(derekbaker)

...As Sara Jane Moore Might Say

Okay, Stephen Sondheim isn't retiring, at least he hasn't announced that he is. After all, there's at least one more book rewrite and another title left in Wise Guys/Bounce/Road Show alone, I'd say.

But if you're going to mark your 80th year -- and if you have pretty much indicated that, at this point, there'd be so much pressure for your next work to be such a hit out of the park that it basically dooms it from the start -- you could do worse than to do it the way it's been done this year. And since he composed so many of our favorite Broadway musicals (well, all of Tom's and almost all of mine, with a nostalgic detour for Meredith Willson and Rodgers & Hammerstein thrown in there by me), we decided to celebrate his birthday this year, too. Actually, if you were buying tickets to shows this year, it was kind of hard to avoid it.

First, in January, I think, we saw the revival of A Little Night Music, starring Angela Lansbury, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Alex Hanson, which we both said at the time was one of the most satisfying shows we'd seen in a few seasons. More recently, we saw the City Center "Encores" concert staging of Anyone Can Whistle. That assertion remains to be seen, but Raul Esparza and Sutton Foster sure knew how to put their lips together and sing. (Okay, enough with the heyday review-speak, right? Sorry.)

In there somewhere, we saw the Michael Feinstein/Dame Edna warring-but-costarring vehicle (sorry, I'm doing it again) All About Me. Dame Edna declared it a "Sondheim-free zone," given all else that's going on in town this year, but she nonetheless did a pretty well acted rendition of "Ladies Who Lunch" as one of her musical contributions to the show. (And if anyone still wears a hat, it's Dame Edna. And probably Michael Feinstein, actually. She's wearing some fantastic Ascot-worthy number; he's in a Homburg. Personally, I found it a fun show, but some people thought it a waste of time. I'd say they were people who didn't particularly like one or the other performers already, so they wouldn't like this. Whereas if you'd enjoyed both of them, singly, as we had, then you were more likely to feel it was a kind of party with some of your favorite people.)

Tonight was #3 (if you don't count Michael & the Dame) in our Year of Sondheim, and probably the big one for us of the year: City Center's One-Night-Only Benefit Gala in Celebration of Stephen Sondheim. We were led to believe that the hefty ticket price went toward the City Center refurbishment (this is the theater on West 55th St. just west of Sixth Avenue; home of the "Encores" series, but also a pretty serious dance performance venue, I understand, plus some other major productions and performance institutions in this town.)

This was a gift from "me" to "us" for Christmas, and it was a gift tonight as well. It was hosted by John Doyle, who has recently immersed himself as a director of Sondheim's works (Road Show) and the most recent revivals (Sweeney Todd and Company), and Mia Farrow, whose only claim to being onstage (besides being famous) is an apparently lifelong friendship with Stephen Sondheim. Thanks to her commentary in particular, he will henceforth in this post be referred to merely as "Steve."

The two of them did a great job, making their jobs as co-narrators for the evening feel both heartfelt AND rehearsed, which is a nice combination. And along with singers on the stage (we were led to believe, at least, and it was a benefit for City Center, after all), they donated their time for this performance. And it was a pretty fantastic -- nearly fantastical -- list of performers, I have to say.

Not in order of appearance, but giving prominence to the artists already mentioned above: Lansbury ("Liaisons"), Zeta-Jones ("You Must Meet My Wife" with Hanson and Len Cariou, who himself first appeared onstage in a trio of "Pretty Women" with Michael Cerveris and Mark Jacoby; later Zeta-Jones sang "Send in the Clowns"), Raul Esparza ("Being Alive," which was probably the best number of the night; he also had a lead part in the closing number), and Foster ("Anyone Can Whistle"). Along the way: Debra Monk reprising her darkly hilarious role as Sara Jane Moore in Assassins, and Joanna Gleason (looking not a day older) reprising her post-prince song "Moments in the Woods." As well as, not in order, but as they come back to mind: Donna Murphy (whom we saw most recently in Anyone Can Whistle as Mayoress Cora Hoover Hooper) reprising two of her heartbreaking songs from Passion; Chip Zien in a reunion with the original Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Jack from Into the Woods singing "No One Is Alone"; Nathan Lane using a combined Frogs "Prologue" and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum's "Comedy Tonight" as a jumping off point to do a send-up of Sondheim, although not without poking fun at John Doyle first (he walked onstage and started by trying to play the tuba and cello simultaneously; the cello was eventually destroyed in the process); B.D. Wong (with others) for "Someone In a Tree" from Pacific Overtures; and Maria Friedman, who from what I can gather is basically the West End's Sondheim answer to Bernadette Peters or Donna Murphy and who sang at least two solos and had a featured part in the final song from Merrily We Roll Along, "Our Time." (Her solos were "Children and Art," from Sunday in the Park with George, and "Broadway Baby" from Follies.)

