Reviews

A Little Bit Of Bobby – A Celebration of the Music of Bobby Cronin – A New Year’s Review

A Live Music Showcase Review by Jefferson Harman

If you are a fan of Star Dreams Café, you may know that the theme song for our show, Dreaming With… (Believe In Your Dreams) was written and performed by award-winning Composer/Lyricist Bobby Cronin. Both a colleague and personal friend, I have had the privilege of knowing Bobby for over a decade. In that time, I have watched as both he and his music have matured and blossomed. He is an amazing writer, a respected teacher, and one of the kindest humans I know.

So as 2021 comes to a close, I wanted to take this opportunity to review his latest showcase, A Little Bit Of Bobby, which was performed at NYC’s Green Room 42 in November. I can think of no better way to close out the year than to celebrate Bobby and the many talented musicians, actors and singers that helped to make his most recent showcase a great success. As Broadway strives to return from the pandemic, it was a privilege to attend this live event and to see the joy it sparked in the audience and artists alike.

Bobby performing his piano instrumental from “Rain & Zoe Save the World.

Produced by DDM Productions and directed by Michael Mills, the evening included selections from Concrete Jungle (Cronin), and from Mary & Max, The Musical, (Cronin/Skillman), based on the claymation film by Academy Award Winner Adam Elliot. Award-winning dramatist Crystal Skillman was on hand to introduce a gorgeous instrumental medley from their latest work, Rain & Zoe Save the World, which will premier at the Jermyn Street Theatre in London in February 2022.

The event was packed with old friends and new fans, enjoying the beautifully produced showcase. Several Broadway performers highlighted the evening, supported by an amazing vocal ensemble. Singers included Jelani Remy (Ain’t Too Proud), Angela Birchett (The Color Purple), Kate Rockwell (Mean Girls), Shuler Hensley (Oklahoma!), Lauren Elder (Side Show), Telly Leung (Aladdin), Devin Ilaw (Miss Saigon), Brooklyn Norstedt (making her New York debut at age 14), Leana Rae Concepcion, and Deon Oliverio. Musical direction by Yasuhiko Fukuoka (also on piano), with Mary E. Rodriguez on drums, and Sam Sultan on bass and keyboards. The Ensemble: Roggi Chuquimarca, Jessi Clayton, Yassi Noubahar, Regene Odon, Kara Pizzolo, Noah Virgile, and Andrew R. Widger. Full bios are available at https://sarahnowak.net/

Left to right – Christian Jorgensen, Dane Levens (DDM), Hersh Ellis, Bobby Cronin, Crystal Skillman, Lauren Elder & Drew Desky (DDM).

The after party following the show took place at the panoramic rooftop lounge of the beautiful Yotel on 42nd and Tenth. One of the highlights of the party was when Michael Mills introduced Bobby to actress Patricia Clarkson on FaceTime. The joy in Bobby’s face was radiant. There is a photo of this moment included in the album accompanying this review, along with images from the show and after-party. If you have the chance to see one of Bobby’s future works live, don’t hesitate to experience his music. In the meantime, song selections from the show are available on YouTube here. Photo Flash Album here.

Songs Selections

Selections from Concrete Jungle
by Bobby Cronin
Come Here Boy (Jelani Remy & Angela Birchett)
Love Will Take You There (Devin Ilaw & Deon Oliver)
The Greatest Story Of My Life (Jelani Remy)
Don’t Think (Angela Birchett & Leana Rae Concepcion)
Unstoppable (Kate Rockwell)
Reasons (Angela Birchett)

from Rain & Zoe Save The World
Rain & Zoe Piano Instrumental Medley (Bobby Cronin, Piano)

Selections from Mary & Max, The Musical
by Music & Lyrics by Bobby Cronin, Book by Crystal Skillman
Music & Lyrics by Bobby Cronin Book by Crystal Skillman Based on the claymation film by Academy Award Winner Adam Elliot
Shine On (Telly Leung, Brooklyn Norstedt)
The Friend Song (Shuler Hensley & Brooklyn Norstedt)
Getting Bigger (Shuler Hensley, Brooklyn Norstedt, Lauren Elder)
Fly Right Outta Here (Lauren Elder)
Running (Telly Leung)
I Found My Words Around You (Lauren Elder & Devin Ilaw)
Sidewalks (Shuler Hensley)

Additional Information & Links

Photos by Bobby Cronin, Kathleen Wallace, Jefferson Harman
Bobby Cronin
Crystal Skillman
DDM Productions
Jefferson Harman
The Algonquin Hotel

The Woman I Am – A Memoir by Helen Reddy – A Review Republished In Honor of Helen’s 75th Birthday

Book Review by Jefferson Harman

Author’s Notes
The review below is presented here as it was originally published in MARCI Magazine, in the Fall of 2009 (with minor edits). During that time, Helen had retired from live performances and was concentrating on her other interests, including hypnotherapy and genealogy. I am reposting it here in honor of Helen’s 75th birthday, October 25, 2016. I have included follow-up notes and links at the end of the review, below.

