POSTED 25 MAY 2001
JUST ANNOUNCED: 2001 TONY NOMINATIONS
The nominations for the 2001 Tony Awards have been announced, with
"The Producers"--garnering a record total of 15 nominations--and
"The Full Monty" (under consideration for 10) leading the way. See
more of this year's major nominees.
See more nominees
...available here.
NEW AND NOTABLE
"The Rocky Horror Show [CAST RECORDING]"
Alice Ripley
Our price: $12.58 | You save: $5.39
...available here.
Nominated for the category Best Revival of a Musical in the 2001
Tonys, this production of "The Rocky Horror Show" brings the cult
classic back to the stage with a killer cast, including Dick Cavett,
Alice Ripley, Tom Hewitt, and Daphne Rubin-Vega. Let's do the time
warp.
"Barbara Cook Sings Mostly Sondheim (Live at Carnegie Hall 2001)
[LIVE]"
Barbara Cook
Our price: $24.97 | You save: $3.00
...available here.
Barbara Cook is one of today's most accomplished song stylists, and
if you don't believe us, just listen to this live album. It's a
master class in the art of singing. It documents an evening at
Carnegie Hall during which Cook proved that she can dissect and
extract the substance out of the simplest of lyrics.
"You Never Know (2001 Studio Cast)"
Cole Porter
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...available here.
Cole Porter's delightfully old-fashioned romantic comedy "You Never
Know" receives its world premiere recording, starring Kristin
Chenoweth, Harry Groener, David Garrison, and Donna McKechnie.
"Infinite Joy: Songs of William Finn"
Original Cast
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...available here.
"Infinite Joy" gathers excerpts from William Finn's best-known
shows, along with some rare gems--a wonderful treat, recorded live
at Joe's Pub in Manhattan this past January.
"The Beat Goes On"
Liz Callaway
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...available here.
Liz Callaway has one of the best voices on Broadway, with a
clear-as-a-bell tone, seemingly effortless soprano range, and
terrific warmth. This is her first solo album since 1995's
outstanding "The Story Goes On," and it has been worth the wait.
"Bright-Eyed Joy: Songs by Ricky Ian Gordon"
Ricky Ian Gordon
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...available here.
Ricky Ian Gordon is one of the Young Turks of New York's musical
theater. The numbers included here span two decades and are
marvelously interpreted by the likes of Audra McDonald and Dawn
Upshaw.
"Passion (1997 London Cast)"
Stephen Sondheim
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...available here.
Sondheim's multiple Tony Award-winning musical/chamber opera
"Passion" is less about individual numbers than a constant flow of
gorgeous melodies, dialogue, letters between the characters, and a
group of soldiers that serves as a Greek chorus. After a 1996 London
revival, the same cast recorded the score live in concert at the BBC
Hippodrome in 1997.
HOT UPCOMING RELEASE
"Let Yourself Go With Rob Fisher and the Coffee Club Orchestra"
Kristin Chenoweth
Our price: $14.99 | You save: $3.98
...available here.
Kristin Chenoweth won a Tony in 1999 for a supporting role, but
2001 is really her year to step into the limelight. With an NBC
sitcom ("Kristin!") about to premiere, Chenoweth releases her first
solo recording with "Let Yourself Go."
FREE MUSIC DOWNLOADS
Red Hot, the leading international organization dedicated to
fighting AIDS through popular culture, has produced a series of
groundbreaking albums with help from leading musicians worldwide.
Amazon.com is proud to offer songs from these records as downloads.
You can contribute to Red Hot on every download page via the "tip
box" and help fight AIDS while enjoying some great music. Download
the following now:
U2, "Night and Day"
...available here.
Annie Lennox, "Ev'rytime We Say Goodbye"
...available here.
David Bowie + Angelo Badalamenti, "A Foggy Day"
...available here.
Sinead O'Connor, "You Do Something to Me"
...available here.
Neneh Cherry, "I've Got You Under My Skin"
...available here.
David Byrne, "Don't Fence Me In"
...available here.
Morcheeba + Hubert Laws, "Summertime"
...available here.
The Roots + Bobby Womack, "Summertime"
...available here.
k.d. lang, "So in Love"
...available here.
More on Red Hot downloads, CDs, and AIDS awareness
...available here.
NOW ON DVD: "GUMBOOTS"
"Gumboots: An Explosion of Spirit and Song"
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...available here.
