Serious Fun!
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Guaranteed to make you laugh!

Jeremy Nicholas writes: "Phrases that chill the heart: 'I want a volunteer from the audience.' 'Is this your car, sir?' 'Have we shown you our holiday snaps?' Or how about "Tonight's lecture is on the art of writing comedy." Go to that seminar and one thing you know for sure in advance is that you are consigning yourself to an evening devoid of any humor. Dissecting comedy, analyzing jokes or, in this case, comic songs, has all the allure of pulling off the wings of a butterfly to see how it flies. Setting off writing a comic song is rather like being your own crossword compiler, designing the grid, filling in all the squares, setting your own clues. No, it's not, really. It's more like taking a pile of kid's building bricks and making a spectacular skyscraper from them. No, that's not it either. But there are elements of both that are pertinent (a good word for seminars)." In other words, comedy (and comic songwriting) is hard work. Think of the last time you told a joke and it didn't come off. The material was right but maybe the delivery was off. But remember the joy when the response was perfect: not only did they laugh, but you sensed the anticipation: this is going to be funny. And for this album, the anticipation certainly pays off. Anyone who grew up in the 1950's and 1960's will recall the wonderful humor of the works of Tom Lehrer, the classic HMV (Angel in this country) LP's of Michael Flanders and Donald Swann. More recently we've seen how Stephen Sondheim and William Bolcom can easily move back and forth between the serious and the humorous. And just to prove that comedy can be serious business, we have the participation of Marc-Andre Hamelin, one of the most highly regarded concert and recital pianists as accompanist and composer, joined by his wife Jody Karin Applebaum. Her resume includes performances of Bach's Christmas Oratorio and St. Matthew Passion, Handel's Messiah, to contemporary works by Stephen Albert, Heitor Villa-Lobos and Gorecki. Together they have performed in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Canada, England and the Middle East. Together they have recorded music of Britten, Schoenberg, Bolcom, Wolpe, Weill, Satie and Poulenc. Here both they and you have some fun for a change!
Contents:
Bruce Montgomery, composer
Christian Dior
Jody Applebaum, soprano, Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, piano

David Baker, composer
Someone Is Sending Me Flowers
Jody Applebaum, soprano, Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, piano

Donald Swann, composer
Madeira, M'Dear?
Jody Applebaum, soprano, Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, piano

Donald Swann, composer
Ill Wind
Jody Applebaum, soprano, Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, piano

Donald Swann, composer
A Word On My Ear
Jody Applebaum, soprano, Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, piano

Frederick Silver, composer
The Twelve Days After Christmas
Jody Applebaum, soprano, Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, piano

Jeremy Nicholas, composer
Matenity
Jody Applebaum, soprano, Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, piano

Jeremy Nicholas, composer
Usherette's Blues
Jody Applebaum, soprano, Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, piano

Jeremy Nicholas, composer
Musical Chairs
Jody Applebaum, soprano, Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, piano

Jeremy Nicholas, composer
Pretty Plain
Jody Applebaum, soprano, Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, piano

Lord Berners, composer
Come On Algernon
Jody Applebaum, soprano, Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, piano

Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, composer
A Farmer's Boy
Jody Applebaum, soprano, Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, piano

Peter Winkler, composer
Tamara, Queen Of The Nile
Jody Applebaum, soprano, Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, piano

Sheldon Harnick, composer
The Shape of Things
Jody Applebaum, soprano, Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, piano

Steven Sondheim, composer
I Never Do Anything Twice
Jody Applebaum, soprano, Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, piano

Tom Lehrer, composer
(I'm Spending) Hanukkah In Santa Monica
Jody Applebaum, soprano, Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, piano

Tom Lehrer, composer
The Masochism Tango
Jody Applebaum, soprano, Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, piano

Vernon Duke, composer
Summer Is A-Comin' In
Jody Applebaum, soprano, Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, piano

William Bolcom, composer
Lime Jello Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise
Jody Applebaum, soprano, Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, piano

Wolseley Charles, composer
The Green-Eyed Dragon
Jody Applebaum, soprano, Marc-AndrŽ Hamelin, piano

Review:
"Soprano Jody Karin Applebaum...has a terrific flair for comedy that really comes across in this collection... For all her formidable technique...nothing gets in the way of a laugh." (American Record Guide)

"...Applebaum and Hamelin are flawless musicians and impeccable stylists when it comes to this kind of material." (ClassicsToday.com)

“Don’t let this scrumptious comedic bon-bon pass you by–get your copy today! Highest possible recommendation for a truly unique item.” (Fanfare)