American Songbook Goes Latin @ 92Y

[DivaBrigader]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 9:47am

I just wanted to let everybody know about an extraordinary event going on today and tomorrow at 92Y. As some people may know, they get five guest artistic directors every year and the first one this year is Lucie Arnaz. She has chosen to do a tribute to her father's music and it's called "Babalu: The American Songbook Goes Latin." The great thing about it is that it explores the Latin influence on some American standards as well as re-visits the songs that made Desi Arnaz famous on the music circuit. She is joined in the second act by Desi Arnaz Jr. on the drums and shares the vocals with Raul Esparza and Valarie Pettiford. I saw the opening night last night on a whim, thinking it sounded fascinating, and I was right. Lucie unearthed some old recordings of her father from the '30s and '40s and played some clips of them. A lot of the intros included stories about when the song was originally played by the Desi Arnaz Orchestra and about America's general response to Latin music at that point in history. Raul was close to tears describing his reaction when Lucie called and asked him to be a part of it because he is also Cuban and Desi Arnaz was such a beacon of a Cuban who overcame poverty and built a life for himself.

I would really recommend this to anybody who is a fan of Latin music, the Arnazes or even music history in general. There are matinees and evening shows today and tomorrow. I can't imagine the type of responsibilities Lucie and Desi Jr. face to maintain their own careers while working so hard to protect their family's legacy but she has really done a fantastic job exploring someone who is sometimes so overshadowed by Lucille Ball and really changed the face of American music. Here is the set list:

Act I
"Tico Tico"
"I'll See You in C-U-B-A"
"Vira y Vira"
"Cuban Pete"
"Para Vigo Me Soy"
"Similau"
"Cachita"
"Amor"
"Besame Mucho"
"Old Devil Moon"
"Brazil"
Latin Geography Medley
"Granada"
"Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps"
"Rumba Matumba"

Act II
Arnaz Jam
"What Am I Gonna Do About You?"
"The Peanut Vendor"
"How High the Moon?"
"Come Rain or Come Shine"
"Temptation"
"Without You"
"I Love Lucy" Theme
"Straw Hat Song"
"Cuban Cabby"
"Quiereme Mucho"
"El Cubanchero"
"Babalu"

[wonkit]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 11:13am

Thank you for the detailed description. I was hesitant about this, but after seeing the set list, I'm sold.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 12:14pm

I was going to post about this, urging people to go. Count me in as someone who didn't quite know what to expect, but was totally BLOWN AWAY by the entire evening. I believe my post on the other thread was "Holy sh*t you guys that was unbelievable." I don't have much to add to DivaBrigadeer's post, but wanted to echo the sentiment of, GO GO GO. This is a must for anyone who likes any of these performers, because they are absolutely on fire, Latin music, music history, or honestly, even cultural history period. A fantastic evening, and I'm so glad I went. I can't stop thinking about it.

Updated On: 1/10/10 at 12:14 PM

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 12:43pm

Who did Cuban Cabby?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 12:43pm

Raul.

(My ONLY disappointment was that he didn't sing Old Devil Moon!)

Updated On: 1/10/10 at 12:43 PM

[wonkit]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 1:48pm

So, Emcee - I wonder if there is any chance of this being recorded. It sounds so well-thought-out and interesting, and there must be a sizable audience for Latin-inspired music.

[jewishboy]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 1:53pm

It was a truly amazing event. I went on a whim because Valarie Pettiford was performing and my god was it worth it! Lucie Arnaz never sounded better and Valarie's "Besame Mucho" was one of the best songs I've seen her sing. But, the true show stopper was Raul Esparza, especially his operatic rendition of "Granada!"

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 2:11pm

Well, the audience appeared to be your pretty typical Upper East Side audience of old Jews, haha. I don't know if these typically get recorded, though, I had never been to one before. I would assume no for rights purposes and stuff, but this is a case where Lucie Arnaz owns the rights to a lot of the stuff, so it might be a little different. Either way, though, who knows what kind of funding would be involved and stuff like that. I see no reason to assume it would be and wouldn't get my hopes up about it, but it's nice wishful thinking.

I can't get over Raul. I mean, yes, I'm a fan, yes, I fawn over pretty much everything he performs, but last night has skyrocketed to the top. He is extraordinary. (And holy hell did he sound good.) I've actually thought about going again (there are three more shows), but I don't think they'll be able to replicate the first-night energy they had last night, and I'm grateful I experienced that.

[wonkit]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 4:03pm

The only performance I can manage to attend is the 2 pm tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see who will be attending with me! If they can set the place on fire with a 2 pm Monday matinee audience, it will probably be a miracle - on the other hand, if there are only 5 performances and they are loving doing this event, it should still be pretty hot. I'll report back - if work doesn't somehow prevent me from using my ticket.

[DivaBrigader]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 5:59pm

Raul's "Granada" was absolutely a jaw-dropping showstopper. I didn't want to stop applauding. I wish he'd record that on a solo album or something. Besides sounding fab like he always does, you could tell how much being a part of the tribute meant to him and the gratitude just seeped out of his pores. I was thinking after that I wish it was being taped for preservation, although I doubt it. Needless to say, it must have been an overwhelming task to listen to all of the music Desi was responsible for and put together such a concise and cohesive job but Lucie really hit it out of the park.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 6:09pm

Exactly. I'm always impressed by him, but this had me, even as someone who sees him perform very often, completely astonished. He just took it to a whole new level last night. My jaw was hanging open for a good part of the show. And it was really gratifying, as someone who has loved his work for a long time, to see him sing this music that clearly means so, so much to him. He looked so happy and proud, and that was really beautiful to watch, I think. And he just totally nailed it.