Actually, Alexander Gemignani deserves special mention too, because not only did he perform with Michael Cerveris in the first number, in a duet between the two brothers in Bounce/Road Show, he also had a role in the Pacific Overtures number, carried Joanna Gleason onstage for her number (being a prince, you see); and was part of one other number that escapes me at the moment. No solos, I think, but still managed to be on stage a good amount of time.

The lesser-known, shorter-run shows got the bigger applause, as each person in the audience was obviously there to fly their Sondheim geek flag.

And that's all more (unless you are a die-hard Sondheim geek) than you care to know, I'm sure, and someone somewhere has probably already blogged far more complete and far more accurate details than I just have, if you really are that big of a fan. But we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly and when Mia Farrow brought him out on stage to a the audience's thunderous ovation, Steve seemed to have enjoyed himself too.

If he noticed that Len Cariou's voice wasn't what it used to be -- and of course he noticed, he always notices -- he didn't seem to mind. For that matter, Sondheim wrote some of his best songs for roles where the person doesn't necessarily have a great singing voice: for singing actors (as in musical theater) far more than for acting singers (as in opera), in other words.

Mia Farrow said, in her introduction, that Steve once gave one of her daughters, his goddaughter (don't ask; I have no idea how a Christian baptism with a Jewish godfather works, if that's actually what she meant; just go with it), a thesaurus as a present when she was four or five. I wish I had a good one right here in front of me to find a way to say just how much fun this evening was for Tom and me.

We still have an appointment for one more night of Sondheim, Sondheim on Sondheim. There will probably be some overlap with some of the songs we heard tonight (at least we hope there is: as good as Sutton Foster's was, Tom Wopat's version of "Anyone Can Whistle" is the best either of us have heard), but that's okay. If we're going to saturate on Sondheim it, this would be the year. We likely won't get another.

"Just remembering you've had an 'and'
When you're back to 'or'
Makes the 'or' mean more
Than it did before."

Labels: Broadway, music, New York, theater

---

Shut Up and Dance

All sorts of serious and not-as-serious things to talk about -- Virginia Tech (serious), Don Imus (whatever), rogue Episcopal parishes (redundant?), the importance of early screening for breast cancer (serious), the politicization of (pick one) the Justice Department, the FDA, the military, healthcare (all varying degrees of seriousness and ridiculousness) -- and I'm choosing tonight to ignore them all.

Instead, I'd rather write something personally revealing. Which is music. I just exported a list of all the songs on my iPod that I've given five stars to, which is the basis for my "Favorites" playlist. (Or, to be precise, my "--Favorites" playlist, so it will show up first in the list.) I figure this says a lot about me, althought not everything. There's nothing classical or liturgical in this list, and very little in the way of jazz, for that matter, even though I listen to those genres pretty frequently too -- as well as podcast editions of NPR's Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me, The Splendid Table and Speaking of Faith; To The Best of Our Knownledge; audiobooks; and more of the genre "Pop Vocals-Classic" and "New Age" than is reflected in this list.

But this list reflects my ideal playlist if I owned my own radio station for a day, as it represents 22 hours worth of music, leaving roughly enough time for commercials and promotional spots. And, for pop music, it shows my tastes as well as any other list. (With the caveat that much of these songs either have never been "popular" or were popular so long ago, there's no radio station tracked by Arbitron that still plays them.)

There's much to snicker at in here, I know. And much head scratching for someone else's head. For example, why would anyone include Blue Öyster Cult and Wayne Newton on the same list? Or, for that matter, OutKast and Nancy LaMott? (Helen Reddy and the Indigo Girls probably makes some kind of sense, actually.) And then there's all that Bruce Springsteen, but also Cher ... and the Ray Conniff Singers, for God's sake!

I also realize there are a few duplicates in here -- two versions of the same song by different artists (I Could Write a Book; All of Me; Hallelujah; How High the Moon; New York, New York; Pieces of Dreams; etc.), two versions of the same song by the SAME artist (I Got You Babe, by Sonny & Cher; Les Nuits, by Nightmares on Wax; etc.) and a ton of covers (Birdland; Downtown; Peace Piece; Sexual Healing; Walk on the Wild Side) that are far better known in their original versions, not to mention several live versions of things (such as by Bruce, The Pretenders, and others) that never got as much airtime as the studio version, but have a cool energy added with a live setting. IMHO.

In the end, it's a bizarre mess inside my head, I admit -- full of kitsch, camp, and block rockin' beats -- but no Chemical Brothers, I notice. Anyway, here's Exhibit A for my commitment hearing. I've put a few in bold noting those that I think deserve more attention than they otherwise get.

