Sound Advice
Schedule of New & Upcoming CD, DVD & Book Releases

Updated 12/23/15

This week's recap | See previous releases

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100 Men and a Girl
(Universal Vault Series - on DVD-R)
1937 musical comedy film. Deanna Durbin, Adolphe Menjou, Leopold Stokowski, Eugene Pallette. Charles Previn won Best Score Oscar. 84 minutes. Released 10/30/15.

The Wiz Live! DVD
(Universal Studios - new on DVD)
NBC live musical. Cast includes Shanice Williams, Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, David Alan Grier, Ne-Yo, Elijah Kelley, Uzo Aduba, Amber Riley, Common, Stephanie Mills, and Cirque du Soleil. New material by Harvey Fierstein. Choreographer Fatima Robinson. Executive Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. Music Director Stephen Oremus. 121 minutes.

First You Dream: The Music of Kander & Ebb
(PBS - new on DVD)
2015 televised tribute to John Kander and Fred Ebb. Kate Baldwin, Heidi Blickenstaff, James Clow, Norm Lewis, Julia Murney, Matthew Scott. Bonus items: "She's A Woman/Dressing Them Up" (Kiss of the Spider Woman), "Blue Crystal/Marry Me" (The Rink), "I Don't Care Much" (Cabaret), "Love and Love Alone" (The Visit), "The Money Tree/Maybe This Time" (Cabaret/The Act). David Loud, music director, vocal arrangements. Directed for stage by Eric Schaeffer and produced by HMS Media. 60 minutes.

The Man That Got Away: The Life and Songs of Harold Arlen (Music in American Life series)
(Univ of Illinois Press - Hardcover Book/Kindle Edition)
By Walter Rimler. From interviews with friends and associates of Arlen and on newly available archives. 248 pages. Published 8/20/15.

The Theatre of David Henry Hwang
(Bloomsbury Methuen Drama - Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
By Esther Kim Lee (Author), Kevin J. Wetmore Jr. and Patrick Lonergan series editors. 224 pages.

Tom Sawyer soundtrack
(Quartet Records - on 2 CDs)
1973 film with Sherman Brothers songs. Johnnie Whitaker, Jeff East, Jodie Foster, Celeste Holm, Lucille Benson. Original album expanded with extended versions of some songs and underscore tracks by John Williams, plus orchestra-only verisons of the songs. Second CD has the complete soundtrack, songs and underscore, but only in mono. Limited 1500 unit release. Information and purchase at Screen Archives.

December 29, 2015

Maggie Smith: A Biography
(St. Martin's Press - Hardcover Book/Kindle Edition)
By Michael Coveney. Written with the actress's blessing and drawing on personal archives, as well as interviews with immediate family and close friends. 352 pages.

December 31, 2015

The American Song Book: The Tin Pan Alley Era
(Oxford Univ Press - new Hardcover/Paperback Book)
By Philip Furia and Laurie J. Patterson. First in a projected five-volume series of books that will reprint original sheet music, including covers, of songs that constitute the enduring standards of Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, the Gershwins, and other lyricists and composers of what has been called the "Golden Age" of American popular music. The authors place these songs in historical context with essays about the sheet-music publishing industry known as Tin Pan Alley, the emergence of American musical comedy on Broadway, and the "talkie" revolution that made possible the Hollywood musical. They also provide biographical sketches of songwriters, performers, and impresarios and analyze the lyrical and musical artistry of each song and relate anecdotes about how the songs were created. 256 pages.

January 8, 2016

Blackstar
(Columbia - new on CD/mp3/at iTunes)
New David Bowie album. Includes the title track from new David Bowie and Enda Walsh musical Lazarus.

My Heart's in the Wind: Deborah Shulman
(Summit Records - new on CD)
With Terry Trotter and Larry Koonse. "The Shining Sea," "A Sleepin Bee," "My Foolish Heart," "Loving You," "My One And Only Love," "Never Never Land," "Some Time Ago," "This Hotel," "You Are There," "Where Do I Go From Here," "Shiver Me Timbers."

Preludes cast recording
(Ghostlight Records - new on CD)
Details to be confirmed: Dave Malloy score. Possibly Lincoln Center original cast recording.

