The Sidewalks Of New York: Tin Pan Alley [Cast Recording]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The lineup here might make you think this was a night of improv; Dave Douglas, Don Byron, Uri Caine, and Mark Feldman are all better known for their experimental jazz forays than for performing standards. But on The Sidewalks of New York, these top downtown NYC players and a handful of crackerjack vocalists cover the tunes that made Tin Pan Alley famous. It's a trip, literally--right back to the turn of the 20th century. From Irving Berlin's "Cohen Owes Me Ninety Seven Dollars" to Bert Williams's "Nobody," these are (mostly) forgotten gems, played as traditionally as possible, but with a ton of energy and sonic cues--the found sounds of a horse carriage on cobblestones, the applause of the audience, and even the chugging of a train--that'll have you wondering what decade this was recorded in. The highlight? A couple of rousing versions of Shelton Brooks's bluesy "Some of These Days" performed by Barbara Walker, first as an extended "rehearsal" then with a full band and crowd. As on the rest of this "audio film," you feel like one very lucky fly on the wall of a studio in which a great session is taking place. As with the majority of the discs on German label Winter & Winter, the packaging and sonics are awesome. You can practically close your eyes and you're there--the only thing missing is the smell of cheap perfume. --Jason Verlinde

Tracks:

Overture: The Sidewalks Of New York/I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now? - Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Mark Feldman/James Genus...
Too Much Mustard - Ralph Alessi/Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Mark Feldman...
Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly? - Nancy Opel/Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Mark Feldman/James Genus...
Life's A Very Funny Proposition After All - Stuart Zagnit/Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Dave Douglas...
Sidewalk Story: Daisy Bell/My Wild Irish Rose/Sugar Cane Rag/Heliotrope Boquet/My Gal Sal - Brian D'Arcy Jones/Ralph Alessi/Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis...
Charleston Rag - Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Mark Feldman/James Genus...
Take Me Out To The Ball Game - Saul Galperin/Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Mark Feldman...
Everybody's Doin' It - Nancy Opel/Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Mark Feldman/James Genus...
How'd You Like To Spoon With Me? - The Romantchicks/Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Mark Feldman...
Cohen Owes Me Ninety Seven Dollars - Stuart Zagnit/Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Mark Feldman...
By The Light Of The Silvery Moon - Nancy Opel/Ralph Alessi/Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis...
Nobody - Sadiq Bey/Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Dave Douglas...
Waiting For The Robert E. Lee - Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Mark Feldman/James Genus...
Interlude: The Sidewalks Of New York - Fay Galperin/Saul Galperin/Ralph Alessi/Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis...
By The Beautiful Sea - Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Mark Feldman/James Genus...
In The Good Old Summertime - Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Mark Feldman/James Genus...
Some Of These Days - The Rehearsal - Barbara Walker/Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Mark Feldman...
Some Of These Days - The Show - Barbara Walker/Ralph Alessi/Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis...
Castle Walk - Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Mark Feldman/James Genus...
They Didn't Believe Me - Nancy Anderson/Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Mark Feldman...
Memphis Blues - Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Mark Feldman/James Genus...
After The Ball - Nancy Anderson/Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Dave Douglas...
You're A Grand Old Flag - Ralph Alessi/Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Mark Feldman...
The Bowery - Nancy Anderson/Sadiq Bey/Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis...
When I Leave The World Behind - Renae Morway-Baker/Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Mark Feldman...
Finale: The Sidewalks Of New York - Philip Hernandez/Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Mark Feldman...
Coda: In The Good Old Summertime - Don Byron/Uri Caine/Dominic Cortese/Eddy Davis/Bob DeBellis/Mark Feldman/James Genus...

Amazon.com

The lineup here might make you think this was a night of improv; Dave Douglas, Don Byron, Uri Caine, and Mark Feldman are all better known for their experimental jazz forays than for performing standards. But on The Sidewalks of New York, these top downtown NYC players and a handful of crackerjack vocalists cover the tunes that made Tin Pan Alley famous. It's a trip, literally--right back to the turn of the 20th century. From Irving Berlin's "Cohen Owes Me Ninety Seven Dollars" to Bert Williams's "Nobody," these are (mostly) forgotten gems, played as traditionally as possible, but with a ton of energy and sonic cues--the found sounds of a horse carriage on cobblestones, the applause of the audience, and even the chugging of a train--that'll have you wondering what decade this was recorded in. The highlight? A couple of rousing versions of Shelton Brooks's bluesy "Some of These Days" performed by Barbara Walker, first as an extended "rehearsal" then with a full band and crowd. As on the rest of this "audio film," you feel like one very lucky fly on the wall of a studio in which a great session is taking place. As with the majority of the discs on German label Winter & Winter, the packaging and sonics are awesome. You can practically close your eyes and you're there--the only thing missing is the smell of cheap perfume. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

Sing Along With Mitch Miller revisited.......2002-02-01

This is an effort to recreate the popular music of 1900-1910 just as it was sung and performed back then. The vocalists sing in a mannered style which must be meant to copy how performers sang around 1900. The musicians include Don Byron and other contemporary jazz artists but there is no contemporary jazz playing here. For what this CD is, it is no doubt successful. It reminds me of my parents' "Sing Along With Mitch" albums by Mitch Miller, in which these songs were also performed in an old time style.

A Great Walk Down Tin Pan Alley.......2001-12-28

This is a delightful set of recordings against the effective tapestry of ambient tavern noises; applause, low lever chatter, the clinking of glasses, and importantly: laughter. All of these noises enhance this recording. There is a wide selection of music; early Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Geo. M. Cohan, Eubie Blake among other songs common to our inherited musical heritage from grandparents, or older! It is enriched with mixure of both vocal and instrumental numbers. I recommend for listeners who enjoy popular turn of the century music; those with an interest in the spirit of John Sloan and Robert Henri's Ash Can New York will find the CD engaging, warm with laughter and easy to listen to. It is artfully packaged with photographs from the period and only misses with no informative text about the history of the songs or their writers. Forgive this oversight though! It is a must for listeners who love to sing and may be wistful to hear the noises of 100 years ago.

What a disappointment.......2001-11-03

Great songs and perhaps great performances, but one cannot tell beacause of the background talk and other noise that goes on constantly during the music. I suppose the producers thought this added "atmosphere" to the recordings; it spoils them. A waste of time and money on otherwise great early century tunes.

Sweet and wonderful.......2001-08-15

A truly warm record. Not just a great collection of wonderful, charming songs from the beginning of Tin Pan Alley [this material goes back to the turn of the 20th century], but a conscious effort to place them in the context of nostalgia and memory. There are non-musical audio portions of the CD that place one firmly in the firmament of Manhattan, and a lot of the music is either peformed in front of a boisterous tavern audience or made to sound that way. It's a modern trick that doesn't always work - the quality of the crowd is definitely turn of the 21st century on occassion! - but it does add a rich context to the music and the listening experience. It's not jazz, but it's jazzy and great for anyone who loves good American song-writing.

Amusing Nostalgia.......1999-12-18

This recording presents distinguished songs from 1892-1915, by a group of stellar jazz musicians. One third of the music is instrumental, with the rest sung by a variety of capable vocalists. If you enjoyed Butch Thompson's Joplin tribute, you might like this.

Music:

Music

Music