Name	Artist	Album
Faith	AB+	AB+
When Time Does Not Wait	AB+	One
Les Seigneurs (Theme )	Adani & Wolf	Seigneurs (Episode 1)
Hand In My Pocket	Alanis Morissette	Jagged Little Pill
You Learn	Alanis Morissette	Jagged Little Pill
Sexual Healing	Alibi & Rockefeller	Ultra 2007
The Lucky One	Alison Krauss & Union Station	New Favorite
Lonely Boy	Andrew Gold	Rhino Hi-Five: Andrew Gold - EP
Águas De Março (Waters Of March)	Antônio Carlos Jobim	Verve Jazz Masters 13
Rollin' On Chrome (Wild Motherf*cker Dub)	Aphrodelics	The K&D Sessions (Disc 1)
Marching On	Ballistic Brothers	Serve Chilled (Disc 2)
Evergreen	Barbra Streisand	The Essential: Barbra Streisand
You'll Never Walk Alone (Bonus Track)	Barbra Streisand	The Essential: Barbra Streisand
Somewhere In The Night	Barry Manilow	Even Now
Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe	Barry White	All Time Greatest Hits
Love's Theme	Barry White	All Time Greatest Hits
Honey Please, Can't Ya See	Barry White	All Time Greatest Hits
You're The First, The Last, My Everything	Barry White	All Time Greatest Hits
All That Jazz	BeBe Neuwirth & Company	Chicago
Bye Bye Blues	Benny Goodman	Benny Goodman Sextet
Brand New Lover	Bibiche	Trick
Scenes From An Italian Restaurant	Billy Joel	The Stranger
Vienna	Billy Joel	The Stranger
Only The Good Die Young	Billy Joel	The Stranger
In the Deep	Bird York	Crash (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Ocean Beach (Cinematic Cyberphonia Remix)	Black Mighty Orchestra	Rendezvous Lounge
(Don't Fear) The Reaper	Blue Öyster Cult	Entertainment Weekly Presents Killer Riffs (Disc 1)
Clementine	Bobby Darin	The Bobby Darin Collection (Disc 2)
Mack the Knife	Bobby Darin	The Bobby Darin Collection (Disc 2)
Artificial Flowers	Bobby Darin	The Bobby Darin Collection (Disc 2)
Hello, Dolly!	Bobby Darin	The Bobby Darin Collection (Disc 3)
Sunday in New York	Bobby Darin	The Bobby Darin Collection (Disc 3)
Beyond the Sea	Bobby Darin	The Bobby Darin Collection (Disc 2)
Simple Song Of Freedom [Live]	Bobby Darin	The Bobby Darin Collection (Disc 4)
Indiana	Bobby Darin & Johnny Mercer	Two Of A Kind
Finale: Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin' (Reprise)	Broadway Cast	Oklahoma!
Land Of Hope And Dreams (Live)	Bruce Springsteen	Live in New York City (Disc 2)
Sherry Darling	Bruce Springsteen	The River (Disc 1)
I'm On Fire	Bruce Springsteen	Born In The U.S.A.
No Surrender	Bruce Springsteen	Born In The U.S.A.
Racing In The Street	Bruce Springsteen	Darkness On The Edge Of Town
The Promised Land	Bruce Springsteen	Darkness On The Edge Of Town
Man's Job	Bruce Springsteen	Human Touch
Hungry Heart	Bruce Springsteen	The River (Disc 1)
Atlantic City	Bruce Springsteen	Nebraska
Open All Night	Bruce Springsteen	Nebraska
Reason To Believe	Bruce Springsteen	Nebraska
Thunder Road	Bruce Springsteen	Born To Run
Streets Of Philadelphia	Bruce Springsteen	Greatest Hits
Born To Run (Live)	Bruce Springsteen	Live in New York City (Disc 1)
If I Should Fall Behind	Bruce Springsteen	Lucky Town
My Lover Man	Bruce Springsteen	Tracks (Disc 4)
We Shall Overcome	Bruce Springsteen	We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
Bobby Jean	Bruce Springsteen	Born In The U.S.A.
Growin' Up	Bruce Springsteen	Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.
Pieces Of Dreams	Buddy Rich	Big Band Machine
Love Will Keep Us Together	Captain & Tennille	Ultimate Collection: Captain & Tennille
Mame	Charles Braswell	Mame - 1966 Broadway
Believe	Cher	Believe
Love One Another	Cher	Living Proof
Song for the Lonely	Cher	Living Proof
All or Nothing	Cher	The Very Best of Cher
Different Kind of Love Song (Eclectic Version)	Cher	Living Proof
Saturday In The Park	Chicago	Greatest Hits Vol 1
Just You 'n' Me	Chicago	Greatest Hits Vol 1
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is	Chicago	Greatest Hits Vol 1
Have I Told You Lately That I Love You ?	Chieftains & Van Morrison	The Long Black Veil
Tubthumping	Chumbawamba	Tubthumper
