Classic Musicals by Tommy Morgan & Gregg Nestor

Classic Musicals by Tommy Morgan & Gregg Nestor

Available on Apple Music/iTunes

• ANNIE: Iintroduction / It's A Hard Knock Life / You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile / N.Y.C / Hooverville / Tomorrow
• SWANEE
• I'LL BUILD A STAIRWAY TO PARADISE
• FINIAN'S RAINBOW: Introduction / Look To the Rainbow / How Are Things in Glocca Morra? / Look To the Rainbow (Reprise) / When I'm Not Near The Girl I Love / If This Isn't Love / Old Devil Moon / On That "Great-Come-And-Get-It" Day
• PORGY AND BESS: Introduction / Bess, You Is My Woman / Summertime / It Ain't Necessarily So
• THEY ALL LAUGHED
• SOUTH PACIFIC: Bali Ha'i / A Wonderful Guy / I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa my Hair / Bloody Mary / Some Enchanted Evening / There Is Nothin' Like a Dame
• THE LORELEI
• GERSHWINIANA: I Got Rhythm / Embraceable You / Of Thee I Sing / Bidin' My Time / Liza / Love Is Sweeping the Country
• SHIPOOPI
• OKLAHOMA: Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' / The Farmer and The Cowman / Pore Jud is Daid / Many a New Day / The Surrey With the Fringe on Top / Kansas City / People Will Say We're in Love / Oklahoma!
• SEND IN THE CLOWNS
• ANNIE GET YOUR GUN: Doin' What Comes Natur'lly / I Got The Sun in The Morning / Moonshine Lullaby / Who Do You Love, I Hope? / They Say It's Wonderful / There's No Business Like Showbusiness

It was said by esteemed musicologist Deems Taylor, that familiar staples of the concert repertoire should be placed under a five-year moratorium, during which time their existence would be conveniently forgotten, and then brought out of retirement to be enjoyed again.

How many times have you heard Gershwin, Rodgers, Willson, and Strouse? Why would you want yet another recording? Do you really need another Swanee (1919) in your collection? The answer is a resounding yes because the combination of Morgan on harmonica and Nestor on guitar performing the Classic Musicals is something that you’ve got to experience. Tommy you’ve heard before if you ever watched television as he performed on the theme for GREEN ACRES, ROCKFORD FILES, and SANFORD AND SON as well as the huge hit Good Vibrations from the Beach Boys. Tommy actually performed on the original Shipoopi back in 1957. Tommy Morgan and Gregg Nestor, with over one hundred years of performing experience, will introduce you to these classics in a way you’ll be you’re hearing for the very first time! While Deems Taylor was talking about Holst and his orchestral spectacular The Planets he certainly didn’t have this partnership in mind or any of the composers in this collection.

While Morgan and Nestor have collaborated on other single tracks before this is the first album they have done together. The bringing together of these two instruments which one would think mix about as well as oil and water proved to be a challenge that went deeper than one might think. This is a very unique partnership. This is cream in your coffee. Chocolate syrup on your ice cream. On the surface it could be classical cowboy music? I’ve never heard of that before, or you. What key would each instrument play in to make them blend together? How would the suites be put together so that there would be a natural flow between each number? How would the suites of songs be put together so that equal partnership was achieved with each other? This Gregg did, with Tommy editing and enhancing the harmonica parts. As you listen think of the harmonica in the piece as the vocal being sung and Nestor providing the background or orchestra. Forget the notion that harmonica music is all about westerns or music around a campfire. Think more along the lines of chamber music being performed. Substitute Rodgers and Gershwin for Mozart and Beethoven and you’ll get the idea of what this CD has to offer.

Thomas Kiefner