January 15, 2016

Johnny Gallagher: Six Day Hurricane
(Rockwood Music Hall Recordings - new on CD)
Deubt album by John Gallagher, Jr. "Bessie I Don't Blame You," "Sarasota Someone," "Dead for a Year," "Two Fists Full," "Dangerous Strangers," "Why Oh Why Am I This Way?," "One Flower Short," "Imagine If," "Those Wild Woods." Recorded in Greenpoint, Brooklyn Conrad Korsch on bass, Brian Delaney on drums, Gallagher on guitar with Thad DeBrock on guitar, piano, organ and pedal steel. "Two Fists Full" single now available on Soundcloud.

Hairspray Vinyl
(Masterworks - new vinyl album)
OBC recording on vinyl.

January 19, 2016

The Book of Grace
(TCG - Paperback Book)
Play by Suzan-Lori Parks. 112 pages.

January 22, 2016

Dorothy Loudon at the Blue Angel and Other Rarities
(Stage Door Records - new on CD)
Dorothy Loudon's live club act, recorded in stereo album at New York's Blue Angel supper club in 1959, accompanied by the Norman Paris trio, plus Loudon's complete rare singles recorded between 1951-1955. First time on CD. Retro LP packaging. Limited to 500 copies. At the Blue Angel: "Red Hot Mama / Someday My Prince Will," "Most Gentlemen Don't Like Love," "Louisiana," "South Rampart Street Parade," "I Like a Hungry Man," "Westport," "Six Feet of Papa," "Supper on the Table," "You Gotta See Your Mama," "Great Day," "Jamboree Jones," "Dixie Medley," "Bei Mir Bist du Schon; Bonus tracks: "Nickelodeon Rag," "Rustle a Paper," "How High the Moon," "Would I Love You," "I Wanna Say Hello," "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," "Zing a Little Zong," "Ma-Ma, Ma-Ma Put the Kettle on," "Nickel And Dime Man," "Sinnin' Again," "I'm With You," "Last Stop," "Mississippi Mambo," "Bei Mir Bist du Schoen," "All for the Lack of a Bobbin." Available for early shipping from Stage Door Records UK.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame
(Ghostlight Records - new on CD/mp3/iTunes)
American premiere studio recording of Alan Menken/Stephen Schwartz score. Michael Arden, Patrick Page, Ciara Renée, Andrew Samonsky, Erik Liberman. 25-piece orchestra and a choir of 32. "Olim," "The Bells of Notre Dame," "Out There," "Topsy Turvy, Pt. 1," "Rest and Recreation," "Rhythm of the Tambourine," "Topsy Turvy, Pt. 2," "Into Notre Dame," "God Help the Outcasts," "Top of the World," "Tavern Song (Thai Mol Piyas)," "Heaven's Light," "Hellfire," "Esmeralda," "Entr'acte," "Flight Into Egypt," "The Court of Miracles," "In a Place of Miracles," "Justice In Paris," "Someday," "While the City Slumbered," "Made of Stone," "Finale." 32-page booklet with full lyrics, photos, and a note from composer Alan Menken. Digital versions have digital booklet. Recorded September 28-30. The album is produced by Michael Kosarin, Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz, Chris Montan and Executive Producer, Kurt Deutsch. Those who pre-order on iTunes, will be able to download "The Bells of Notre Dame" immediately, with three more tracks becoming available ahead of the entire album's release.

January 26, 2016

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
(Andrews McKeel Publishing - Hardcover Book)
"The definitive, authorized story of the development, design, and construction of Kansas City's Kauffman Performing Arts Center (KCPA), acclaimed as one of the fifteen greatest performance halls in the world (and one of only two in the United States). With a Foreword by His Royal Highness Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales." 192 pages.

January 29, 2016

The Color Purple
(Broadway Records - new on CD)
2015 revival cast. Score by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray. Cast includes Cynthia Erivo, Jennifer Hudson, Isaiah Johnson, Joaquina Kalukango, and Kyle Scatliffe. Album produced by Frank Filipetti.