If your memory of singer Helen Reddy is her 1972 hit, “I Am Woman” you may only know half the story. Although her roots are in show business, these days Helen is a clinical hypnotherapist. She speaks at events throughout the world on subjects ranging from past-life regression to awakening your intuition, and she was recently the keynote speaker at the Edgar Cayce Conference in Virginia Beach.

A third-generation performer, Helen was born in Melbourne, Victoria, six weeks before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Her parents were stars in their own right in Australian vaudeville, radio, and TV. Helen began singing on stage at age five, but it was an out-of-body experience at age eleven that started her on a road of spirituality that she has continued throughout her life.

Video of Helen Reddy performing “I Am Woman” before a live audience on “The Midnight Special” music television series, February 2, 1973. Helen was also the host of the show until 1975.

In this book, Helen takes us along with her as her life unfolds, allowing readers to see what informed her ground-breaking feminist anthem. We get to meet the girl who dreamed of stardom as well as the woman who left it all behind to pursue the healing arts. And along the way she became the first Australian to have her own network TV show in the USA, the first to have three number-one singles in one year, and a career in which she achieved international success in every medium of performance.

Helen is also a founding member of the Tasmanian Genealogical Society and writes extensively throughout her book about her family history, which extends all the way back to Australia’s First Fleet. In a chapter called “Royalty and Reincarnation”, Helen details her intuitions on the House of Windsor, including a detailed chart of who came back as whom and why they did. It’s a fascinating read and a wonderful insight into group karma.

There is only one point on which I found myself in disagreement with the author; when she states the way that psychics should be paid for their work. But it is easy to overlook these two sentences in a book that held my attention throughout. I found it thoroughly entertaining and enlightening.
______________________________________________________________

Followup
When I wrote this review in 2009, it was for the holistic publication, MARCI Magazine. You can see that the overtones within it are geared to their readership. It was also written at a time in her life when Helen had retired from show business entirely. After a decade-long hiatus, boosted by a performance at her sister’s birthday party, she returned doing to live performances in 2012. I am happy to say I was able to see her perform on July 29, 2013, at the Bergen Performing Arts Center (Bergen PAC), seated beside Jim Keaton, her longtime friend, and manager of her fan club. I had seen her perform live many times over the years, and she remains one of my greatest musical inspirations.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Helen face to face a few times, and always found her to be gracious and approachable. In fact, the first time I met her was a funny story, but I will save that for another time.

To my friends who love Helen and her music as I do, this review is for you. To Helen, thank you for all the years of inspiration and entertainment. It is always a pleasure seeing you in person and I hope to do so again soon. I wish you the happiest and healthiest of birthdays with a lot of love.

– Jefferson Harman

Notes and Links
Helen performed and toured on a limited schedule throughout 2013 until retiring from live performances in 2015. She currently resides at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, California. You can learn more about Helen online at her Wikipedia page here. Also, see her discography here.

The memoir mentioned above is also accompanied by a beautiful and thorough collection of her hits spanning three decades entitled, The Woman I Am: The Definitive Collection. There is also an audiobook version read by the author. You can purchase the CDs and download the mp3s here. In addition to other recordings, all 12 studio albums Helen recorded for EMI are now available worldwide. Extremely rare and previously unreleased Audio and Video are available for purchase or download through her website. Listen any time to all this rare music featured on her online Exclusive Music page here.

Additional Links for Helen Reddy
Helen’s Official Facebook Page can be found here. She also has a worldwide fan base that is very dedicated to preserving her work and keeping it alive online. Here is the best resource for Helen’s videos on YouTube, Reddy Rocked the 70s. Music trivia buffs will want to connect with her trivia page on Facebook, Helen Reddy Trivia Page. You can also find Helen Reddy at Amazon and iTunes.

Additional Links
Adam Rothenberg
Jefferson Harman
The Algonquin Hotel

Olivia Newton-John Rocks the Wellmont Theater

Photo by Denise Truscello

by Jefferson Harman

On the way to see Olivia Newton-John in concert recently, I was driving with my best friend Carolyn, who I’ve known since I was eleven years old. We were talking about how we used to sing Livvy’s songs as teenagers. At the time, we sang in our local church as a duo and always had an eye out for popular songs that we could play because they fit the theme of the service that week. The first one we chose was Have You Never Been Mellow. We talked about how unusual it was to play that song in a church setting but afterward, everyone was complimenting us on the song and wanted to know where they might get a copy. That was the magnetism of Olivia Newton-John then and I’m happy to say she’s still got it all these years later. And wouldn’t you know it, when the concert started, “Mellow” was the first song she sang!

