Posted on April 15, 2006 at 5:52 pm
To celebrate the publication of “The Jason Robert Brown Collection,” two previously unreleased recordings of songs you’ll find in that book.
One of the main reasons I signed on to “Urban Cowboy, The Musical” was the opportunity to work with Jenn Colella, absolutely one of the most talented young actors in the musical theater. (The other main reason was the money.) I got to write a song for Jenn in the second act of the show, after her character “Sissy” has been dumped by “Bud.” We recorded this version for radio play, which explains why Jenn sings “Drop dead” instead of what I wrote, “Eat shit.” Anyway, here it is, so you can hear it before you throw it in front of some unsuspecting pianist. I’m particularly glad that we got to record this with Jenn, since no one will ever sing it better.
from Urban Cowboy, the Musical (2003)
Music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Jenn Colella: vocals
JRB: piano
Gary Sieger: acoustic guitar
Gordon Titcomb: electric guitar, pedal steel guitar
Kermit Driscoll: electric bass
Antoine Silverman: fiddle
Brian Brake: drums
Dave Keyes: synthesizer
Recorded and mixed by Jeffrey Lesser at Clinton Recording Studios, NY NY, May 2003
This is a recording from the very first solo concert I did with the Caucasian Rhythm Kings, June 18, 2002 at the Cutting Room on West 24th Street in Manhattan. It was a really exciting night, as I think you can hear from the audience screaming, and this version of “Moving Too Fast” represents everything I think we do best. So come to a JRB concert and see the insanity for yourself! (I’ll admit to a little Frankenstein-ing with this recording: there were four bars in the bridge where I played the wrong chords, so we replaced those with the same section from another concert a week later, and then I fixed some of the vocals in the studio when we thought we might put this on the album. But the audience response is all real, and I did really hit the high A’s!)
from The Last Five Years (2002)
Music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
JRB: piano, vocals
Gary Sieger: acoustic guitar
Randy Landau: fretless bass
Recorded by Dave Swanson at the Cutting Room, NY NY, June 2002
Digital editing by Dave Swanson at RPM Studios, NY NY, January 2004
Mixed by Jeffrey Lesser at RPM Studios, NY NY, March 2004
Thanks for listening! I’ll be back soon with more tunes and more news.
5 comments
Wow! What a terrific pair of recordings!
Ever since I heard Jenn Colella sing it on Broadway, I knew “Mr. Hopalong Heartbreak” was a great song, and I’m so glad that it’s been recorded so well (love the fiddle arrangement) and that I can now hear Jenn tear into it whenever I want.
The “Moving Too Fast” live recording really does capture the excitement of a JRB concert. I’m assuming this was left off the album to maintain the album’s concept of material not already released on a cast recording.
Hey hey!
Love the L5Y, LOVE “Moving too Fast”, ADORED your version 😀
Makes me wish I had a much higher voice…
Mike
Wow … I was there for that Cutting Room concert, but I never knew that was the first solo – it was fabulous in person, and remains wonderful now immortalized on the web . .. and all concerts since have been equally stellar and always a treat! Likewise, Hopalong Heartbreak has always been a favorite since seeing the show … very nice to have it immortalized! Thanks for the wonderful musical memories.
YAY! Additional JRB music makes my life better. JRB Collection, here comes my Visa card … Sheet music is always fun 🙂
You need to come out with a CD with all of your unreleased songs! Like a collectors set or something because the songs are pretty sweet and I want them on my iPod!
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