The culture and music of american cabaret digital commons. Josephine baker in art and life by bennetta julesrosette. Feb 20, 1994 now 49, jeanclaude baker was first befriended by josephine when he was a 14yearold bellhop in the hotel scribe in paris. View jeff blumenkrantz s profile on linkedin, the worlds largest professional community. Baker who told his goodfornothing son billy he had to marry josephine. Jeff blumenkrantz is the recipient of the 2011 fred ebb award, as well as a best original score tony nominee for his songs in urban cowboy. Titled josephine baker, the 496page volume follows the story of the mississippiborn dancer from her days as a 19yearold taking paris by storm charming picasso and cocteau in the process, to. Black venus, her children, and the hunger for more.
Here are the past episodes of the jeff blumenkrantz songbook podcast this podcast was originally created for those people who own the songbook, for those considering buying the songbook, or for those who just want to hear my music ive been very encouraged by all the people whove asked me to make a cd, however i chose this format because it allows me to get audio versions of the songs. Bennetta julesrosette, josephine baker in art and life. In 2005, he participated in ripfest, a movie musical festival where seven creative teams each created a ten minute movie musical with only two and a half weeks from conception to premiere. Josephine baker 19061975 was a dancer, singer, actress, author, politician, militant, and philanthropist, whose images and cultural legacy have survived beyond the hundredth anniversary of her birth. Walking the wrong way sung by marin mazzie may 23, 2006. Some are filled with happiness and success, others with loss and grief. This remarkable collection of songs is a must for any musical theatre enthusiast. Eve arden, benny baker, mary jane walsh, edith meiser, vivian vance. Neither an exercise in postmodern deconstruction nor simple biography, josephine baker in art and life presents a critical cultural study of the life and art of the francoamerican performer. A humorously musical retelling of the biblical story of joseph. Michael mulheren mayor josiah dobbs, jeff blumenkrantz darryl ames, emily padgett lucy grant, stephen bogardus daddy cane. Jeff baker, phd, explores five topics concerning mental health.
Josephine kauffman baker 18511934 find a grave memorial. It exists in live performances, art, photography, fashion, film, literature, and social. Josephine kauffman baker, aged 83 years, widow of david baker, died at her home at new baltimore, monday night of infirmities of age. Jun 6 david whyte, rocker brother beyondcan you keep a secret jun 8 rob pilatus, americangerman model, dancer, and defrocked grammy award winner milli vanilli girl you know its true, born in nyc, new york d. Apr 18, 2017 titled josephine baker, the 496page volume follows the story of the mississippiborn dancer from her days as a 19yearold taking paris by storm charming picasso and cocteau in the process, to. Oct 15, 2015 baker participated with martin luther king jr. Jeff blumenkrantz was born on june 3, 1965 in long branch, new jersey, usa.
Giving thanks sung by jeff blumenkrantz june 26, 2006. Josephine baker 1906 norman gallichan, new zealand cricketer allrounder in 1 test nz v england 1937 1906 walter robins, english cricketer dynamic england legspin allrounder, born in stafford, england d. With donny osmond, maria friedman, richard attenborough, ian mcneice. Jeff blumenkrantz sole proprietor blumie tunes music. Jun 3 jeff blumenkrantz, american composer and actor. Jul 30, 2001 yet josephine was also, as one critic put it, a monster who made joan crawford look like the virgin mary. Her mother, carrie, was adopted by richard and elvira mcdonald, both of whom were former slaves of. Edward bakerduly, janie dee, judi dench, ann emery, daniel evans. And as the opening number to this jewel of a musical says, if you knew my story, youd have a good story to tell.
Josephine baker is a visual celebration of the legendary performer. The jeff blumenkrantz songbook, published in 2005, is a pianovocal folio of songs with music by jeff blumenkrantz and lyrics by jeff blumenkrantz, annie kessler, edna st. You can listen to the webcast of the concert on npr. Josephine baker is dead in paris at 68 the new york times. But bennetta julesrosette, the author of black paris and other books, makes a solid case for just one more with her wellresearched and original josephine baker in art and life. Hans asperger, writer samuel beckett, entertainer josephine baker. Musicals of the 1990s felt the impact of key developments that forever changed. Josephine baker free literature and language arts essays. Joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat wikipedia. A little bit of bluegrass music is quite enough of a good thing, so its just bad luck that bright star, a new musical by steve martin and edie brickell based on their 20 gram. The show sold out and huge stars including mick jagger, diana ross, and sophia loren attended. The icon and the image university of illinois press, 2007 gloria shin the exhaustive examination of archival materials including her fbi file which is over 500 pages long that illuminate baker s work as an expatriate, dancer, singer, film actor, club performer, author.