The combination of storytelling, dance, song, chant, and history in
"Gumboots" is invigorating--the audience can't keep still or quiet;
they chant, clap, and dance from their seats. Also included on the
DVD is an engrossing 53-minute documentary on the gumboots dance
movement, the Soweto riots, and the performers.
Posted 26 APRIL 2001
"The Producers"
Original Broadway Cast Recording
...orders here
Recently opened at the St. James Theatre in New York, "The Producers"
has become one of the hottest tickets of the Broadway season. There's
going to be some serious laughter going down thanks to this musical
version of Mel Brooks's classic directorial debut. Choreographed and
directed by Susan Stroman, the Broadway cast features Nathan Lane and
Matthew Broderick.
"Jesus Christ Superstar: A New Stage..."
Original Cast Recording
...orders here
"Jesus Christ Superstar" has been the definitive rock musical ever
since its 1972 stage premiere in London. Revived to great acclaim in
the late 1990s, it has everything you'd expect from a blockbuster:
great songs, strong characterization, and, crucially, a cracking good
story. This release, based on the 1998 London production, pulls few
punches in its efforts to draw a modern interpretation from a gifted
cast.
"Hair (+ Extras) [SOUNDTRACK]"
Galt MacDermot
...orders here
"America's First Tribal Love-Rock Musical" went the advertising, and
nobody could argue with that. "Hair" opened on Broadway in 1968 and
immediately became a smash, although no one could quite discern what
it was about. This new release compiles the original 1968 London cast
recording with 1970's "Fresh Hair" and includes songs cut from the
original stage production.
"Bells Are Ringing [EXTRA TRACKS]"
Original Broadway Cast
...orders here
In 1956, Judy Holliday was at the peak of her fame, and her old
buddies Comden and Green were about to write a Broadway show for
her. "Bells Are Ringing" may not be among composer Jule Styne's
top-drawer scores, but the show benefits from Comden and Green's
reliably zany book and lyrics--and "Bells" has just started ringing
again in its new Broadway revival.
"Disney Songs The Satchmo Way"
Louis Armstrong
...orders here
For this 1966 session, Louis Armstrong took on 10 Disney classics.
Armstrong's deep, graceful, unmistakable voice combined with his Dixie
and traditional soloing par excellence make this a record worth owning
for all fans of Disneyana. It's a tad camp and somewhat dated, but so
are the movies the selections are taken from--it's part of the charm.
"Man of La Mancha (Original 1965 Broadway Cast)"
Mitch Leigh
...orders here
"Man of La Mancha," the show that introduced "The Impossible Dream" to
the world (and lounge singers everywhere), was the hit of the 1965
Broadway season. This rerelease is of the 1965 original cast
recording.
HOT UPCOMING RELEASE
"Sarah Brightman - La Luna"
Brightman,Sarah
...orders here
Superstar crossover diva Sarah Brightman greets the new millennium
with a bold sense of her unique musical niche. "La Luna" is a concept
album only in a vaguely free-associative sense. The selection of
material here touches on images of the moon that reinforce its
ambiguity as a force known to draw together "the lunatic, the lover,
and the poet."
FREE MUSIC DOWNLOADS
"Red Hot + Blue," the now-legendary compilation that launched the Red
Hot AIDS benefit series back in 1990, takes a head-spinning variety of
approaches to its subject, the witty and wistful songs of Cole
Porter. One of the best is Sinead O'Connor's cover of "You Do
Something to Me," with its postmodern mix of old-time band and
contemporary vocals. O'Connor gets both the earthy and ethereal into
her delivery, concocting her own special "voodoo."
...orders here
More Red Hot downloads
...orders here
STEPHEN SONDHEIM STORE
Fans of Stephen Sondheim won't want to miss our newly revamped
Sondheim Store, which puts it all together with CD recommendations, an
interview, articles, and lists of related videos and books.
Go to Sondheim Store
...orders here
OUR FAVORITE BROADWAY
"My Favorite Broadway: The Love Songs" (also available on CD) once
again gathers a legion of stars from the Great White Way, including
host Julie Andrews, Linda Eder, and Chita Rivera. It's a worthy
follow-up to 1998's "My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies."
...orders here
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MORE NEW AND NOTABLE
"A Class Act"
Original Cast
...orders here
Ed Kleban's success in writing the lyrics to "A Chorus Line" overshadowed
the enormous talents of a composer-lyricist who was far more than a one-hit
wonder. From the wealth of material he left behind--sadly unproduced--this
new musical has been lovingly constructed, giving a portrait of the artist
and of a lost era of showbiz.
