Songbook (5/20/19)

Featuring the music of Wes Braver and Rachel Dean

The party’s over, it’s time to call it a season. Yes, this was the last Songbook of the current season. If it didn’t exactly go out with a bang, at least it went out with interesting writing and super performances. Don’t get me wrong, though, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Mr. Braver and Ms. Dean write together, they each write individually, and they each write with other collaborators. Most of what we heard was from them as a duo, specifically from a musical they’re currently concentrating on, Medusa. If memory serves (alas, I can’t put my fingers on my scribbled notes from the evening of the performance), there is either a workshop or a reading or an in-development-performance-with-feedback at some point this summer.

Song titles from Medusa include Don’t Look Away, My Fate, Perseus/I See You, You Walk Woman, Sister I Wish, You Run Woman, and The Sea. The Sea seemed like a strange sort of ending for the show (if that’s what it really is), as it kind of petered out to nothingness.

One of the highlights for me was a song from Mr. Braver’s song cycle Space Cases. Apparently he collected real stories dealing with space exploration themes and then linked them together into a cycle. Laika is about a dog sent into space by the Russians. Mr. Braver caught the essence of doglike behavior in a really funny way, in a really funny song. And the gal who sang it did a bang-up job.

In fact, both writers display—how best to say this?—a good dose of quirkiness. Fortunately, it never goes overboard, however. And both can put over a song by themselves from the keyboard. There was a whole lot of talent on the stage from the two of them as well as from the dozen vocalists who volunteered their time and talents, and the four instrumentalists—piano, guitar, bass, and drums.

This was a funfest and a great way to close the book on Songbook, if only for the season. Because they’re already planning on starting up again in September. A big shout out to John Znidarsic, who is the Producer/Director of Songbook, and another big shout out to Cheryl D. Raymond, Manager Public Programs and Special Events at Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts. Sometimes I feel as though LPA is my home away from home—and that’s not a bad thing.

ConcertMeister