Songs from the deep, dark trunk of jeff blumenkrantz. His stage credits include roles in the broadway productions into the woods 1987, the threepenny opera 1989, damn yankees 1994, how to succeed in business without really trying 1995, a class. The dazzling life of josephine baker coretta scott king illustrator honor books by patricia hruby powell and christian robinson jan 14, 2014 4. Actor, composer, and lyricist jeff blumenkrantz leads an evening of ju students performing his song repertoire. There are the usual requisite annoying supporting characters someone needs to tell jeff blumenkrantz, who plays alices junior editor, daryl ames, that the part of phil silvers has already been cast, but the real problem is not with the performers, the story, or the score its with the direction by walter bobbie. The bard music festival 2019 program book was made possible by a gift from helen. Jan 15, 2018 fifty years before angelina created her multiracial clan, josephine baker did. Joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat video 1999 imdb. Josephine baker died at age 68 in paris where she was the first american woman to receive full french military honors at her funeral.
Jun 03, 2007 but bennetta julesrosette, the author of black paris and other books, makes a solid case for just one more with her wellresearched and original josephine baker in art and life. The baker s wife reflects on her adventure and tryst with the prince moments in the woods, but stumbles into the path of the giantess and is killed. The complete book of 1990s broadway musicals 14422729. Jeff blumenkrantz is writing the music and lyrics, and the book is by alice a. Josephine, a musical based on the life of josephine baker, the. In 2003, blumenkrantz was nominated for a best original score tony award for his work on urban cowboy, a nomination he shared with jason robert brown and others. About the uberbrettl josephine baker biography ada bricktop smith biography elsie. Jeff blumenkrantz theatre credits, news, bio and photos.
Blumenkrantz is among the most talented songwriters working in musical theatre today. A pianovocal folio of twenty songs with music by tonynominated composer jeff blumenkrantz and lyrics by jeff blumenkrantz, annie kessler, edna st. Josephine baker in art and life bennetta julesrosette. Dancer, singer, spy and civil rights activist josephine baker dancer, singer, spy and. Blumenkrantz, a tony award nominee and ebb award winner, has had his songs performed and recorded by notable singers such as sutton foster, victoria clark, audra macdonald, and lauren kennedy. Josephine s mother, jenny harwood brown, was one of the first women to graduate from vassar college, and her father, daniel mosher baker, was a lawyer. The story is based on the coat of many colours story of joseph from the bibles book of genesis. Swan lake, shina ann morris tatiana romanovtatyana josephine baker.
The naacp declared may 20, 1951 as josephine baker day. When it comes to you sung by jeff blumenkrantz june 12, 2006. Jeff blumenkrantz smokey, gregory jbara sohovik, john ganun mickey. Jul, 2017 fyi, my love affair with dee hoty continues into may, when she will be performing along with drew gehling, sarah stiles, and recent podcast guest dee roscioli in my upcoming concert, trunk and disorderly. Michael berresse, tyler hanes, jeffrey schecter, charlotte damboise, ken alan. Jeff blumenkrantz has performed on broadway in into the woods 1987, threepenny opera 1989, damn yankees 1994, how to succeed in business1995, a class act, and bright star, as well as offbroadway in murder for two lortel award nomination, forever plaid, and in the city center encores productions of the golden apple, anyone can whistle, and god bless you mr. Through a series of unlikely but fortunate events, her talent was discovered and soon she was dancing the charleston on a stage in. Baker explains how these five topics manifest themselves in our lives and how to recognize them. The baker, little red, and cinderella await the return of the baker s wife when the witch arrives with jack, found weeping over the baker s wifes body.
Louis, missouri, in 1906, as freda josephine mcdonald, she was the daughter of a poor black laundress and unnamed white man. The jeff blumenkrantz songbook concert, birdland, new york city, 2006. The national tour of the broadway musical bright star, playing at the raleigh memorial auditorium through april 22, has a story filled with both grief and happiness, loss and reunion. It required more focus than i had planned, yet i was captivated by the story of baker s life. Meet josephine baker, the worldfamous entertainer, activist, and french resistance agent in this true story of her life. I begin using the ideas in this book when i started teaching over 20 years ago. His oneact pieces, woman with pocketbook and precious little jewel, have been performed at several regional theatres, and he has received song commissions from lincoln center, ca. Joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat video 1999. Remembering josephine baker, a radical bisexual performer. This is a thoughtful, scholarly study of josephine baker 190675performer, writer, activist, and philanthropistwhose life and fame embraced numerous contradictions, ranging from her 1925 role as. The other memorable contribution, my book by jeff blumenkrantz, was a hilarious take on sloth the singer implored members of the audience to take away her television, her cell phone, and all. This book mostly covers miss baker s career but it does touch on the most important points in her adult life.
Joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat is a musical comedy with lyrics by tim rice and music by andrew lloyd webber. The jeff blumenkrantz songbook podcast on apple podcasts. Her father was a vaudeville drummer named eddie carson who abandoned josephine and her mother, carrie mcdonald, at an early age. Sondheim guide special events part 4 the stephen sondheim. Oct 05, 2020 josephine baker was born freda josephine mcdonald on june 3, 1906, in st. Josephine hill, jean adair, john alexander, bruce gordon, helen brooks, etc. Jeff blumenkrantz songbook, unzipped concert series, zipper theatre, 2005. Jeff s song, entitled my book, deals with the sin of sloth. Jeanclaude baker s book also reveals her outbursts that resulted in lasting feuds, her imperious treatment of family and entourage members, and her ambivalent attitudes concerning her ethnic background. He said, you have to marry her, or get out of my house. If you like me, ill keep you up to date with both of those things.
