The Glory that is Jeff Blumenkrantz

What a wonderful show at the Zipper Theater last night. I have to admit, I've only very recently been introduced to his work, when he performed "My Book" at a concert at the Gay Center a few months ago. I thought it was one of the funniest and TRUEST songs I had heard in a while, and decided to go to the Zipper concert thinking "If he wrote one song THAT good, he's gotta have writen a few more of that quality, right? And he's got Audra and Rebecca, so it can't be a wasted evening."

Oh, there were funny songs - "Moving Right Along" a hysterical duet set in a singles bar sung by Ms. Luker and Sally Wilfert and "I'm Gonna Like it Here" (a musical threeway with Jeff, Sally & Jennifer Simard), which was cut from URBAN QUALITY on account of its gleefull raunchiness. And Audra made me roar with her panic-stricken version of "My Book".

But I wasn't prepared for the tasty character songs, filled with longing and resolve: "Toll" (about an unrequieted love for a motorist from a toll-booth clerk, and "Another Guy" from URBAN COWBOY, both sung by Jennifer) "Walking the Wrong Way", (about an older woman's misguided but helpless affair with a younger man)sung by Rebecca, and the Jennifer's terrific "Take the Filter Off" (sensible dating advice sung by a former girlfriend to her ex-beau-and still-best-friend who has just come out of the closet), nor did I expect the moving melodies written to poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay.

But the songs that really moved me and worked the ol' tear ducts but good were "I Won't Mind" a tender and heartbreaking lullaby (with lyrics by Annie Kessler and Libby Saines) sung by Audra and two songs from Jeff's musical-in-progress HUSH "about a neurotic, balding, newly-middle aged gay Jewish composer. I really had to, you know, STRETCH myself to write for this character." Hearing "He'll Never Get What I Do" and "Hold My Hand", I felt the same exhileration I experienced at SONGS FROM AN UNMADE BED - here were new, achingly tender, open-hearted and romantic gay love songs that I wanted to hear over and over again.

And what a treat this morning to hear all of Audras' SEVEN DEADLY SINS concert on the NPR link that Jeff has thoughtfully provided on his website, and stumble across "Burning the Sauce" by Mark Campell & Steve Marzullo (whose "The Night You Decided to Stay" was a highlight of UNMADE BED)

So when do we get a Jeff Blumenkrantz Songbook CD - and when does HUSH open?

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Yes, he was!

Yikes..he not only writes great songs, he ACTS too.

And he's cute, too!

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Updated On: 6/23/05 at 12:17 PM

Yep, that was him.

twogaab, two things I have always been aware of whenever I see Audra perform are: complete and total committment to the material and VERY high standards of quality.

And she's always willing to give NEW composers a try.

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Updated On: 6/24/05 at 10:10 AM