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The Jeff Blumenkrantz Songbook Podcast — Music
The Jeff Blumenkrantz Songbook Podcast

Hear live recordings of the songs from the Tony-nominated composer’s new songbook.

Latest Episodes:

Benny Go Home - sung by Alysha Umphress Sep 15, 2011
Show notes
Month Upon a Time, Episode #4 (September): The last time she made a guest appearance on this podcast, Alysha Umphress was just getting her feet wet in the New York talent pool. Now, five years later, she is positively drenched!
First came her Off Broadway debut understudying the two female roles in the Bill Finn revue, Make Me a Song. Then followed a very happy run, first at Berkeley Rep and then on Broadway, in Green Day's American Idiot (Check out her hot duet from the cast recording: "Too Much Too Soon".)
Along the way, she's performed in countless cabaret shows - here are youtube videos of her definitive performances of two of my songs "Celebrate" and "I Just Wanna Have Fun" in concert. Happily, one of her solo concerts was preserved with a live recording, which you can purchase from her outrageously not-up-to-date website: Alysha Umphress - Live at the Laurie Beechman.
This coming season, you'll be able to catch her on Broadway again (!!) in the upcoming revival of On a Clear Day..., as well as on television as a guest star on Showtime's Nurse Jackie. She's on fire!!
September inspired a flurry of song ideas, 95% of which were rooted in back-to-school, which made Karen Buerkle's idea stand out that much more: she wrote "That's when the Bennys go home." Not knowing what this cryptic sentence meant, I did a little research, which led me to this website and this Facebook page. (At the time of uploading this episode, the Benny Go Home website was experiencing technical difficulties. Hopefully, it will be live again soon, so you can see what I found.)
In a nutshell, a Benny is a summer tourist visiting the Monmouth or Ocean County Jersey shore. While there are several explanations for the origin of the name, the favored one is that it's an acronym for the cities these tourists primarily came from back in the day, namely Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark, and New York. The locals frown upon what they perceive to be disrespectful Benny behavior. A grass roots campaign called "Benny Go Home" has evolved, with logos, bumper stickers, and things like these three beach scenes.... Given that I grew up in Monmouth County (in fact, Karen Buerkle played the title role in our community theatre production of Annie Get Your Gun back in the early 80s), I couldn't resist this subject matter for the September song. And since I've been making it a habit of sneaking musical quotes into several of these Month Upon a Time songs, this title offered up a no-brainer. Thanks, Karen!
For the record, I think the members of the cast of MTV's Jersey Shore would definitely be considered Bennys.
This episode was recorded September 12, 2011.

Burning Man - sung by Brooks Ashmanskas Aug 22, 2011
Show notes
Month Upon a Time, Episode #3 (August): How does one find words to describe the force of nature that is Brooks Ashmanskas? "Funny," "outrageous," "fearless" - they just don't seem to do him justice.
Brooks and I crossed like ships in the night 15 years ago, when he made his Broadway debut taking over the role of Bud Frump from me in the last (first) Broadway revival of How to Succeed.... That marked the start of a truly impressive Broadway career that has included such plays and musicals as Dream, Little Me, the Bernadette Peters Gypsy, The Producers, The Ritz, Present Laughter, Promises Promises, and of course his Tony-nominated turn in Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me.
Add to that a bunch of Off Broadway and regional productions and wonderful recordings (Songs for a New World, It's Only Life) and you start to get a sense of how versatile and accomplished and BUSY a guy he is!
Big thanks to Dan Adler, who put forward this month's song idea and is about to participate in his fourth consecutive Burning Man! If you don't know what Burning Man is, you should definitely check it out. It seems like an amazing event....
And special thanks to the wonderful composer Debra Barsha for her great song idea, which isn't the central idea for this song but is woven in nonetheless.
This episode was recorded August 19, 2011.

Pure Acceptance - sung by Helen Slater Jul 17, 2011
Show notes
Month Upon a Time, Episode #2 (July): I know this probably isn't a big deal to most tech-savvy people, but I'm feeling very 21st Century announcing this, my first virtual episode!
Last month, I selected Jon Orton's Twitter suggestion to write a song about July at the summer theatre camp Stagedoor Manor, which I attended in the 70's and where Jon was a musical director the summer of 2002. Once I started conceiving "Pure Acceptance," I knew that it needed to be sung by my friend, the stellar film and TV actor/wonderful singer-songwriter, Helen Slater. Not only did Helen and I attend this camp at the same time, but also Helen has a teenage daughter, and I knew I wanted to explore the mother/daughter experience in this song. Jackpot!!
Once Helen said yes, I wasn't going to let the fact that she was shooting a TV series in Austin, Texas stop me from making this episode happen. Luckily, Helen was game: she recorded the song in a studio in Austin and then did the interview via phone from her home in Los Angeles! And it pretty much sounds like all my other episodes. Amazing and space-age!! (Wait, are we post-space-age now?)
Back to Helen - her credits are an embarrassment of riches, so I'm only going to list a few of her films: you may remember her in the title roles of Supergirl and The Legend of Billie Jean, not to mention her performances in Ruthless People, City Slickers, and The Secret of My Success. She's also appeared on countless TV programs, but you can check all that out yourself on her IMDB page.
As distinguished as her acting career is, her singing and songwriting is equally impressive. She has three CDs: One of These Days, Crossword, and Shine, and each one is as yummy and wonderful as the last. She somehow manages to blend folk and pop and jazz and warmth and charm and beauty and clarity, and I just love listening to her music. And maybe there's a musical or two on the horizon? Please??
This episode was recorded July 14 and 16, 2011.

