LAUREL MASSÉ FANSITE: MAC/ASCAP Showcase to Feature Hall, Pasek & Paul, Etc.

29.5.07

MAC/ASCAP Showcase to Feature Hall, Pasek & Paul, Etc.

Continuing its long standing partnership with ASCAP, MAC has announced the next MAC/ASCAP Songwriter's Showcase, Wednesday, June 6th at 6pm at the Laurie Beechman Theater, hosted by Jamie deRoy and featuring special guest, composer and lyricist Carol Hall with singer Laurel Masse and musical director Tex Arnold. The Showcase is produced by Michael Kerker (ASCAP) and deRoy (MAC).
One of the few to write both music and lyrics, Carol Hall received two Drama Desk Awards for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, which ran for almost five years on Broadway, received a Grammy nomination for its cast album and became a film starring Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton. Parton's recording of Hall's “Hard Candy Christmas,” won an ASCAP Award for "Most Performed Country Song." A recent national tour of Whorehouse starred entertainment legend Ann-Margret.
Her additional work includes the Off-Broadway musicals A… My Name is Alice, A… My Name is Still Alice, To Whom It May Concern & Hats!, which has just opened a third company in Chicago. She was a major composer/lyricist for Marlo Thomas' Peabody and Emmy Award-winning TV Special, "Free to Be...You and Me" and its sequel, "Free to Be...A Family" and was a mainstay writer for "Sesame Street" for ten years. She is presently writing the score for the popular children's series "Max & Ruby." Her cabaret work has earned her two Bistro & MAC Awards, one of them the 2003 MAC Song of the Year, “I Dream In Technicolor.” She also received the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award, given for contributions to the American Song book. Carol has also contributed either music or lyrics to songs written with Bill Evans, Lesley Gore, Michelle Brourman, Shelly Markham, Phyllis Newman, Tex Arnold and Steven Lutvak.
Carol Hall’s songs have been performed by Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Barbara Cook, Margaret Whiting, Julie Wilson, Chita Rivera, Michael Feinstein, Mabel Mercer, Amanda McBroom, Olivia Newton-John, Maureen McGovern, RuPaul, Frederica von Stade & Kermit the Frog.
Other guests on the showcase are the writing teams of Robert Maddock and Joe Iconis, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and Steve Silverstein and Ruth Williamson. Pasek and Paul began their collaboration as freshmen at The University of Michigan and at age 21, as recipients of the 2007 Jonathan Larson Award, became the youngest winners in the history of the foundation. Maddock (a recipient of a 2007 Jonathan Larson Award) & Iconis (winner of a 2007 Kleban Award and a 2006 Jonathan Larson Award) are currently working on two musicals, Plastic! (for which Robert wrote the book and lyrics with music by Iconis & Reza Jacobs) and The Black Suits (with music, lyrics & book by Iconis, with the book co-authored by Maddock).
Steve Silverstein is the composer of the musical The Human Heart (lyrics by Michael Colby), which received a grant from the Billy Rose Foundation. He is currently producing a CD for his Christmas show, The Adventures of the Christmas Elf, which will be presented by ACT Theater Company in Dec 2007. Ruth Williamson has appeared on Broadway in the recent revival of La Cage Aux Folles, the 2000 revival of The Music Man, Epic Proportions, Little Me with Martin Short, Guys And Dolls with Nathan Lane and the original Annie, followed by a tour as Miss Hannigan. She has written Pure Heaven, about the late, great Kay Thompson (of Eloise fame). As a lyricist, her collaboration with Steve Silverstein on the song “A Strong Wind,” was nominated for a 2007 MAC award.
The Laurie Beechman Theater is located at 407 West 42nd Street. The show is free for MAC Members and $10 for guests. Call the MAC Hotline at (212) 465-2662 for more information. There is no reserved seating; seating is first come first served. Food and drinks will be available, and MAC membership applications will be distributed at the door.

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LIVE: JaLaLa @ The Egg, 6/5/10

The name JaLaLa is a clever use of the first two letters of the first names of the three internationally acclaimed songbirds fronting the fabulous trio.

Janis Siegel, Laurel Masse and Lauren Kinhan are certainly no strangers to the jazz community. Their considerable vocal talents have long been an integral part of such world-renowned ensembles as Manhattan Transfer (Siegel & Masse) and the New York Voices (Kinhan).

Last Saturday night, vocal sparks ignited the pyrotechnic vocal-fun at The Egg in Albany when these three distinct voices joined forces to sing, swing and scat their way through an uninterrupted set of originals, American jazz, Broadway standards and the classic Johnny Mercer songbook. (JaLaLa’s debut album is a tribute titled, “That Old Mercer Magic!”)

