Composer Randy Edelman leads the deities of the musical pantheon in a fervent extravaganza at the sold out City Winery in Manhattan he performed his destiny’s tapestry in which every thread was guided by an unspeakable tender hand weaving together the darks and the lights of existence. The vibrant infinity of colors, the chaos of the symphonic textures went into each strand of an eternally complex orchestration.
The maestro shared the celebration of his illustrious career with song and story. A unique set list displayed his acclaimed string of pop hits beginning with “Don’t Forsake Me Now” and continued onward with songs including “A Weekend In New England” (recorded by Barry Manilow), “You” (recorded by The Carpenters), “The Laughter and the Tears” (recorded by Dionne Warwick), and “If Love is Real” (recorded by Olivia Newton-John). Randy also showcased his own remarkable “Top of the Pop” sensations, “Concrete and Clay”, and “Uptown Uptempo Woman” and featured his Billboard charting international post pandemic anthem “Comin’ Out the Other Side.”
A beautiful menagerie of his motion picture song scapes thrilled and touched the audience as he performed a melange of his comedic scores encompassing “My Cousin Vinny”, “Beethoven“, “While You We’re Sleeping”, and “Billy Madison”, followed by his serious historic playlist of “Last Of the Mohicans”, “Gettysburg“, “Dragon:The Bruce Lee Story”, “Dragonheart”, and an illuminating cascade of others emblematic to the nations cultural heritage.
Randy’s adoring fans know him intimately through his music which is more than likely the truest way to appreciate him. The romantic, gender-bending, musical, chameleon and visionary, (often lyrically ahead of the time), moves to create songs of universal truth that continue to touch people, societies and humanity in ways unfathomable.
Then all at once he began to play his new release “Pretty Girls” and the same crowd who moments before were consumed with twinkling tears and genuine emotion suddenly jumped from their seats in a frenzied elation fumbling for their phones, with amateur videos being recorded and huge elastic smiles on their faces. The sparkling lyrics and dazzling piano arrangement could very well prove to be the best country/pop release of the year.
When looking back at the canvas Randy Edelman has created you will find that the path he has traveled is clearly marked by the trail behind him, and the journey he is yet to forge….each footstep showing the way to his legacy and to his future. Standing beyond many of the greats like Aaron Copland, John Williams, Alan Menkin, and others, Randy continues to make his canvas out of stardust…..The future waits, the night has ended….
Photo credit: Robert Braunfeld, Billy Hess and Bee Claudia