Previous readers will remember that one of my favourite series of recordings of late is the excellent Live at 54 Below series from the also-excellent Broadway Records. So I was pleased to see two new releases in this series this month. The first was especially interesting - Bonnie & Clyde And A Whole Lotta Jazz - Live At 54 Below by Frank Wildhorn and Friends.

Over the past two decades, Grammy® and two-time Tony Award® nominee Frank Wildhorn has given us timeless stories and countless classics set to soaring scores. With eight Broadway shows (including Jekyll & Hyde, Bonnie & Clyde and The Scarlet Pimpernel), twenty original international shows, and almost 100 million records sold of his songs, Frank is one of this generation’s most important songwriters. This album, recorded live at NYC’s famed 54 Below, stars several of Broadway’s best singers, including a Bonnie & Clyde reunion of Jeremy Jordan (The Last 5 Years film, Supergirl), Laura Osnes (Cinderella), Mimi Bessette, Louis Hobson, and Melissa van der Schyff, as well as Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton), Janet Dacal (Wonderland), Emmy Raver-Lampman (Hamilton), Kevin Massey (Gentleman's Guide) and Adrienne Warren (Shuffle Along)! Featuring an all-star band of musicians, it features Wildhorn favourites in addition to brand new songs, never heard before.

Wildhorn is no stranger to Broadway Records. Their first release, four years ago (wow) was the original cast recording for Bonnie & Clyde, and they also released the 2012 Studio Album of Jekyll & Hyde, perhaps the most widely known of Wildhorn’s works.

The first half of this album, as the title suggests, is handed over to re-creations of Wildhorn’s songs from his musical Bonnie & Clyde. And boy, do they work well in this setting. A small but well formed band, along with some of the original cast members from the Broadway show, put over the songs very well indeed. It would have been nice for the songs to be introduced, as I didn’t remember them all, and it would have been interesting to hear from Wildhorn how the songs came to be, or their setting in the show. This is equally valid for the second half of the show, which features songs from his wide-ranging repertoire, including the songs he wrote for his long-time partner Linda Eder, and his other shows, such as Wonderland.

Performances are superb - not a weak link anywhere. Laura Osnes and Jeremy Jordan reprieve their Bonnie & Clyde roles with commitment, and it was great to hear the likes of Dacal and Odom Jr too. It’s hard to pick out a favourite track - the whole album is going to become a favourite of mine - but the opening 3 numbers from Bonnie & Clyde are just great, and I also enjoyed Dacal’s version of 'It’s No Secret Anymore'. There’s also a bonus track of 'A New Life', which is well worthy of a mention, and I’d like to have heard more from Jekyll & Hyde, and also The Scarlet Pimpernel.

The album is another success for Broadway Records, and something different to the normal concerts recorded.

9

Ian Gude