Drink My Way - sung by Kate Wetherhead Jun 11, 2011
Show notes
Month Upon a Time, Episode #1 (June): It's opening night of my new podcast series/song-cycle, Month Upon a Time! And I'm thrilled to have the super-talented Kate Wetherhead on the bill to sing the first song, "Drink My Way!"
Kate first caught my eye in TheatreworksUSA's wonderful production of Sarah Plain and Tall, and she has continued to impress with performances in Broadway's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Legally Blonde, the Off-Broadway production of Adam Gwon's great musical, Ordinary Days, and most recently as Sally Bowles in the Dallas Theater Center production of Cabaret.
Meanwhile, as if that weren't enough, she and fellow super-talent Andrew Keenan-Bolger created, wrote, directed, and produced an original web series,
Submissions Only, which is a knock-out! Six beautifully executed, fun, funny episodes which I highly recommend! Can't wait for Season Two!!
And if you want even more Kate, you can check out some of her
many terrific youtube performances....
Special thanks to the outrageously talented actor, Steve Rosen, whose idea inspired this month's song.
And one last big thank you to my old college buddy, set designer Bradley Kaye, for the adorable artwork for Month Upon a Time. (Don't you just love the little Twitter bird perched on March?)
If you're interested in singing "Drink My Way," the sheet music is now available from my online music store.
This episode was recorded on June 9, 2011.

Just Because - sung by Gillian Goldberg Mar 18, 2011
Show notes

Special Episode #10: Look who's blown back into podcastville! I've come around again, and this time, I've brought a special guest - I'm so happy to introduce the young and talented Gillian Goldberg!
I had the good fortune to catch Gillian in the Barrington Stage production of Barry Wyner's Calvin Berger a few years ago. (If you listened to The BMI Workshop Songbook Podcast, you might remember Neil Patrick Harris' performance of another song from that show, "It Just Wasn't Meant to Happen.")
Gillian's wonderful performance in the role of high school student Bret in that production was indelibly imprinted in my mind, so when I needed someone to sing the role of a teen-aged girl for a demo, I knew who to call...
A graduate of The Boston Conservatory (aka BoCo), she's played other musical theatre high school gals as well: Cassandra in Saved (at The Kansas City Repertory Theatre) and Candi in Zanna, Don't (at Speakeasy Stage Company in Boston.)
Today, Gillian sings "Just Because," one of two spec songs I was commissioned to write to audition to be the composer of an upcoming new musical. I didn't end up getting the gig, but I did get this song!
Originally conceived as a trio for Gillian's character and her two best friends, today Gillian sings a retooled solo version, and as a bonus, I play the original demo as well, which, in addition to Gillian, features Nikki James and Dana Steingold as the two friends, Liz Callaway as Gillian's offstage mother, and in the role of Peg's Mother, my neighbor, Darcy, in her musical theatre debut. :-)
Other places you can find Gillian these days? Check out the fashion blog she co-writes, A Gal's Right 2 Style.
Incidentally, if you are a teen-aged girl (or an actress who plays teen-aged girls) and would like to sing "Just Because," the sheet music is now available from my online music store.
This episode was recorded on March 14, 2011.

Touched - sung by Jeff Blumenkrantz Jul 24, 2010
Show notes

Special Episode #9: Here's something you don't come across everyday: a song commissioned for a cancer event.
Through my association with Amy Southerland of AWOL (aka Artists WithOut Limits, producers of the highly acclaimed NYMF productions of The Mistress Cycle, The Shaggs, and the upcoming 8 Minute Musicals), I was asked to write and perform a song for an American Cancer Society benefit.
After seeing a video about Hope Lodge on the A.C.S. website, the seed for the idea for "Touched" was planted. (I think the video must have been removed, because I can't seem to find it now.)
Thank you to Barbara Davis and Bob Iandoli, who commissioned this song in memory of Barbara's mother, Mimi.
This episode was recorded on July 23, 2010.