January 30, 2016

Allegiance OBC digital
(new)
Score by Jay Kuo. Cast includes Lea Salonga, Telly Leung, George Takei, Katie Rose Clarke, Michael K. Lee. Recorded December 7, 2015. Produced by Lynne Shankel & Joel Moss for Sing Out, Louise! Productions.

January 31, 2016

August Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle: Critical Perspectives on the Plays
(McFarland and Co - Paperback Book)
Sandra G. Shannon (Editor). Collection of new essays explores the development of the author's ethos across his twenty-year creative career. 277 pages.

January 2016 (no release date)

Amazing Grace OBC
(DMI - new on CD)
Broadway cast recording of Christopher Smith score. Tom Hewitt, Erin Mackey, Chuck Cooper, Chris Hoch, Stanley Bahorek, Harriett D. Foy, Laiona Michelle, Rachael Ferrera and Elizabeth Ward Land. "Prologue," "Truly Alive," "Auction," "Someone Who Hears," "Yema's Song," "Voices Of The Angels," "We Are Determined," "Never," "Shadows of Innocence," "Expectations," "The Battle/The Drowning," "African Welcome Song," "Sing on High," "Tell Me Why," "A Chance for Me," "Nowhere Left to Run," "Daybreak," "I Still Believe," "Testimony," "I Will Remember," "Nothing There To Love," "Amazing Grace." Produced by Frank Filipetti. Recorded November 2, 2015.

Rothschild & Sons original cast recording
(JAY Records - new on CD)
2015 York Theatre cast. Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick score for "an intimate one-act reimagining of The Rothschilds." Robert Cuccioli, Glory Crampton, Peter Cormican, Jonathan Hadley, David Bryant Johnson, Christine LaDuca, Jamie LaVerdiere, Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper, Mark Pinter, Curtis Wiley and Christopher M. Williams. Orchestrations by Joseph Church. Produced by John Yap. Executive producers John Yap and Arnold Mittelman

February 2, 2016

The Secret Life of the American Musical: How Classic Broadway Shows Are Built
(Sarah Crichton Books - Hardcover Book/Kindle Edition)
By Jack Viertel. Paints a picture of how Broadway musicals are made, through all the phases of a typical musical theater story, from opening numbers to finales. A look at what Viertel has learned over the course of his career, with observations about the egotists, geniuses, and workaday professionals who have sustained this unique American art form. 336 pages.

February 5, 2016

Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs - Live At The Cafe Carlyle
(Yellow Sound Label - new on CD)

Josh Groban: Stages Live
(Reprise - new DVD/CD set)
From Groban's Stages album plus video of his 2015 PBS concert. Set includes material not shown in the broadcast, plus bonus tracks. CD: "Pure Imagination," "What I Did for Love," "Bring Him Home," "Le Temps Des Cathédrales," "All I Ask of You" (duet with Kelly Clarkson), "Try to Remember," "Over the Rainbow," "Children Will Listen/Not While I'm Around," "You'll Never Walk Alone," "If I Loved You" (duet with Audra McDonald), "Anthem," Bonus Track "Unusual Way" (unreleased studio version). Target-exclusive version has three more bonus tracks.

Nancy Lamott Sings David Zippel
(Midder Music - new on CD/mp3)
From live and in the studio performances by the late Nancy Lamott. Marvin Hamlisch and Cy Coleman accompany on their own songs. Intro, "You Can Always Count on Me," "Another Mr. Right," Intro to "In Someone Else's Arms," "In Someone Else's Arms," Outro to "In Someone Else's Arms," Intro to "Let Go," "Let Go Life's Ambition (I Was Born to Be a Slide Trombone)," "Lost and Found," "I'll Be There for Him," "Camel's Blues," "Loud Is Good," "How Can I Win?," "Lullaby," "In Someone Else's Arms (Pop Demo)," "Let Go," "Why Don't We Run Away," "With Every Breath I Take," "(Christmas) Stay with Me," "Just in Time for Christmas." Liner notes by David Zippel tell you the history of each song.

