For a more accurate
representation of these performances' sound & instrumentation
as heard over a full sound system, listen to the audio samples with
a headset.
Who says accessible music can't be
intelligent? We're not talking Philip Glass or Aaron Copeland
here. Nor even Charles Ives.
Wendy Boulding and Adam Levin
share a background of classical piano training and pop music listening.
Wendy from the world of American soul and jazz, Adam from the less
straightforward world of European ("progressive") art rock, or jazz- and
classical-rock fusion, and the "psychedelic" movement that ushered it
in.
What happens when you combine
the two? Musical adventure or chaos? Passion or cerebralism? Or
just indigestion? Well, you get original songwriting
collaborations like "So Alive" and "Say It". Remakes of Beatles
and Peter Gabriel songs. Along with other songs and diverse
instrumentation Wendy and Adam are presenting. You even get
obscure, unlikely covers like "Hoping Love Will Last" -- a
heart-rendering "belter" that can't decide whether it's pop or "prog".
Can't it be both?
And who says a band
needs more than two people? In this age of workstations and
state-of-the-art sound production, keyboardists Wendy Boulding and Adam
Levin create a full group sound with double keyboards and vocals.
No instrumentation is spared in their live execution of Wendy’s R&B and
Adam’s jazz-rock originals, or their impeccably faithful re-creation of
ambitious, rarely covered pop songs. Close your eyes and it’s all
there… basses, drums, percussion, strings, brass, reeds, even guitars –
along with pianos, organs and synthesizers. As is, of course,
Wendy’s soulful, virtuosic lead singing and embellishments and Adam’s
pristine, supportive vocals and harmonies. And, to boot, Wendy’s
natural showmanship, chemistry and communication with an audience,
during and between songs, shines through – often with spontaneous,
hilarious results. In short, a fun time is had by all, audience
and performers alike. In this comfortable, intimate setting, the
bond between audience and artists is especially present – and evident in
the audience’s enthusiasm and interaction with the performers.
Wendy and Adam’s new, live repertoire is more accessible, soulful and
groove-based (not to mention fully produced) than ever before.
They kick it off with I Stare Into The Face of Beauty, Wendy’s
funky ode to newfound love, combining her powerful vocal with her jazz
piano playing. Keeping up that energy level, they launch into
Maroon 5’s soulful Sunday Morning, a recent hit with shades of
Stevie Wonder (and written, coincidentally, by Adam Levine!)
That’s followed by the similarly spirited Hello It’s Me, Todd
Rundgren’s classic pop hit, complete with rich vocal harmonies and
embellishments.
The barometer drops several notches with Under Your Spell
(Elizabeth’s Dream), Wendy’s melodic and lush romantic ballad about
the unrequited love of – of all people – Queen Elizabeth I. This
open song plays like an open letter. Continuing on that lyrical
theme (minus the Queen), Wendy and Adam present their collaborative jazz
ballad Say It. Not one to disappoint, Wendy follows up her
heart-rendering vocal in this song with yet another tasty,
improvisational piano solo.
From romance to rat race (or the sublime to the ridiculous), they
offer up the Beatles’ Lady Madonna with jangling, Fats
Waller-style piano and a full horn section (speaking of fat). As
if to find relief, it’s followed by the lush and tender Hoping Love
Will Last, a wistful ballad written, surprisingly, by Genesis
alumnus Steve Hackett (note its guitar) for soul singer Randy Crawford.
Yet, it could almost pass as an Adam Levin song written as a vocal
showcase for Wendy Boulding, who transforms it and truly makes it her
own. (As one observer wryly noted, "Steve Hackett and Randy
Crawford's collaboration on 'Hoping Love Will Last' is where Adam and
Wendy's musical backgrounds merge.")
What would you do if someone was spreading baseless rumors about you?
Well, if you were Adam Levin, you'd write about it in the catchiest pop
song of your life. And if you were Wendy Boulding, you'd talk him
into performing it with you and dispell those rumors in the process.
The result? A Place In My Heart (If You Don't Know By Now).
Sometimes reality wins out over imagination. Even in songs.
And bringing us a different slice of reality, and closing the set, is
So Alive, Wendy and Adam's powerful, first songwriting collaboration
inspired by the New York City Marathon, alive with Latin percussion and
more improvisational piano soloing by Wendy.
Set two opens with Wendy's upbeat Midtown
Meditation, a picturesque portrayal of Wednesday in Manhattan.
Adam's wailing organ solo improv helps capture the frenetic, funky city
landscape described in the song. That's followed by the equally
festive On the 4th of July, a recent James Taylor song (which
explains the presence, once again, of acoustic guitar!)
