Alysha Umphress & Jeff Blumenkrantz to Celebrate Release of New Album at Birdland

By: Dec. 18, 2014
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Alysha Umphress, currently starring in the new Broadway revival of ON THE TOWN, and Tony Award-nominated composer and performer Jeff Blumenkrantz will celebrate their new album, I've Been Played: Alysha Umphress Swings Jeff Blumenkrantz with a concert at Birdland (315 W. 44th Street, New York, NY 10036) on January 5, 2015 at 7pm. Tickets are available now at www.birdlandjazz.com.

Umphress and Blumenkrantz will perform songs from their upcoming new album, including original songs by Blumenkrantz and original arrangements created specifically for Umphress of the standards "Spring Is Here/Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most", "I Don't Need Anything But You", and "You Are Never Away/ Ten Minutes Ago". They'll be joined by Tedd Firth on piano, Pete Donovan on bass, Ray Marchica on drums, Dan Willis on sax/flute and Peter Sachon on cello.

I've Been Played: Alysha Umphress Swings Jeff Blumenkrantz will be released on Yellow Sound Label on January 6, 2015, and features the vocals of Umphress and original jazz songs and arrangements by Blumenkrantz. Produced by Jeff Blumenkrantz and Michael Croiter, the album will be available via Amazon and iTunes beginning January 6, 2015. It is now available for pre-order at Amazon.com. The track listing is as follows:

1. TWO CENTS

2. WHY CAN'T I KISS YOU?

3. I DON'T NEED ANYTHING BUT YOU

4. I'VE BEEN PLAYED

5. MAYDAY! M'AIDER!

6. TIME DOES NOT BRING RELIEF

7. CELEBRATE

8. STEAL AWAY

9. SPRING IS HERE/SPRING CAN REALLY HANG YOU UP THE MOST

10. MAN IN THE MOON

11. YOU ARE NEVER AWAY/TEN MINUTES AGO

12. GIVING THANKS

13. BONUS TRACK: YOU SMELL SO GOOD

Alysha Umphress currently stars on Broadway as "red-hot mama with bebop gusto" (Ben Brantley, The New York Times) 'Hildy' in the acclaimed revival of On the Town. Her other Broadway credits include American Idiot, On a Clear Day..., Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and Bring It On. She recently appeared as 'Cee Cee Bloom in the world premiere of Beaches, the musical, at The Signature Theatre. Known in the Broadway community for her incredible vocals, this CD marks her debut solo studio recording.

Jeff Blumenkrantz received a Best Score Tony nomination for Urban Cowboy, the musical. His songs have been recorded by Audra McDonald, Sutton Foster, Rebecca Luker, Victoria Clark, Megan Mullally and more. As a performer, he most recently starred as "The Suspects" in the Off-Broadway hit musical, Murder for Two, for which he received a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical. His performing credits also include the Broadway productions of Into the Woods, Threepenny Opera, Damn Yankees, How to Succeed in Business..., and A Class Act, as well as the PBS-televised concerts of Candide and Sweeney Todd with The New York Philharmonic.

I've Been Played: Alysha Umphress Swings Jeff Blumenkrantz features Alysha Umphress and Jeff Blumenkrantz on vocals, Tedd Firth on piano, Pete Donovan on bass, Ray Marchica on drums, Dan Willis on tenor sax and flute, and Peter Sachon on cello.

I've Been Played: Alysha Umphress Swings Jeff Blumenkrantz was recorded at Yellow Sound Lab, NYC.



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