Review: Judy Collins Lifts Spirits With WINTER STORIES at Town Hall by Guest Reviewers Ellen Bonjorno and Georga Osborne

This holiday season we at Broadway World Cabaret have invited artists from the club and concert community to join us in reporting on the happenings around town. Artists with a particular focus in their own work will be joining us to give our readers their take on shows for which they have a special interest. Their one and only instruction from our editorial desk was: "This is not a critique, it is a review - go and enjoy the show and report back on what you saw." The resulting stories are planned as an in-depth, fun, and relatable look into the various corridors of the club and concert art form, from the people who, daily, walk those corridors. We hope you enjoy these special articles and we wish you the happiest of holidays. For the Judy Collins WINTER STORIES concert, I asked married couple and experts on women singing and women singers Georga Osborne and Ellen Bonjorno to do a counterpoint review, with each spouse contributing to the same review without consultation, to see where their minds merged. It proved an interesting experiment - enjoy! --Stephen Mosher, Editor, Broadway World Cabaret

Judy Collins Lifts Spirits with Winter Stories (by Georga Osborne and Ellen Bonjorno)

GO: We had the honor to attend as Broadway World guest reviewers for the performance of "Judy Collins: Winter Stories with Special Guests Chatham County Line and Toshi Reagon" at The Town Hall on Friday evening, December 17, 2021. To be able to say that one has seen Judy Collins perform live is a gift.

The band took the stage and through the speakers, we heard the recognizable clarion voice singing a cappella, "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and then she made her entrance, dressed in a black sequined tunic over black glittering leggings and knee-high boots, her silvery tresses gracefully touching the rhinestone strap over her shoulder that was holding her guitar. She made her way to the center-stage microphone and acknowledged the applause and, after a quip that singing was the "2nd oldest profession in the world," she and the band broke into their opening number by Stan Rogers, "Northwest Passage," the first track on the CD "Winter Stories."

EB: The 4 members of Chatham County Line, plus Ms. Collin's longtime musical director, Russell Walden, took the stage at the top of the show, and then we were all treated to the sweet sound of Judy Collins' voice singing "I'll Be Home For Christmas," after which she appeared from stage right, wearing an acoustic guitar with silver sequined strap, a sparkly black top, black tights, and knee-high black leather boots, looking for all the world several decades younger than her 82 years.

Ms. Collins's voice is still as pure and shimmering as ever. She was backed up by Chatham County Line (CCL), who had backed Jonas Fjeld and her on the "Winter Stories" album (available on vinyl, disc, and digitally). Chatham County Line bluegrass group is made up of Dave Wilson (Guitarist and Vocalist), John Teer (Mandolin/Fiddle), and Greg Readling (Bass) with Dan Hall (Drummer) and they are all very fine musicians - virtuosic, in fact, but more on that later! CCL has been on the North Carolina music scene for two decades, starting out as an all-acoustic-instrumentation band, and only recently embracing the use of drums and electronic instruments. Their harmonies were tight and varied, providing backup for the star's clear soprano. Later, she, in turn, provided backup vocals when CCL took the spotlight.

After greeting the audience warmly, Ms. Collins gave a brief history of her past collaboration with the Raleigh, NC-based Chatham County Line, with whom she recorded the 2019 hit album "Winter Stories". The evening included several songs from that album, including "Northwest Passage", written by Canadian singer/songwriter Stan Rogers.

Shortly after the show began, Collins introduced her special guest, Toshi Reagon, a near-legend in her own right as a multi-talented and versatile singer, composer, and musician who was nevertheless likely unknown to most of the audience! Reagon has an extensive career, she might be more recognized by collaborations with her mother, Bernice Johnson Reagon, one of the founding members of Sweet Honey in the Rock, the all-women, African-American a cappella ensemble. In keeping with the tradition of her mother's group, Ms. Reagon was joined on stage by three women, Juliette Jones (Violinist), Riza Printup (Harpist), and Shirazette Tinnin (Percussionist) who provided an unusual, intriguing and beautiful accompaniment to Ms. Reagon's vocals and guitar. She opened with "Freedom," then sang one of Bernice Johnson Reagon's songs, "Be Still." She taught the audience the chorus of the next number, "There and Back Again" which we absolutely butchered, but our efforts were commendable!

Following this opening song, Ms. Collins told the audience, "You are about to have a wonderful experience...in addition to the one you've just had!", and she introduced singer/songwriter Toshi Reagon, as "rare, unique, and 'out of heaven.'" As Judy and the band retied offstage, Toshi entered with her accompanists Juliette Jones on violin, Riza Printup on harp, and Shirazette Tinnin on percussion. Reagon opened her set with "Freedom", her strong, clear voice singing,

"I say freedom, you must hang out amongst the stars
It's kinda hard for you in a world like ours
We talk about you night and day
Thinking that we'll find a way...who's gonna stand up with you? I, I, I, I will."

