From the "beatnik riots" to the summer of love, NYC’s Greenwich Village was the epicenter of a revolutionary movement in the history of American music. A new wave of writers and performers, inspired by the folk revival of the late fifties, created introspective, socially-aware, deeply personal songs that deserve to be considered as a key part of the American Songbook alongside the pop songs being written uptown. These writers – Bob Dylan, Tim Hardin, Janis Ian, Fred Neil and Phil Ochs, to name just a few – changed the “folk” repertoire from traditional songs to songs sprung from personal, contemporary experience, as well as from the headlines. This freewheeling concert, hosted by Richard Barone, who pays tribute to that exciting era on his recent album ‘Sorrows and Promises’, celebrates the lasting legacy of that pivotal decade along with an eclectic roster of friends and special guests performing songs that still resonate just as strongly today.
Richard Barone is an acclaimed recording artist, performer, producer, and author. Since pioneering the indie rock scene in Hoboken, NJ as frontman for The Bongos and then helping to launch the chamber pop movement with his solo debut “cool blue halo”, Barone has produced countless studio recordings and worked with artists in every musical genre. Collaborators have included Tony Visconti, Beach Boy Al Jardine, Sean Lennon, Dion, John Sebastian, Alejandro Escovedo, Donovan, Moby, the late Lou Reed, and American folk icon Pete Seeger. He has scored shows and staged all-star concert events at such venues as Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and New York’s Central Park - where he presented “MUSIC + REVOLUTION” this summer. His memoir Frontman: Surviving The Rock Star Myth was published by Hal Leonard Books. His latest album, “Sorrows & Promises”, is a celebration of the early 1960s music scene in Greenwich Village NYC, where Barone lives. He is affiliated with the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University and currently teaches “MUSIC + REVOLUTION” at The New School University of Jazz & Contemporary Music. He serves on the Board of Governors of The Recording Academy (GRAMMYs), and on the Board of Advisors of Anthology Film Archives.
Special guest Mary Lee Kortes opens the evening with songs and readings from her recent book DREAMING OF DYLAN. Her book will be available for purchase at the show.
"Richard Barone is one of the great forces of New York City!" - Songwriter Eric Andersen
"Richard Barone has recreated the feeling of that Village better than anyone else..." -Marc Myers; JazzWax, The Wall Street Journal
"ESSENTIAL LISTENING!” - Popdose.com
“A haunting aural excursion through Greenwich Village's most exquisite songs." - New York Observer