The Wonderful Wizard of Song
Gig Seeker Pro

The Wonderful Wizard of Song

| SELF

| SELF
Band Jazz Pop

Calendar

This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

The best kept secret in music

Press


"Variety Review"

(Ford Amphitheater; 950 seats; $32 top)

Ford Amphitheater presents a musical revue in two acts, conceived and written by Nigel Wright, George Bugatti, Sam Arlen and Mary Shriver-Bugatti. Directed, choreographed by Clifford Bell. Musical director-pianist, Steve Rawlins.

Narrator-saxophonist - Sam Arlen
Three Crooners –
George Bugatti, Johnny K, Alistair Tober
Cotton Club Girls - Barbara Morrison,
Mary Shriver-Bugatti, Tiba
Guest MC - Gary Owen

By JULIO MARTINEZ
Harold Arlen (1905-86) is one of the 20th century's top tunesmiths, creating more than 500 published songs in collaboration with a host of legendary lyricists. Nearly three dozen of his better-known tunes are showcased in this staged review, backed by a superlative 12-piece instrumental ensemble led by music director-pianist Steve Rawlins. Narrator Sam Arlen contributes amusing and informative anecdotes about his father's life and career.
Composer Arlen, who scored more than 20 musical stage works and 30 films, is best honored by the transcendent offerings of jazz diva Barbara Morrison, who sumptuously elevates the melancholy "Last Night When We Were Young" and Ethel Waters' signature, "Stormy Weather," into a ballad singer's master class.

Most of the evening's vocal chores are handled by George Bugatti-led group the Three Crooners, also featuring Alistair Tober and Johnny K. Their semi-choreographed onstage shenanigans project respectful, often inspired renditions of a wide range of Arlen fare.
Bugatti's haughty charm and oozing vocal chops are amply displayed in finger-snapping outings on "Old Black Magic" (featuring a driving trumpet solo by Latin jazz great Bobby Rodriguez) and "Come Rain or Come Shine."
The youthful Tober and K are still honing their crooner personas, but they offer a zesty medley of Arlen's lyrically contrasting "Down With Love" and "Hurray for Love." In respectable solo turns, Tober ("It's Only a Paper Moon") and K ("This Time the Dream's on Me") display musical empathy that belies their youth.
The highlight of the Three Crooners' perf is a "saloon medley" ("The Girl That Got Away," "I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues," "One for My Baby," "Blues in the Night") that amply displays Arlen's credentials as a supreme torchmeister.
As a tribute to Arlen's most lauded film score ("The Wizard of Oz"), the complete ensemble concludes this evening of song by leading an audience sing-along of "Over The Rainbow" (lyrics by E.Y. "Yip" Harburg), which the American Film Institute has recognized as the No. 1 song of the 20th century.
The Wonderful Wizard of Song: A Musical Journey Celebrating Harold Arlen

Lighting, James Smith III; sound, Woody Woodruff; videography, Philipp Edelmann. Opened June 1, 2006; reviewed June 2; closed June 3. Running time: 2 HOURS, 15 MIN.
- Variety


"Los Angeles Times: Rain or shine, a celebration"

June 3, 2006
POP MUSIC REVIEW
Rain or shine, a celebration
Mixed bill of performers try out their talents on Harold Arlen's songs at the Ford Amphitheatre


By Daryl H. Miller, Times Staff Writer

Harold Arlen, the son of a cantor, grew up early in the 20th century listening to his father's singing and to classical music. He also was drawn to the sounds of black America and would go on to write songs for the Cotton Club. These influences and more wove their way into the songs he composed for stage and screen, including "Come Rain or Come Shine," "The Man That Got Away" and "Over the Rainbow."

Forever fresh, his music, written with some of the greatest lyricists of his era, is always worth the sort of attention it is given in "The Wonderful Wizard of Song: A Musical Journey Celebrating Harold Arlen," presented through tonight at the Ford Amphitheatre.

The show is designed largely to introduce an experiment in branding for which singer, George Bugatti who has some currency in Vegas, has grouped himself with two other singers to become
“George Bugatti’s Three Crooners." Arlen's son, saxophonist Sam Arlen, performs and serves as MC-narrator.

