If you weren’t lucky enough to catch Shoshana Bean at Encores! last year, remedy it NOW. You’ll be so glad you did. This woman is a powerhouse and ‘Just One Step’ from Jason Robert Brown’s Songs For A New World is the perfect vehicle for her unbounded, fearless artistry. I have pressed REPEAT on this one many, […]
Read MoreThis recording of Jessye Norman singing ‘Afterthoughts’ with Michel Legrand at the piano is remarkable. I love it—the tone of her, the risk-taking, the musical chemistry between them both and the journey they take us on. What a gift they left us… Composer: Gene de Paul; Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh
Read MoreI do love a good rhyme. Maybe this was my gateway drug… My brother and I watched the Marx Brothers a lot when we were kids and At The Circus was one of our favorites. Here’s Groucho singing ‘Lydia, the Tattooed Lady’. (I mean, let’s talk about the utter genius of rhyming “tell her where” and “Delaware”, […]
Read MoreJust listen to how Bobby Short sings Cole Porter’s ‘I’m In Love Again’! It’s perfection. I am addicted to rough edges around a beautiful voice: that little bit of grit, the almost-growl, the ability to sense the breath in the sound. And pretty much any recording of Bobby Short holds me spellbound. Enjoy this one!
Read MoreI could listen to Jacques Brel all day every day: that fast vibrato, that tone, that uvular R… He’s one of my favorite performers—always fully committed and without any barrier to the story he’s telling. I find him electrifying to listen to. ‘Madeleine’ is a delicious, giddy romp of a song in which a lovable […]
Read MoreListen to how Ann Murray slims that fabulous instrument of hers down to its shining kernel! This is a stunning performance by two fearless, genuine artists. I chose this song because I have learned from my husband that even in the most trying and desperate of times, one must be able to find some small particle of positivity. So, between the screeching of Trump headlines and the next letter to your senator, here’s a little something that is beautiful and timeless.
Read MoreFrom the ultimate satirist, Tom Lehrer.
For might makes right
Until they’ve seen the light
They’ve got to be protected
All their rights respected
’Til somebody WE like can be elected.
Steve first introduced me to the music of Randy Newman with the song Dayton Ohio, 1903 in the NYFOS ‘Roadtrip’ program and I have been a huge fan ever since. This song, written in the early 70s, is one of favorites. It pulls no punches. At a 2011 concert in London, Randy said about this song: “Funny how people don’t laugh at [it] anymore. We’re not actually that crazy. Not quite.”
Read MoreIf you haven’t yet seen the Marx Brothers film Duck Soup, do yourself a favor and watch it—it’s irreverent, hysterical and (these days) educational. The lyrics pack a particular punch right now: “If you think this country’s bad off now, just wait ’til I get through with it”… Ouch. Take a listen.
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