![Jerome Kern, “The Dean” of the modern musical
A new Lyrics & Lyricists show opens tomorrow at 92Y: “The Song is You: Jerome Kern, Coast to Coast.” So a new cast is ready to take on our L&L Q&A series: jazz recording star Karrin Allyson, L&L favorite song and dance man Jeffrey Denman, Broadway’s longest-running “Phantom” Howard McGillin and bi-coastal cabaret celebrity Paula West.
What’s your favorite song from the American Songbook?Karrin Allyson: Today it might be “What a Wonderful World,” but who knows what it might be tomorrow? Jeffry Denman: “The Nearness of You”—music by Hoagy Carmichael, lyrics by Ned Washington Howard McGillin: “All The Things You Are”—it’s just about the most perfect song ever written. I don’t get to sing it in these concerts, but it’s in Debby Boone’s very capable hands. “The Way You Look Tonight,” also by Jerome Kern, is also one of my all-time faves. Paula West: “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel, as sung by Mahalia Jackson.
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What other artists would you like to perform with whom you haven’t yet? Karrin: Bonnie Raitt! Jeffry: Chita Rivera and Sutton Foster Howard: I did a concert of Ragtime recently, and although I worked with Terrence McNally on Kiss Of The Spider Woman on Broadway, wouldn’t it be great if he and Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty teamed up again? Now that would be worth getting excited about! Paula: It would be a dream to perform with Bob Dylan or Cécile McLorin Salvant.
What is your favorite “guilty pleasure” song beyond the American Songbook—rock, country, hiphop, etc? Karrin: “Jolene” by Dolly Parton Jeffry: ‘70s progressive rock: early Genesis (not the Phil Collins Genesis of the ‘80s), Yes, etc Howard: Anything James Taylor. I’m a huge fan. Paula: I never feel guilty about what I listen to. In fact, I listen to “old school” R&B, funk, rock and country more than the Songbook. I love Marvin Gaye, Al Green, James Brown and Fringe.
What was your first professional gig? Karrin: At a restaurant called M’s Pub in Omaha Jeffry: I played Theo in Pippin at Reuben’s Backstage Dinner Theatre in Buffalo. I was 13 years old and making $27 a week—A FORTUNE!Howard: Sunday Mass at the Old Mission Santa Barbara. There was a folk mass every Sunday, and we were a tight little quartet of guitar, organ and two singers. We packed them in, and we had the wedding market in Santa Barbara sewn up for years! Paula: Singing in a Mexican restaurant in the Castro in San Francisco.
If you weren’t a performer, what would you do? Karrin: Some kind of environmental work, or possibly dealing with other languages somehow Jeffry: Either an architect or a comic book artist Howard: I’d teach. I also love carpentry; I love working with my hands and have done quite a bit of it. There’s something so satisfying about that kind of work. Paula: Something to do with the caring and rescuing of dogs.
What’s your favorite restaurant? Karrin: Any place that’s delicious and quiet. Jeffry: Thái Son Vietnamese Restaurant (89 Baxter St) in ChinatownHoward: Gabriel’s Bar & Restaurant (11 W 60th St.)—great food, location, ambience, and excellent service. Paula: Depends on the city: In New York: Bathazar (80 Spring St.), Cave Boulud (20 E 76th St.) and Shake Shack In San Francisco: Slanted Door (1 Ferry Bldg #3), Big 4 (Huntington Hotel) and Dottie’s True Blue Café (28 6th St.)
Who’s your favorite Beatle, and why? Karrin: I don’t think I have just one! Jeffry: Who: John Lennon; Why: “Nowhere Man,” “Because,” “If I Fall”Howard: When I was a kid, it was Paul all the way. Now I see them as a great, once-in-a-lifetime group of musicians who came together at the perfect time to create some of our most iconic musical standards. Paula: John Lennon. He seemed to be the most artistic and political, although George Harrison would be a close second.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/902dc1072488c3ce06dafbf92cf3349c/tumblr_mm8jsy03qp1qzsl3do1_500.jpg "Jerome Kern, “The Dean” of the modern musical
A new Lyrics & Lyricists show opens tomorrow at 92Y: “The Song is You: Jerome Kern, Coast to Coast.” So a new cast is ready to take on our L&L Q&A series: jazz recording star Karrin Allyson, L&L favorite song and dance man Jeffrey Denman, Broadway’s longest-running “Phantom” Howard McGillin and bi-coastal cabaret celebrity Paula West.
What’s your favorite song from the American Songbook?Karrin Allyson: Today it might be “What a Wonderful World,” but who knows what it might be tomorrow? Jeffry Denman: “The Nearness of You”—music by Hoagy Carmichael, lyrics by Ned Washington Howard McGillin: “All The Things You Are”—it’s just about the most perfect song ever written. I don’t get to sing it in these concerts, but it’s in Debby Boone’s very capable hands. “The Way You Look Tonight,” also by Jerome Kern, is also one of my all-time faves. Paula West: “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel, as sung by Mahalia Jackson.