Extremely loud and incredibly close, a feature based on the book by. Josephine baker in art and life the new york times. Paul did a brilliant job on the book itself and then on the. Jeff blumenkrantz born june 3, 1965 is an american actor, composer and lyricist born in long branch, new jersey, blumenkrantz is a graduate of northwestern university school of communication. The magic and myths of josephine baker chicago tribune. Book video presented at the 2020 nats virtual conference. Presented on may 21, 2006 at the novello theatre, london. Mar 10, 1991 my book concentrated on how a general enthusiasm for things african among white europeans in the 1920s helped pave the way for baker s success. One of pharaohs servants, the baker is in prison with joseph who correctly interprets. Her mother, carrie mcdonald, worked as a washerwoman, having given up her dreams of becoming a musichall dancer. At only, she left home to travel with a dance troupe, honing her silly onstage persona and earning pennies. The complete book of 1990s broadway musicals 14422729, 97814422722. Still, baker has inspired several biographies and documentaries, and the question arises about the need for yet another. Her father, the vaudeville drummer eddie carson, abandoned his wife and daughter shortly after josephine s birth.
She had been confined to her bed for the last fifteen months and critically ill for the last three weeks. His comic song, my book, addressed the sin of sloth. Blumenkrantz also contributed a piece to the seven deadly sins, a song cycle commissioned by carnegie hall for the singer. This is one of the best books, and i recommend it to anyone, who would like to know more of the women named josephine baker 4. Wolk playbill collection uf special and area studies. Appeared in other productions, including forever plaid musical, offbroadway production. Jun 3 jeff blumenkrantz, american composer and actor jun 6 david whyte, rocker brother beyondcan you keep a secret jun 8 rob pilatus, americangerman model, dancer, and defrocked grammy award winner milli vanilli girl you know its true, born in nyc, new york d. The author is obviously a fan, so this book reads like a love letter to miss baker. He is an actor, known for the big sick 2017, the detour 2016 and joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat 1999. Baker was born freda josephine mcdonald in 1906 in the mill creek valley, west of union station. Baker was born freda josephine mcdonald on june 3, 1906, in st.
Oct 08, 2018 josephine baker was born in poughkeepsie, new york, in 1873 to a quaker family. Josephine baker was born freda josephine mcdonald on june 3, 1906 in st. A few days after the show opened, on april 12, 1975, josephine died of a brain hemorrhage. Jeff blumenkrantz bio, photos, theatre credits, stage history actor. His oneact pieces, woman with pocketbook and precious little jewel, have been performed at several regional theatres, and he has received song commissions from lincoln center, carnegie hall, and the guggenheims works and process program. Josephine baker goodreads meet your next favorite book. See the complete profile on linkedin and discover jeff s. Into the woods, threepenny opera, damn yankees, how to succeed, a class act. Her mother, carrie mcdonald, was a washerwoman who had given up her dreams of becoming a musichall dancer. Bucchino, david friedman, craig carnelia, jeff blumenkrantz, maury yeston, and michel. Louis in 1906, ill be visiting josephine baker s former castle home, les milandes, in about a weeks time, so i decided to read more. Baker would not perform again until 1975 at the bobino theater in paris, being the 50th anniversary since her first performance in paris in 1925. This thesis open access is brought to you for free and open access by the music.
When i had the book in my hands, i realized that it was far more scholarly than id expected. Wooding playing duke ellington, and josephine baker and louis douglas staged show at. Donny osmond in joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat 1999 joan collins in. Jeff blumenkrantz broadway actor and composer jeff. He spent nearly 20 years obsessively researching the life of his second. This board book version of josephine baker from the beloved little people, big dreams seriesfollows the incredible life of josephine baker, from growing up in st. Celebrating black performance with hanif abdurraqib. Urban cowboy original, musical, broadway opened in new york city mar 27, 2003 and played through may 18, 2003. Josephine is a freeverse biographical poem that pulls its inspiration from the life of a fascinating performer and civil rights pioneer. In january of this year, julie coauthored the wellreceived book of original. Jun 03, 2007 josephine baker s cultural legacy is still alive beyond the hundredth anniversary of her birth in 1906. This book walks one through the full life of josephine baker, using story, pictues, and art media. Her marriage in the twenties to count heno abatino, italian painter, ended in divorce. Sep 24, 2020 baker was born freda josephine mcdonald on june 3, 1906.
299 306 827 1281 676 1250 544 1504 1054 1124 1335 437 665 1519 352 143 515 160 496 922 786 439 1387