Judy! Judy! Judy! Interview with Judy Collins Interview With Lea Salonga Andrea Marcovicci, Blue Champagne, The History of the Torch Song

I had never seen Judy Collins perform before till I saw her opening night at the Rrazz Room in San Francisco.  I was NOT disappointed.  Nor was anyone else.  She started with one of my all time favorites, Both Sides Now , and on my notes I wrote  "Wow."  Power, articulation, clarity, magical high notes-- it was all there.  

Did I say she was 70 and has been performing for 50 years?  Absolutely no sign of age in her voice. (To my music students, I'd like to say:  This is how it's done, my dears.)

A bit of vaudeville in her stories,  witty reminisces about other performers.  Old and new songs, some a cappella, some accompanied by herself on her 12 string with Russell Waldon, her music director and able pianist who treated us to some harmony, and some songs with Judy most ably accompanying herself on piano.   We were invited to sing along and sing we did.  I cried, I laughed, I cried again, and laughed some more.  She sang a soulful song about her mother and another about hunting the whale, then treated us to the songs of our youth. We all sang Where Have All the Flowers Gone  and then Judy asked , "Where are the war protest songs of today?"  In my notes I penned the words "Oh my God!"  What a show.  

After a show interrupted by five standing ovations ( I kept tally) , we did not want to let her go.  Even after her encore, the audience was slow to leave, not wanting the magic to end.  Out in the lobby, we congregated and talked sharing Judy stories with strangers.  And Judy?  She was not behind a table signing albums and books,  but mingling angst us.  More than one shared moments of their lives that had been colored with memories of Judy Collins and/or her music.  To everyone she was the gracious hostess, "Thank-you for sharing."  

I am so sorry you missed it.  Her ten day show at the Rrazz Room in San Francisco was sold out before it opened!    I guess she'll just have to come back soon.  Thank-you, Judy Collins, for a most memorable and magical evening.



Suzanne Birrell

Judy Collins:  With a sense of awe about her career which has spanned over 50 years, Judy reports that she is now more active than ever; her latest album “Paradise” one of her best yet.  Playing over 110 shows a year to sell out audiences around the world, Judy is excited and rather amazed at her growing audience that includes a great mixture of all ages.  With the recent publication of her children’s book “Over the Rainbow” (Imagine Publishing), even children are found in her audiences.   And I got to visit with this American Icon who is coming to San Francisco!

Judy recently performed at all the big festivals in England as well as the “fabulous” Stan Rogers Festival in Canada and the Woody Guthrie Festival in Oklahoma.  She enthusiastically credits festivals as the place “where all kinds of creativity is happening.”  Judy believes that “Live music is the secret of mental health and physical, spiritual and emotional stability.  We need to go to live shows to get a break from compulsivity of our machines,” she said. ”It’s essential to see live music.”  With that in mind, Judy has fostered the careers of many artists starting almost from the first moment she stepped on stage.  Her Wildflower Label is committed to nurturing fresh talent.

Child of the 60‘s and oft-jailed activist, Judy shared that she was “most privileged” to sing at a birthday party for Nelson Mandela, the person she “most admires in the world.”  Citing singing for President Clinton’s inauguration as one of her proudest moments, she wryly added “during his reign we had no debt.”  Judy is currently a representative for UNICEF, campaigns for the abolition of land mines, and is a strong advocate of suicide prevention.

Relating to the San Francisco scene, Judy proudly reports that Apples’ Insider Magazine once featured her on the cover after she hacked into the Apple 2C computer to make it work on a Digital Printer.  “They said it couldn’t be done,” she bragged.

Since Judy produced the documentary “Antonia: A Portrait of the Woman” which was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry,  I asked if she had any plans to do more films.  Judy responded that her memoir “Sweet Judy Blue Eyes” is due to be released in October 2011 and that maybe it would be to her advantage to begin looking for a production team for a “bio-pic.”  I suggested she look around San Francisco while she’s here because we have a great film scene. (You heard it here first!)