The song has a distinct flavor of Brazilian jazz. That jazz
element might explain why Wendy and Adam chose that particular song. From the poetic romance of 4th of July
to its darker, flip side, Wendy and Adam present the romantically
cautious Don’t Want To Be Wrong Again, a jazz-rock romp written
by Adam with Canadian writer Anne Ptasznik, with a hint of Anita Baker
and Burt Bacharach and more rich vocal harmonies. That’s followed
by another “wishing” song, Imagine. Here, John Lennon’s
peace anthem gets the full, Wendy Boulding treatment (by way of Randy
Crawford), rendering it one of Wendy’s most passionate performances in
the show (or ever!)
Getting away from that glossy idealism, they
follow it with the bitter realism of Ivory Tower, Adam’s
percussive, swinging jazz shuffle reminiscent of Steely Dan, and a
cluster-vocal showcase. In further contrast, Wendy takes on
singers Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush in Gabriel’s classic Don’t Give
Up, a melancholy but encouraging portrayal of family survival in the
face of unemployment and homelessness. During it, Adam stands in
for his “cousin” Tony Levin on roving bass (as well as pad synthesizer),
and Wendy rises to the occasion by delivering a powerful gospel-style
performance on both piano and lead vocal.
Reflecting a happier time and place, Wendy and
Adam next perform the novelty item of the show, Penny Lane, from
the Beatles’ ambitious “Sgt. Pepper” period. In the tradition of
Beatles tribute (impersonation) bands like Fab Faux and Strawberry
Fields, Wendy and Adam pull out their keyboard chops and deliver a fun
and impeccably faithful representation of the song’s originally recorded
instrumentation and arrangement, right down to the piccolo trumpet solo
(ala Wendy.)
Getting back to Planet Boulding-Levin, Wendy
takes the vocal reigns once more with Feeling What I Feel, the
perennial R&B pop ballad written by Adam with Peter Stoller, now
enhanced with full, live production. From vintage to “virgin”
material, Wendy and Adam get political again with the new, poignant Land
of the Free. It’s Adam’s poetic answer to Imagine – as well
as a veiled, post-election lament and rallying cry that’s ultimately
hopeful, even optimistic. However stirring or eloquent the song
might be, Wendy’s yearning vocal embellishments really say it all.
Bringing us full circle and back home, the set
closes with Wendy’s song Feathers Everywhere, an affirming,
spiritual tale – and with a surprise ending that is as tongue-in-cheek
as the music is “aurally delicious”, as one listener described it.
Does it get any better?
Well, maybe. As a “bonus”, Wendy and Adam
indulge the house in a game of “Stump the Band”, spontaneously
breaking into audience-requested songs, including ones that neither of
them have ever performed (but, hopefully, have heard). This weekly
ritual confirms the impression that there isn’t a song that Wendy hasn't
heard or is unwilling to sing or play (and even dance to) at least once.
And sometimes the audience even joins in. Why was ear training
never this much fun back at the conservatory?
And in case anyone doesn't want to leave, Wendy occasionally winds the
audience down by gracing them with some of her earlier originals like
Sparkles,
Mr. Capricorn Moon, I Wished for Snow, or
Don't Make My Heart Afraid to Dream. We'll try not
to. There's even the "obligatory" Coffee Boy, a
tongue-in-cheek portrayal of coffee-making at coffeehouses. If we
can't hear it there, where can we?
So come and decide for yourself
whether accessible music can be intelligent. And whether intelligent
music can be passionate. Or just get coffee. Where's Leonard Bernstein
when we need him?
-- Rob Myman
Past
original works performed
Title
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
Performer(s)
A Different Page
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Ellen Weiss & Adam Levin
Nicole Charbani & Adam Levin
A Place in my Heart
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin & Wendy Boulding
All By Myself (with You)
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Michael Scranton & Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin, Annette U-Bet & Caitlin Franklin
Adam Levin & Caitlin Franklin
All Caught Up in Nothing
Adam Levin
Anne Ptasznik & Adam Levin
Adam Levin & Valerie Gomes
Adam Levin, Valerie Gomes, David Brooks & Don Turner
Adam Levin, Valerie Gomes, Ellen Weiss & Marc Landesberg
Adam Levin, Ellen Weiss, Marc Landesberg & Jay Mark
As Sunlight Turned to Dusk
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
As Young as I’m Old (instrumental)
Adam Levin
-
Adam Levin
Awakening:
I. Awakening
II. On the Run
III. Destined
Adam Levin & Peter Stoller
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
Michael Scranton & Adam Levin
Beyond and Back
Adam Levin
Michael Scranton
Michael Scranton & Adam Levin
Chrysalis
Adam Levin
Joe Lobell
Adam Levin
Joe Lobell & Adam Levin
Chrysalis (alternative version)
Joe Gallant, Skip Reed & Adam Levin
Joe Lobell
Joe Lobell, Joe Gallant, Skip Reed & Adam Levin
Chrysalis (instrumental)
Adam Levin
-
Adam Levin
City Opus
Joe Gallant, Skip Reed & Adam Levin
Joe Lobell
Joe Lobell, Joe Gallant, Skip Reed & Adam Levin
Dance Steps
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Do You Feel It?
