SEARS & CONNER CONTINUE THEIR BERLIN CD SERIES WITH SONGS WRITTEN FOR FLORENZ ZIEGFELD

Oakton recordings announces the third volume of the Irving Berlin series by Benjamin Sears & Bradford Conner, with "She's So Beautiful," a collection of songs written by Berlin for shows produced by the great showman Florenz Ziegfeld. Berlin is famous for his contributions to the 1919 and 1927 editions of the Ziegfeld Follies, but he also produced songs for other editions of the Follies along with many other Ziegfeld productions. Continuing a Sears & Conner tradition, the CD has eleven first-time recordings.

Events surrounding this release include a special performance by Sears & Conner for The Ziegfeld Club in New York City at a special invitation-only Christmas party on December 16, 2001 at Kennedy's Restaurant. The Ziegfeld Club's membership includes the few remaining Ziegfeld Girls, and the relatives of former performers and others associated with Florenz Ziegfeld; membership also includes people who have an interest in the Ziegfeld era and musical theatre, and women who perform in present day cabarets. The club engages in charitable work for indigent women in show business as well as annual donations to the Actor's Fund of America, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the non-sectarian Episcopal Actors' Guild.

Ziegfeld Follies songs on the CD include a Fanny Brice specialty entitled "Grizzly Bear" which stared life as a piano rag by George Botsford (given its first solo recording here), with words added later by Berlin for the 1910 Follies. From 1911 comes the Bert Williams specialty "Woodman, Woodman, Spare That Tree!" (written with Vincent Bryan); the 1912 Follies is represented by another premiere recording, "A Little Bit of Everything;" and "In Florida Among the Palms" comes from 1916 edition. The fabled 1919 Follies is represented by four songs, "Mandy," "You'd Be Surprised," "A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody," and "I'd Rather See a Minstrel Show." Featured from the 1920 Follies is "Tell Me Little Gypsy," a song called by Alec Wilder "... pure melody, a perfectly beautiful melodic line."

In 1927 Berlin became the first songwriter to write a complete Follies score, and featured are two songs from that historic score. One is a first-time recording, "Rainbow of Girls" (a tribute to the earlier "A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody"); the other is the energetic "Shaking the Blues Away," originally written for Ruth Etting, but now best remembered for Ann Miller's tour-de-force tap routine in the film Easter Parade.

From other Ziegfeld productions come "Alice in Wonderland" (Century Girl, 1916, receiving a first recording); two songs from 1917s "Dance and Grow Thin": the title song which is a piano rag by George W. Meyer (the solo rag receiving a first recording) with words added by Berlin, and "There's Something Nice About the South" (also in a recording premiere). "I'll See You in C-U-B-A" was featured in the 1919 Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic, a show which took place on the "roof' of the New Amsterdam Theater after the Follies performance had closed downstairs. "Blue Skies" is perhaps one of the most infamous songs of the Berlin/Ziegfeld collaboration and of Berlin's songwriting career. It was interpolated at the request of the show's star Belle Baker into "Betsy," a show which otherwise had a score by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, without the knowledge of Rodgers & Hart. Amazingly, Berlin's relationship with Rodgers & Hart survived.

Miscellaneous non-Ziegfeld songs from 1919-1921 include four premiere recordings. One of these has a special musical interest, the 1919 "That Revolutionary Rag." This was the song that served as George Gershwin's "audition" to be Berlin's musical secretary. Gershwin gave his own twist to the accompaniment which did not produce ire from Berlin, but rather the advice that the younger man step out on his own and pursue songwriting. "Given the fame of this story and the charm of the song, it is surprising that others have not taken it up," says Sears.

Other non-Ziegfeld premieres are "Eyes of Youth" (1919); "Nobody Knows (and Nobody Seems to Care)" (1919); and "But! She's Just a Little Bit Crazy About Her Husband - That's All" (1920). Rounding out the CD is "Home Again Blues" (1921).

Benjamin Sears & Bradford Conner ("whose research on the subject of the American musical is legendary" Ü Theatre Mirror) have been performing and recording together since 1989 and in that time have established themselves both as entertainers and as leading historians and researchers of American song. Their discography features many previously unrecorded songs by Irving Berlin, the Gershwins, and E.Y. Harburg. "Come On And Hear! - Early Songs by Irving Berlin," was hailed by the Cabaret Hotline as a "little gem [which] will add much to anyone's collection" and "Keep On Smiling" (covering the period 1915-1918) was cited by Sheridan Morley in BBC Music Magazine. "Delishious - Lyrics by Ira Gershwin" (the only Ira Gershwin release for his 1996 centenary) was listed by The Boston Globe as one of the "Best CDs of 1995", and is cited in The Gershwin Years (Jablonski and Stewart, 1996 edition) saying, "Sears and Conner feature the words in true, Ira Gershwin-approved style: clear, musical, and no tricks." Paired with "Delishious" for the Gershwin centenaries is "Sweet and Low-Down - Songs by George Gershwin." "Beyond the Rainbow - Lyrics by E. Y. Harburg" is the most comprehensive collection of his songs on record. In 2000 they produced two new releases: "Noel and Cole - Together with Music" with duo Valerie Anastasio & Tim Harbold (an Amazon.com Top 100 in the Cabaret category, and called "a felicitous pairing all around" by Show Music magazine), and their first "live" recording, "Rest You Merry - A Holiday Cabaret."

Their Berlin research and performances includes a 2000 revival of the original score and script of Berlin's first Broadway score, "Watch Your Step." In 2001 they reconstructed and produced the first revival ever of the Dietz & Schwartz classic revue from 1931, "The Band Wagon" ("Sears & Conner did all the work and the audience had all the fun" Ü Boston Globe).

Sears & Conner perform regularly in New England, New York, Los Angeles, and at many venues throughout the country. They have been featured on the nationally heard radio show "The Connection," and have written articles for and been featured in Sheet Music Magazine. They have also written for American National Biography and have contributed to forthcoming books.

For more information and to purchase the CD, check the website http://www.benandbrad.com/.

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