Don't Panic	Coldplay	Parachutes
One	Company of Chorus Line	The Best Of Broadway
All Of Me	Count Basie	Compact Jazz - Count Basie
The Heat's On	Count Basie	The Best of the Count Basie Big Band
My 909 Blues	Daniel Wang	Freezone 6: Fourth Person Singular
Take Five	Dave Brubeck	Dave Brubeck's Greatest Hits
An Actor's Life	Dave Grusin	GRP New Magic Digital Sampler
The Best Of What's Around	Dave Matthews Band	Under The Table And Dreaming
Satellite	Dave Matthews Band	Under The Table And Dreaming
Marisa	Dave's True Story	Dave's True Story (Version 2002)
I'll Never Read Trollope Again	Dave's True Story	Sex Without Bodies
Walk On The Wild Side	Dave's True Story	Sex Without Bodies
Sequined Mermaid Dress	Dave's True Story	Dave's True Story (Version 2002)
Please Forgive Me	David Gray	White Ladder
Babylon	David Gray	White Ladder
Say Hello, Wave Goodbye	David Gray	White Ladder
That's Amore	Dean Martin	Capitol Collector's Series
Ain't That A Kick In The Head	Dean Martin	Capitol Collector's Series
You Light Up My Life	Debby Boone	The Best of Debby Boone
Livin' It Down	Delbert McClinton	WFUV New Music Sampler
You Gotta Be	Des'ree	I Ain't Movin'
This Bitter Earth	Dinah Washington	Jazz Masters 19
Sunny Side Of The Street	Dinah Washington	Complete Dinah Washington on Mercury Vol.4, The (Disc 3)
I Could Write A Book	Dinah Washington	Complete Dinah Washington on Mercury Vol.4, The (Disc 1)
There'll Be A Jubilee	Dinah Washington	Complete Dinah Washington on Mercury Vol.4, The (Disc 3)
If I Were A Bell	Dinah Washington	Complete Mercury Recordings - Vol 4 (Disc 3)
Drift Away	Dobie Gray	Ultimate Collection: Dobie Gray
Oh Happy Day	Edwin Hawkins Singers	Great Black Gospel Music (Disc 1)
Mr. Blue Sky	Electric Light Orchestra	Electric Light Orchestra: Greatest Hits 1973-1977
Sweet Talkin' Woman	Electric Light Orchestra	Electric Light Orchestra: Greatest Hits 1973-1977
Turn to Stone	Electric Light Orchestra	Electric Light Orchestra: Greatest Hits 1973-1977
Sweet Georgia Brown	Ella Fitzgerald	Compact Jazz
How High The Moon	Ella Fitzgerald	Compact Jazz
Manhattan	Ella Fitzgerald	The Songbooks
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me	Elton John	Greatest Hits
Your Song	Elton John	Greatest Hits
Bennie And The Jets	Elton John	Greatest Hits
Don't Go Breaking My Heart	Elton John & Kiki Dee	Elton John: The Greatest Hits 1970-2002
Proper Education (Radio Edit)	Eric Prydz vs. Floyd	Proper Education
Dreamweaver	Erin Hamilton	Trick
At Last	Etta James	Sweetest Peaches (1960-1966)
How Can I Keep From Singing?	Eva Cassidy	Wonderful World
We Walk The Same Line	Everything But The Girl	Amplified Heart
Missing (Todd Terry Remix)	Everything But The Girl	Amplified Heart
Troubled Mind	Everything But The Girl	Amplified Heart
Twin Cities	Everything But The Girl	Worldwide
Don't Stop	Fleetwood Mac	Rumours
Second Hand News	Fleetwood Mac	Rumours
Slow Ride - Foghat	Foghat	Entertainment Weekly Presents Killer Riffs (Disc 1)
My Kind Of Town	Frank Sinatra	The Reprise Collection #2
The Lady Is A Tramp	Frank Sinatra	The Reprise Collection #4
Stars Fell On Alabama	Frank Sinatra	Capitol Years-2
I'll Be Seeing You	Frank Sinatra	Capitol Years-3
New York, New York	Frank Sinatra	The Reprise Collection #4
All Of Me	Frank Sinatra	Capitol Years-1
Chicago	Frank Sinatra	Capitol Years-2
Come Dance With Me	Frank Sinatra	Capitol Years-3
Rainbows, Barbies and Clowns	George Faulkner	Rainbows, Barbies and Clowns
Rhinestone Cowboy	Glen Campbell	All the Best
I Am What I Am	Gloria Gaynor	Dancing Queens
Hollaback Girl	Gwen Stefani	Love, Angel, Music, Baby
We Are In Love	Harry Connick, Jr.	We Are In Love
It Had To Be You (Big Band And Vocals)	Harry Connick, Jr.	When Harry Met Sally
I Could Write A Book	Harry Connick, Jr.	When Harry Met Sally
I've Heard That Song Before	Harry James	Hannah And Her Sisters
Salome's Last Chance	Hawke	Heatstroke
I Am Woman	Helen Reddy	Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits (And More)