"Contact: Music from the Broadway Show"
Various Artists
...orders here
Susan Stroman's dance play "Contact" has been a hotly contested Broadway
item since its premiere. The controversy was only magnified when the show
took home the Best Musical award in last year's Tonys, for it's a musical
that makes use entirely of prerecorded hits. This recording gathers the
varied collection of hit songs used for the "Contact" score but--unlike the
show--it also includes Boyd Gaines's new cover of the song "You're Nobody
Till Somebody Loves You."
"Keely Sings Sinatra"
Keely Smith
...orders here
While her last album ("Swing, Swing, Swing") paid tribute to the jump blues
and swing of her early days, Keely Smith here turns her attention to
another icon from those great years and delivers interpretations of songs
from throughout Ol' Blue Eyes' career. Completed just before Sinatra's
death, this album may be one of the most enduring of Smith's own career.
"My Favorite Broadway: The Love Songs"
My Favorite Broadway
...orders here
This enjoyable live show from New York City is a follow-up to 1998's "My
Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies" and brings on the men--including
Nathan Lane, Tom Wopat, and Robert Goulet--to join with such divas as Liza
Minelli, Linda Eder, and Julie Andrews. The show has also just been
released in DVD format.
"3hree: A New Musical"
Original Cast Recording
...orders here
Director Hal Prince was the Prospero behind this neat trio of one-act
musicals, which premiered just a few months ago at his namesake theater in
Philadelphia. It's a fascinating aggregation of talent and whimsical
imagination, with stories of mice and men, a '20s flapper, and a flying
lawnchair. These musicalettes showcase the music of Laurence O’Keefe,
John Bucchino, and Robert Lindsay-Nassif.
"South Pacific (2001 Television Soundtrack)"
Richard Rodgers
...orders here
Premiered in 1949 (and winner of nine Tony Awards), this Rodgers &
Hammerstein classic was just presented as an ABC telefilm starring Glenn
Close, Harry Connick Jr., Rade Sherbedgia, Robert Pastorell, and Jack
Thompson. The new cast recording includes a bonus track of "My Girl Back
Home," performed by Harry Connick Jr.
"Forbidden Broadway 2001: A Spoof Odyssey"
Gerard Alessandrini
...orders here
Prepare ye, Great White Way, for your latest dousing of abuse from Gerard
Alessandrini and his band of wicked colleagues. Targets range from "The
Music Man" to Sondheim and, of course, Liza's comeback. As usual, nothing
is sacred, and not even the wrath of the pharaohs can scare the team away
from some hilarious jabs at the musical "Aida."
HOT UPCOMING RELEASE
"The Producers"
Original Broadway Cast Recording
...orders here
This revival of Mel Brooks's classic farce of showbiz, starring Matthew
Broderick and Nathan Lane, is one of the hottest tickets of the Broadway
season. You can already pre-order the cast recording, due for release in
April.
WORD FOR WORD
"I walked off the set once, not four times, and I did not get lost for a
few days. I had surrendered as an actress to Lars [von Trier] and his
direction, which was really good. Lars himself has said several times that
he's never felt as deep a connection between him and an actress. I jumped
off the cliff with no parachute, and I was his completely and put
everything else aside." --Bjork on her film debut in "Dancer in the
Dark"
Read the entire Amazon.com interview
...more here
FREE MUSIC DOWNLOADS
Our newly revamped digital download area includes a number of jazz and
traditional vocalists, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, and Bing
Crosby.
Go to free downloads area
...browse here
SEE HOW THE FATES THEIR GIFTS ALLOT: GILBERT & SULLIVAN VIDEOS
The beloved operettas of Gilbert & Sullivan live on in community
productions as well as on video. The most comprehensive series, from Opera
World, collects 12 shows in performances filmed for television in the
1980s, and many of them are available in English-subtitled versions that
will help you keep up with Gilbert's intricate lyrics.
See Gilbert & Sullivan videos
...orders here
VICTOR BORGE
The recent passing of Victor Borge reminds us how laugh-out-loud funny the
Danish pianist could be when spoofing the usually serious world of
classical music. The live performance captured in "The Best of Victor
Borge, Acts One and Two" contains some of his most memorable moments,
including Phonetic Punctuation, the Timid Page Turner, and a Liszt rhapsody
for two pianists--played on one piano!
See more Victor Borge
...orders here
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