For the past 2 years or so, composer Randy Edelman has virtually “snuck” fairly inconspicuously, into a few intimate venues in both the U.S. (NYC/Boston) and the U.K. (London/Manchester). These sightings, in which he performs a 2hr show, reflecting his 50+year composing career, always occur on a particular day and at a specified hour……Saturday eve at approx. 9:30 pm. (Hey, Glenn Gould had a particular piano bench…. This guy has his own quirks)!
However, on the evening of Dec. 8th, 2024, he will somewhat come out of the shadows, and adjust a bit of his usual habits. He will present this bio/show in the heart of Manhattan on 57th St., at the Zankel Stage of Carnegie Hall. With 2 new albums coming out shortly in 2024, the timing seems appropriate.
One is a live recording of these solo evenings: “Around the World in 80 Minutes”. The other is a collection of new songs called: “Waltzing On a High Wire”, with each tune reflecting a somewhat different musical palette.
There is no question that it’s been quite a while since Edelman has offered up a group of his uniquely personal tunes ………for good reason.
For the better part of 30 years, he happily barricaded himself in a room and cranked out over 100 scores for film, in every conceivable genre.
That treasure trove of his history will be represented during the evening via 2 specially arranged lengthy pianistic medleys. One will include his scores to such iconic comedies as: My Cousin Vinny, The Mask, Kindergarten Cop, While You Were Sleeping, Ghostbusters 2, Billy Madison, and 27 Dresses, to name just a few. The other medley will highlight his soaring dramatic music from the scores of Dragonheart, Gettysburg, Last of the Mohicans, the Bruce Lee Story, and Come See the Paradise, again to name just a couple. Along the way he will sprinkle in a few TV titles as his MacGyver and the NFL and Olympic NBC Themes, as well as a few thumping rhythms of his from action scores like XXX, Anaconda, and The MUMMY/Tomb of the Emperor.
All this being said, however, the bulk of the evening will be devoted to songs from his personal solo albums, released well before most of the scores. To put it mildly, this work over many years, was rarely exposed over the airwaves in this country. Edelman wrote the songs for these albums, without any other artists in mind, nor did he actively pursue anyone to cover them. Which is why the story becomes so interesting considering how such a large number of them somehow found their way to such a varied myriad of notable artists…..but thankfully they did.
He will do the original versions of this catalogue of many of those tunes…..recorded by an array of performers over years from Barry Manilow and Olivia Newton John, the Carpenters and Blood, Sweat and Tears, Patti LaBelle and Dionne Warwick. Classic and beloved traditionalists as Nancy Wilson, Bing Crosby, and Shirley Bassey……….. along with left field versions by the likes of Nelly, Kool and the Gang, and even….Agnetha Faltskog….(the lead singer of ABBA!)
Edelman’s 2-hour show is filled with a few tales…. just with a piano…..which he never gets up from, even once; (barely moves a muscle)……but he can play…+ gladly he still enjoys that…….”He is no ordinary pianist………Nor is any of this ordinary music……You see, I snuck in on one of those mystery evenings previously mentioned…so I know. And thus will sound an endless and promising cascade of notes falling from his melodious waterfall on 57th and Seventh….Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall December 8th, 2024…..8 PM………….DON’T MISS IT” …..Michael Musto