I Don't Know How to Love Him	Helen Reddy	Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits (And More)
Delta Dawn	Helen Reddy	Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits (And More)
Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)	Helen Reddy	Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits (And More)
You and Me Against the World	Helen Reddy	Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits (And More)
Love Train	Holly Johnson	Blast
Galileo	Indigo Girls	Rites of Passage (Remastered)
Theme From 'Shaft'	Isaac Hayes	The Best Of Isaac Hayes, Volume 1
Sleep All Day	Jason Mraz	Waiting For My Rocket To Come
Heaven Right Here	Jeb Loy Nichols	WFUV New Music Sampler
In Your Eyes (Live)	Jeffrey Gaines	WFUV New Music Sampler
Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)	Jim Croce	Greatest Hits
Photographs & Memories	Jim Croce	Greatest Hits
In Too Deep	JMJ & Flytronix	DJ Kicks (Disc 1)
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (Live)	Joan Baez	Joan Baez: The Complete A&M Recordings
One Of Us	Joan Osborne	Relish
Hallelujah	John Cale	Fragments Of A Rainy Season
Have A Little Faith In Me	John Hiatt	Far Gone
Drive South	John Hiatt	Far Gone
Cry Love	John Hiatt	Walk On
Trudy And Dave	John Hiatt	Far Gone
Back To You	John Mayer	Room for Squares
Waiting On the World to Change	John Mayer	Continuum
Your Body Is A Wonderland	John Mayer	Room for Squares
Not Myself	John Mayer	Room for Squares
No Such Thing	John Mayer	Room for Squares
The Mission Theme (Theme for NBC News)	John Williams	An American Journey - Winter Olympics 2002
Chances Are	Johnny Mathis	Super Hits
Must Be You	Josh Joplin	Future That Was
I Am Not the Only Cowboy	Josh Joplin	Future That Was
Wonderful Ones	Josh Joplin	Future That Was
Future That Was	Josh Joplin	Future That Was
Blighty	Judith Owen	Twelve Arrows
Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again - w/ Barbra Streisand	Judy Garland	Judy Duets
Carolina In The Morning	Judy Garland	Route 66: Capitol Sings Coast To Coast
SexyBack (Pokerface Remix)	Justin Timberlake	SexyTracks: The SexyBack Remixes - EP
New York, New York	Keely Smith	Keely Sings Sinatra
Palm Springs Jump	Keely Smith	Swing, Swing, Swing
High Noon	Kruder & Dorfmeister	G-Stoned
Definition	Kruder & Dorfmeister	G-Stoned
We Shall Overcome	Larry Goldings	Quartet
Space Walk	Lemon Jelly	Lost Horizons
Soft	Lemon Jelly	Nice Weather For Ducks
Nice Weather For Ducks	Lemon Jelly	Lost Horizons
Desperado	Linda Ronstadt	Greatest Hits
Blue Bayou	Linda Ronstadt	Greatest Hits
Downtown	Liz Callaway	The Beat Goes On
Peace Piece	Liz Story	Solid Colors
Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)	Looking Glass	Sony Music 100 Years: Pop Music - The Golden Era 1951-1975
Don't Worry About Me & I'm In The Mood For Love	Louis Prima	Zooma Zooma: The Best Of Louis Prima
Angelina & Zooma Zooma (medley)	Louis Prima	Zooma Zooma: The Best Of Louis Prima
Blackberry Time	Luka Bloom	Salty Heaven
I Can't Wait To Meetchu	Macy Gray	On How Life Is
I Try	Macy Gray	On How Life Is
Don't Wait Too Long	Madeleine Peyroux	Careless Love
Good Vibrations	Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch	Pure Party (Disc 2)
Too Busy Thinking About My Baby	Marvin Gaye	Command Performances-15 Greatest Hits
Gospel John	Maynard Ferguson	Chameleon
The Way We Were	Maynard Ferguson	Chameleon
Chameleon	Maynard Ferguson	Chameleon
Too Close For Comfort	Mel Torme	Compact Jazz
Pieces of Dreams	Michel Legrand	Sarah Vaughan with Michel Legrand
New York City	moe.	WFUV New Music Sampler
Superstar	Murray Head & The Trinidad Singers	The Best Of Broadway
Wonderful	Nacho Sotomayor	La Roca
Help Is on the Way	Nancy LaMott	Beautiful Baby
We Live on Borrowed Time	Nancy LaMott	What's Good About Goodbye?
Rhode Island Is Famous for You	Nancy LaMott	My Foolish Heart
Listen to My Heart	Nancy LaMott	Listen to My Heart
Orange Colored Sky	Nat King Cole	The Nat King Cole Story (Disc 1)
