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JASON DANIELEY & THE FRONTIER HEROES

Live Performance
Birdland - New York City
February 23, 2009

Reviewed by Ligia Fernandez

When an established musical theatre artist decides to expand into another genre, the usual choice is often jazz, R&B or rock.

Jason Danieley, best known for his work in such musicals as THE FULL MONTY and CURTAINS, decided instead to honor his St. Louis, Missouri roots with an enchanting, Americana-infused CD, JASON DANIELEY & THE FRONTIER HEROES, officially launched during a one-night-only performance at New York City's legendary Birdland jazz club.

No one familiar with Danieley's work can dispute his artistry and serious vocal chops. But asking your core audience to step out of their comfort zones and follow you into unfamiliar territory is always risky. In this case, it's definitely worth the trip.

Beginning with the rousing "Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)," Danieley and his band, the aforementioned Frontier Heroes, offered a very eclectic evening of down-home versions from Broadway ("As Long As She Needs Me," "What Kind of Fool Am I"), Great American Songbook standards ("Ain't That A Kick In The Head," "All of Me") and traditional Americana (Stephen Foster's "Why, No One To Love?"), plus others including an original song by musical director Dan Lipton ("Honey").

What I particularly enjoyed about the reworking of these songs is that, while taken in a different direction, the integrity of the originals was not compromised. "As Long As He Needs Me" and "What Kind of Fool Am I" are still the same poignant ballads infused with just a touch of country pop. "Ain't That A Kick In The Head" and "All Of Me" lose not one ounce of their traditional toe-tapping goodness -- they were just sweetened with a heaping teaspoon of bluegrass.  Kudos to Dan Lipton for the gift of his brilliant arrangements.

About halfway through the Birdland show, Danieley was joined on-stage by his wife, Broadway star Marin Mazzie (RAGTIME, KISS ME KATE), for two rather lovely selections from a new song cycle by Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty (SEUSSICAL, RAGTIME, A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE). Miss Ahrens was sitting at one of the front tables, beaming like a proud mom during the entire performance.

The audience definitely left extremely satisfied, thanks in large part to Danieley himself, a jovial, handsome showman with a twinkle in his eye and an obvious passion for the music of his youth.  Last, but certainly not least, The Frontier Heroes (Dan Lipton, Christian Hebel, Damien Bassman, Mark Vanderpoel, Michael Aarons and Theresa McCarthy) provided the perfect blend of musicality and folksy charm.

If you're an Americana, country or Broadway purist -- this CD is probably not for you.  But if you're like me, a lover of pure, no-holds-barred entertainment, I strongly suggest adding JASON DANIELEY & THE FRONTIER HEROES to your music collection.

For audio/video clips and more about JASON DANIELEY AND THE FRONTIER HEROES, visit their official website, www.the frontierheroes.com. 20% of profits from the sale of the CD are donated to the Alzheimer's Association. Mr. Danieley's late grandmother, Reva Vickery, was afflicted with Alzheimer's and the CD is dedicated to her.
 

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