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What other artists would you like to perform with whom you haven’t yet? Karrin: Bonnie Raitt! Jeffry: Chita Rivera and Sutton Foster Howard: I did a concert of Ragtime recently, and although I worked with Terrence McNally on Kiss Of The Spider Woman on Broadway, wouldn’t it be great if he and Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty teamed up again? Now that would be worth getting excited about! Paula: It would be a dream to perform with Bob Dylan or Cécile McLorin Salvant.
What is your favorite “guilty pleasure” song beyond the American Songbook—rock, country, hiphop, etc? Karrin: “Jolene” by Dolly Parton Jeffry: ‘70s progressive rock: early Genesis (not the Phil Collins Genesis of the ‘80s), Yes, etc Howard: Anything James Taylor. I’m a huge fan. Paula: I never feel guilty about what I listen to. In fact, I listen to “old school” R&B, funk, rock and country more than the Songbook. I love Marvin Gaye, Al Green, James Brown and Fringe.
What was your first professional gig? Karrin: At a restaurant called M’s Pub in Omaha Jeffry: I played Theo in Pippin at Reuben’s Backstage Dinner Theatre in Buffalo. I was 13 years old and making $27 a week—A FORTUNE!Howard: Sunday Mass at the Old Mission Santa Barbara. There was a folk mass every Sunday, and we were a tight little quartet of guitar, organ and two singers. We packed them in, and we had the wedding market in Santa Barbara sewn up for years! Paula: Singing in a Mexican restaurant in the Castro in San Francisco.
If you weren’t a performer, what would you do? Karrin: Some kind of environmental work, or possibly dealing with other languages somehow Jeffry: Either an architect or a comic book artist Howard: I’d teach. I also love carpentry; I love working with my hands and have done quite a bit of it. There’s something so satisfying about that kind of work. Paula: Something to do with the caring and rescuing of dogs.
What’s your favorite restaurant? Karrin: Any place that’s delicious and quiet. Jeffry: Thái Son Vietnamese Restaurant (89 Baxter St) in ChinatownHoward: Gabriel’s Bar & Restaurant (11 W 60th St.)—great food, location, ambience, and excellent service. Paula: Depends on the city: In New York: Bathazar (80 Spring St.), Cave Boulud (20 E 76th St.) and Shake Shack In San Francisco: Slanted Door (1 Ferry Bldg #3), Big 4 (Huntington Hotel) and Dottie’s True Blue Café (28 6th St.)
Who’s your favorite Beatle, and why? Karrin: I don’t think I have just one! Jeffry: Who: John Lennon; Why: “Nowhere Man,” “Because,” “If I Fall”Howard: When I was a kid, it was Paul all the way. Now I see them as a great, once-in-a-lifetime group of musicians who came together at the perfect time to create some of our most iconic musical standards. Paula: John Lennon. He seemed to be the most artistic and political, although George Harrison would be a close second.")
Jerome Kern, “The Dean” of the modern musical
A new Lyrics & Lyricists show opens tomorrow at 92Y: “The Song is You: Jerome Kern, Coast to Coast.” So a new cast is ready to take on our L&L Q&A series: jazz recording star Karrin Allyson, L&L favorite song and dance man Jeffrey Denman, Broadway’s longest-running “Phantom” Howard McGillin and bi-coastal cabaret celebrity Paula West.
What’s your favorite song from the American Songbook?
Karrin Allyson: Today it might be “What a Wonderful World,” but who knows what it might be tomorrow?
Jeffry Denman: “The Nearness of You”—music by Hoagy Carmichael, lyrics by Ned Washington
Howard McGillin: “All The Things You Are”—it’s just about the most perfect song ever written. I don’t get to sing it in these concerts, but it’s in Debby Boone’s very capable hands. “The Way You Look Tonight,” also by Jerome Kern, is also one of my all-time faves.
Paula West: “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel, as sung by Mahalia Jackson.
![On Saturday, March 23, Belgian guitarist Raphaella Smits makes her 92Y solo recital debut in a program of Bach, Sor and Mertz.
As an introduction, here is a brief Q&A edited together from three English-language interviews posted on her website: NYlon Review, Soundboard and Classical Guitar.
How did you start playing the guitar?
I started by singing and playing the recorder. I even didn’t even know the existence of the guitar until at the age of 13, when out of the blue, I got a cheap guitar as a present. As I loved making music I started to play it. Two months later, I received a Segovia LP and that made me fall in love with guitar music.
What was your musical education?
I was lucky to have some good teachers, but it is not always the best teachers who have the most influence. Sometimes by seeing how not to do something, you can learn. Also, if you go to an incredibly good concert, that can also be like a teacher. My main teacher was my music, my instrument, myself, no matter where I went. The experience of life, friends, books, recordings, going into the library to find by chance something you are not looking for! Your teacher is everywhere.
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You are one of the most famous 8-string guitarists? Why do you prefer it over the 6-string -string guitar?