A New Brain Encores! cast
(P.S. Classics - new on 2 CDs at Amazon)
Summer of 2015 Encores! version of musical with score by William Finn. Jonathan Groff, Dan Fogler, Ana Gasteyer and Aaron Lazar. 95-minute, through-composed show recorded in its entirety for the first time, in a deluxe two-disc set. Disc One: "Prologue: Frogs Have So Much Spring ("The Spring Song")," "Prologue: 911 Emergency/I Have So Many Songs," "Heart and Music," "Mother's Gonna Make Things Fine," "Trouble in His Brain," "Be Polite to Everyone," "I'd Rather Be Sailing," "Family History," "Gordo's Law of Genetics," "And They're Off," "Roger Arrives," "Just Go," "MRI Tomorrow," "Poor, Unsuccessful and Fat," "Sitting Becalmed in the Lee of Cuttyhunk," "Craniotomy; Disc Two: "An Invitation to Sleep in My Arms," "Change," "Yes," "In the Middle of the Room (Part 1)," "Throw It Out," "In the Middle of the Room (Part 2)," "A Really Lousy Day in the Universe," "Brain Dead," "The Music Still Plays On," "Don't Give In," "Craniotomy (reprise)," "You Boys Are Gonna Get Me in Such Trouble," "I'd Rather Be Sailing (reprise)," "The Homeless Lady's Revenge," "Time," "Time and Music," "I Feel So Much Spring." Also pre-ordering at PS Classics.

Tony Yazbeck: The Floor Above Me
(P.S. Classics - new on CD)
Debut album from Tony Yazbeck, currently appearing in On the Town on Broadway. Adapted and expanded from his one-man show of the same name (which returns to 54 Below on March 16 and 23). The show is co-written by Yazbeck and Howard Emanuel and features music direction and arrangements by pianist Jerome Korman. Guest appearances by Clyde Alves (On the Town) and Melinda Sullivan (So You Think You Can Dance). Tony Lewis on drums, Tom Hubbard on bass, Marc McGowan on trumpet, and Jack Bashkow on woodwinds. "Let Yourself Go / No Strings / Fascinating Rhythm / Can't You See It?," "On the Sunny Side of the Street," My mom and I drove into New York..., "Pure Imagination," Flash forward to 2007..., "All I Need Is the Girl," I was living out my dream..., "Moses Supposes," "Till' Kingdom Come," "Got to Get You Into My Life," "Dance Me to the End of Love / I Won't Dance," "Cheek to Cheek," So there I was, on top of the world..., "Nothing I Do," "Where Did I Go Wrong?," I was taught to be a fighter..., "Both Sides Now," "Hello, My Old Heart," I'm backstage at the Drury Lane Playhouse..., "Lucky to Be Me," "Slap That Bass." Produced by Tommy Krasker. Also pre-ordering at PSClassics.com.

February 14, 2016

Hilary Kole: Judy Garland Project
(Miranda Music - new on CD)
Hilary Kole solo album with Paul Gill, Aaron Kimmel, John DiMartino, Joel Frahm, Christiana Liberis, Juliette Jones, Stephanie Matthews, Reenat Pinchas. "Zing," "The Boy Next Door," "Just In Time," "You Made Me Love You," "Stompin At The Savoy," "The Man That Got Away," "A Cottage For Sale," "I Wish I Was In Love Again," "Look For The Silver Lining," "The Trolley Song," "Get Happy," "Embraceable You," "As Long As He Needs Me," "It Never Was You," "Over The Rainbow." Represents her 2016 cabaret show. There is a Japan release already available as an import.

February 16, 2016

Master of Ceremonies: A Memoir
(Flatiron Books - Hardcover Book/Kindle Edition)
Memoir by Joel Grey. "... of a life lived in and out of the limelight, but it is also the story of the man behind the stage makeup." 256 pages.

Master of Ceremonies: A Memoir Audio version
(Macmillan Audio - new on CD)
Memoir by Joel Grey. "... of a life lived in and out of the limelight, but it is also the story of the man behind the stage makeup." Audio version read by Joel Grey.

February 28, 2016

Al Pacino: In Films and on Stage, 2D Ed
(McFarland & Company - Paperback Book)
By William Schoell. In its second edition, this book critically reevaluates his many onscreen and onstage roles.

March 1, 2016

Booty Candy
(TCG - Paperback Book)
Play by Robert O'Hara. 96 pages.