At Thursday's show — designated a preview performance because of technical complexities — guest singer Barbara Morrison turned "Last Night When We Were Young" into a whole history of love and in the second half transformed the torchy "Stormy Weather" into a gospel-blues testament to resilience.

Sounding at times like Tony Bennett, Bugatti sang with all the hallmarks of crooner style, half-whispering key words and sliding silkily through phrases. Boy-next-door-type Alistair Tober brought a smooth high baritone and musical-theater chops to his featured numbers. Completing the trio, Johnny K, no natural crooner, stumbled through the trying-too-hard-to-be-hip group choreography.

A 12-person band, composed of such top players as trumpeter Bobby Rodriguez and guitarist Grant Geissman, performed jazzy, vintage-sounding orchestrations, over which Arlen, in his featured moments, performed on the sax.

`The Wonderful Wizard of Song'

Where: Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood

When: 8 tonight

Price: $29 and $32

Contact: (323) 461-3673 or www.FordAmphitheatre.org

If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at latimes.com/archives.

- Los Angeles Times


"PR Release"

National Tour of “The Wonderful Wizard of Song” Kicks Off with a Little Help from Tony Bennett

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB via PRWebDirect) April 9, 2007 -- The Wonderful Wizard of Song A tribute to Wizard of Oz Composer Harold Arlen, co-written by American Idol’s Nigel Wright, kicks off a twenty-city tour May 7th with a special performance by Bennett, videotaped exclusively for this tour (www.thewonderfulwizardofsong.com).


Bennett, who is an avid champion of the Arlen songbook, coached American Idol singers, this past Wednesday, on the spotlighted song, Stormy Weather, another of Arlen’s compositions. To date Arlen’s songs have been featured on American Idol over a half dozen times!

“Anyone who could write Stormy Weather is alright in my book…and young people today should look up the Arlen songbook and have the time of their life with the greatest songs that were ever written,” said Bennett of Arlen’s work.

In addition to performing Arts centers, the show’s promoters, Capitol International, have booked the show in many colleges around America, giving “Idol’s” audience a chance to discover other Arlen songs.

The Wonderful Wizard of Song was co-written by American Idol’s Nigel Wright. In addition to Bennett’s exclusive performance, the show boasts never before seen footage from behind the scenes of the Wizard of Oz, and 9ft posters of the original movies that featured Arlen’s compositions i.e. A Star is Born and Lets Fall in Love.

The show stars the composer’s son, jazz saxophonist Sam Arlen who hosts the show and offers amusing anecdotes about his father’s life, George Bugatti’s Three Crooners, and legendary blues artist Barbara Morrison. Please visit www.thewonderfulwizardofsong.com

Contact:
Karen Parziale
360 degrees
201-222-1309
Karen @ 360degreespr.com


- PRWEB


"PLAYBILL"

Harold Arlen Goes Hollywood in June Musical Tribute.

“The Wonderful Wizard of Song,” a musical concert celebrating composer Harold Arlen and his contributions to the American Songbook, will take place June 1, 2, and 3 at Hollywood’s Ford Amphitheatre, to be followed by a national tour.

Under the musical direction of Nigel Wright (Andrew Lloyd Webber’s partner for 12 years, Phantom of the Opera), “The Wonderful Wizard of Song” will be a multi-media, family friendly concert. It is also the first Arlen-themed event in L.A. since the Harold Arlen Centennial Celebration kicked off in New York last year when NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared Feb. 15th Harold Arlen Day. The music for the evening will include an onscreen tribute by Tony Bennett, the talents of Arlen’s son, saxophonist Sam Arlen, Vegas mainstager George Bugatti’s Three Crooners and a 12-piece orchestra. Bookended by stories that take the audience from the Cotton Club in Harlem through Arlen’s Hollywood years to the Broadway stage, the show will feature more than 20 of Arlen’s treasured songs including “Over the Rainbow,” “Let’s Fall In Love,” “Old Black Magic,” Stormy Weather,” “The Man That Got Away,” “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “Get Happy,” and “I’ve Got The World On A String.” The stage will be adorned by 7 by 10 foot revolving movie posters from the original motion pictures, Let’s Fall In Love, A Star Is Born and of course, The Wizard of Oz. It will also feature never before seen manuscripts, memorabilia and footage provided courtesy of Sam Arlen. After the Los Angeles kick-off event, the show’s national tour itinerary will be announced. The Ford Amphitheatre is located at 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood, CA 90068, just off the 101 Hollywood Freeway across from the Hollywood Bowl and south of Universal Studios. For tickets, log on to www.FordAmphitheatre.org or call the Ford Box Office at 323 GO 1-FORD (461-3673).
Send questions and comments to the WebmasterCopyright © 2002 Playbill, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
- PLAYBILL


