Marking the 20th anniversary of Cy Coleman’s death and the release of Janis Siegel and Yaron Gershovsky’s acclaimed new album, this concert will be an unmissable celebration of the composer of such immortal classics as “Witchcraft,” “Rhythm of Life,” “The Best is Yet to Come” – and “The Colors of My Life.”
Writes Janis Siegel:
Cy Coleman is a permanent gem in Broadway's musical crown," said the esteemed critic Clive Barnes. This is certainly true, but his contributions to music are much more multifaceted, as many music lovers already know. He was a wonderful pianist, appeared as a guest soloist with major symphonies throughout the US and Canada, wrote for film, wrote scores of popular songs for jazz and cabaret artists with world class lyricists such as Carolyn Leigh, Comden and Green, David Zippel, Peggy Lee, Dorothy Fields, and Alan and Marilyn Bergman, and wrote the instrumental theme for Hugh Hefner's TV show Playboy After Dark.
Somewhere on the road with The Manhattan Transfer, probably in a late-night bar conversation after a show, Yaron and I had the realization that we had both worked directly with Cy. Yaron wrote the four-part harmony vocal arrangements for City Of Angels, which had an amazing Broadway run from 1989 to 1992. In 2002, I joined Cy’s Kennedy Center event Songs for the New Millennium, featuring new songs by Cy and Marilyn and Alan Bergman and the artistry of Lillias White, Patti Austin, Carl Anderson, Steve Tyrell and The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. I found him to be serious, inquisitive, very musical, dedicated and warm, and I treasure the memory of heading to his East Side pad to work on these new songs he was creating with Alan and Marilyn.
As Yaron and I talked more about the Cy oeuvre and legacy, we ignited the spark that drove this record to its completion, through various pandemic stops and starts. Yaron and I hope you enjoy our musical journey through Cy Coleman's work. Perhaps you'll find old favorites and perhaps you'll discover new songs that move you. Any way you slice it, Cy Coleman was a gem.
