INTERVIEW: On new album, Jeff Harnar shares his love for Cy Coleman
Photo: Jeff Harnar’s new album celebrates the musical legacy of Cy Coleman. Photo courtesy of the artist / Provided by Fortune Creative with permission.
Vocalist Jeff Harnar — a cabaret, concert and recording artist — will release his new album, A Collective Cy: Jeff Harnar Sings Cy Coleman, on Friday, Sept. 8. On the recording, listeners can expect many of Coleman’s classic compositions come to life with a full orchestra and Harnar’s skilled crooning. This is the latest project in Harnar’s ongoing exploration of influential American composers; his last recording centered on the career of Stephen Sondheim.
To celebrate the release of the new album, Harnar will take to the road for a short tour over the next couple weeks. He’ll visit Carmel, Indiana, in a few days, followed by engagements in St. Louis, Chicago and London. He then graces the stage of the legendary Birdland Jazz Club in New York City in the beginning of October.
At these concerts, which are directed by Sara Louise Lazarus, fans can expect to hear everything from “You Fascinate Me So” to “I’ve Got Your Number” to “Witchcraft.” Coleman was a man of many talents, and his influence was felt in the worlds of pop music, musical theater and jazz. He was the creative force behind Sweet Charity, Seesaw and City of Angels, according to press notes, and this plethora of material has left Harnar with many songs to select from.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Harnar about his new recording, which features collaborations with the likes of Ann Hampton Callaway, Liz Callaway, Nicolas King and Danny Bacher, among others. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What do you love about Cy Coleman as a composer?
There were definitely two Cys: the Broadway composer and the pop songwriter of stand-alone standards. With Cy’s theater music, he had a remarkable gift to disappear into the needs of a particular score, making himself a musical chameleon. He wrote jazz for City of Angels, R&B for The Life and comic operetta for On the Twentieth Century and so on. Cy is one composer who’s very difficult to pin down. You know when you’re hearing Sondheim. You know when you’re hearing Jerry Herman. Cy’s Broadway musical personality was always in service to the piece, and those pieces have stood the test of time. As a pop songwriter, he paired with brilliant lyricists, such as Carolyn Leigh, whose timeless lyrics kept the songs perpetually relevant.
Why was it important to have guest artists on the album? What were the collaborations like?
We wanted to make the album different from the show so that each would have their own surprises. Having Danny Bacher and Nicolas King, two jazz virtuosos, on the album was the most exciting way I could imagine to bring my lifelong obsession with “Rhythm of Life” to life on the album. And capturing the joy I’ve had singing “A Doodlin’ Song” onstage with Jay Leonhart and Alex Rybeck was an “essential” on my list for the album. I’m thrilled to finally have the opportunity to record with Sean Harkness and wanted that moment to be especially intimate. The choice of “It Amazes Me,” which isn’t in the show, was my very first choice. The duets with Liz Callaway (“Our Private World”) and Ann Hampton Callaway (“I’ve Got Your Number”) are profoundly meaningful to me. We three were high school friends, performing in the musicals together back in the 1970s. That these two now-Tony-Award-nominated stars made these musical reunions happen for me and came to the studio on the very same day is a memory I will cherish.
Were you trying to put your own spin on these iconic compositions or stay faithful to the originals?
[Musical director] Alex [Rybeck] and I absolutely set out to make these songs our own. Whether for the show or the album, for me the lyrics came first. I need to feel like I’m a believable narrator for the words I’m singing. Every lyric has a personal resonance to me. I share with Alex my point of view on each lyric, and from that he’s able to create very personalized settings and musical textures. It’s the fundamental joy of the process of building the arrangements. I’m quite blessed to have worked with Alex 40 years. He can almost intuit how a particular song might sound coming from my heart; he knows me so well. One “spin” that was important for me was my decision to sing the correct pronouns on this album. This may be one of the first “openly gay“ recordings of “It Amazes Me” because of that.
What’s the live version of A Collective Cy like? What can fans look forward to?
Cy once said he was “addicted to show business,” and the live show of A Collective Cy includes several numbers specifically there to add humor and, or as Cy would say, “schtick.” It is our collective wish to conjure for the audience, in the words of Dorothy Fields from Sweet Charity … “fun, laughs, good times.”
When did you first fall in love with the Great American Songbook?
I’ve loved music always; it’s a tether to a blissful place in my heart. Though my first cast album crushes as a child were Finian’s Rainbow and How to Succeed in Business…, my parents gave me the cast album of Sweet Charity next, at the age of 7, and I was hooked. I’ve always been drawn to story songs, which in turn lead me away from the pop music of my youth to what we call the Great American Songbook, my love of Cole Porter, Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Sammy Cahn, Noël Coward, and, of course, Cy Coleman.
What’s the future hold for you — for the rest of 2023 and beyond?
The future?! I aspire to live in the pinpoint center of now, so I am reveling in this sweet spot I am in with the new album and engagements celebrating its release. Here’s one offbeat bright light on the horizon: A short film documentary is being filmed right now about my love affair with New York City, with a special spotlight on my passion for feeding the turtles in Central Park! How random is that?! I certainly look forward to seeing that! Beyond that, I hope to have the gift of continuing to do what I love, with people I love.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Jeff Harnar’s new album is called A Collective Cy: Jeff Harnar Sings Cy Coleman. To celebrate the release he’ll be on tour over the next few weeks, including an Oct. 2 concert at the Birdland Jazz Club in New York City. Click here for more information and tickets.
