Can You Ear It
Get in touch
randy@randyklein.com
Songwriter, Author, Educator, President of Jazzheads
TRACK SETUPS
1. My Rock, My Strength, My Hero – The opening number is sung in a New Orleans cemetery by family and friends at the funeral of the well-to-do Grayson Chandler. The voodoo god Papa Legba and his Voodoo Trio appear and there is a struggle for Grayson’s soul.
2. Anything Can Happen – This is a love duet between the show’s main characters, Shep and Ori, on the night they meet.
3. Voodoo On You – Velvet and The Swans entertain on the stage at The Black Swan, a blues club on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter.
4. A Better World – Shep longs for a more just world. This song has been cut from the score and replaced by a new song, “I’m Not That Southern Boy.”
5. Black Makin’ Babies With White – Velvet, Ori’s real mother, tells Shep what kind of man his father really was by parodying Grayson Chandler’s hate of Blacks, especially Blacks who marry whites and have children who pass as white.
6. That’s The Way It’s Always Been – Papa Legba and his Voodoo Trio declare that their mission is to promote love.
7. The Kangaroo – “The Kangaroo” is a new dance craze, and Shep’s high school flame leads the dance at his 21st birthday party.
8. This Boy – Velvet sings about how Shep brings up painful memories of the past, and she convinces herself to keep Ori away from Shep.
9. We’re Not The Same – In this duet, the break-up song between Ori and Shep, they realize that they are not on the same wave-length after all. Some lyrics and line assignments have been changed and the song has been moved to the finale of Act I.
10. Doin’ It My Way – Do It For Love – At the opening of Act II Jasmyne and The Swans (without Ori) entertain on the stage of The Black Swan, following Shep’s birthday party. The song segues to Papa Legba and the Voodoo Trio who visit Ori and enter her subconscious to encourage her to follow her love.
11. Livin’ A Lie - Upon learning that Velvet is her real mother and that she is half-Black, Ori is furious that Velvet has kept this secret from her and that she has been passing as white her whole life.
12. Truth Is Gonna Set You Free – Feeling guilty for putting a spell on Ori, Velvet’s nightmare comes alive in a disturbing panorama. In a large musical scene, Velvet wanders through hell and all the people of her life haunt her. Finally, she realizes that only truth will set her free.
13. If Grayson Were Here - Olympia wishes that her dead husband were here to guide their son and steer him away from his liberal leanings. This song has been cut from the show, and a new song has been written for this character.
14. Hope – This final anthem is sung by the company, urging them to continue to fight for justice and equality, despite the uphill battle.
15. Anything Can Happen (Pas de Deux) – This musical number will accompany Shep and Ori’s dance through the streets of New Orleans as their romance blossoms.
King Kozmo - KK7060 – Total Time – (55:37) For further information - Jazzheads – 212-580-9065 info@jazzheads.com
PRODUCTION HISTORY
“Evening of Song – The Music of Black Swan Blues” (The Lambs, NYC, 2025)
The cast included:
Pablo Torres, Jerry Dixon, Jill Paice, Aurelia Williams, Mya Ison, Richard Baskin, Jr., Matt Dengler.
Directed by John Bronston
Sizzle reel: https://vimeo.com/1095169089
Release of "Black Swan Blues - The Concept Album" on all world-wide music streaming platforms (June 25, 2024)
- Listen here https://lnk.to/BSBCA
- YouTube link with cast credit by song:
York Theatre Company's Developmental Reading Series, Staged Reading (Pearl Studios, NYC, 2022).
The cast included:
Justin Sargent, Isabelle McCalla, Karen Mason, Aurelia Williams, Gregory Treco, Matt Dengler, Nick Cearley, Gabrielle Lee, Marlaina Powell, Angela Wildflower, Amber Ardolino, Bruce Sabath, Kwame Michael Remy, John Edwards, Amar Atkins, and A.J. Freeman.
Directed by Stephanie Klemons and Rickey Tripp
Music direction by Ben Covello
Private Table Reading (NYC, 2021).
The cast included:
Eric William Morris, Debra Walton, Karen Mason, Jerry Dixon, NaTasha Yvette Williams, Soara-Joye Ross, Matt Dengler, John McGowen, Renea S. Brown, and LaDonna Burns.
Musical Theater Radio, The Sample Platter (internet radio) (2021). Music from the musical is played in rotation; dedicated page with info. posted on the site.
Music recorded at Eastside Sound (NYC, 2021).
The cast included:
Christian Hoff, Lilli Cooper, Aurelia Williams, Karen Mason, Jerry Dixon, Soara-Joye Ross, Kayla Davion, Carla R. Stewart, James Jackson, Jr., Kwame Michael Remy, Richard Baskin, Jr., Jillian Louis, Bruce Sabath, Celeste Rose, and Jonathan Long.
New Works Festival, Music Theatre of Connecticut (Norwalk, CT, 2017/2019).
The cast included:
Miche Braden and Chris DeRosa/Christian Cardozo, Juliet Ewing-Kwan, Webb Bankemper and Paxton DeForest.