|
"J" is for: the title heroine of Jo: The Little Women Musical, represented by a just-released studio cast recording; singer Janet Planet and her piano accompanist John Harmon; and vocalist Jeffrey Gaines, too.
There's not much that is "little" about the ravishing studio cast recording of Jo: The Little Women Musical: there are 42 tracks, featuring 40 performers (including the 16-member choir) and a 29-piece orchestra. The emotions are big, too. The story and characters come to life in the lush and lovely new release. Showing shades of musical theatre genre's ancestor of operetta here and there, it is unabashedly sentimental and comfortably old-fashioned in the best sense of that term, suitable for a loyal adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's semi-autobiographical classic, first published more than a century and a half ago. Curmudgeons with allergies to parades of noble life philosophies, proclamations of the power of love and perseverance, gleeful celebrations of holidays and weddings, or the shedding of tears may not cotton to the content that is the most earnest and florid in Christina Harding and John Gabriel Koladziej's lyrics and included dialogue. But let's note that it is admirably characterful. The source material's morals, family values, and life-affirming viewpoint come through. And, unless one's ears are clogged and feet are nailed to the ground, it's virtually impossible not to be swept away by the more majestic and grandly soaring melodies of Dan Redfield, who is also the arranger, conducting the orchestra; the sounds of muted brass and a harp in the string section add to the presented passions–romantic and otherwise. The tracks range in length from short ones that are under two minutes in length to the second selection, which is a 14-minute-long piece, "The Pickwick Portfolio." It's a mix of sung and spoken material where exuberant protagonist Jo March, a plucky aspiring writer, shares her creative ideas and real-life concerns with her three sisters. There are some short tracks that are mainly or only spoken (orchestral underscoring is a plus) and a couple of other selections that are primarily instrumental. The legato melodies are so vibrant and strong that I wish the Entr'Acte were longer than 2:39 and they make me bemoan the lack of an overture. The role of Jo is skillfully played by Christine Allado, appearing on about three-quarters of the tracks in solos, duets, and group numbers. Engagingly, she navigates the growth of the character from her younger, tomboyish days surrounded by the comfort of family and being romance-averse to moving away from home as she finds work, confidence and love. Allado's singing voice is rich and modulated; her phrasing is thoughtful. Especially in the early segments, she brings welcome humor and feistiness to the proceedings. Adding more contrast to the warm and rosy, cozy moods is Broadway veteran Christine Ebersole in the part of the family's prickly, opinion-spouting, wealthy aunt, trading in her usual silver tones for an appropriate growl and scowl approach. (In a preliminary workshop of this long-gestating musical, the plum role was played by Elaine Stritch, when the piece was titled Little Women, while movie and TV versions of this very often adapted novel saw the part played by Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury, Edna May Oliver, and Mary Wickes.) There is fine work by those playing the other March sisters (elegant soprano Kelly Mathieson as Meg, Sophie Pollono with a refreshing quality and openness when maturing as Amy, and Eleanor Grant sweetly heartbreaking and selfless as the ailing Beth), and the men besotted by the sisters (Rob Houchen consistently likable and sympathetic as Laurie, Liam Tamne suave as John, and Chris Mann charming and gentlemanly as the German-accented professor). Of course, any cast or cast recording that includes golden-voiced Laura Benanti is blessed. I wish she had more to do here–and it seems she could, in the role of the nurturing mother, but her commanding solo "Between the Earth and Sky" is simply heavenly: spot on in its graceful but thrilling build. It's a major highlight. To say that the writing and performances surveying joy and woe in Jo come from (and touch) the heart is an understatement. The heart-on-sleeve evidence can be amply sampled just by looking at the numerous lyrics containing the word "heart." Here we go: One love-besotted number for Amy and Laurie called "My Captive Heart" has a lyric that exults in discovering "a world of beauty and truth: I see it in your eyes and in your heart ... Straight to your heart, straight to your heart, a captive heart, my captive heart." In "When Nighttime Falls," it's said that love is "like a word to a tune," and Jo thrills that it "sets my heart ablaze." Then, in "Fly Away," she reflects, "We were only children, never contemplating worries of tomorrow nor the questions in our hearts." A moment for Jo and Beth called "Moments" advises "Tell a story from your heart ... Make it honest, make it art." Most strongly, the word is question comes up when the sisters question their mother about how to choose the right path in life and she sings these words of wisdom in a song called "Little Women," emphatically: "Hearts will run wild, filled with ambition ... Follow your heart into the future ... What if your fears close in around you?/ That's when your heart will help you open another door." And not to be lost in the mass of material of what will soon be part of a 2-CD set, sturdy-voiced Julian Ovendon has his character, the girls' father, pondering "what lies in 'The Heart of a Woman'"; the classic melody and economic, deft lyric sound like something straight out of a golden age musical. There's a lot to drink in with the ambitious but rewarding Jo: The Little Women Musical. The label's website offers a link to the digital booklet with information, photos, and a detailed synopsis, but not the lyrics. The website www.jothemusical.com has the words for four songs with accompaniment tracks for those (should you want to sing them yourself) as well as videos representing selections from this recording and demos by other performers, snippets of all the tracks, and more. A staged production is in the works.
