NYFOS AFTER HOURS--PROTEST SONGS

Mikaela Bennett, Joshua Blue, Jacob Scharfman, Andrew Munn, Amanda Lynn Bottoms, Chelsea Shephard, and Dimitri Katotakis

Hosted by the gracious Henry of Henry's Restaurant, an Upper West Side institution, New York Festival of Song After Hours presented their final show of the season; it was a different sort of show, comprising songs of protest, but just right for the mood in NYC these days. We liberal arts loving folk feel like a persecuted minority with a great deal to worry about and against which to protest.

Our pianist/arranger/host Steven Blier picked up an idea by the highly esteemed young director Mary Birnbaum and immediately compiled a list of songs on the theme of protest. There was no trouble finding a cast of talented young singers from Juilliard's Department of Vocal Arts to perform the songs.

This was indeed a different kind of show. There was no "Sing for Your Supper" to get us all in a jolly mood and Mr. Blier eschewed his customary banter about each song. He told the audience that he wanted the songs to "speak for themselves". Many of the songs related to oppression in foreign countries, in which case the singer read the text in English.

The wildly talented Mikaela Bennett opened the program with Stevie Wonder's song "If It's Magic". We were not too sure about what was being protested, unless it is the carelessness of our culture in not taking care of the things that matter. Ms. Bennett is unceasingly eclectic and just when we were enjoying the soul and jazz inflected song, she burst forth with some operatic riffs that reminded us of her versatility.

Toward the end of the evening she sang Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" which clearly protested the despoiling of nature and the failure to appreciate our blessings until they are gone. Ms. Bennett's personality is larger than life and she put her own expressive stamp on this song which was written in the 60's, long before she was born.

Her duet with Amanda Lynn Bottoms was sung in Spanish and the two women harmonized beautifully in "Como la cigarra", a protest by lesbian poet/musician/writer Maria Elena Walsh against the military dictatorship in Argentina (1976-1983).

Ms. Bottoms had a couple fine solos as well. She sang "Song for Peace" from A Prayer to the New Year by the young Arabic/American composer Mohammed Fairouz, setting of text by Fadwa Tuqan. It was a prayer for peace in the Middle East and we were not sure whether Ms. Bottoms sang in Arabic or the original Aramaic.  In any event, it was lovely.

She was absolutely riveting in "Lamento esclavo" by the 20th c. Cuban composer Eliseo Grenet with text by Aurelio G. Riancho.

Also in Spanish was Leonard Bernstein's l977 setting of text by feminist Puerto Rico poet Julia de Burgos, from his work Songfest. Chelsea Shephard performed "A Julia de Burgos" with passion, revealing the strong core of a woman who has found it necessary to be outwardly conventional and compliant.  

Ms. Shephard had a good time in her duet with Dimitri Katotakis, performing Randy Newman's ironic song "Political Science"--at heart a protest against American aggression.

Mr. Katotakis did well with "Pampamapa", Carlos Guastavino's setting of Hamlet Lima Quintana's poetry--more resistance to Argentinean fascism, although the text is more allusive than descriptive. The complex folkloric rhythms were stirring.

What Joshua Blue did with Fats Waller's song "Black and Blue" was extremely powerful. The text by Andy Razaf speaks to the painful damage done to an individual's sense of self worth by prejudice. It felt very personal and filled with truth.  It hurt! Mr. Blue is appropriately named since he has a real feeling for the blues and knows just how to bend a pitch.

He was similarly superb in Stevie Wonder's "Big Brother" which deals with government surveillance.  It made us think of racial profiling; it made us uncomfortable, which is a good thing. We might add that Mr. Blue's instrument has a very special timbre.

Jacob Scharfman sang a wonderful song about Gay Pride called "The Lavender Song", written by Mischa Spoliansky in 1920 as "Das Lila Lied" and popular in German cabaret. The lyrics were written by Kurt Schwabach and translated by Jeremy Lawrence. It's a fine song but we wish we had heard it in the original German.

But we did hear Mr. Scharfman sing in Yiddish--the 1943 "Zog Nit Keynmol", by Vilna poet Hirsh Glik and also known as "The Partisan's Song". The pre-existing melody was written by Soviet-Jewish composer Dimitri Pokrass.  It's hopeful message was adopted by the Vilna Partisans who were inspired by the Warsaw ghetto uprising, and it spread from one concentration camp to another with its inspirational message.