Backing the three chanteuses was a crack rhythm section featuring bassist Steve LaSpina, drummer Deric Dickens and long-time Manhattan Transfer music director/pianist Yaron Gershovsky.

http://www.nippertown.com

Birdland

JALALA = Janis Siegel, Laurel Masse and Lauren Kinhan…three gals who know from vocal groups. Janis has been with the Manhattan Transfer since the beginning. Laurel was part of the original Transfer. Lauren is one of the New York Voices. Happily, they have joined forces for this fabulous vocal klatch called JaLaLa. They sold-out Birdland on Monday night, showing off with their signature harmonies and gorgeous solo vocals, but a dazzling highlight came during the encore. The trio had planned a re-interpretation of the Lambert, Hendricks & Ross masterpiece, “It’s Sand, Man,” but Janis had spied the song’s creater and King of Vocalese, Mr. Jon Hendricks, sneak into the club to catch the act. They invited him onstage (left) to add some extra-special hip to the scene, making it one of the more historic moments we’ve witnessed! Thanks, Ja, La, and La for an amazing night!

http://castpartynyc.com/

LAUREL MASSÉ

Laurel Massé, founding member of Grammy award-winning vocal group Manhattan Transfer, toured internationally for seven years with the group and recorded five albums. In 1979, a serious automobile accident forced her departure. After two years of convalescence, she began touring again both in the States and in Europe. She has released four solo CDs. The first two, Alone Together and Easy Living, both hit the Billboard Jazz charts; the third, Again, was a People magazine pick. Feather and Bone, her 2000 release, was picked by audiophile magazine The Absolute Sound as "a recording of extraordinary musical and sonic value". In 2002 she released Ballads.

Coming Out nº1 in Europe

COMING OUT/BRITISH BPI GOLD LP AWARD 1977

Coming Out sold millions of copies in Europe, where a single from the album, "Chanson D'Amour," hit #1 in France and in England, a chart-topper on both sides of the English Channel. On the strength of "Chanson D'Amour," the Manhattan Transfer toured Europe again, including a show at the MIDEM music business convention in Cannes. In a 1977 interview, Alan Paul remembered how that song was chosen and recorded. "The song was written in 1957. We'd been recording all day and we hadn't gotten that far. Just as we were about to leave, Laurel shouted, 'Hey wait a minute, I've got an idea.' She used an Edith Piaf sound in her voice and we recorded it in one take. She wanted to get a romantic French feel behind it."

The Manhattan Transfer Show/CBS TV

Because of the lack of rehearsal time to learn new material, the Manhattan Transfer mined their catalog for over 30 different songs during the show's four-week run - they went through all their recorded material, the stuff that hadn't been recorded yet, enough music to record a new studio album every Sunday night. "We didn't want to get picked up for another season," said Tim, "because we knew that we couldn't do another season. These shows are put together in a week, and this is why television is what it is.

PASTICHE

Pastiche (Atlantic 19163), lived up to its name - a mixture of various musical styles and genres. By this time, the Manhattan Transfer were experimenting with more open voicings and less block harmony, adding new depth to their vocal precision. Between Pastiche's list of Cole Porter and Duke Ellington songs, the Manhattan Transfer collaborated for the first time with JonHendricks, the vocal jazz legend and one-third of the Lambert, Hendricks and Ross vocal jazz group. The collaboration, "Four Brothers," was originally written by Jimmy Giuffre for Woody Herman's Second Herd. For this song, the Manhattan Transfer replicated - using only their voices and Jon Hendricks' lyrics - the melodies of Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, Herbie Steward and Serge Chaloff, Woody Herman's sax section.

Pastiche Nº10 in UK and nº 1 in Norway

Pastiche sold well in Europe, but could climb no higher than #66 on the American album charts. Tim, Alan, Janis and Laurel toured Europe, playing concerts in support of Pastiche, and listening to different music in anticipation of using some new ideas for a new album. "We had just come back from Europe," said Alan, "we were in Europe for a couple of months touring, and we were scheduled to open in the Roxy Theater in Los Angeles, and we had all these new ideas and things that we wanted to present to the public."

THE BEGINNINGS

The Manhattan Transfer re-emerged as a four-piece, with Janis Siegel (alto), Laurel Massé (soprano), and Alan Paul (tenor), who found each other in a series of happy accidents. Tim Hauser was driving a cab at the time, and picked up passenger Laurel Masse; they got to talking. Tim met Janis Siegel through a drummer acquaintance. Janis had been performing at the Greenwich Village coffeehouse scene with a group called "Laurel Canyon." Alan Paul had been appearing in the musical "Grease!" (Laurel's boyfriend was a musician in the production, and referred him).