Chip Deffaa Releases 'Irvlng Berlin Revisted' Featuring Jeremy Greenbaum, Charlie Franklin, Giuseppe Bausilio, & More

The new album--Deffaa's 17th--is part of an ongoing "Irving Berlin Project" which Deffaa has been developing at New York's 13th Street Repertory Theater. The album is dedicated, with great appreciation, to Edith O'Hara--now in her 100th year--the longtime owner/artistic director of the theater, which is Deffaa's base in NYC. The album--with two-dozen members of New York's theatrical community singing 30 lost, forgotten, and largely "unknown" Berlin songs, may be purchased from CDBaby, Amazon, iTunes, Footlight Records, etc. (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/chipdeffaastheirvingberl).

In preparation for the project, ASCAP award-winning playwright/director Deffaa--perhaps the world's foremost authority on Berlin's music--has carefully examined every song Berlin is known to have written. Deffaa notes: "My goal is to eventually record, with terrific singing actors, all of the previously unrecorded Berlin songs. Berlin was extraordinarily prolific, creating nearly 1500 songs. And I've found some real gems among the lost and unknown songs. Berlin turned out so many songs, he was often competing with himself, and some very good songs inevitably fell through the cracks."

Some of Deffaa's favorite Broadway singers are working on the project. He notes: "On this album, for example, you'll hear Jeremy Greenbaum (from 'Newsies') make the premiere recording of a gorgeous Berlin ballad, 'I Wonder.' Jon Peterson ('Cabaret,' 'George M. Cohan Tonight!'') introduces 'When I'm Thinking of You.' Charlie Franklin (from 'The Book of Mormon' and 'Bridges of Madison County') sings 'Sweeter than Sugar is My Sweetie' as a solo number, and then teams with Kelsey McCabe to make the first-ever recording of 'Call Again.' George Franklin ('A Christmas Story') joins up with Katie Buddenhagen for 'I Like It.' Matthew Nardozzi (from 'Dracula' and 'Inherit the Wind'), who's often worked with me, teams with another of my favorite younger singers, Emily Bordonaro; they sing a totally unknown song--it took me years of searching to find a copy of the rare sheet music--called 'When I Discovered You.' And it's good fun. Michael Kasper brings the same impish charm he displayed in my show 'The Irving Berlin Ragtime Revue' to a little-known Berlin novelty written for Eddie Cantor, 'I'm the Guy that Guards the Harem.' Beth Bartley ('Fortune's Fool') and Michael Townsend Wright ('The Seven Little Foys') portray an elderly couple, nearing the end of their lives, on a mature, totally unknown Berlin ballad, 'Yesterday,' that will pierce hearts. Natalie Douglas--who's won every award a nightclub singer can win--is a force to contend with on 'I've Got to Have Some Lovin' Now.'"

Not all of the songs are completely unknown. Deffaa says: "For the sake of variety, we've included a few songs that were big hits in their day but are rarely heard these days. Rick Crom (from 'Urinetown' and 'Footloose') has great fun putting over 'They Were All Out of Step but Jim.' Tyler DuBoys, who's worked with me as both a choreographer and performer, teams with Nina Paganucci, to revive 'We Have Much to be Thankful For,' which was hailed as 'the ballad of the century' when Berlin wrote it a century ago, but has been forgotten. It's a sweet song, and I've picked singers with just the right spirits for it. And 19-year-old Giuseppe Bausilio (from 'Cats,' 'Billy Elliot,' and 'Aladdin')--who's got as much talents as anyone his age--croons 'Say it with Music'--which was once thought of as Berlin's theme song, and is well worth hearing again."

Irving Berlin (1888-1989) wrote more hit songs--and made more money--than any other writer in the Golden Age of American Popular Music. He created the scores for 18 Broadway shows and 19 Hollywood musicals. Deffaa notes: "I've collected Berlin sheet music and memorabilia for much of my life, and I keep finding some Berlin songs no one knows that are simply magical. When I came across 'When I'm Alone I'm Lonesome'--a very pretty early Berlin song that somehow fell by the wayside----I couldn't wait to get Emily Bordonaro--who has as fine a set of pipes as anyone I know under the age of 21--into the studio to record it. I'm very happy that the album opens with this particular 'unknown' song, sung by this particular artist-to-watch."

Championing up-and-coming artists has long been part of Deffaa's mission. And Deffaa is just as excited about some of the younger talent on the album as he is about the seasoned Broadway pro's. "Alec Deland and Gabriella Green are not just wonderful individually, they have an unusually good rapport together--I first spotted them, co-starring as teens in a show at Stagedoor Manor theater camp. They shine, playfully making the first-ever recording of 'Try it on Your Piano.' Jenn Spottz, a singing actress from Northwestern University with a superb voice, puts over 'Bird of Paradise' with panache. Young Jeffrey Sewell--who I first learned about from Broadway's Andrew Keenan-Bolger--introduces 'Innocent Bessie Brown'--and does it as well as it could be done. Jonah Barricklo, Katherine Paulsen, John Brady, Cody Jordan, Luka Fric, Amanda Andrews, Brianna Leigh Smail, Jack Saleeby--all of these rising artists have good moments in the spotlight on this new CD. I'd happily work again with any of them, any time."

Deffaa is particularly glad that the album is dedicated to centenarian Edith O'Hara, the founder, owner, and head of the 13th Street Repertory Theater. "She's a wonderful woman, who's long given me carte blanche to develop projects at her theater. We did the first productions of my shows 'Irving Berlin's America' and 'The Irving Berlin Ragtime Revue' at her theater; and we workshopped 'Irving Berlin: In Person' there. Many of the singers on the new album, 'Irving Berlin Revisited,' have worked with me on my Berlin projects, and other projects, at the theater. O'Hara loves this music. She was born 100 years ago, when Berlin was first making his mark as a songwriter. And her theater is an important incubator for new talent today. I owe her a lot, and am delighted to dedicate the album to her. She's getting the first copy!"

"Irving Berlin Revisited: Rare Songs of Love, Loss, and Revenge," is being released exclusively in the U.S. by CDBaby. It is one of three new albums by Deffaa that are being released this month. The others are "The Chip Deffaa Songbook," which was released the week before last. And the next CD, "Irving Berlin's America," co-starring Michael Townsend Wright and Matthew Nardozzi, will follow in a week. For more info, please visit: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/chipdeffaastheirvingberl.