Author: elijahrock

Completing the cast as the Man in the Saloon is Elijah Rock, who starts as a preening ladies man. But thanks to Freeman Hartley’s direction, Rock avoids becoming the cad who inspired so many blues songs. He’s charming and fleet on his feet and gives a fresh twist to songs written and sung by women, like Cox’s “Wild Women Don’t Have the Blues” and Smith’s “Baby Doll.”

With a name like “Blues in the Night,” Sheldon Epps’ 1980 revue conjures up images of gin-soaked songs of misery poured in out in 4/4 time to a muted trombone.

And there is a fair amount of that in North Coast Repertory Theatre’s new production of the 1980 show, which opened Saturday. But there’s also unexpected humor, joy, tap and swing dancing and charismatic performances from the four-member cast, who are accompanied by an onstage five-piece blues band. Directed by Yvette Freeman Harley with music direction by her husband, accomplished musician Lanny Hartley, the show is a lively and entertaining two-hour ride through the history of the blues.

The four performers alternate singing 25 songs written from the 1920s through the mid-1950s. There’s no dialogue, but the performers each play a different style of blues performer and they sing several numbers together in trios and quartets. All four perform the show’s title song, better known as “My Mama Done Told Me.”

Anise Ritchie is the Lady from the Road, modeled after the famous black women blues singers of the 1920s and ‘30s, including songwriters Bessie Smith and Ida Cox and singer Alberta Hunter, who toured the vaudeville and chitlin’ circuits and specialized in bawdy and done-her-wrong songs. Ritchie has a powerful voice, a great sense of humor and stage presence. She shines most in the numbers “Dirty No-Gooder’s Blues” and “Wasted Life Blues.”

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Three different sides as they focus on the Man in the Saloon played by Elijah Rock. Rock could have stepped from the pages of a 30’s magazine. He totally took us back.

“Blues is easy to play but hard to feel” Jimi Hendrix. Come, feel the music at the North Coast Repertory production of “Blues In The Night.” Conceived by Sheldon Epps in 1980, Blues in the Night delivers ambience for the soul that touches the heart. 

Director Yvette Freeman Hartley comes from a Jazz background. Her father was pianist Charles Freeman. Yvette performed on Broadway in ‘’Ain’t Misbehavin’ before moving into acting. You may remember her as Nurse Halwh Adams on ER for 15 seasons. The Musical Director is Lanny Hartley, and the choreographer is Roxane Carrasco.

Blues In The Night transports us into another era. Set in a run down Chicago hotel in the 30’s, the stage is a nightclub with rooms to the side as the actors remain on stage most of the show. The musical is the journey of three female friends and one snaky male taking us through their love life musically. Torchy love ballads made famous by Bessie Smith, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, Gordon Jenkins, Alberta Hunter, and the legendary Ella Fitzgerald delight as 26 beautiful relaxing songs to soothe your soul.

Beyond Fitzgerald’s hit, “Blues in the Night” the songs I enjoyed most were the songs where  the three women blended their magical voices together in a song. Each singing a verse, and coming together for the chorus. ‘A perfect blend of the Blues.

The three females in the show are actresses but any one of them could have been a nightclub headliner back in the day showcasing their own masterful voices. Woman of the world is played by Karole Foreman, the more sophisticated of the group.. Anise Richards played the Lady from the Road who is amazing at weaving her acting with her singing. Then we have Ciarra Stroud who played The Girl with the Date, with the tales from a youthful and more hopeful viewpoint. Three different sides as they focus on the Man in the Saloon played by Elijah Rock. Rock could have stepped from the pages of a 30’s magazine. He totally took us back. Read Full Article Here

The Blues In The Night

North Coast Repertory Theatre

January 14 – February 5, 2023

987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive 

Solana Beach

www.northcoastrep.org

Elijah Rock, a superior singer with a deep baritone voice and a love for the Great American Songbook, is releasing his new four-song EP Swoon. As a jazz-inspired vocalist, he previously had strong success with his first two albums: Gershwin for My Soul and Matters of The Heart.
On Swoon, Elijah Rock’s warm voice and swinging style are matched with some of Nashville’s top musicians, but it is not a country album. Instead, the Nashville players give Rock’s renditions of four beloved standards the feel of Western swing.

Produced and arranged by Steve Dorff, Swoon has the singer accompanied by pianist Jimmy Nichols, bassist Joe Chemay, drummer Steve Brewster, steel guitarist Mike Johnson, and guitarist Andy Reiss. Two songs add Jenne Fleenor on fiddle and the background singing of Kim Keyes and Tania Hancheroff while the great jazz tenor-saxophonist Joel Frahm guests on “The Way You Look Tonight.”

Swoon begins with the Fats Waller hit “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter.” Elijah Rock’s joyful vocal, the tasteful use of Mike Johnson’s steel guitar, and the subtle and soothing utilization of the background singers set the standard for the set.

The singer’s treatment of “The Way You Look Tonight” is reminiscent of Frank Sinatra’s in the way that he sounds comfortably swinging, relaxed, and natural, as if he were thinking aloud during his exuberant vocal.

The philosophical “If I Ruled The World, ” originally from the British musical Pickwick, was introduced to American listeners by Tony Bennett in 1965. Elijah Rock gives the ballad a thoughtful and heartwarming treatment.

