Full Circle – CD

LINER NOTES

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” – Plato

Those ideals haven’t changed since the days of Plato. In the case of FULL CIRCLE, this remarkable journey awoke my musical past, grew wings of its own, and took me on a nostalgic flight back to a time when, for me, Broadway was king. This project not only pays homage to my musical theatre roots, but serves to connect the old, younger me with the new, older me.

And what a time it was! While teaching special education in small town Webster, Florida, in 1973, another teacher informed me she had been cast as Ado Annie in an amateur production of OKLAHOMA! already in rehearsal. Begging for a late audition, I was gratefully thrown into the chorus and handed one musical solo line (“Gonna give you barley, carrolts and pertaters!”). I was hooked! Quicklyn abandoning my nascent teaching career, I pursued acting and went on to appear in many musical leads via regional theatre, summer stock, Las Vegas casinos, dinner theaters and Equity-waiver houses for nearly two decades. A major highlight was playing Lt. Joe Cable opposite Broadway legend John Raitt in a 1989 L.A. production of SOUTH PACIFIC. My final curtain call was taken as one-fourth of the Angel City Four in the jazz-oriented CITY OF ANGELS in 1996. The sheer challenge of this show excited me enough to leave musical theatre altogether fo the jazz scene. I’ve nerver looked back … until now.

FULL CIRCLE, exceptionally produced by Barbara Brighton, pays tribute to several other of my musical shows – COMPANY, CABARET, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, THE FANTASTICKS, CELEBRATION and FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. Arranger Jamieson Trotter presents bold interpretations of Stephen Sondheim, Rodgers and Hammerstein and Kander & Ebb with inspiration provided by the likes of Coltane, “Bird” and Miles Davis. The more obscure song choices have seldom, if ever, been touched by jazz.So … relax, unfasten you seat belt, and enjoy my flight to yesterday … and today!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This album is dedicated to New York theatre and to the memory of Verdun Kerswell, my high school music teacher. “To thine own self be true.” Mr. K, your soaring passion continues to live within me and all who had the privilege of passing thourugh yourclassroom doors.

FULL CIRCLE would never have seen the light of day wi thout the “Return of the Magnificent Three,” the trinity of talent that made my earlier album MOONLIGHT so extraordinary. Heartfelt thank, yous to producer BARBARA BRIGHTON, my right arm, whose friendship, skill, trust and guidance has been continued godsend; to music director and arranger JAMIESON TROTTER who delved into foreign Broadway material with gusto and gave incredible jazz life to each track and to my never-patient sound engineer TALLEY SHERWOOD whose technical savvy knows no limits. You three are the bomb!

Special nods to my returning MOONLIGHT musicians GABE, CHRISTIAN and LARRY, and the “New Kids on the Block” DANNY, SCOTT, ROSS and LEO. Also, RON BOUSTEAD for his masterful mastering; SHAINA and BEN for their vivid videography and LYNN EAMES for bringing my designing conepts beautifully to life. Many thanks as well to KATE McGARRY and LIZ JOHNSON for their musical input and expertise, and to JUDY and ALAN WEXLER and MARK WINKLER for their incredible support, advice and assistance.