"Kalamazoo Gazette"

`Wizard' a wonderful appetizer for Miller year

By Mark Wedel Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Special to the Gazette

Miller Auditorium announced its 2007-'08 season Monday night, then took a romp down the yellow brick road of the American songbook with a tribute to songwriter Harold Arlen, ``The Wonderful Wizard of Song,'' featuring The Three Crooners.

Hearing the response to the announcement in a room full of season subscribers, potential subscribers and those patiently waiting for some crooning action, is about the best way to judge reaction to a Miller season, other than doing a scientific poll.
The returning ABBA-infused musical ``Mamma Mia!'' got the biggest response, generating cheers, woo-hoos and applause when it hit the season announcement video screen. The musical of Billy Joel songs ``Movin' Out'' got the next heaviest round of applause, followed by, in order of diminishing returns, ``BLAST!,'' ``Evita,'' Clay Aiken, B.B. King and ``Cats.'' The satirical ``Menopause the Musical'' got the most laughs.

``The Wonderful Wizard of Song'' served as an appetizer for the coming season, with its devotion to popular music of the stage and screen, written by a guy who had more hits than ABBA and Billy Joel combined.
The show took the crowd from Harlem's Cotton Club to ``Somewhere Over the Rainbow,'' just avoiding the rocky shore ``Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.''
``Get Happy,'' ``I've Got the World On a String,'' ``Stormy Weather,'' ``That Old Black Magic,'' ``Blues in the Night,'' ``One for My Baby,'' and the list goes on -- chances are you have a favorite Harold Arlen song, and might not even know it.

He wrote for 31 movie musicals (including all the songs in ``The Wizard of Oz''), countless stage musicals, and songs for singers from Cab Calloway to Tony Bennett (the latter provided the video intro for the show).
The ``Wizard of Song'' had its rough patches and moments of indulgence but was a pleasing look at the highlights of Arlen's work. To accomplish this momentous job, the show had a sharp 11-piece orchestra, five vocalists and, as the narrator, the songwriter's son, Sam Arlen. He told some amusing stories, such as how ``Let's Fall In Love,'' with its lyrics ``Let's close our eyes and make our own paradise,'' was written in a few moments inside a men's room stall.

George Bugatti, director of the show and its creator along with Nigel Wright (musical director of ``American Idol''), Sam Arlen and Mary Bugatti, led the Three Crooners. Bugatti's voice was very close in the tone and style of Frank Sinatra, from melancholy crooning to defiant belting, without sounding too much like an imitation. The other two crooners, Johnny K and Alistair Tober, had a more vanilla-ice-cream quality -- nice and smooth. Of course it was Bugatti who stood out in the medley of Sinatra's favorite Arlen ``saloon songs.''
Getting the biggest applause was blues shouter Barbara Morrison, belting ``Stormy Weather'' in a soul/gospel way probably not heard in the Cotton Club, where Ethel Waters sang it in the `30s.
For the finale, all the vocalists gathered to sing a medley of ``Oz'' songs, accompanied by Arlen's home movies of the film shoot, showing scenes such as a crow picking hay out of Ray Bolger's Scarecrow costume, and Margaret Hamilton cracking up and smiling when trying to be the Wicked Witch. If that wasn't heartwarming enough, the crooners led the audience in a communal singing of ``Somewhere Over the Rainbow.''









