September Songs: The Music of Kurt Weill (CD, Aug-1997, Sony Music Distribution (USA))

Album Features
Format:	CD
Release Year:	1997
Record Label:	Sony Music Distribution (USA)
Genre:	Hard Rock, Rock & Pop

Track Listing
1. Mack the Knife - Nick Cave
2. Ballad of the Soldier's Wife - PJ Harvey
3. Alabama Song - David Johansen/Ellen Shipley/Ralph Schuckett/Bob Dorough
4. Youkali Tango - Teresa Stratas
5. Lost in the Stars - Elvis Costello
6. Pirate Jenny - Lotte Lenya
7. Speak Low - Charlie Haden
8. Oh, Heavenly Salvation - The Persuasions
9. Lonely House - Betty Carter
10. Surabaya Johnny - Gerard Schwarz/Teresa Stratas
11. Fürchte Dich Nicht - Mary Margaret O'Hara
12. September Song
13. Mack the Knife - Bertolt Brecht
14. What Keeps Mankind Alive? - William S. Burroughs

Details
Playing Time:	69 min.
Producer:	Lou Reed, Elvis Costello, Hal Willner, Charlie Haden, Ralph Schuckett, Peter Thomas, Robert Hurwitz, Fred Hersch, Eric Salzman, Mary Margaret O'Hara, PJ Harvey, Fred Hersh, Michael Delanian, ZDF
Distributor:	Sony Music Distribution (
Recording Type:	Studio
Recording Mode:	Stereo
SPAR Code:	DDD

Album Notes
Original score composed by Larry Weinstein.Includes liner notes by Jim Bessman.Personnel: Kurt Weill (vocals, piano); Joe Macerollo (accordion); Fred Hersch (piano).Audio Mixers: Eric Liljestrand; Peter Thomas .Liner Note Author: Jim Bessman.Recording information: Bottleneck Club, Lawrence, Ka (12/??/1985-07/13/1994); Electric Lady Studios, New York, NY (12/??/1985-07/13/1994); Glenn Gould Studio, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (12/??/1985-07/13/1994); Magic Shop, New York, NY (12/??/1985-07/13/1994); Master Control, Burbank, CA (12/??/1985-07/13/1994); RCA Studio, New York, NY (12/??/1985-07/13/1994); Sorcerer Sound Studios, New York, NY (12/??/1985-07/13/1994); Wallace Street Studio, Toronto, Canada (12/??/1985-07/13/1994).Translators: Genevieve Haines; Frank Schramm.Arrangers: Spanish Fly; Lou Reed; Ralph Schuckett; Anthony Coleman ; The Persuasions; Betty Carter; Fred Hersch.The name Kurt Weill tends to conjure up images of dark, smoky cabarets in equally dark, smoky European cities. The connection is not undeserved. While this classically trained cantor's son embraced a myriad of musical forms throughout his career, it was in popular music and theater that he found his greatest success. Collaborations with contemporary playwrights, notably Bertold Brecht, added a dark perspective to his works, which began to incorporate thinly-veiled, slightly subversive social and political commentary.Tribute is paid to the man behind "The Threepenny Opera" in the performance film SEPTEMBER SONGS. Modern takes on his compositions, such as PJ Harvey's cold, brooding "Ballad Of The Soldier's Wife" and David Johansen's "Alabama Song" are coupled with those of veteran Weill interpreters Teresa Stratas and Lotte Lenya. Nick Cave's characteristically aggressive "Mack The Knife" contrasts with Brecht's version from 1930. Betty Carter's vocal acrobatics help make "Lonely House" even more heartbreaking, and Elvis Costello's "Lost In The Stars" is an intimate, passionate homage. Closing with William S. Burroughs's "What Keeps A Man Alive?," SEPTEMBER SONG gives new voice to one of this century's most vital and truly modern composers.

Editorial Reviews
The THREEPENNY OPERA composer is eclectically feted in this Hal Willner-supervised CD (not to be confused with his '85 Weill tribute, LOST IN THE STARS)... - Rating: B+
Entertainment Weekly (19970912)