Don’t miss this icon of American music!  Known for many hit songs including “Both Sides Now” and “Chelsea Morning,” her still amazing range and interpretive style coupled with an eclectic mix of music, Judy Collins will take you on a journey of light and hope which speaks to the heart.  Tuesdays - Saturdays:  September 20 - October 1, 2011; 8 pm at the RRazz Room, Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco.  Tickets: 800-380-3095 or http://therrazzroom.com.

-Suzanne Birrell

Lea Salonga: A delightful person, a natural entertainer, with no pretense, gracious and unassuming, Lea Salonga appears interested in life as it happens around her.  She engages passersby with genuine interest in who they are and what they are about.  One gets the sense that the whole world is her stage and we’re all on it with her.  And I had the privilege and honor to visit with this Internationally acclaimed Filipino singer!

Lea was very excited to report that her latest album “The Journey So Far,” recorded live at the Cafe Carlyle in New York, has topped the jazz category of the US iTunes and currently boasts a five star rating!  Plus Lea Salonga just recently received a Disney Legends Award for her work in Mulan and Aladdin.

This versatile and extremely talented singer, famous for her rolls as a prostitute on Broadway and princess for Disney, reports that her audience is usually is gay couples who know the lyrics to everything, older folks who have seen every leading lady since Ethyl Merman, younger people in their twenties on a date, groups of girlfriends.  At her shows Lea always performs “A Whole New World” and she always picks someone from the audience to get up and sing with her.  (Practice. Be ready!) 

Music is not her only passion.  Entertained by people as she entertains, she takes on their battles and concerns as her own.  Dubbed “The Pride of the Philippines,” Lea is a very socially and politically active woman, campaigning for human rights everywhere and taking on such formidable opponents such as the Catholic Church.  It was recently reported by a Reader’s Digest Poll that Lea Salonga is the second most trusted person in the Philippines.  Lea laughingly said that her husband advised her never to go into politics if she wants to maintain that trust.  Meanwhile she maintains a blog, voicing her concerns about gay rights, reproductive rights to limit family size, adolescence responsibility and more.  (http://www.leasalonga.com/leas-official-blog).

In one moment, Lea expressed concern that she didn’t know if her efforts were doing any good, but in the next moment she exclaimed that “June 24 was the best day ever!   The gay marriage bill passed in New York!”  She spoke of the work still yet to be done and finished adamantly “You have to let people be who they are.” 

When asked if she ever suffered repercussions for her outspoken nature, Lea responded with a very emphatic “Oh, yes!”  But it’s not slowing her down.

Bay Area Cabaret presents an intimate evening with the Tony Award Winning Broadway Star Lea Salonga.  Don’t miss Lea's first solo appearance in the Bay Area since she sold out the Masonic Theater in 2005.  Friday is already SOLD OUT.  Tickets are still available for Saturday, September 17, at 5 p.m. at www.bayareacabaret.org or by phone at City Box Office (415) 392-4400. The Fairmont San Francisco’s Venetian Room, 950 Mason Street.

 -Suzanne Birrell

The title of Andrea Marcovicci’s latest tour, “The History of the Torch Song” suggests an evening lamenting lost and unrequited love; handkerchief in one hand, glass of bourbon in the other.  So sad: So NOT!  Music and laughter made for an evening well spent with Andrea Marcovicci.  From the moment she stepped on stage, Andrea graciously made all feel like we were simply visiting in her living room.  With contagious enthusiasm, Andrea recounted antidotes, sketched stories, and shared insights into composers, singers, and lives that gave us The Torch Song.  Every song was a singular performance.  “The Man I Love,” “Mr. Right,” “Just Like a Man,” “My Husband’s First Wife,”  “The Lies of Handsome Men.”  Standard favorites and unfamiliar gems; she intoned every word as if she’d lived it, but from the vantage point of maturity where we are allowed to smile at the passions and indiscretions of our youth.  We smiled and laughed right along with her.  A rousing sing along: “Mean To Me” (haven’t we all known people like that?) emboldened us into “Shakin” the Blues Away.”  All in all, it was a fun and engaging, sometimes wacky, but thoroughly enjoyable history lesson.  The musical arrangements by her musical director, pianist, and best friend Shelly Markham were befittingly handsome as was the contribution from local bassist Daniel Fabricant. 

Suzanne Birrell