Thanks to Papa Tree for this sensitive and informed review of a new CD for kids living in New York. Since he is a musician and has an ear (and I don’t) I am sending all music reviews his way from now on. Jeremy and Clare, the musicians of this album, have an upcoming gig at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. To find out where and when, scroll to the bottom of the review.
This Subway Ride is “Good”
by Tuey Connell
The children’s music industry seems to leap forward exponentially each year, as evidenced by the number of indie releases geared towards little people. While not yet a glut, as there will always be room for fun, thoughtfully composed, performed and recorded children’s music, there are equal parts ‘good’ and ‘not so good’ CDs directed towards little listeners and their charges.
Thankfully, from the first few notes of “Songs in the Key of New York with Clare and Jeremy”, this music presentation is clearly about gentle, melodic songs sung and performed by first-rate musicians. This is ‘good’ music. The first track, “Five Boroughs,” is lullaby-like, with a chorus that easily puts the listener in a peaceful mood with glockenspiel, chromatic harmonica, and dreamy vocals, suggesting that the five boroughs are harmonious and pleasant places in which to live – despite what we might read or hear in the news each day. The best children’s music should take us out of our daily grind with the elements and harsh realities, and this sweet but short CD does so persuasively.
In their six-song CD, Clare, Jeremy and company pay homage to the wonders of New York City in a positive way. Their take on the colorful, alphabetical endlessness of the New York Subway system – “Subways All Ways,” begins with a Broadway-like rubato verse and develops into a chewy and wordy song. The chorus cleverly enumerates the stops in a “Sound of Music” fashion, a la “Do-Re-Mi.” In fact, many of the songs are at times chewy and wordy, but thankfully, Clare Manchon’s enunciation and pitch sell the tuneful songs with clarity and ease.
The thoughtful arrangements are part and parcel to the success of the music as well. Sounds are as important as the song, and we hear percussion sounds like mallets hitting watter-filled glasses in a repetitive but mellow clickity-clack on “Subway,” much like the trains rolling through the colorful subway stops, the piano’s stacked fourth’s suggestion of Chinatown in “I’m Hungry,” and “Taxi’s” rhythmically driving guitars and backbeat as they create a groovy bed for Clare’s summer journey up, down and east-west of town.
In “We were bored, But We Were Wrong” – the harmony is simply lovely, where some of the rhyming and wordiness is less so. The chorus is clearly the hook, and Clare’ sounds as if she has a twinkle and a smile as she whimsically repeats it. The beautiful waltz “Bridge and Tunnels,” takes us out on a mellow note as Clare describes the physical ups and downs of traveling from borough to borough as the sound of water, glockenspiels, acoustic guitar, and organ sooth us as we imagine the lights go by under or over ground.
One can not help but tap one’s foot and reflect on the wonders that the great city of Manhattan and the five boroughs have to offer while listening to Clare and company ease us through a little journey. The musicians are equally compelling, and how could they not be with members Jeremy Zmuda and Clare Manchon – guitars/ vocals, Gregoire Maret – chromatic harmonica, Alan Hampton – bass, , Bryn Robers – piano, Rich Stein – percussion, and Olivier Manchon on recorder.
“Songs in the Key of New York with Clare and Jeremy” is a wonderful CD of gentle children’s music that won’t leave the parents crying ‘stop, no more!’
Jeremy and Clare’s gig info:
PROSPECT LEFFERTS: OLD MCDONALD IN THE CITY
Saturday June 20th: performances at 1pm and 2pm
Old McDonald had his farm—but what if your kids live in the City? Join Clare and Jeremy for a rollicking, sing-a-long time featuring songs with local meaning, like Bridges and Tunnels, Five Boroughs, Subways All Ways, Taxi, and more. Ages 2-10 years old. The sing along will be at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. For more info on Jeremy and Clare, visit www.songsinthekeyofnewyork.com. For details on getting to the Brooklyn Children’s Museum visit their site.
Tuey Connell plays banjo, guitar, chromatic harmonica and sings. He has three albums on a German music label, produced numerous CDs and has performed and/or recorded with Taj Mahal, Arturo Sandoval, Vassar Clements, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Livingston Taylor, Don Stiernberg, Robbie Fulks, Slavek Hanzlik and other equally talented musicians and entertainers. He adooooores his wife Karen who writes this blog and their two children (who never, ever throw tantrums).