Andrew Munn sang "Bella, Ciao", a traditional song of resistance to Mussolini and also Marc Blitzstein's "The Cradle Will Rock" from the 1937 show of the same name--a pro-Labor musical during the Great Depression which protested against wicked greedy capitalists.

The entire ensemble performed the encore--"Now is the Cool of the Day" an Appalachian folk hymn recorded by Jean Ritchie. With seven stunning voices raised in harmony, singing about taking care of Mother Earth, it was an inspiring way to end this special evening.

Additional musical support was provided by Chris Reynolds on piano and Jack Gulielmetti on guitar.

(c) meche kroop

NYFOS AT HOME AT HENRY'S

Steven Blier, Amanda Bottoms, Theo Hoffman, Tiffany Townsende, James Edgar Knight, Alex McKissick, Aaron Mor and Hannah McDermott at Henry's

We love NYFOS in the Winter; We love NYFOS in the Fall; We love NYFOS in the Springtime when it drizzles; but there is no NYFOS in the Summer when it sizzles, at least not here in NYC. So last night's cabaret at Henry's was a bittersweet moment since all the singers we love from Juilliard are going their separate ways.

NYFOS at the Kaufman Center is a somewhat serious affair with opportunities for learning, although there is plenty of fun to be had.  NYFOS at Henry's Restaurant on the Upper West Side is strictly fun. Gifted young artists perform songs you already know and love--WITHOUT AMPLIFICATION!!! Mr. Blier has coached and brought these young artists to pitch perfect performance. Tonight's theme (there is always a theme) was "Great American Songwriting Teams".

Speaking of fun, Aaron Mor's delivery of "The Sheik of Avenue B" complete with Yiddish accent, was priceless. This Kalmar & Ruby song sends up the Sheik of Araby from silent film days.  Think Fanny Brice and Yiddish theater!

On a more serious note, Amanda Bottoms performed the Rodgers & Hart paean to urban loneliness--"It Never Entered My Mind". It's a soulful song and Ms. Bottoms invested it with a great deal of soul.

A late song by The Brother Gershwin "I Was Doing All Right" was sung much better than "all right" by Hannah McDermott in jazzy style.

The romantic "You and the Night and the Music" by Dietz & Schwartz was beautifully sung by Alex McKissick in both English and (surprise) Spanish!  This was new to us and we loved it.  Spanish is just so much more romantic than English!

Tiffany Townsend sang "Blue Grass", also by Dietz & Schwartz, from Inside USA, a song associated with Pearl Bailey. It had a nice bluesy feel to it.

From Sid Caesar's Little Me, James Edgar Knight performed "Real Live Girl" by Coleman & Leigh. This gave him ample opportunity to display his prodigious comic chops.

Given more serious material, Theo Hoffman sang "Blue", William Bolcom's setting of some intense text by Arnold Weinstein, dealing with the positive impact on the latter's life by his practice of meditation with a well known guru. Autobiographical material is difficult but Mr. Hoffman rose to the challenge and succeeded.  This was no less that we would expect from this gifted baritone.

Maltby & Shire's "I Want it All" from Baby is a jazzy number sung by three women in an obstetrician's office. The performance was somewhat hampered by poor diction and only the words of the "hook" were comprehensible. We thought it might be because of our seating way off on the side but we'd had no problem understanding the male performers.

We particularly enjoyed the ensemble numbers.  The opener was the upbeat "Lucky Day" by DeSylva, Brown & Henderson.  Although it dates from the Roaring Twenties there is nothing dated about the sentiment.

For "Wrong Note Rag" from Comden & Green's My Sister Eileen, the company enjoyed four-handed piano with Leann Osterkamp joining Steven Blier.

Similarly for "Ascot Gavotte" from Lerner & Loewe's My Fair Lady, one of our very favorite Broadway numbers. The song pokes fun at the British aristocracy and is delicious in its wit.

The evening ended with Leiber & Stoller's "Love Potion #9" but there was more to come with an encore by Comden, Green & Bernstein--"Some Other Time" from On the Town. 

Mary Birnbaum directed the show and Adam Cates choreographed. It wa a fine and fitting ending for NYFOS' fifth season at Henry's. We are already looking forward to next year.

(c) meche kroop