Adam Levin
Elena Rye Pellicciaro & Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Valerie Gomes & Adam Levin
Wendy Boulding & Adam Levin
Don’t Need Anything from You
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Michael Scranton & Adam Levin
Tonya Tobias & Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Don’t Want to Be Wrong Again
Adam Levin
Anne Ptasznik & Adam Levin
Adam Levin & Ellen Weiss
Adam Levin & Wendy Boulding
Echo Inside My Heart
Adam Levin
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Emily
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
Michael Scranton & Adam Levin
Tonya Tobias & Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin & Wendy Boulding
Brenda Hettmansberger, Adam Levin & Wendy Boulding
Every Time I Hear Your Voice
Adam Levin
Anne Ptasznik & Adam Levin
Adam Levin & Valerie Gomes
Adam Levin & Wendy Boulding
Adam Levin & Ellen Weiss
Everything She Needs
Adam Levin
Adam Levin & Peter Stoller
Adam Levin & Wendy Boulding
Eyes on the Prize
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Family Portrait
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin & Caitlin Franklin
Ellen Weiss & Adam Levin
Fanfare
Adam Levin
-
Adam Levin
Feeling What I Feel
Adam Levin
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
Tonya Tobias & Adam Levin
Wendy Boulding, Adam Levin & Steve Wirts
Wendy Boulding & Adam Levin
Finding a Way Back Home
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Flick
Adam Levin
M.D. Poole
M.D. Poole & Adam Levin
Flood of Rain
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Forever (But Never) By My Side
Adam Levin
Adam Levin & Peter Stoller
Michael Scranton & Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Tonya Tobias & Adam Levin
Giant for an Hour
Adam Levin
-
Adam Levin
Groundless
Adam Levin
-
Adam Levin
Guardian Angel
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Hands of Time (instrumental excerpt)
Adam Levin
-
Adam Levin
Happy Is
Adam Levin
Joe Lobell
Joe Lobell & Adam Levin
Having Once Shared
Adam Levin
Michael Scranton
Michael Scranton & Adam Levin
Hole in the Head
Adam Levin
Greg Jewell
Michael Scranton & Adam Levin
Home (Away from Home)
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
House on a Hill
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
House on a Hill (instrumental)
Adam Levin
-
Adam Levin
I Can’t Talk to You
Adam Levin & Peter Stoller
Adam Levin
and/or
Michael Scranton & Adam Levin
Tonya Tobias & Adam Levin
If I Gave You My Heart
Adam Levin & Peter Stoller
Adam Levin
Adam Levin & Caitlin Franklin
Adam Levin, Caitlin Franklin & Mathias Little Bear
Adam Levin & Valerie Gomes
Adam Levin & Wendy Boulding
Adam Levin & Ellen Weiss
In Changing
Adam Levin
Michael Scranton & Dudley Duel
Michael Scranton & Adam Levin
In My Heart
Adam Levin
Anne Ptasznik & Adam Levin
Adam Levin
In the Wake of Love
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
Peter Stoller
Adam Levin
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
Michael Scranton & Adam Levin
In That Place
Adam Levin
Kathryn Sanders
Theateriffic
In Your Eyes
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
Peter Stoller,Tricia Tahara & Adam Levin
Brenda Hettmansberger & Adam Levin
Inner Space
Adam Levin
Dudley Duel
Quintessence
Interiors
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Islands (excerpts)
Adam Levin
-
Adam Levin
Islands:
I. Pandora’s Box
II. Needle’s Eye
III. Testament
Adam Levin
-
Adam Levin
Adam Levin & Steve Wirts
It Makes No Sense
Adam Levin & Peter Stoller
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
Adam Levin
It Must Have Been the Wine
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Ivory Tower
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Mark Abrahams, Adam Levin, Wendy Boulding, Valerie Gomes, Steve
Wirts & Eva Atsalis
Adam Levin, Valerie Gomes & David Brooks
Adam Levin, Valerie Gomes, Ellen Weiss, Steve Wirts & David
Brooks
Adam Levin & Ellen Weiss
Ivory Tower (instrumental excerpt)
Adam Levin
-
Adam Levin
Keep Walking
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin & Wendy Boulding
Land of the Free
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin & Wendy Boulding
Let It Go
Adam Levin & Peter Stoller
Peter Stoller
and/or
Tonya Tobias & Adam Levin
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
Jennifer Leigh Warren
Wendy Boulding, Adam Levin & Steve Wirts
Ellen Weiss & Adam Levin
Wendy Boulding & Adam Levin
Locked Unit
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Lullaby
Adam Levin
-
Adam Levin
Lying in my Sleep
Adam Levin
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
