Two Kern Shows, Vol. 1 Excerpts from The Love of Mike and Rock-A-Bye-Baby
Music by Paul Rubens, Sidney Jones, Jerome Kern
Book and Lyrics by Adrian Ross, Percy Greenbank, Paul Rubens, Herbert Reynolds
CTS110P-1M TWO SHOWS BY JEROME KERN Vol. 1, music only...$18
Concert performance, music only. Piano accomp.
The two Kern shows featured on this album were never published in their entirety. As with later Broadway cast albums, only the numbers considered likely to be hits were issued in sheet music, relegating the finales and ensembles to obscure library shelves and drawers. The numbers included here are fine examples of Kern's artistry, and were considered worthy of being heard again by Mr. Aceto, even though the full show is not available. The Love of Mike featured lyrics by Harry B. Smith, possibly the most prolific writer of all time, who also toiled for Victor Herbert. The show arrived in 1917, following his Have A Heart by a week, two weeks later by his Oh Boy! and a few months later by Leave It To Jane. Rock-A-Bye Baby was regarded by Kern as his favorite score before Show Boat. An adaptation of a successful farce entitled Baby Mine, it opened at the Astor Theater in May of 1918, and was reflective of Kern’s ultimate departure from the small and less profitable Princess Theater that had been the site of many of his early successes.
THE LOVE O' MIKE (1917)
Lyrics by Harry B. Smith
1. Selections, arranged by Charles N. Grant......................................... The Pianos
2. Drift With Me (additional lyric by Herbert Reynolds)................................ Girls
3. It Wasn't My Fault.................................................................... Vivian and Mike
4. Don't Tempt Me........................................................................................... Girls
5. We'll See................................................................................... Peggy and Bruce
6. I Wonder Why........................................................................................... Vivian
7. A Simple Little Tune................................................................................... Peggy
8. It Can't Be Done........................................................................................... Men
9. The Baby Vampire..................................................................................... Vivian
10. Who Cares?............................................................................. Peggy and Bruce
ROCK-A-BYE BABY (1918)
Lyrics by Herbert Reynolds
11. Selections, arranged by Stephen Jones.......................................... The Pianos
12. Not You................................................................................... Zoie and Jimmy
13. One, Two, Three................................................................................... Dorothy
14. I Never Thought....................................................................... Zoie and Alfred
15. I Believed All She Said............................................................................ Monte
16. The Kettle Song........................................................................................ Aggie
17. Lullaby (Rock-A-Bye)............................................. Mrs. Tentalucci and Girls
18. Little Tune, Go Away............................................................................... Aggie
19. No Better Use for the Time Than For Kissing........ Dorothy, Zoie and Archie
20. The Big Spring Drive........................................................ Zoie, Monte, Archie
21. My Boy..................................................................................................... Alfred
22. The Nursery Fanfare.......................................................... Zoie and Ensemble
Cast
LOVE O’ MIKE
Vivian...................................................................................... Kimberley Dolanski
Peggy .......................................................................................... Barbara Scanlon
Mike....................................................................................................... Ben Kazez
Bruce............................................................................................... David Troiano
ROCK-A-BYE BABY
Zoie & Aggie........................................................................... Kimberley Dolanski
Mrs. Tentalucci ......................................................................... Barbara Scanlon
Dorothy....................................................................................... Elizabeth Hoard
Alfred & Monte.............................................................................. David Troiano
Archie.................................................................................................... Ben Kazez
CHORUS provided by the soloists
Adam Aceto & Patrick Johnson at the two pianos