Broadway performer STEVEN PASQUALE is best known for his role as Sean Garrity on Rescue Me.
He is also an amazing singer. His debut solo cd SOMETHIN' LIKE LOVE is coming out April 21. It was released digitally on itunes today! I started to sample and was really impressed and downloaded today. Produced by husband and wife "jazz couple" John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey, the album has really nice renditions of jazz standards AND there's also a wonderful cover of MAYBE from ANNIE!
Steven originated the role of Fabrizio in the show LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, but could not appear in the Broadway production due to Rescue Me. Currently on Broadway in Neil Labute's REASONS TO BE PRETTY, he's married to stage actress Laura Benanti whom he met during a concert version of THE SECRET GARDEN.
* sidenote - love the reoccurring storyline on 30 ROCK where Jenna Maroney (played by Jane Krakowsi) is filming a Janis Joplin biopic. They couldn't get the rights to the songs and can't use her name...
... so this leads to "Janet Jopler" singing...
“Come on, come on, come on and Take it! Take another little chunk of my love now, Mister! You know you bought it if life makes you sweet food! Chunk of my love! Chunk of my love! And take it! Chunk of my lung! Chunk of my lung! Take it ! Take a big ol’ chunk of my lung now, baby! Take a big ol’ chunk of my lung! Chunk of my lung! You know you’ve bought it if it makes you buy it with thingsaahhh!”
brilliant!!
Now back to the "real" Janis. Her version of PIECE OF MY HEART was actually a cover.
Here is the ORIGINAL version of PIECE OF MY HEART sung by ERMA FRANKLIN who happens to be Aretha Franklin's older sister.
Love some Janis, but when I first heard this... it was a revelation. It was like a whole different song.
Cultural writer Ellen Willis wrote of the 2 different versions...
"When Franklin sings it, it is a challenge: no matter what you do to me, I will not let you destroy my ability to be human, to love. Joplin seems rather to be saying, surely if I keep taking this, if I keep setting an example of love and forgiveness, surely he has to understand, change, give me back what I have given".
I really love both interpretations.
There have been many covers of the tune through the years. One really sticks out in my mind.
On the 2005 Grammy's, MELISSA ETHERIDGE (who was going through chemotherapy for cancer at the time) boldly took the stage and sung her heart out in a very personal performance. She was telling the world I have been fighting and made it through. This performance was an inspiration to anyone fighting this horrible disease.
Huge huge fan of THE DITTY BOPS. Abby DeWald and Amanda Barrett are a wonderful duo (onstage and off.) Their music is a cross between folk and vaudeville! This would be a very long post if I talked about ALL their music. So for this one, let's focus on their self titled debut.
Here's their first music video WISHFUL THINKING. This gives you a good sense of their style.
My favorite song on this cd is a cover of I WISH THAT I COULD SHIMMY LIKE MY SISTER KATE... which they call SISTER KATE. This track is a must download.
At their concerts they have a dancing contest to this song. Here's the winner from one of their performances. Get ready for the dynamic dance moves of... GUS!
Here he talks about what makes a winner...
The song has become an official "Jazzercise" workout song. Towards the end of this clip you can see Amanda (in the pink hair!) This video makes me VERY VERY happy!
This week I've written about both Motown and Sinatra.
Well wouldn't you know it, there is a cool cd that combines the two. MOTOWN CELEBRATES SINATRA is a compilation of Motown artists covering tunes associated with Ol' Blue Eyes.
It's not on itunes, but you can order it here from amazon.com.
Not all of the songs on the cd are "amazing," but overall it is a cool cd. Love Marvin Gaye's soulful cover of ONE FOR MY BABY. This track is actually on itunes. Check it out. Great stuff.
My favorite track is Gladys Knight and the Pips going to town on JUST IN TIME. This song has been on other compilations as well (no itunes though.) Their version has a great groove to it and then suddenly kicks into overdrive. This may be my favorite version of the song besides Blossom Dearie's (and there are a LOT of versions!)
Got free tickets to see a Rat Pack Tribute show tonight from a friend who couldn't use them. (Thank you SO much Jen!)
It was WONDERFUL! You can read more about the show here. Our seats were in the mezzanine which was great. I really felt as if we were at a real Rat Pack concert. All 3 guys were great, but Stephen Triffitt as Sinatra was especially brilliant. I got a little emotional during MY WAY.
Sinatra has always been one of my heroes. I need to devote a future post to just him and what he means to me. There are a lot of my favs that I haven't really written about (Ella, Steve and Eydie, etc...) I need to start doing that. The problem has been "Where do I start?" Well, in this post let's focus on Sinatra's collaborations.
Here's a great clip of Frank and Sammy singing ME AND MY SHADOW.
Here's Frank and Dino...