(Also, I loved hearing the little old ladies totally losing their sh*t over him. It was hysterical.)

Updated On: 1/10/10 at 06:09 PM

[wonkit]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 8:25pm

Emcee - any opportunity to "stage door" afterwards? And how uncomfortable is the auditorium? This is my first time at 92Y.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 8:39pm

I like their space a lot, actually. It's a little bit bigger than I think you'd imagine, but it's just beautiful, and the sound is great. I wouldn't say it's "uncomfortable" at all. And yeah, there's an "art gallery" on the ground floor by the auditorium, where you'd head to get to the restrooms, and I think they're coming out to schmooze and whatnot there. They did the other night, so I'm assuming that'll continue. It was pretty crazy, though!

[DivaBrigader]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 9:59pm

Ooooh, I didn't know they'd be schmoozing in the art gallery or I definitely would have tried for a glimpse. I did meet Lucie Arnaz after "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" and had a brief moment with her, if you will, that I will cherish but it would have been interesting to meet Desi Jr. I imagine that place had to be packed though because everyone was there for them and I imagine everyone had a lot to say about their personal connection to their parents. It must be difficult to constantly to hear compliments about your family and not necessarily yourself but on a night where they were actively paying tribute to their father, it would have been appropriate. I actually saw the real stagedoor on my way out and noticed there were no limos, barricades, etc.

Also, for anybody interested in tomorrow's shows, you can get tickets for $25 if you are under 35. They are in the balcony but I had no problem hearing or seeing from where I was (and I'm 4'11"). It's a great deal for younger people trying to afford the theatre. The regular priced seats are $50 and $60.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 10:18pm

I don't think I had ever seen Lucie in anything before. I thought she was wonderful! What a voice. And yes, it was really packed and chaotic. I don't think they're actually using the real stage door, but even still, this certainly doesn't seem like the type of thing that would involve limos and barricades. There were a lot of people in the art gallery thing, but it didn't seem like anybody was really after autographs or photos or anything like that, just a lot of deserved praise and such fanfare.

I sat upstairs, too, and while it was a little bit farther away than I'd like to have been, you can't beat the $25 price tag!

... kind of want to watch my "I Love Lucy" DVD's now.

Updated On: 1/10/10 at 10:18 PM

[wonkit]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 10:37pm

I have been singing "Cuban Pete" all day (even though I'm pretty sure I am making up the words myself - "Cuban Pete, he's the king of the Cuban beat, something-something-something, chick-chicka-boom, chick-chicka-boom, chick, chicka-boom...")

[D2]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 10:41pm

I'm seeing it tomorrow night. Can't wait!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 10:57pm

wonkit - https://www.stlyrics.com/songs/d/desiarnaz18687/cubanpete510634.html

[wonkit]

Posted: 1/11/10 at 9:40am

Thanks, emcee! What a fun song.

[DivaBrigader]

Posted: 1/11/10 at 9:26pm

I didn't want their autographs or anything...I honestly wanted to tell them how fantastically put together the whole evening was. I really cannot imagine what life is like for Lucie and Desi - concentrating on their own personal lives and careers and yet managing the legacies of perhaps the two most famous television performers in history. It must be both a blessing and at times a burden and the amount of work put into making everything a letter perfect tribute to her father was very apparent. Lucie has a place to submit questions on her website so perhaps I'll ask her there if this was recorded at all.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/11/10 at 9:36pm

Oh, I wasn't implying that you did! I hope you didn't think I was, and I'm sorry if you did!! Come to think of it, given that there's a big archive of Desi's stuff at the Library of Congress, maybe it was recorded in some form for that collection? If you ask, I'd be curious to know what she says.

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 10:39am

Some pics from the show:

[wonkit]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 12:26pm

I went to the 2 pm show on Monday, and had a great time. I thought the show was well-constructed, interesting and nicely performed. If I had any criticism, I felt that the music was a little over-amplified - I was in row N, and sometimes felt like I was in one of those multiplexes where the sound is set at max. Lucie Arnaz is very engaging, Desi Jr. was marvelous on the drums, and the dancers were excellent. I liked Valarie Pettiford's dancing a lot, but her way of delivering a song seemed excessively stylized. I don't know how much the amplification was responsible for that. Raul Esparza was very relaxed as a narrator; his description of Santaria (and Babaluaye) was hysterical. His voice seems much warmer and darker when he sings in Spanish! Everything he sang was great although my personal favorites were "Cuban Pete" (see above) and "Similau." When he took out the conga drum for "Babalu", I thought "time for a bio-pic?"

[Hest882]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 9:17pm

Thanks for the review, Wonkit, especially for those of us who can only experience this vicariously!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 10:51pm

Yes, I noticed that with the sound a bit, too. Sometimes the orchestra did seem to overpower the vocals and I lost a few of the lyrics, but I didn't find it overwhelmingly obtrusive.

Where are the pictures from?