Before the show, we went on to the Wellmont Theater’s website to get the details. As a lifelong fan, I thought I knew pretty much all there was to know about Olivia, but her bio was six typed pages long and I found myself discovering so many new and wonderful things about this amazing performer. From her work in music and movies to her environmental activism and philanthropy, Olivia’s is a story that deserves a closer look.

With four Grammy awards and sales of an estimated 100 million records, Olivia Newton-John is one of the world’s best-selling music artists of all time. Yet what struck me most about this concert was her warmth; her ability to connect with the audience over and over again with songs that span a career of five decades.

Throughout the evening, there were times when you could close your eyes and her voice sounded so much like it did on the original record. The songs included selections from her 1980 movie Xanadu, including my favorite of all her songs, Magic. There was also a country medley of her early hits, which included Bob Dylan’s If Not For You, John Denver’s Take Me Home Country Roads, Please Mr. Please, and her Top Ten hit, If You Love Me, Let Me Know. But the highlight of the medley was her cover of Dolly Parton’s Jolene. On the album cut, she soars at the end with a mournful soprano wail that hauntingly shows off her vocal range, and at the live show, she went even higher, to the audience’s amazement.

Following the medley, Olivia sang two of the biggest songs from her post-Grease albums, A Little More Love and the blockbuster hit, Physical. The latter spent a record 10 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, and at this show, she had everyone on their feet singing, clapping, and “working out”.

In a more intimate moment, Olivia spoke of her early years singing with her friend Pat Carroll, (wife of her long-time producer, John Farrar) on television and at nightclubs throughout Europe. The duo performed many hit songs of the day, and during this time paid tribute to one of their favorite singers, Julie London. And with that introduction, Olivia sang a beautiful spotlit solo accompanied by her musical director, Dane Bryant on piano. Her rendition of the Arthur Hamilton torch song classic, Cry Me a River (from her CD Indigo: Women of Song) highlighted her ability to move seamlessly from one genre to the next.

She could not perform all her hits, the concert would be more than three hours long. But she chose wisely, getting several standing ovations throughout the show, and on some songs like You’re The One That I Want, the audience stood and clapped and sang along throughout. During the Grease segment of the show, Olivia introduced two surprise guests who were in attendance, Didi Conn (“Frenchie” from Grease) and Clinton Kelly (What Not to Wear). She invited them both to join her onstage for what became a huge audience participation number with the legendary song Summer Nights.

In 1992, Olivia was diagnosed with breast cancer, and inspired by her treatment and recovery, recorded her most critically acclaimed album, Gaia: One Woman’s Journey. From this, she performed Not Gonna Give Into It, an uplifting song that speaks to her talent not only as a singer but as a songwriter as well.

Throughout the evening, Olivia was accompanied by her excellent band, with whom she has toured for many years. You can tell there is a warmth between her and her bandmates that makes them seem more like old friends, and each joined her at one point or another to perform duets or instrumental solos. Vocalist Steve Real sang on the duet Suddenly and also on a touching duet entitled Fulfilled, from his own new CD, Never Too Late. Warren Ham was particularly interesting to watch, as he moved from sax to flute, harmonica, and vocals, from the bass in If You Love Me Let Me Know to the high tenor of You’re the One That I Want. Throughout, you could tell that everyone on stage was having a blast.

Rounding out the evening were three exquisite ballads, beginning with the shimmering waltz, Grace and Gratitude. Next was her closing number, her signature song I Honestly Love You, written by renown songwriter Jeff Barry and the inimitable Peter Allen. Fans had their phones recording video throughout. Her encore, the Arlen and Harburg American classic, Over The Rainbow (from her children’s CD Warm and Tender) was the perfect end to a wonderful show.

As Carolyn and I stood waiting for the Meet and Greet following the show, we said to each other simultaneously, “she didn’t perform Sam!”, one of our all-time favorites. I also wished she had sung Don’t Stop Believin’, a song that got me through a lot of tough times. Hopefully next time…

If you’ve ever been to a Meet and Greet after a concert, you know they can be brief. It was indeed a pleasure to chat and have our photos taken. But I was 3rd in a very long line, and after Olivia asked me about our new project here at Star Dreams Café, I had to move on. What I didn’t get to tell her was that I’ve listened to her music most of my life and been inspired by her work in my own singing and songwriting. And that my muse is her dearest friend, Karen Carpenter. I thank them both for a lifetime of music and memories and wish Olivia Newton-John many more years of happiness and song.

ONJ Band Members
Mark Beckett- Drums
Dane Bryant – Musical Director, Keyboards
Warren Ham – Sax, Flute, Harmonica, Vocals
Marlen Landin-Chapman – Vocals
Kerry Marx- Guitar
Matt McKenzie – Bass
Steve Real y Vasquez- Vocals

Additional Links
Adam Rothenberg
Jefferson Harman
The Algonquin Hotel

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