- Kalamazoo gazette


Discography

none

Photos

Bio

From the producer of AMERICAN IDOL, WIZARD, is the Musical story of Wizard of Oz composer Harold Arlen. This multi media musical celebrates the Oscar Winning Songwriter of Stormy Weather, I've got the World on a String, Old Black Magic, One for my Baby, and of course, all the Music from Oz including Over the Rainbow! With a special video performance by TONY BENNETT, Never before seen footage from the Wizard of Oz, the composers son, SAM ARLEN with his swing band, and GEORGE BUGATTI'S, THREE CROONERS, take you from the cotton Club thru the hollywood years and to your heart.

Co-written by NIGEL WRIGHT (Andrew Lloyd Webber’s partner for 12 years, Executive Music Producer of Warner Bros. Phantom of the Opera and American Idol), The Wonderful Wizard of Song is a multi-media, family friendly concert. The Three Crooners make their world premier in this production. Young, and Debonair, These “American Divos”, Bring A Fresh Look And Feel To The Standards You Know By Heart.

As Simon Cowell's ll Divo is striking a chord with The "Desperate Housewives" across America and selling out arenas, former American Idol producer Nigel Wright is now at the helm of a new show, which stars the latest incarnation of the "male supergroup," George Bugatti’s Three Crooners.
Bringing a fresh, updated look and sound to Arlen’s classic’s with attitude and flair that already has industry insiders talking.

Corralled by singer/pianist, George Bugatti (39) the Three Crooners are; Alistair Tober (25), Johnny K (30) and George Bugatti.

George, who made his concert debut with Tony Bennett and who is also the protégé of the late Steve Allen, went on a worldwide search for the two best, undiscovered crooners in the biz. Little did he know, he would find them right in his back yard.

Just as Steve Allen and Tony Bennett took him under their wing, he is now doing the same for Tober and Johnny K.

Bugatti was looking for " All American" singers to celebrate the only two art forms that are indigenous to America… Jazz and Crooning. With Alistar being a longshoreman, Johnny a surfer from LA and Bugatti himself a Brooklyn boy, he seems to have accomplished that.

Singer and actor ALISTAIR TOBER has been featured on “The O.C.,” in the film Spiderman 2 as well many regional theater productions including Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. At 25 years old, his potential as a performer and personality in boundless.

JOHNNY K, who along with Tober is a Southern California native, has sung with the Los Angeles Opera Company, California Boys Choir and has performed extensively in the U.S. and abroad since the age of 4. He has also produced and engineered albums for the likes of Rod Stewart, Steve Tyrell along with many others.
While their stage chemistry and vitality is indeed reminiscent of the Rat Pack, their singing is almost as pure as old blue eyes himself. In the coming tribute at the Ford, which will also tour nationally later this year, Arlen-penned songs like “That Old Black Magic,” “One For My Baby One More For The Road,” “Stormy Weather” shine with sex appeal and stunning three part harmonies only to be complimented by each crooner’s Hollywood good looks, humorous banter and unbeatable charisma.

The stage will be adorned with 7 by 10 foot revolving movie posters from the original motion pictures, Let’s Fall In Love, A Star Is Born and of course, The Wizard of Oz. Also featured are never before seen manuscripts, memorabilia and footage provided courtesy of Sam Arlen. The tribute is a must see for lovers of Broadway, Film and classic, timeless music.

SAM ARLEN
Sam Arlen is a professionally trained musician with over 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Son of the renowned pianist and composer Harold Arlen, Sam displayed a natural talent for music from an early age. He began playing alto and tenor saxophone at 12 years old and developed his skills at the High School of the Performing Arts in Manhattan.
Sam expanded his performance skills after graduation by touring with different musical groups and playing at notable venues such as the Roseland Ballroom in New York. In 1986, Sam parlayed his practical experience in music into the business end of the industry and created S.A. Music Co. to publish many of his father’s greatest compositions. In 1996, Sam and his wife Joan Arlen, also a professional musician, formed JoSam, Inc. and Arlen Music Inc. publishing companies to represent various new artists.
In addition to heading successful music publishing companies, Sam spends time performing, lecturing, and co-chairing the Harold Arlen 2005 Centennial. In 2001, Sam and S.A. Music Co. began organizing a celebration in Harold Arlen’s honor in order to bring his name and music to the forefront and have him posthumously recognized for his extraordinary contribution to American music. Sam is joined by co-chairs Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Michael Feinst