Swoon concludes on a particularly happy note with the 1929 hit “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.” Between the vocal choruses there is a tradeoff between steel guitar, guitar and piano. Elijah Rock’s final chorus will have every listener smiling.

Elijah Rock has already had a career full of highpoints and memorable moments while giving one the impression that he is just getting started. Born in Cleveland, he gained early experience as a classically trained soprano as a boy before maturing into a warm baritone singer. Among his accomplishments since then have been developing into a notable tap dancer, hosting his digital entertainment  program The Elijah Rock Variety Show, appearing on Showtime’s TV series Masters Of Sex, writing the men’s handbook The Fine Art Of Romance, winning the NAACP Theater Award for Best Male Equity performer in Breath And Imagination: The Story Of Roland Hayes, and gaining acclaim (along with an Ovation Award Nomination) for portraying Cab Calloway in the musical revue I Only Have Eyes For You.

As a vocalist, Rock is a storyteller dedicated to reviving and uplifting classics from the Great American Songbook while also contributing some of his own timeless originals. Gershwin For My Soul and the consistently romantic Matters of The Heart were important first steps in his solo singing career. His latest accomplishment, Swoon, features him taking four classics and making them his own.

Scott Yanow, jazz historian and author of 12 books including Life Through The Eyes Of A Jazz journalist

PERSONELL 

Arranged and Produced by Steve Dorff

Jimmy Nichols – Piano
Joe Chemay – Bass
Steve Brewster – Drums
Mike Johnson – Steel Guitar
Andy Reiss – Electric/Acoustic Guitar
Kim Keyes – Background Singer
Tania Hancheroff – Background Singer
Jenee Fleenor- Fiddle :

CURB STUDIOS – NASHVILLE, TN
Craig White – First Engineer
Dave Bates – Second Engineer
Elijah Rock and Hall of Fame Songwriter Steve Dorff discuss new recording project in Nashville!

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Elijah Rock had the commanding articulation of Joe Williams, and did a rather credible tap dance in the middle of “I’m Just a Lucky So-And-So.”

What a great refresher of our musical heritage.

Often considered America’s only indigenous art form, jazz was the foundation for blues, R&B, and eventually rock ‘n’ roll. As with much of these art forms, the double entendre and subtle sexual overtones have withstood the test of time, a ready acknowledgment of the fundamental attraction and longevity of the songs.

The well-constructed production is comprised of a quartet of singers and a solid quintet of musicians serving up 26 vintage blues songs, some that you’ll recognize, some you hardly even heard of.

Held together by the most slender of plot lines, the singers deftly assay wonderful tunes by the likes of Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, Harold, Arlington, Johnny Mercer, Billy, Strayhorn and Billie Holiday. The songwriters have attained the vaunted position of essentially never falling from favor. The four singers find themselves in a cheap Chicago hotel in 1938. A few songs were actually first released after that date (the title song in a 1941 film of the same name), but no matter. The mood is consistent and effective.

“Blues in the Night” cast: Karole Foreman, Elijah Rock, Ciarra Stroud & Anise Ritchie (photo by Aaron Rumley)

Productions like this, especially when attended by successive generations, will keep these songs alive, despite a dearth of radio airplay.
Between those seen onstage and the rest of the production team, the degrees of separation to a broad swath of jazz icons are tiny. Ciarra Stroud evokes a twinge of Amy Winehouse in “Wasted Life Blues.” Karole Foreman excels in “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out.” Anise Ritchie was solid throughout. Elijah Rock had the commanding articulation of Joe Williams, and did a rather credible tap dance in the middle of “I’m Just a Lucky So-And-So.” All four harmonized brilliantly. Sheldon Epps conceived and originally directed the production. Perennial kudos to Marty Burnett, now well past 200 set designs.

This is a delightful musical evening, delivered by sterling performers. The show has been extended to February 14.

Tickets available here.

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Rock’s “I’m Just a Lucky So-and-So” radiates charisma and charm, a bright smile, and some snazzy tap footwork.

“Mighty sweet,” like “milk and honey”… Blues in the Night, under the direction of Yvette Freeman Hartley, opened to a standing ovation at the North Coast Repertory Theatre, where it runs through February 12.

Originally conceived and directed by Sheldon Epps, this musical revue, set in a 1930s Chicago hotel, features three women and a gentleman sharing their experiences about love. Told entirely through song, the Woman of the World (Karole Foreman), Lady from the Road (Anise Ritchie) and Girl with a Date (Ciarra Stroud) each lament through the blues how they have been wronged – perhaps, we think, by the Man in the Saloon (Elijah Rock).

The show is performed with a talented onstage jazz band featuring conductor/pianist Kevin Toney, bassist Roy Jenkins, percussionist Danny King, reed player Malcolm Jones, and trumpet player Thomas Alforque. The band caught my eye a few times; the pianist and percussionist in particular lay down an excellent groove and there’s rarely enough bass for me!

Popular tunes in the revue include those by Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Alberta Hunter, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, Ida Cox, Duke Ellington, and Billy Strayhorn, and there are some shining moments. Among them are the titular group number “Blues in the Night,” which kicks off the second act and features lush tone and timbre alongside solid harmonies, “Rough and Ready Man” featuring Foreman with sass, feistiness, and growl to align with the wailing muted trumpet, an irreverent and raunchy “Kitchen Man” by Ritchie, and Rock’s “I’m Just a Lucky So-and-So,” in which he radiates charisma and charm, a bright smile, and some snazzy tap footwork…

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