Troika

In 2004 Ryan Hunt, Jennifer Quinones and I started working on this massive project. In the recording studio that Jen and I built together, we started collecting ideas for a recording that would express all of our eclectic styles and individual talents. We spent months experimenting with new sounds and new ways of presenting the material that we chose. Although there were many times when we wanted to tear our hair out when ideas that we wanted desperately to work crashed and burned, the majority of the experience was amazingly creative and productive.

I can't imagine undertaking this project without the two of them. Our hours and hours of time together formed a musical and personal bond that cannot be broken. We often commented about how our best ideas seemed to pour out in our studio, and how astonishing it was that things seemed to work out for the good of this project. It seemed as though it was really supposed to happen, and now, it has.

All of the tracks on this album were arranged by all three of us. Some were created by one more than the other, but the final product always included all three. And, five of the tracks are written by Ryan. His amazing sense of lyrics and musical personality drew me immediately to his talent the first time I met him. With his original music and arranging skills, and Jen's incomparable ear, musical genius and original ideas, we came up with a diverse sound that we hope you will enjoy.

The album is beautifully packaged in "digipack" with gorgeous original artwork by Veijo Vilva specifically designed for this CD. He's an amazing artist living in Finland with a spectacular online gallery that you can view by clicking here. The photo on the back of the album was taken by Heather Sullivan, and amazing recording artist and professional photographer.

We hope you enjoy this recording, and we are very excited to share it with you.

Click here for Lyrics on Troika

Starring SCOTT AILING, KERRY BUTLER, EDDIE KORBICH, MARC KUDISCH, KAREN MASON, CHRISTIANE NOLL and NOAH RACEY

and featuring NILI BASSMAN

Director GABRIEL BARRE

Scott Siegel's brilliant tribute series to various years in Broadway history continues with his fine "The Broadway Musicals of 1945." The year was full of great shows including "Billion Dollar Baby," "Up in Central Park," Lerner and Loewe's first creation, "The Day Before Spring" and, of course, the year's most famous creation, Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Carousel." But the year also brought such delicious goodies as "Polonaise," "Are You With It," "The Firebrand of Florence," "The Girl From Nantucket," "Markinka" and "Carib Song." The selections are tuneful and delightful. The cast is flawless when such fine performers as Karen Mason, Marc Kudisch, Christiane Noll, Eddie Korbich, Kerry Butler and Scott Ailing are included. It's a great collection of musical theater songs and enough of Siegel's telling commentary is included that you get a wonderful musical theater look at 1945.

1.Introduction – Scott Siegel

2.Wait For Tomorrow POLONAISE (Frederic Chopin/Bronislaw Kaper/John Latouche) Scott Ailing

3.Here I Go Again ARE YOU WITH IT (Harry Revel/Arnold Horwitt) Eddie Korbich, Kerry Butler

4.Bad Timing BILLION DOLLAR BABY (Morton Gould/Betty Comden/Adolph Green) Karen Mason

5.It Doesn’t Cost Anything To Dream UP IN CENTRAL PARK (Sigmund Romberg/Dorothy Fields) Kerry Butler

6.A Rhyme For Angela THE FIREBRAND OF FLORENCE (Kurt Weill/Ira Gershwin) Eddie Korbich with Scott Siegel

7.From Morning Till Night* THE GIRL FROM NANTUCKET (Jacques Belasco/Kay Twomey) Scott Ailing

8.Mister Snow CAROUSEL (Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein 2) Karen Mason

9.Slightly Perfect* ARE YOU WITH IT (Harry Revel/Arnold Horwitt) Kerry Butler, Scott Ailing

10.Turn On The Charm* MARINKA (Emmerich Kalman/George Marion) Christiane Noll

11.Sleep Baby, Don’t Cry** CARIB SONG (Baldwin Bergersen/William Archibald) Eddie Korbich

12.The Highest Judge Of All** CAROUSEL (Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein 2) Marc Kudisch

13.What’s The Use Of Wond’rin’ CAROUSEL (Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein 2) Kerry Butler with Marc Kudisch

14.Sing Me Not A Ballad THE FIREBRAND OF FLORENCE (Kurt Weill/Ira Gershwin) Karen Mason

15.You Haven’t Changed At All THE DAY BEFORE SPRING (Frederick Loewe/Alan Jay Lerner) Karen Mason, Eddie Korbich

16.My Love Is A Married Man THE DAY BEFORE SPRING (Frederick Loewe/Alan Jay Lerner) Christiane Noll, Karen Mason, Kerry Butler

17.Sigh By Night** MARINKA (Emmerich Kalman/George Marion) Scott Ailing

18.Close As Pages In A Book** UP IN CENTRAL PARK (Sigmund Romberg/Dorothy Fields) Christiane Noll

19.Soliloquy CAROUSEL (Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein 2) Marc Kudisch

20.You’ll Never Walk Alone CAROUSEL (Richard Rodgers/Oscar hammerstein 2) Company

*Premiere Recording
** Unplugged Recording

For the first time in Good Shepherd's history, the music department has released a musical CD entitled Inspirational Anthems. The CD features Scott Ailing and Jennifer Quinones performing some of the most beloved anthems in our rich sacred tradition's history, such as Malotte's The Lord's Prayer, and Gounod's Ave Maria, as well some newer treasures from the 20th and 21st centuries, such as The Crucifixion by Samuel Barber and Herbert Howells's Psalm 23. The CD was recorded at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and is being sold as a fundraiser to benefit the Music Department's Christmas Concert with orchestra on Friday, December 19th at 7:00 PM. CD's cost $20. However, additional pledges are welcome for the concert.

Additional information is available at: www.goodshepherdtampa.org

This album received the 2003 MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets) Award for Recording of the Year with various artists, and also the 2003 Backstage Bistro Award for Outstanding Recording of the Year.

Jerry has received multiple MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets) Awards for Best Piano-Bar performer and the Backstage Bistro Award in the same category. He has also received the Critics' Choice Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Piano-Bar performance. This is Jerry's fifth recording.

"Jerry Scott continues to reign as one of Manhattan's premiere entertainers. On his 5th independent CD, "Jerry Scott ... with a little help from my friends," to be released on Sept. 20, he offers the first all duets album in this genre featuring cabaret and piano bar favorites, Scott Ailing, Caroline Durham, Mark Hartman, Andi Hopkins, Jeremie Michael, Michael Murphy, Andy Praskai, Joni Rapp, Ron Seykell, Jonathan Tomaselli, Michael Webb, Terri White, and Janine Ullyette.

This exciting album contains 12 extraordinary cuts deftly produced by Susan Armour and Andy Praskai. Featuring classic, Broadway, pop and jazz... there are too many highlights to include here. However, particular standouts include a gorgeous duet between Jerry and Scott Ailing of "Lily's Eyes" from "Secret Garden" that is melancholic. Terri White with Scott on a soaring medley from "Ragtime" is a tour de force. Jonathan Tomaselli is a force to be reckoned with on "All For the Best" from "Godspell" and Praskai's lively spin on Jerry Herman's rarity "You I Like" from "The Grand Tour." Janine Ullyette and Scott singing a rhapsodic "You Are Love" from "Show Boat" is a stunner. Ultimately, this album is sure to gain the attention of a wide audience because that is what it deserves. A unique showman is doing his brilliant thing with help from his many friends. It doesn't get much better."

John Hoglund...Backstage...Bistro Bits