Valentine - sung by Jeff Blumenkrantz Feb 13, 2010
Show notes

Special Episode #8: It's the day before Valentines Day, and I thought I'd offer up this little musical "Valentine," even in the wake of the performance of Anti-Valentines, the 24 Hour Musical that I wrote with Julia Jordan during one long, harrowing night last weekend to benefit The Exchange.
After listening to my chat about it on this episode, I realize I didn't properly acknowledge my feelings about our leading lady, Celia Keenan-Bolger, so I would like to officially say that she is a genius and one of my favorite people to write for. (Yes, David, I know this should be "for whom to write," but I think it sounds and looks weird.)
Coming up for me, a benefit concert with Liz Callaway (!!) at The Axelrod Arts Center aka my hometown JCC in Deal, NJ.
Also, I'm in the last stretch of my year in Martha Stewart's Cooking School. You can check out my appearance on her television show here and here by following those links and playing the videos.
Here's my little, old-timey musical "Valentine" - sorry about the out-of-tune piano.
This episode was recorded on February 12.

My Heart Was Set on You - sung by Sutton Foster Oct 10, 2009
Show notes

Special Episode #7: It's been so long since I've done one of these episodes that I omitted a word from my intro! (Did anyone catch it?) I'm thrilled to welcome back the incomparable Sutton Foster. Not just a ridiculous talent, but also one of the warmest, most generous people with whom I've had the privilege of collaborating.
Sutton is currently giving a stellar performance as Princess Fiona in the musical Shrek, but only through January 24, 2010, so if you haven't seen her in it yet, get moving! With one Tony Award and three Tony nominations under her belt, she is one of Broadway's great leading ladies, infusing everything she does with her idiosyncratic charm, humor, and heart.
Sutton is here to sing "My Heart Was Set on You," the song I wrote for her wonderful debut CD, Wish.
A new activist, Sutton has been outspoken in her support of Marriage Equality and has sponsored a bus to take people to the National Equality March in Washington DC this weekend. Check out Sutton's video for the organization Broadway Impact.
Coming soon is her eponymous website, a concert tour, and a teaching stint at NYU! Those lucky kids!!
To see what kind of soup I served her from my Jeff and Martha cooking project (a la Julie and Julia), visit my blog!
This episode was recorded on October 9, 2009.

The Core of Ponte - sung by Kate Shindle Sep 28, 2008
Show notes

Special Episode #6: Kate Shindle may have come to our attention first as Miss America 1998, but she has clearly staked out a place of her own in the musical theatre world. She's appeared on Broadway in Jekyll and Hide, headlined as Sally Bowles in the Sam Mendes/Rob Marshall revival of Cabaret, and originated the role of Vivienne in Legally Blonde, the musical.
Kate was always on my radar because a) she's a fellow Northwestern University alum, and b) she was a super cool Miss A., in that she was really talented and she had a great platform (AIDS awareness and education). So when I was asked to write a song for a benefit and I heard Kate was one of the singers I could write for, I snapped her up PDQ! It's great to finally work with her after years of rubbing elbows at Northwestern events and Julia Murney's annual Pancakes and Bacon Party.
The benefit, called Broadway in South Africa, will take place on October 6th at Symphony Space. Ten songwriters (including Henry Krieger, Michael John LaChiusa and Bill Russell) were asked to write songs inspired by the essays and drawings of South African children. I took my inspiration from Khensoni Mabaso's sketch of Johannesburg, which features a very tall building with the word "Voda" on top. This piqued my curiousity, so off I went to research what turned out to be the Ponte City Tower, a 54-story cylindrically-shaped apartment building with a hollow core. ("Voda" is short for Vodacom, a cellular phone company that owns a huge LED wraparound sign on the top three stories of the building.)
When Ponte was built in 1975, the surrounding neighborhoods were "whites only," but with the end of Apartheid, the area quickly filled with blacks and immigrants, and the white people fled to the suburbs. The building became notorious for criminal activity, suicide jumpers, and the garbage that built up inside the core.
The building is currently being renovated and resold as high-style condos. Last October, before the sales office opened, the building co-sponsored an event with the city to offer people the opportunity to "Abseil off Ponte," i.e. rappel down the building on ropes like mountain climbers use.
(Sorry to those who downloaded the original version of this episode with the audio issues. This new version is issue-free.)
"The Core of Ponte" was recorded on 9/27/08.

My Time with You - sung by Jeff Blumenkrantz Apr 26, 2008
Show notes

Special Episode #5: I had so much to talk about that I simply HAD to do a new episode. Tune in to hear all about my upcoming UK concert "tour, " and find out about my limited-time special songbook offer.
Also, check out this never-heard-before trunk song, "My Time with You," written for the now-abandoned Betty Boop musical. (Recorded 4/24/08.)
If you can't make it over to Nottingham or London for my June concerts, why don't you hop/skip/jump down to the Jersey Shore for my July 17th benefit concert for the Jewish Community Center in Deal, NJ?
Hope to see you there!

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