A perfect partnership for poignancy. That describes the felicitous work by singer Janet Planet and pianist John Harmon on their new recording. In my years of reviewing and record-collecting, I've listened to hundreds of entertaining crooners and belters, seen many perform in person, but this vocalist with excellent taste and a beautiful timbre is in the very top tier for me. Her being on board with the veteran keyboardist is nothing new–she's joined him in the studio and on stages semi-regularly over the decades. I've been eager for their new reunion album, which I'd been hearing about for months, and at last Last Call is here. It's just the two of them, treating the repertoire with restraint and tender loving care, so the atmosphere is strikingly intimate, pulling in a listener, as if the words and moods were being shared in confidence. The classy collection is fluff-free, full of quality material featuring artful melodies and mature, emotive lyrics that are articulate. Many are on the serious side, and some settle into melancholia but never veer into maudlin territory. Their elegance prevents that. Repertoire includes picks from musical theatre, jazz, standards, and originals. Mr. Harmon is also a composer and further evidence here of his compatibility with his companion in song is the inclusion of a couple of numbers he composed with Miss Planet's adept lyrics. I especially like their "Once I Thought I Knew," which covers how time and experience change one's thoughts about love, from idyllic fairy-tale expectations to balanced reality checks. In the shared mission to mine the full potential of graceful melodies and each lyric's nuances and perspectives, the two talents are solidly on the same page–never competitive, but always complementary. It's as if they're breathing together, unspooling the stories and observations phrase by phrase, considering and examining them, choosing subtle colorings to emphasize individual words or notes and give some more weight. It's masterful, with impressive attention to detail, yet always seems natural and authentically "in the moment" rather than effortful or calculated. While the piano reinforces or accents the phrasing of the singing, during the instrumental breaks the playing may extend the narrative with the freedom to explore the components of the melody and add original touches. First introduced in 1947, 1948, and 1949–respectively–come three of Last Call's treasures. Let's take them in year order. Alec Wilder's "Did You Ever Cross Over to Snedens?," written for Mabel Mercer, is appropriately wistful and must be a personal favorite of Janet Planet's as she's called on it three previous times in her discography before its newest nailing. "Detour Ahead" flashes warning signs along the rocky road to romance and finding the off ramp. Similarly, when faced with a tempting connection, caution is advised as a note-to-self in "My Foolish Heart," a movie title song. The "showtune alert" concerns the gratifying appearances of choices from two musicals: one that's a little more than 80 years old and the other being a little less than 20 years old. 1944's On the Town, written by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, gets two samplings (the track list with songwriter credits accidentally omits Green's name for one). They are "Lucky to Be Me," taken at a tempo relaxed and slow enough to let each of its many delighted comments expressing gratitude for unexpected happy happenings be relished, like a gift that keeps on giving. Jubilation is infused with awe; the line "I am simply thunderstruck" now sounds less like casual hyperbole. The other item from the score, expressing the hope to meet again "Some Other Time," is invested with believable yearning, implying optimism about a future reunion. Throughout the recording, certain words are so feelingly intoned, summoning images so that in our mind's eye we can "see" them. This is especially true with the theatre song from 2006 as we conjure up each depressing sight described in "Another Winter in a Summer Town" from Grey Gardens. It also memorably compares faded dreams to "roses that died on the vine." Roses are referenced in a total of five sensitively rendered items among the 15 pieces. They bloom in our heads with the delicate "A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing" and "You Are There." Irving Berlin's question-filled "How Deep Is the Ocean (How High Is the Sky)" also inquires, "How many roses are sprinkled with dew?" That which we call a rose comes up yet again in "The Days of Wine and Roses," a bravely downbeat version of the movie theme that doesn't idealize the memories referred to in the lyric. The bouquet of ballads can be sampled (with 30-second clips) and purchased–separate tracks or the whole program at the label's website where other releases by Janet Planet and/or John Harmon can be found. The Planet/Harmon harmonious pairing is pure pleasure for the ears.
Although Jeffrey Gimble's vocals are mostly low-key, modest and mellow, his laidback approach has its charms and he's got some musical smarts and a mix of styles in his program. With an earlier career focused on acting and voiceovers, including some musical theatre roles around the country, he relocated from the East Coast to the Los Angles area to pursue singing and connected with some of that city's jazz-oriented veterans. A few of them have joined him for his recordings. He came out with a previous album called Beyond Up High a dozen years ago and his brand new one is Brand New Key, named for the quirky novelty written and sung by the late Melanie, that was a big hit, circa 1971-72. Every once in a while, the voice that seemed to be limited and rationed, coasting in low gear, displays a burst of power or a leap into a startling high note or settles into convincing jazz smoothness. Some lyrics start to feel inhabited along the way. The standard "The Nearness of You" works nicely, setting and sustaining a sweet mood. Rodgers & Hart's "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" suggests confidence and command, starting a capella in the middle of the lyric and then hopscotching through different tempi and swinging, ending with a bit of gentle scat-singing. Pianist/organist Josh Nelson is the producer and arranged seven of the 10 tracks. His bandmates are guitarist Larry Koonse, bassist Dan Lutz, and drummer Dan Schnelle. They provide a blanket of jazz authenticity and some diverting, attractive instrumental breaks. Brand New Key's program opens by reaching back to the 1920s for "Bye Bye Blackbird," but recasting it with a later era's organ-driven simmering funky groove with bluesy guitar. It's an acquired taste; I'm not yet sold on this particular styling. Not all the varied genres feel comfortably "owned," so there's more of a sense of a guy donning and doffing musical wardrobe items, and not everything is an easy fit. He tries on pop, classic balladry, jazz, bossa nova, and kind of muttering through a protest song about social and racial unrest from 1969 ("Tryin' Times"). Maybe he's just a fellow with eclectic musical tastes with the goal of being a chameleon. The included "Music's the Only Thing on My Mind" (Jimmy Rowles) may sum it up, and it's one of the more successful and engaging renditions. While I find Brand New Key to be uneven, with some oldies that might be aiming at warmly nostalgic feeling dated or unconvincingly updated, the moxy of the mix is certainly admirably adventurous, and it's growing on me. |
|
JO: THE LITTLE WOMEN MUSICAL
JANET PLANET (vocals) and JOHN HARMON (piano)
JEFFREY GIMBLE