Reagon is the daughter of activist/singer/songwriter Bernice Johnson Reagon, who founded the acapella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock. She is the recipient of the 2021 Herb Alpert Award in the Arts, which is "an unrestricted prize of $75,000 given annually to risk-taking mid-career artists in the fields of dance, film/video, music, theater, and visual arts."

This reporter had never before experienced an "opening act" taking the stage shortly after the headliner completed their first number of the evening, but this arrangement worked well, especially as Collins is clearly a fan of Toshi Reagon's music and social justice message, and conveyed her admiration to the audience, most of whom were likely unfamiliar with Reagon's splendid work, but who responded with sustained and appreciative applause.

Judy Collins returned to the stage and spoke about the venerable Town Hall, which is in its Centennial Year, having been started by a group of suffragists. Judy Collins has been a voice of social activism herself. After that, Ms. Collins introduced Chatham County Line for their set which closed out Act I.

As the band returned to the stage, Ms. Collins remarked about her history of performing at The Town Hall, which celebrated its Centennial in 2021, and was, as she mentioned, "built by suffragettes" as a meeting place to educate people about political ideas.

While their intricate harmonies and musicianship delighted my ear, I must admit that I could barely understand their lyrics. Not having been provided a song list, I am guessing at the song titles, the first having been introduced as "Queen Anne's Gold." The highlight of their set for me was the finale, with John Teer taking the center spot while the rest of the band left the stage and allowed him to shine, improvising quite superlatively on the fiddle while he brought in elements of classical, jazz, and country music, as well as a bit of "Little Drummer Boy."

Indeed, guitarist Dave Wilson of Chatham County Line introduced a self-described "protest song" he wrote in 2020 when, he said, "It seemed like the whole world was on fire". The song, entitled "Peace Officer", includes the words "there's a power in words you won't find in a gun". Refreshing words from a group of musicians based in the American South.

The second half was Judy Collins singing some of her hits, opening the act with "Both Sides Now," followed by a story about riding in the very same train car in which Steve Goodman had written "City of New Orleans" which was the next number sung. The group sang the title song of the show, "Winter Stories," with Dave Wilson taking the place of Jonas Fjeld, the Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist with whom Ms. Collins had collaborated on the album. (From what I could gather from her patter, I think it may have been intended for Mr. Fjeld to have joined them for the concert but given the state of the Coronavirus and spread of the Omicron variant, he was unable to attend.)

The Town Hall has implemented strict Covid-19 protocols, with staff holding up large signs at the top of the evening to remind audience members that masks must remain properly in place throughout the evening unless actively eating or drinking, and with staff keeping a watchful eye out for the non-compliant.

Judy Collins has a new album that drops on February 25, 2022, and she sang a new song from that album called "Will You Take Me to the Mountains" - her breath control was amazing.

The band left the stage and Ms. Collins with musical director Russell Waldon, who had provided beautiful piano accompaniment and subtle back-up vocals all evening (and who is responsible for all of Ms. Collins's arrangements). Something I had been waiting for all evening was the next number, her exquisite version of "Send in the Clowns." I was reminded again and again throughout the evening of her exquisite tone and vocal range. All this at the sparkling young age of 82! (#goals)

Chatham County Line returned to the stage, and all sang together on "When I'm Gone," with Ms. Collins providing backup, before leaving once more so that Ms. Collins could very adeptly sing Joni Mitchell's "River," with Russell Waldon providing the beautiful piano accompaniment. He then left Ms. Collins alone on the stage and she sat down at the piano and accompanied herself on "The Blizzard."

CCL returned once again and the show closed with Jimmy Webb's "The Highwayman."
But of course, there was an encore! The elegant star brought back Toshi Reagon and her band to join everyone already onstage and noted that Ms. Reagon, who had changed clothes, was now wearing a T-shirt that read: A radical imagination sets us free. Appropriate for the times, no?

After a story about how John Newton, a former slave ship captain turned abolitionist who wrote hymns and who came to write the beloved "Amazing Grace," Judy Collins once again soloed on the first verse, passing the second verse to Toshi Reagon, then back to Ms. Collins and the band harmonizing on the third. The audience was invited to join on the 4th verse, Ms. Reagon took the 5th verse, and everybody in the house sang together on the last verse, with Judy Collins's silvery voice rising in descant above us all.

Where it belongs, and where it has always been.

Find great shows to see at Town Hall by visiting their website HERE.

HERE is the Judy Collins website.

Ellen Bonjorno has been a music and theater fan since childhood, which has led her into a varied career path that has included working behind the scenes in professional theater, success as a concert producer, and fun as a party and radio DJ. Ellen's music program, Sing it, Sister!, can be heard every Saturday at 2 pm on station KPTZ, 91.9 FM in Port Townsend, Washington.

Georga Osborne is a Bistro Award and 2-time MAC Award recipient for Outstanding Musical Comedy Performer. She has appeared on Broadway and in all the major venues in New York City as well as in many of the great theaters across the country in National Tours of My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music. She has performed her solo cabarets at venues in New York City, London, Chicago, and Palm Springs to name a few.

All photos of the Judy Collins WINTER STORIES show are by Sachyn Mital

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