From Broadway To 52nd Street
Can-Can was first seen on the stage of the Shubert Theatre on May 7, 1953 and the audience heard music composed by Cole Porter. The show ran for 892 performances. The original Broadway production ran for over two years starring Gwen Verdon in only her second Broadway role. Both she and and choreographer Michael Kidd won Tony Awards and were praised, the score and book received tepid reviews. However, three songs that rose to become jazz standards were I Love Paris, Just One Of Those Things and It’s All Right With Me.
The Story: In 1893 Paris, the dance hall Bal du Paradis in Montmartre owned by La Môme Pistache, is being threatened with closing by a self-righteous judge, Aristide Forestier. Offended by the scandalous but popular dance that the attractive dancers perform, the “Can-Can”, the judge sends the police to harass the owner and dancers, but the police like the dancers so much that they are reluctant to testify against them in court. Deciding to gather evidence, the judge takes a trip to the club. Once there, he and the owner, La Môme, fall in love but he gets the evidence to send the owner and girls to jail.
One of the dancers, Claudine, a laundry girl by day, has been pursued by art critic Hilaire, however, Claudine is in love with sculptor Boris but still arranges to have dinner with Hilaire to get a favorable review for her love. Conflicted between love and right and wrong, the judge conceded, “obscenity is in the eye of the beholder”. And gets caught in a scandalous kiss with the proprietress. Eventually, Hilaire writes a gushing review of Boris’s work. Judge Aristide loses his judgeship and is disbarred, but La Môme and the girls all go to court with him and all win their cases.
Jazz History: Live jazz was recorded, as early as 1935, but for some reason it was not considered feasible to reproduce it on 78 rpms for public consumption. This precedent was first broken in 1945 by Norman Granz, who, as one of jazz’s liveliest aficionados, originated in the early forties the notion of taking on tour for concert appearances a select group of musicians. It was an arrangement he called “Jazz at the Philharmonic”. In 1944, unbeknownst to the participating musicians, he recorded sections of a concert he was producing in Los Angeles. He then released them soon afterwards in a 12-inch 78 rpm album of three records, and there were just two tunes, “Lady Be Good” and “How High the Moon”, each of which covered three sides, or approximately fifteen minutes of playing time. His experiment proved a huge success and he released fifteen albums since then, the last an entire concert on three 12-inch LPs, amounting to about two hours of music. Other record companies followed suit, using the advantageous expanded playing time of the LP, and the record stores were stocked with live performances of all varieties and qualities, ranging from nightclub stints to private jam sessions.
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The Jazz Voyager
Hot Clube de Portugal: Praça da Alegria, 39, 1250 Lisboa, Portugal / Phone: 213467369 & 213619740 Fax: 213619748 / Contact: Luís Hilário
This small jazz club has been located in Lisbon since 1948. One of the oldest in the world, they present modern jazz played by local and foreigner musicians. Hours of operation are from 10pm to 2am. Closed Sunday and Monday. No dinner, just drinks and sandwiches. The club includes a small open air area.
From Broadway To 52nd Street
The King and I opened at the St. James Theatre on March 29, 1953 and entered into the pantheon of blockbuster musical hits with one thousand two hundred and forty-six performances. What made this a great musical were the actors – Yul Brynner, Gertrude Lawrence, Dorothy Sarnoff Doretta Morrow and Larry Douglas. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein composed the music and lyrics from which evolved the jazz standards Hello Young Lovers, I Have Dreamed and We Kiss In A Shadow. It ran nearly three years, then the fourth longest-running Broadway musical in history, and has had many tours and revivals.
The Story: Anna, a widowed teacher who goes to Siam to tutor the King’s children, hiding her fears of the new land. She finds the King a despot and is especially sympathetic to the furtive youngsters who would marry without permission. The lovers are caught and sentenced to death. Anna and the King fight but finally come to understand each other. She perseveres and on his deathbed, the King confesses he has begun to see the wisdom of her more civilized ways
Broadway History: Broadway theatre had entered a golden age with the blockbuster “Oklahoma!”. According to John Kenrick writing of Broadway musicals, “Every season saw new stage musicals send songs to the top of the charts. Public demand, a booming economy and abundant creative talent kept Broadway hopping. To this day, the shows of the 1950s form the core of the musical theatre repertory.”
In 1950, theatrical attorney Fanny Holtzman was looking for a part for her client, veteran leading lady Gertrude Lawrence. Holtzmann realized that Landon’s book would be an ideal vehicle and contacted Rodgers and Hammerstein, who were initially reluctant but agreed to write the musical. The pair initially sought Rex Harrison to play the supporting part of the King, a role that he had played in the 1946 movie made from landon’s book, but he was unavailable. They settled on actor and television director Yul Brynner.The musical was an immediate hit, winning Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Actress (for Lawrence) and Best Featured Actor (for Brynner). Lawrence died unexpectedly of cancer a year and a half after the opening, and several actresses played the role of Anna during the remainder of the Broadway run of 1,246 performances.
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The Jazz Voyager
Encore Restaurant and Lounge: Calle Lazaro Cardenas #51, Bucerias 63732, Bahia De Banderas, Mexico / Telephone: (52)-329-298-0140 / info@encoreonthebeach.com
Live jazz at Encore is a new concept in Bucerias’ live music scene and maybe the whole of Banderas Bay. Encore singer and owner Armi Grano has shown her versatility by working with different musical configurations at different times. Guests are treated Ms. Grano’s skillful interpretation of jazz standards which have shaped the American and Brazilian songbooks. One can listen to a diverse collection of songs composed by Gershwin, Porter, Jobim, Ellington, Rogers and Hart. With this tremendous spectrum Armi has succeeded in bringing the international sounds of jazz to Bucerias, in a way that may be unique anywhere in Mexico.
Showtime starts at 7 pm to 10:15 pm and there is no cover charge. Encore is the latest restaurant and lounge along the restaurant row on Bucerias Centro. It is located on the beach with a spectacular view of the bay. The menu offers fresh West Coast cuisine using the freshest seafood, chicken and steak.