Mr. Burns and Other Plays
(TCG - Paperback Book)
Anne Washburn plays Mr. Burns, The Small, I Have Loved Strangers Orestes. 304 pages.

The Night Alive and Other Plays
(TCG - Paperback Book)
Play by Conor McPherson. Premiere production at Donmar Warehouse in 2013. 2014 Atlantic Theatre Company production New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. 240 pages.

Sitting Pretty: The Life and Times of Clifton Webb
(Univ Press of Mississippi - Paperback Book/Kindle Edition already available)
Paperback issue of 2011 book by Clifton Webb (Blithe Spirit, Present Laughter) with David L. Smith. Foreword by Robert Wagner. Hardcover and Kindle Edition already available.

March 4, 2016

Double Feature 2: BJ Ward and Donn Trenner
(LML Music - new on CD)
"Green Dolphin Street," "Secret Love," "Senza Fine," "A House Is Not A Home," "Pass That Peace Pipe," "A Patch of Blue," "The Windmills of Your Mind," "Invitation," "How Little We Know," "Why Should I Care?," "Egyptian Ella," "I'll Never Say Goodbye," "I'll Be Seeing You."

March 15, 2016

Marie Antoinette
(TCG - Paperback Books)
Play by David Adjmi. Premiered in co-production between American Repertory Theater and Yale Repertory Theatre in 2012. 96 pages

April 12, 2016

Hamilton Hardcover book
(Grand Central Publishing - new Hardcover Book/Kindle Edition/Audiobook)
By Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeffrey Seller. With lyrics, annotations, behind-the scenes content, photographs, interviews, essays and sidebars that explore how Miranda translated Hamilton's life into musical theater. 224 pages.

May 19, 2016

Theatre World Volume 70: 2013-2014
(Theatre World Media - Hardcover Book)
Ben Hodges and Scott Denny, editors. Detailing more than 2,000 productions with more than 800 photographs. Cast lists, replacements, producers, directors, authors, composers, opening and closing dates, song titles, and plot synopses, the year's obituaries, a listing of all nominees and winners of the major theatrical awards, the longest-running Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, a listing of national tours, and a detailed index. 540 pages.

July 12, 2016

Kung Fu
(TCG - Paperback Book)
Play about Bruce Lee by David Henry Hwang. Premiered at Signature Theatre (NY) in 2014. 112 pages.

May 1, 2017

Sondheim: The Man Who Changed Musical Theater
(Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan - Hardcover Book/Kindle Edition)
By Susan Goldman Rubin. 192 pages.

August 15, 2016

Barbara Cook Memoir
(Harper - new in Hardcover/Paperback)
Barbara Cook's collaboration with Charles Isherwood. 256/368 pages.

No release date set

Book of comedic essays by Laura Benanti
(St. Martin's Press - new book)
Expected Fall of 2016.

Close to You: Bacharach Reimagined
(new on CD)
West End production cast recording (previously played U.S. as What's It All About?. Recorded November 2015. Score by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Kyle Riabko arranger and music director. Cast/musicians includes Kyle Riabko, Daniel Bailen, Greg Coulson, Anastacia McCleskey, Stephanie McKeon, Renato Paris, James Williams. Co-conceived by Kyle Riabko and David Lane Seltzer.

First Daughter Suite
(Ghostlight Records - new on CD)
Original cast recording of Michael John LaChiusa score; premiered in 2015 at the Public Theater. Alison Fraser, Rachel Bay Jones, Caissie Levy, Theresa McCarthy, Betsy Morgan, Isabel Santiago, Carly Tamer, Mary Testa and Barbara Walsh.

Harbinger upcoming releases: Stacy Sullivan tribute to Marian McPartland Better Than a Dream; Mark Murphy album accompanied by Sprios Exaras; material from Eubie Blake; download only demos of Hugh Martin and Sheldon Harnick; Steve Ross' back catalog for download; Cy Coleman's Barnum album where he plays the score (and maybe more); remastered Maxine Sullivan Sings Great Songs from the Cotton Club by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler

The Landing Vineyard cast
(JAY Records - new on CD)
John Kander-Greg Pierce score. David Hyde Pierce, Julia Murney, Paul Anthony Stewart and Frankie Seratch.

