Singing in the Rain: The Eight Annual Somgwriter Series

On a recent Saturday afternoon the rain poured down while everyone inside the Musicians Union Hall of Local 802 sang Buddy DeSylva’s April Showers with gusto. Gene Kelly was nowhere in sight, nor was Al Jolson. The entire meeting on April 11 was devoted to the 8th Annual Songwriter Series, produced by Sandi Durell, who also acted as the Emcee. The room was packed by the time NYSMS President Linda Amiel Burns welcomed the enthusiastic membership, including cabaret performer Karen Akers, all anxiously waiting to hear more than a dozen talented singers present the new material of equally talented songwriters.

The program began with two songs written by David Conforte: Just Sing, performed by Trisha Rapier; and Take That You Dirty Rat, neatly evoking a memory of Jimmy Cagney, sung by Kevin Reed. Richard Danley accompanied both singers. Just Sing is from Conforte’s latest project, Sing, a musical based on the life of Linda Amiel Burns.

Along the way, there were musical diversions about Christmas, impractical clothes, near extinct dances, Joni Mitchell, dead Hollywood legends, men with too much time on their hands – literally, Obama, blue Chevrolets, and getting old albeit not gracefully. Among the composers and lyricists on hand were William Zeffiro, Brad Ross, Joe Keenan, Ellen Greenfield, Alan Cancelino, and Hector Coris.

Accompanied by Tracy Stark, Marni Nixon took center stage to present a number that may as well have been written for her – You’ll Never See It Again. The lyrics by Peter Napolitano with music by Matthew Ward, addressed Hollywood life during the golden age of the 1950’s, a time when Ms. Nixon could have walked among the stars unrecognized, unless she sang I Could Have Danced All Night, in the voice of Audrey Hepburn, or Shall We Dance, in the persona of Deborah Kerr. Marni graciously signed copies of her autobiography, I Could Have Sung All Night, a catalog of her own stardom.

Other singers performing included Jennifer Wren, Sierra Rein, Summer Broyhill, Gabrielle Visser, Katherine Pecevich, Dominic Sheahan- Stahl, and Hector Coris, who sang his own composition Obama Button. Another performer doing her own material was Annie Lebeaux. One piece - Beyond That Fog - described how a tour guide leading a church group around the top of the Empire State Building coped on an especially foggy day. Clearly, no pun intended, the visitors would have required a vivid imagination.

Fresh from a well received show at the Metropolitan Room were Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano. Written by Alyce Finell, with assistance from Eric on the music, The Ding Dong Song was delivered by Mr. Comstock who accompanied himself. After acknowledging Finell’s impressive career, Ms. Fasano performed How Does It Happen? Known primarily as an award winning television producer before adding songwriting to her resume, Alyce Finell now serves as co-director of the Mabel Mercer Foundation and Administrator for the popular Cabaret Convention in New York City and elsewhere.

The varied program also included songs such as The Road to Ruin, What the Hell it’s Christmas, Who Wears These Clothes? How Sad No One Waltzes Anymore, I Played With Myself, Speed Dial, and Come Home, sung by Julie Reyburn who was accompanied by Mark Janas, and the winner of numerous awards, including two MAC awards. She’ll be returning to Feinstein’s in the fall for the second time.

Jeff Blumenkranz spent several years as an actor, performing on Broadway and television before turning to songwriting. A recording of his song I Won’t Mind by Audra McDonald provided a huge boast to his career. Since then his songs have been recorded by a number of stars, and he’s captured a Tony nomination for Best Original Score for Urban Cowboy. For the Songwriter Series program he sang Blue Chevrolet, in which the acquisition of an Easy Pass changes things forever, and Hold My Hand.

The grand finale was performed by Trudy Mann, Donna Trinkoff, and Sandi Durell, stepping out of her producer role briefly to perform Getting’ Old Really Sucks and E- Harmony, both written by Kezia Hirsey and June Rachelson-Ospa. The extensive experience of the seasoned trio was much in evidence throughout, and provided a great finish to a most entertaining program, prompting big smiles and loud applause by everyone in the room.