Number One In Heaven	Nemesis	Number One In Heaven - Single
Les Nuits	Nightmares On Wax	Another Late Night
Les Nuits (album version)	Nightmares On Wax	Serve Chilled
Wonderwall	Oasis	(What's The Story) Morning Glory?
Champagne Supernova	Oasis	(What's The Story) Morning Glory?
Don't Look Back in Anger	Oasis	(What's The Story) Morning Glory?
The Best of Times	Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording	La Cage Aux Folles
Hey Ya!	OutKast	Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
The Way You Move	OutKast & Sleepy Brown	Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
The Night Chicago Died	Paper Lace	The Night Chicago Died - Single
Gonna Move	Paul Pena	New Train
New Train	Paul Pena	New Train
Kodachrome	Paul Simon	Negotiations And Love Songs 1971-1986
Loves Me Like A Rock	Paul Simon	Negotiations And Love Songs 1971-1986
Double Drums	Peace Orchestra	Peace Orchestra
Happy Heart	Petula Clark	Greatest Hits
When the Voices Come	Projekt: PM	Hi-Fidelity House Imprint 1
I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)	Ray Conniff Singers	The Essential Ray Conniff
Georgy Girl	Ray Conniff Singers	This Is My Song and Other Great Hits
Theme from "A Summer Place"	Ray Conniff Singers	Always in My Heart
Speak Softly Love (Love Theme from "The Godfather")	Ray Conniff Singers	The Essential Ray Conniff
Baby's Arms	Robert Cray Band	WFUV New Music Sampler
Feelin' Good Again	Robert Earl Keen	Walking Distance
I'll Be Here For You	Robert Earl Keen	Walking Distance
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face	Roberta Flack	Atlantic Rhythm And Blues 1947-1974 Volume 6 (1966-1969)
Killing Me Softly with His Song	Roberta Flack	Killing Me Softly
Day By Day	Robin Lamont & Company	The Best Of Broadway
Cigarettes And Chocolate Milk	Rufus Wainwright	Poses
Hallelujah	Rufus Wainwright	Shrek
Smooth Operator	Sade	Diamond Life
The Birth Of The Blues	Sammy Davis Jr.	Sammy Davis, Jr. - Greatest Songs
The Candy Man	Sammy Davis Jr.	Sammy Davis, Jr. - Greatest Songs
Mr Bojangles	Sammy Davis Jr.	Sammy Davis, Jr. - Greatest Songs
Smooth	Santana & Rob Thomas	Supernatural
Ice	Sarah McLachlan	Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
Angel	Sarah McLachlan	Surfacing
Possession	Sarah McLachlan	Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
Ice Cream	Sarah McLachlan	Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
Building A Mystery	Sarah McLachlan	Surfacing
Ooh What Cha Doin' To Me	Sarah Vaughan	The Divine Sarah Vaughan - The Columbia Years 1949-1953 (Disc 2)
Perdido	Sarah Vaughan	The Divine Sarah Vaughan - The Columbia Years 1949-1953 (Disc 2)
Better Luck	Scissor Sisters	Scissor Sisters
Take Your Mama	Scissor Sisters	Scissor Sisters
I Don't Feel Like Dancin'	Scissor Sisters	Ta-Dah
She's My Man	Scissor Sisters	Ta-Dah
Kiss From A Rose	Seal	Seal
Prayer For The Dying	Seal	Seal
Bring It On	Seal	Seal
Day Tripper	Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66	Brasil 66 Greatest Hits
Going Out Of My Head	Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66	Brasil 66 Greatest Hits
Look Of Love	Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66	Brasil 66 Greatest Hits
Scarborough Fair	Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66	Brasil 66 Greatest Hits
Goldfinger	Shirley Bassey	Goldsinger. The best of Shirley Bassey
This is my life	Shirley Bassey	Goldsinger. The best of Shirley Bassey
Diamonds are forever	Shirley Bassey	Goldsinger. The best of Shirley Bassey
Bridge Over Troubled Waters (Live)	Simon & Garfunkel	The Concert In Central Park
The Sound Of Silence (Live)	Simon & Garfunkel	The Concert In Central Park
The Right Thing	Simply Red	Men And Women
You Do Something To Me	Sinéad O'Connor	Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute To Cole Porter
I'm A Believer	Smash Mouth	Shrek
United We Stand	Sonny & Cher	Cher and Sonny & Cher: Greatest Hits
I Got You Babe (Live in Las Vegas, 1973)	Sonny & Cher	Cher and Sonny & Cher: Greatest Hits
