vibraphone competing for primacy that avoid becoming mess and carry with them a spark of pure creation and a lot of wonderful tension.

Jackie McLean’s' Minor March is a delirious mix of traditional and avant-garde styles tailored in a suit of dark keys, scintillating in repressed light and casting off some glorious moments for the listeners' pleasure. My favorite track on the CD is the Afterthought, opening with a sound that could be a mix of Jazz and Broadway (think Cy Coleman's City Of Angels) but works quickly into one of the more traditional forms on the disc. Harris is absolutely inspired on the vibes here, and the bass player works up a major sweat along the way. Blues Denial comes in a close second for favorite track, taking on a life of its own within the opening bars of the song and seeming to pull Harris and Blackout along for a delirious ride. The aural staging creates an almost dream like-quality that launches you into a series of rapid-fire musical conversations you won't soon forget. Harris closes down Urbanus on the peaceful and introspective passages of Langston's Lullaby, a beautiful, almost ethereal piece of music that's better heard than described.

Stefon Harris and Blackout hit mostly the right notes on Urbanus, galvanizing the spirit of the times in musical structure for future generations to hear. The album loses me when it touches on the fringes of Avant-Garde Jazz, occasionally crossing over into unrecognizable cacophony, but never for long. This doesn't make it bad; it just doesn't speak to me when it goes there. On the whole, Urbanus is a strong effort.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Stefon Harris and Blackout at http://www.stefonharris.com/ or http://www.myspace.comstefonharris/. You can purchase a copy of Urbanus at Amazon.com, or you can download the album from iTunes.