I wonder if you ever asked a 6-string player why he is not playing 8 strings!
Anyway, basically it is not that I prefer 8 to 6 strings, but that a lot of the music I’m playing benefits from the basses. The additional 7th and 8th strings give a more full sound. I could simply say that I have a soft spot for basses, but there is more to it. My aspiration is to make music to the best of my ability. I aim for an authentic execution.
So I play a lot of different instruments—both contemporary and historical—because each type of instrument creates a different world. I choose a guitar not because it has a certain number of strings, but because I think it might be the right instrument for the repertoire I’m going to play.
And the 7th string is sometimes very useful for a better, more convenient left-hand fingering.
How and why did you become interested in historical instruments?
It’s a completely different world with an old instrument. it is just more interesting. Not only because of the sound concept, but also because you get closer to what the composer was thinking and to the understanding of the music.
I think it’s the same as driving a car. You can drive in the woods with any car, but some do it better there than others. That same car could perhaps not ride as well on the highway.
How is performing music that you’ve known for a long time different from performing newer music?
Performing music that I’ve known for a long time is a twofold experience. It’s fine to rediscover the things I once saw on a previous journey, but it’s even finer to go deeper and explore new layers in the composition. Now that I’m playing the complete Partita, I see the Chaconne that I played before in a new light. Fascinating!
Note: Raphaella Smits is playing Bach’s Partita in D minor, BWV 1004, including the Chaconne, during her 92Y recital on Mar 23.
What helps you to perform, whether alone or with others?
Perhaps it sounds obvious, but a lot of musicians do not listen—not to themselves nor to their partner. Good musicians live in two worlds simultaneously: they must be able to think ahead how a phrase is going to sound just before they play it, but then they have to listen very carefully if the phrase sounds for the audience like they intended it to be.
Somehow, playing music is a triple activity: you play physically, you listen and judge the result of the playing and you prepare, and if necessary adjust your next lines.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/f079265ec82c37b956f870a216248b31/tumblr_mk2oe8NKQZ1qzsl3do1_500.jpg "On Saturday, March 23, Belgian guitarist Raphaella Smits makes her 92Y solo recital debut in a program of Bach, Sor and Mertz.
As an introduction, here is a brief Q&A edited together from three English-language interviews posted on her website: NYlon Review, Soundboard and Classical Guitar.
How did you start playing the guitar?
I started by singing and playing the recorder. I even didn’t even know the existence of the guitar until at the age of 13, when out of the blue, I got a cheap guitar as a present. As I loved making music I started to play it. Two months later, I received a Segovia LP and that made me fall in love with guitar music.
What was your musical education?
I was lucky to have some good teachers, but it is not always the best teachers who have the most influence. Sometimes by seeing how not to do something, you can learn. Also, if you go to an incredibly good concert, that can also be like a teacher. My main teacher was my music, my instrument, myself, no matter where I went. The experience of life, friends, books, recordings, going into the library to find by chance something you are not looking for! Your teacher is everywhere.
[[MORE]]
You are one of the most famous 8-string guitarists? Why do you prefer it over the 6-string -string guitar?
I wonder if you ever asked a 6-string player why he is not playing 8 strings!
Anyway, basically it is not that I prefer 8 to 6 strings, but that a lot of the music I’m playing benefits from the basses. The additional 7th and 8th strings give a more full sound. I could simply say that I have a soft spot for basses, but there is more to it. My aspiration is to make music to the best of my ability. I aim for an authentic execution.
So I play a lot of different instruments—both contemporary and historical—because each type of instrument creates a different world. I choose a guitar not because it has a certain number of strings, but because I think it might be the right instrument for the repertoire I’m going to play.
And the 7th string is sometimes very useful for a better, more convenient left-hand fingering.
How and why did you become interested in historical instruments?
It’s a completely different world with an old instrument. it is just more interesting. Not only because of the sound concept, but also because you get closer to what the composer was thinking and to the understanding of the music.
I think it’s the same as driving a car. You can drive in the woods with any car, but some do it better there than others. That same car could perhaps not ride as well on the highway.
How is performing music that you’ve known for a long time different from performing newer music?
Performing music that I’ve known for a long time is a twofold experience. It’s fine to rediscover the things I once saw on a previous journey, but it’s even finer to go deeper and explore new layers in the composition. Now that I’m playing the complete Partita, I see the Chaconne that I played before in a new light. Fascinating!
Note: Raphaella Smits is playing Bach’s Partita in D minor, BWV 1004, including the Chaconne, during her 92Y recital on Mar 23.
What helps you to perform, whether alone or with others?
Perhaps it sounds obvious, but a lot of musicians do not listen—not to themselves nor to their partner. Good musicians live in two worlds simultaneously: they must be able to think ahead how a phrase is going to sound just before they play it, but then they have to listen very carefully if the phrase sounds for the audience like they intended it to be.
Somehow, playing music is a triple activity: you play physically, you listen and judge the result of the playing and you prepare, and if necessary adjust your next lines.")
