CHAN 10411 Words and Music Katie Vandyck 1 It might as well be spring 3:12 Words: Oscar Hammerstein II Music: Richard Rodgers 2 Don’t sleep in the subway 3:18 Words: Tony Hatch Music: Jackie Trent 3 Get rid of Monday 2:37 Words: Johnny Burke Music: Jimmy van Heusen 4 Someone to watch over me 4:16 Words: Ira Gershwin Music: George Gershwin 5 Angel eyes 4:10 Words: Tom Adair Music: Matt Dennis Richard Rodney Bennett 3 6 Spring can really hang you up the most 5:01 11 On second thought 3:56 Words: Fran Landesman Words: Carolyn Leigh Music: Tommy Wolf Music: Cy Coleman 7 Let me down easy 4:02 12 Early to bed 3:07 Words: Carolyn Leigh Words: Franklin Underwood Music: Cy Coleman Music: Richard Rodney Bennett 8 I won’t dance 2:57 13 Wake up, chill’un, wake up 3:45 Words: Dorothy Fields Words: Jo Trent Music: Jerome Kern Music: Willard Robison 9 Killing time 3:00 14 Goodbye for now 3:27 Words: Carolyn Leigh Words: Charles Hart Music: Jule Styne Music: Richard Rodney Bennett 10 How long has this been going on? 4:23 15 Words and Music 2:32 Words: Ira Gershwin Words: Richard Rodney Bennett Music: George Gershwin Music: Richard Rodney Bennett TT 53:52 Richard Rodney Bennett vocals and piano 4 5 and Jackie Trent), to which Richard was Orchestra at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Richard Rodney Bennett: Words and Music introduced by the late great British jazz BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus at the pianist Pat Smythe. Barbican Centre, and by a recital of his vocal If music today has a Renaissance Man, music at the Wigmore Hall. I fi rst met Richard Rodney Bennett in 1992 One of our shared musical beliefs is that it is Richard Rodney Bennett. His work as a His jazz work Jazz Calendar was at a concert in Glasgow. I was singing at the lyric is everything, and whenever we composer straddles the rarefi ed worlds of both choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton for a festival and he was viewing a potential work together Richard never fails to express classical and jazz music, and if this is your the Royal Ballet. In 1992 he made Proms concert hall within the same building. We met this in his interpretations. His phrasing is fi rst encounter with Richard as a vocalist, then history by being the fi rst living composer to after my gig, and it quickly became clear that always daring, fresh, and musical, and I feel you are in for a treat. There are great singers, have two world premieres in one concert, we shared a deep passion for great songs that together we have both grown more there are great composers, and there are great including the Concerto for Stan Getz, and great singers. We became fi rm friends vocally adventurous. What is more, Richard instrumentalists. It is rare indeed that you will performed by saxophonist John Harle. He from that moment on. Not long after, Richard always astounds me with his knowledge fi nd all of these in one person. These tracks has worked with many distinguished singers, kindly agreed to write the liner notes for and understanding of songs, and his have the colours and textures of fi ne wine, and including Cleo Laine, Annie Ross and Chris my debut album, so it is with great pleasure sophisticated choice of material has never they can only be fully appreciated when they Connor. 1976 saw the start of his unique and with deep respect that I return the been more in evidence than in this great are enjoyed in the same spirit. It is sheer class collaboration with the Mississippi-born compliments with these heartfelt sentiments collection. Singers who shy away from singing from start to fi nish. popular singer Marian Montgomery. Their about his wonderful new recording, Words verses (or who do not bother to source cabaret shows Just Friends and Fascinatin’ © 2007 Claire Martin and Music. them) should take heed, as Richard delivers Rhythm were seen at festivals and theatres Over the last couple of years I have had perhaps the best version I have ever heard of from Edinburgh to Adelaide, from London the great privilege of sharing the stage with How long has this been going on? Here the Brought up in the West Country during the to New York, on radio and television. He Richard. His elegant performances of classics verse perfectly sets up the song with rhymes War, Richard Rodney Bennett was always subsequently worked with the American from the Great American Songbook are such as ‘my philosophic search has left me fascinated by jazz. Although his musical cabaret singer Mary Cleere Haran. Their eloquent expressions of an era nearly lost. in the lurch’, which he executes with just the training was purely classical (the Royal show Pennies from Heaven enjoyed a sell-out For me, his original material – such as Early right amount of irony. Academy of Music