I Got You Babe	Sonny & Cher	The Essentials: Sonny & Cher
The String Thing	Soul Ascendants	Variations
Afternoon Delight	Starland Vocal Band	Starland Vocal Band
Stuck in the Middle with You	Stealers Wheel	Reservoir Dogs (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)
Maybe Tomorrow	Stereophonics	Maybe Tomorrow - EP (CD 1)
This Could Be The Start Of Something Big	Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormé	The Best Of Steve & Eydie
Suddenly	The Bogmen	Life Begins At 40 Million
Sing	The Carpenters	Singles (1969-1981)
Top Of The Word	The Carpenters	Singles (1969-1981)
Summertime's Calling Me	The Catalinas	Beachbeat Shaggin'
Ode To My Family	The Cranberries	No Need To Argue
Fluxus	The Dining Rooms	TRE
Prigionieri Nel Deserto	The Dining Rooms	TRE
Così Ti Amo	The Dining Rooms	Numero Deux
Without The One You Love (Life's Not Worthwhile)	The Four Tops	Greatest Hits
Baby I Need Your Loving	The Four Tops	Greatest Hits
It's The Same Old Song	The Four Tops	Greatest Hits
Reach Out I'll Be There	The Four Tops	Greatest Hits
I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)	The Four Tops	Greatest Hits
Everybody Plays the Fool	The Main Ingredient	A Quiet Storm
How High The Moon	The Manhattan Transfer	Bop Doo-Wopp
Birdland	The Manhattan Transfer	Best Of The Manhattan Transfer
Jackie Blue	The Ozark Mountain Daredevils	20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Ozark Mountain Daredevils
Come On Get Happy	The Partridge Family	Come On Get Happy - The Very Best of The Partridge Family
I Think I Love You	The Partridge Family	Come On Get Happy - The Very Best of The Partridge Family
At Long Last Love	The Porter Project	The Porter Project
Back On The Chain Gang	The Pretenders	The Isle Of View
Brass In Pocket	The Pretenders	The Isle Of View
On The Road To Fairfax County	The Roches	Keep On Doing
Skin & Bones	The Sundays	Reading, Writing And Arithmetic
I Kicked A Boy	The Sundays	Reading, Writing And Arithmetic
Here's Where The Story Ends	The Sundays	Reading, Writing And Arithmetic
Hey Hey Baby	The Swingin' Medallions	Beachbeat Shaggin'
One	Thievery Corporation	Sounds From The Thievery Hi-Fi
Holographic Universe	Thievery Corporation	The Cosmic Game
Black and White (Single)	Three Dog Night	Celebrate - The Three Dog Night Story, 1965-1975
What'll I Do	Tierney Sutton	Dancing In The Dark
Here's Where I Stand	Tiffany Taylor And The Company	Camp
Lifetime	Tom Burris	For Sale
Anyone Can Whistle	Tom Wopat	The Still Of The Night
The Moon's A Harsh Mistress	Tom Wopat	The Still Of The Night
Gute Laune	Tosca	Dehli 9 (Disc 1)
La Vendeuse Des Chaussures Des Femmes Part 1	Tosca	Dehli 9 (Disc 1)
Love Warriors	Tuck & Patti	Love Warriors
They Can't Take That Away From Me	Tuck & Patti	Love Warriors
A Letter From Home	Ulrich Schnauss	A Strangely Isolated Place
... Passing By	Ulrich Schnauss	Far Away Trains Passing By
As If You've Never Been Away	Ulrich Schnauss	Far Away Trains Passing By
Les Techniques De L'amour	Ursula 1000	Kinda' Kinky
Did Ye Get Healed?	Van Morrison	Night In San Francisco (Disc 1)
Tupelo Honey	Van Morrison	A Night In San Francisco (Disc 1)
When I Fell N Love - UBQ Project	Various Artists - Glasgow Underground	SlowBurning
The Rockford Files - Post, Carpenter	Various Artists - GNP Crescendo	Fantastic Television
Linus And Lucy	Vince Guaraldi	Charlie Brown Christmas
Werewolves Of London	Warren Zevon	Entertainment Weekly Presents Killer Riffs (Disc 1)
Danke Schoen	Wayne Newton	Wayne Newton: Ultra-Lounge Artists Series 4
Volare (Not Blu Di Pinto Di Blu)	Wayne Newton	Wayne Newton: Ultra-Lounge Artists Series 4
More	Wayne Newton	Wayne Newton: Ultra-Lounge Artists Series 4
I'm In Love	Wilson Pickett	Atlantic Rhythm And Blues 1947-1974 Volume 6 (1966-1969)
Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing	Winard Harper	Faith
Never Let Me Go	Wynton Marsalis	Standard Time, Volume 3: Resolution Of Romance