Tonya Tobias & Adam Levin
Lying (in my sleep) (instrumental)
Adam Levin
-
Adam Levin
Mantra
Adam Levin
-
Adam Levin
Modern Mind
Adam Levin
Joe Lobell
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
Moving On
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
My Old Girlfriend
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
Peter Stoller
and/or
Nature’s Song
Adam Levin
Wayne Palesado
Wayne Palesado & Adam Levin
Needle’s Eye
Adam Levin & Peter Stoller
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
Michael Scranton & Adam Levin
Adam Levin
No Business Being Gone
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin & Caitlin Franklin
No More Words
Adam Levin
Anne Ptasznik & Adam Levin
Adam Levin, Valerie Gomes & Marc Landesberg
Not Coming Home
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin & Valerie Gomes
Adam Levin, Wendy Boulding & Valerie Gomes
Adam Levin, Valerie Gomes & Ellen Weiss
Not Coming Home (instrumental)
Adam Levin
-
Adam Levin
Our Perfect Love
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
Peter Stoller
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
Adam Levin & Wendy Boulding
Pathwork
Adam Levin
-
Adam Levin
Raving Mess
Adam Levin
M.D. Poole
M.D. Poole & Adam Levin
Reckless Dancer
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Michael Scranton & Adam Levin
Ride the White Horse
Adam Levin & Peter Stoller
Peter Stoller
and/or
Roaring to the Surface
Adam Levin
Wayne Palesado
Wayne Palesado & Adam Levin
Say It
Adam Levin & Wendy Boulding
Wendy Boulding
Wendy Boulding, Adam Levin & Steve Wirts
Wendy Boulding & Adam Levin
September
Adam Levin
-
Adam Levin
Shadows
Adam Levin
-
Adam Levin
Silhouette
Adam Levin
-
Adam Levin
So Alive
Adam Levin & Wendy Boulding
Wendy Boulding
Wendy Boulding & Adam Levin
Something in the Way
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin & Wendy Boulding
Stand Up
Adam Levin
Adam Levin & Peter Stoller
Tonya Tobias & Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin & Annette U-Bet
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
Still
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Brenda Hettmansberger & Adam Levin
Street of Dreams
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
The Good Life
Adam Levin, Peter Stoller & Jonathan Keezing
Peter Stoller
Tonya Tobias & Adam Levin
Thinking of You
Adam Levin
Anne Ptasznik & Adam Levin
Wendy Boulding & Adam Levin
Things Left Unsaid
Adam Levin
-
Adam Levin
Toe the Line
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Ellen Weiss & Adam Levin
Too Far
Adam Levin & Peter Stoller
Peter Stoller
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Urban Walk
Adam Levin
Wayne Palesado
Wayne Palesado & Adam Levin
Verbalosis
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Tonya Tobias & Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Verbalosis:
I. Inspired by the Sound of Your Own Voice
II. Verbalosity
III. Family Discussion
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Waiting for Me
Adam Levin
Brenda Hettmansberger & Adam Levin
Brenda Hettmansberger & Adam Levin
Walking on Thin Ice
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin, Wendy Boulding, Valerie Gomes & Steve Wirts
Adam Levin & Valerie Gomes
Adam Levin, Valerie Gomes & Ellen Weiss
Walls Start Falling
Adam Levin & Peter Stoller
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
Adam Levin, Annette U-Bet & Caitlin Franklin
Adam Levin & Wendy Boulding
Adam Levin, Brenda Hettmansberger & Wendy Boulding
What Am I Doing in Love?
Adam Levin & Peter Stoller
Adam Levin
Tonya Tobias & Adam Levin
What Did You Expect?
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Michael Scranton & Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin & Caitlin Franklin
While Sunlight Slipped Away
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Peter Stoller & Adam Levin
White Water Races
Joe Gallant, Skip Reed & Adam Levin
Joe Lobell
Joe Lobell, Joe Gallant, Skip Reed & Adam Levin
Who?
Kathryn Sanders & Adam Levin
Kathryn Sanders
Theateriffic
Why Is It So Hard
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Tonya Tobias & Adam Levin
Adam
Levin
Win One For The Gipper
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Michael Scranton & Adam Levin
Words on the Wall
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Ellen Weiss & Adam Levin
Adam Levin & Wendy Boulding
John Eyre & Kate Lowles
Adam Levin & Brenda Hettmansberger
Wrapped Around Me
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Adam Levin, Caitlin Franklin & Mathias Little Bear
Background music: excerpt from backing tracks of So Alive (