followed by study with season at the Algonquin Hotel in New York. to bed (a personal and humorous piece with On this CD you will fi nd stylishly reworked Pierre Boulez in Paris) he earned his living as a Richard Rodney Bennett now concentrates words by Franklin Underwood, which Richard (and much loved) standards, alongside jazz pianist while he was still a student. Today, on his own solo show and on his highly wrote for his dear friend the legendary some less well-known gems such as Killing knighted by the Queen for services to music, a successful partnership with Claire Martin, BBC Blossom Dearie) – never ceases to inspire. time, by Carolyn Leigh and Jule Styne, and composer of symphonies, operas and ballets Radio 3’s Jazz Singer of the Year. During 2006 In addition, the razor sharp wit of the period Let me down easy, by Carolyn Leigh and and an Academy Award nominee for fi lm they have appeared at many UK festivals and fi nds its way into Richard’s own lyrics, as in Cy Coleman. The surprise of this recording scores, he still performs regularly at cabaret in November returned for their fourth season the title track of this CD, so often requested must be Richard’s version of Petula Clark’s venues. His seventieth birthday in spring 2006 at London’s Pizza on the Park. Bennett has in Richard’s shows. Don’t sleep in the subway (by Tony Hatch was marked by concerts with the BBC Concert made numerous duo and solo albums. 6 7 richtigen Prise Ironie würzt, wird der Song Für Richard Rodney Bennett, der während Richard Rodney Bennett: Words and Music perfekt aufgebaut. des zweiten Weltkriegs in Westengland Auf dieser CD fi nden Sie stilvoll aufwuchs, ging vom Jazz schon immer eine überarbeitete (und lieb gewordene) Klassiker besondere Faszination aus. Obwohl er eine Es war 1992 bei einem Konzert in Dearie geschrieben) – begeistert mich immer neben weniger bekannten Kleinode wie rein klassisch-musikalische Ausbildung Glasgow, als ich Richard Rodney Bennett wieder. Der beißende Humor jener Zeit fl ießt Killing time von Carolyn Leigh und Jule Styne genoss (zunächst an der Royal Academy zum erstenmal begegnete. Ich sang im auch in Richards Texte ein, wie das vom oder Let me down easy von Carolyn Leigh of Music, dann bei Pierre Boulez in Paris), Rahmen eines Festivals, und er sah sich im Publikum so oft verlangte Titelstück dieser and Cy Coleman. Die größte Überraschung verdiente er sich als Jazzpianist seinen selben Komplex einen Saal als mögliche CD beweist. kommt vielleicht in Gestalt von Richards studentischen Lebensunterhalt. Selbst heute Veranstaltungsstätte an. Wir begegneten Dass der Text eines Liedes von Version des Petula-Clark-Schlagers Don’t noch – von der Königin für seine Verdienste uns nach meinem Gig, und es wurde schnell kritischer Bedeutung ist, gehört zu den sleep in the subway (von Tony Hatch und um die Musik inzwischen in den Adelsstand klar, dass uns eine Leidenschaft für große musikalischen Überzeugungen, die wir Jackie Trent), auf den Richard durch den erhoben, als Komponist von Sinfonien, Songs und große Sänger verband. Von dem beide teilen, und bei unseren gemeinsamen großen britischen Jazzpianisten Pat Smythe Opern und Ballettmusiken bekannt und als Moment an waren wir gute Freunde. Wenig Projekten versäumt Richard es nie, dies aufmerksam gemacht wurde. Filmkomponist für Oscars nominiert – tritt er später erklärte sich Richard freundlicherweise in seinen Interpretationen zum Ausdruck Wenn es heute in der Musik einen regelmäßig in Varietée-Veranstaltungen auf. bereit, einen Begleittext für mein erstes zu bringen. Seine Phrasierung ist stets Alleskönner gibt, dann ist dies Richard Rodney Anlässlich seines siebzigsten Geburtstags im Album zu schreiben, so dass ich dieses gewagt, unverbraucht und musikalisch, Bennett. Als Komponist ist er in den exklusiven Frühjahr 2006 fanden in London Konzerte Kompliment jetzt mit meinen Randnotizen zu und ich glaube, dass wir in vokaler Hinsicht Welten der klassischen Musik und des Jazz mit dem BBC Concert Orchestra in der Queen seiner wunderschönen neuen CD, Words and zusammen experimentierfreudiger geworden gleichmaßen gewandt, und wenn dies Ihre Elizabeth Hall und dem BBC Symphony Music, mit großer Freude und tiefem Respekt sind. Mehr noch: Richard überrascht mich erste Begegnung mit Richard dem Sänger ist, Orchestra und BBC Symphony Chorus im offenherzig erwidern kann. immer wieder mit seinem Wissen und seinem steht Ihnen eine freudige Offenbarung bevor. Barbican Centre sowie ein Recital seiner Während der letzten Jahre hatte ich die Einblick in die Songs, und noch nie sind Es gibt große Sänger, große Komponisten und Vokalmusik in der Wigmore Hall statt. Ehre, mit Richard gemeinsam auf der Bühne seine hohen Ansprüche an das Material so große Instrumentalisten.