Labels: music, personal

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Dangerous Combinations

don't usually like to start celebrating Christmas too early. Certainly not before Thanksgiving -- it's almost an insult to the First Thanksgiving's Pilgrims and Native Americans, neither of whom, for their different reasons, believed in celebrating Christmas at all. And, really, even the day after Thanksgiving seems a rush that we could do without. Strictly-strictly speaking, "Christmas" isn't even celebrated until December 25, and for the 12 days that follow. And Advent (the season before Christmas) begins today, on December 3.

One nod to the holidays, however, was to move all my Christmas music from my PC over to my iPod. With my old 40GB iPod, I didn't have enough room for all my music, so I would have to pick and choose which genres to keep on the iPod, usually leaving the Christmas stuff off all year until December, when I'd swap out the classical stuff (5.83GB right there) for the Christmas stuff.

With the 60GB iPod I got this summer, however, I can just barely get everything on there. I know -- does anyone really need 60 gigs' worth of music? And there are admittedly some things on there I either rarely listen to or haven't gotten around to. In fact, I have a playlist I created called "Due for a listen." And, now that I check, I still have 15.8 days worth of music that iTunes says I haven't listened to yet.

Which isn't actually true. Many of those titles are songs that I just haven't listened to on either this iPod or on this PC (both of which are only a few months old at this point). Since I just added the Christmas music to the iPod, for example, that alone accounts for 2.9 days' worth of the "Due for a listen."

Yep. I have 2.9 days -- 1226 items, or 4.59GB -- of music in the genre "Christmas." Much of it came in originally with the genre of "Holiday," but some didn't, and I use the genres so much in my "smart playlists" that I have to make sure they're accurate at least insofar as my own listening is concerned.

Using the "comments" field of each song's tags (in Windows, right-click on a highlighted track or tracks and choose "Get info"), I've broken much of that down even further. For example, I have 17 hours' worth in the "Christmas-Traditional" playlist (Genre contains "Christmas"; Comment contains "traditional"; Comment does not contain "weird").

That playlist covers everything from the Philadelphia Brass Ensemble "Festival of Carols in Brass" and the Julie Andrews/André Previn album (originally a Firestone Tire release!) to things by John Tavener, Herbert Howells, and stuff sung by Chanticleer. Oh, and a Shirley Bassey singing "Ave Maria" is in there, too.

I would have expected more in this vein from my collection, but surprisingly, it's not the Christmas playlist with the most titles. That distinction goes to the playlist "Christmas-Pop," which has a full day's worth of all the Perry Como, Nat King Cole, Harry Connick, Jr., The Roches and Sarah McLachlan stuff. So it covers a wide swath, and there's obviously some overlap with both jazz -- Diana Krall shows up in both -- and traditional: the Henry Mancini Orchestra's medley of "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," "Away in a Manger," and "The First Noel" is pretty traditional -- but in a 60s, easy-listenin' way. So for some reason I left him out of "traditional" but put Shirley Bassey in. Go figure.

The "Christmas-Jazz" playlist has 14.2 hours of tunes in it, but in addition to a few overlaps with "Christmas-Pop," there are also a few overlaps here with "Christmas-Piano," such as George Shearing and Liz Story.

Actually, the "Christmas-Piano" playlist is made up almost entirely of cross-listings with either "jazz" or "new age" or both -- all 9.2 hours of it.

And speaking of Liz Story, she may be the most represented on any of my Christmas playlists, which is probably appropriate, because her album The Gift is one of my all-time favorite Christmas albums. Not only does she do some thought-provoking medleys, pairing up carols and hymns that one doesn't hear often recorded ("Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella" and "Il Est Ne, le Divin Enfant"), she even includes some that I've never associated with Christmas at all -- but it works. "Pange Lingua," which I usually think of as a Maundy Thursday hymn, is paired with "A Hymn to the Virgin"; or "The Truth from Above" combined with something she calls "O King of Light and Splendor," which I've only ever heard as "O Sacred Head Now Wounded," a classic Good Friday hymn, but the same tune is apparently used by Bach in his Christmas Oratorio (and again in his St. Matthew Passion).

They're all good, but the best track on that album, in my opinion, is the medley of "In the Bleak Midwinter/O Sanctissima." I have the sheet music for this; someday, I'll take the time to learn it.

As I said, this album The Gift is on several of my Christmas playlists, because it crosses genres, but among those genres I have to admit includes "Christmas-New Age." I hesitate to even mention this playlist (although I do have, uh, 13.5 hours' worth of Christmas music in this category). And some is definitely better than others, but it's almost all from Windham Hill, almost all acoustic, and includes, other than Liz Story, people like George Winston, Alex De Grassi and William Ackerman. So not a Mannheim Steamroller number in the bunch. So get off my back.

Except to hear a few of these tracks here on the computer while I wrote this, I haven't yet played the Christmas music on the iPod yet. I'm just not in the mood yet this year, and not sure how much of a Christmas mood I'll be in this year anyway.

I'm taking a few days of retreat up at a convent north of New York City this week, just to clear the head. I'll take the iPod with me, but we'll see. I imagine the convent is all "decked out" for Advent -- meaning, not at all festive, since it isn't yet Christmas -- so I doubt there will be much inclination to listen to holly and jolly for a little while yet, anyway.

But thanks to iTunes's "smart playlists" and the obsessive-compulsive tendencies they enable and nurture in some of us, I'm ready, just in case that holiday spirit does hit.

Labels: faith, music, personal

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