This is a lovely clip of Frank and Peggy Lee. I get goosebumps every time I see this. This shows perfectly why I love the "Great American Songbook" and the vocalists who sang it. The chemistry in this number is absolutely beautiful. The first time I saw this I felt as if I were hearing the song for the first time. It feels very raw and fresh. Love how they screw the words up at the end.
All three of these clips are on a wonderful dvd called SINATRA: THE CLASSIC DUETS. It features duets performed on The Frank Sinatra Show. Collaborations include Ella, Lena, Bing, Dinah Shore, Ethel Merman, and Elvis Presley!!
Motown night on American Idol was really good tonight. Adam Lambert did an amazing rendition of TRACKS OF MY TEARS.
They announced on the show tonight that the versions on itunes this week would be to the original instrumentations. Isn't that basically Karaoke? If this is true, I will be very disappointed because I would love to hear a studio version of Adam doing that song.
Each week itunes offers extended studio versions of the songs as well as videos of the show performances. I usually really dig them. It's very interesting to hear what each performer sounds like in the studio. Sometimes you love a number on the show and then when you hear the studio cut, there is no magic. Other times it's the complete opposite.
You CAN also download free mp3's of the live versions (including Adam's from last night) on the blog www.rickey.org. Many times they often are posted the same night of the show.
A few years back a MOTOWN REMIXED album was released. A second volume followed. The results were varied, but I really dig DJ Smash's remix of Stevie Wonder's SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED, I'M YOURS. It's got a great groove and really show's off Stevie's voice (which is not always the case with remix albums.)
Really digging KINGS on NBC right now. I had some reservations about starting another show, but I was definitely hooked by the pilot. If you missed the pilot, you can download it for free from itunes!!
KINGS is a loose retelling of King David in the Bible found in the books of Samuel and Kings. It will be very interesting to see where they go with the show. KINGS takes place in the kingdom of Gilboa (an alternate world resembling New York.) There are some nice complex characters played by a great cast. Christopher Egan as David and Ian McShane as the King are wonderful.
Actually love the casting of the whole show... especially the King's family. There's a great storyline that has been set up for Jack the king's son (played by Stan Sebastian.)
I have been battling a cold/allergies for about a week and a half. This think is lingering! Just when I think it might be done, it comes back again. Since I've been feeling "funky," I thought I some classic FUNK was appropriate for today's post.
Here are 2 great tunes from the band RUFUS featuring CHAKA KHAN.
The first is one of their big hits which was actually written by Stevie Wonder. Love the groove on this. Here is TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD.
I've working with a lot of 70's music lately for an upcoming show. One of the songs is the Bee Gee's classic JIVE TALKIN'. Check out this smokin' cover by RUFUS.
Yesterday's post was about a female jazz vocalist who also plays bass. Today's is about a favorite vocalist of mine who also plays snare drum!!
SUSIE ARIOLI, based in Canada, exudes infectious charm. Her chief collaborator is the dashing Jordan Officer who has mad guitar skills. After being together romantically for more than a decade, the partnership is now just professional. Susie describes Jordan as her "musical soulmate." She says "We had disagreements, but we have big agreements on music."
My first purchase was PENNIES FROM HEAVEN. I was in a cd store and new I would love them just by this picture.
I indeed immediately loved their music. Here is the title song from that album. I also really like their version of NIGHT AND DAY.
Since then I have purchased all of their albums and really love them all. However, my favorite probably is THAT'S FOR ME.
Each year Garrison Keillor and friends do a PRETTY GOOD JOKE SHOW on NPR's Prairie Home Companion. You can hear past shows online or purchase cd collections and books of the jokes as well.
Here is my FAVORITE knock knock joke I heard on his show.
-Knock knock
Who's there?
Sam and Janet
Sam and Janet who?
Sam and Janet Evening...
and the wonderful followup
-Knock knock
Who's there?
Itzhak
Itzhak who?
Itzhak to you, New York... New York!
Also... in related news....
This could quite possibly be your next favorite website...
I LOVE the song SALT from jazz/folk/soul artist Lizz Wright. This is one of those songs that you can crank up the volume and feel it in every pore of your body. To me, her voice is a cross between Lauryn Hill and Nina Simone.
My favorite overall cd of Ms. Wright is DREAMING WIDE AWAKE. She does great versions of A TASTE OF HONEY, GET TOGETHER and my fav I'M CONFESSIN'. When I listen to this cd, I think of a late summer night... sitting on a porch after a long hot day. In the air is a light breeze... and for the moment all is right in the world.
Last night American Idol featured songs originally done by members of the Grand Ole Opry. In other words... "Country Night!"
There were some really nice moments. I loved Kris, Anoop, and Adam's middle eastern take on "Ring of Fire" (which I think was a "love-it-or-hate-it" rendition.) I was reminded of another AWESOME cover of RING OF FIRE by folk/Americana artist Allison Moorer. This track is from her cover album MOCKINGBIRD with all music written by women. (Yes RING OF FIRE was actually written by June Carter Cash.)