Merman's Apprentice Original Off-Broadway cast
(JAY Records - new on CD)
Score by Stephen Cole and David Evans. Klea Blackhurst, with Bill Nolte, Elizabeth Teeter, Brian Charles Rooney, Eddie Korbich, Anita Gillette, P.J. Benjamin, Desi Oakley, Ausin Colby, F. Michael Haynie, Sarah Sesler. Opening / Living Out Loud," "A Broadway Star," "All About," "Chums," "Merrick Dilemma," "Better Than Life," "Loud," "Listen to the Trumpet Call," "Merman's Apprentice," "Little Bit," "Meet the Kid," "I Miss Canarsie," "Taking the Veil," "Now You're Gonna Sing!," "I Really Like It," "Finale."

No More Revivals, Volume 1: From the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop
(Ghostlight Records - new on CD)
Through Lew Spence bequest to the BMI Foundation. 15 songs selected from over 250 submitted from members of the Workshop. "That's My Town!" (Mary Feinsinger); performed by Mary Feinsinger, "A Completely Different Place" (Christopher Cooley/Benj Pasek); performed by Kelli O'Hara, "Rock City," (Brad Alexander/Adam Mathias); performed by Will Swenson, "I Was Better Off Without You" (Aron Accurso/Jill Abramovitz); performed by Kerry Butler and Nick Blaemire, "He Needs Me" (Robert Maggio/Kristin Maloney); performed by Karen Olivo, "New Jersey" (Randy Klein/Matthew Hardy); performed by Nancy Opel, "Women Leave" (Linda Dowdell/Sara Wordsworth); performed by Malcolm Gets and Andy Karl, "The Kid" (Andy Monroe/Jack Lechner); performed by Hunter Bell, "My Van" (Daniel IIsrael/Phoebe Kreutz); performed by Gregory Jbara, "Lime Colored Sheets" (Joy Son/Steve Routman); performed by Alice Ripley, "Goodbye to Boston" (Sam Davis/Sean Hartley); performed by David Hyde Pierce, "My Sky" (Adam Overett); performed by Stephanie JBlock, "Evermore" (Ron Barnett/Greg Edwards); performed by Kate Reinders and Adam Chanler-Berat,, Bonus tracks: "Penny's Song" (cut from High Fidelity); performed by Josh Grisetti, "Leaving Saint Urbain Street" (from The Education of Duddy Kravitz); performed by Adam Overett, "That Green Dress" (Lew Spence). Also with BMI Workshop Chorale.

Paint Your Wagon Encores! cast
(Sony - new on CD)
2015 Encores! cast recording of Lerner and Loewe score. Keith Carradine, Jenni Barber, Robert Creighton, Caleb Damschroder, Justin Guarini, Nathaniel Hackmann, Robyn Hurder, Melissa van der Schyff, Scott Wakefield, William Youmans, Darien Crago, Steve Czarnecki, Nicolas Davila, Casey Garvin, Shonica Gooden, Timothy Hughes, Naomi Kakuk, Justin Keyes, Jenny Laroche, Melissa Hunter McCann, Harris Milgrim, Kevin Munhall, Kristin Piro, Robbie Roby, Jason Simon, Kevin Vortmann, Nicholas Ward and Mikey Winslow. To be recorded May 29 and June 1.

Pretty Filthy
(Ghostlight Records - new on CD)
The Civilians and Michael Friedman. Waiting list available at www.sh-k-boom.com.

Rodgers and Hammerstein II biography
(Henry Holt)
By Todd S. Purdum. To be published in 2018.

The Silly Symphony Collection
(Disney - vinyl box set/digital download)
Complete restored soundtracks from all 75 Silly Symphony shorts from 1929-1939, with over 8 hours of music spread over 16 vinyl LPs. Housed in 8 tip-on gatefold jackets with original animation art in a beautifully constructed foil-stamped and numbered slipcase. Includes free digital download and a free limited edition 10” vinyl single featuring "The Skeleton Dance" on the A side and "Three Little Pigs" on the B side.