Holy Mackerel!!

Holy Mackerel was right said Barry. He heard through the grape vine that Brian Murphy's fans were begging him to tour again. Marc just then called Barry to tell him Brian was on QVC right now debuting his latest album.  So Barry quickly turned on his TV to catch Brian Murphy. Brian still recorded for Sony Music Corporation.  He was now on their RCA label. Now that Arista had folded
a few years ago.  Brian was placed on the RCA label. Clive Davis was still  executive producer of Brian's albums. Brian hadn't called Barry in a long while to ask Barry for new material. Barry and his songwriting partners wrote Brian's songs. Brian wasn't a songwriter just a singer  and performer. Marc mentioned that Brian was doing cover albums. Brain had done The Greatest Songs Of series. The 50's, 60's,70's and 80's. The Greatest Love Songs Of All Time. The Greatest Heart Break  Songs Of All Time. This latest one was called The Duets I've Always Dreamed Of. On the other hand. Interesting Barry thought. Barry on the other hand was finishing his latest album. This one was called New York State Of Mind. Barry took some of his favorite songs that dealt with New York City and gave them jazz arrangements. Barry was doing Chelsea Morning by Joni Mitchell, Avenue C by Buck Clayton, Jon Hendricks and David Lambert, Williamsburg Brooklyn by Barry Manilow (new song), New York State Of Mind by (good friend) Billy Joel. Do You Miss New York by David Freshberg, New York City Rhythm by Barry Manilow and Marty Panzer, On Broadway Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Remember Manhattan by (another good friend) Richard Marx,  Sounds Of Silence by Paul Simon, Autumn In New York by Vernon Duke, Brooklyn Blues by Barry Manilow, Jack Feldman and Bruce Sussman and Meet Me In St. Marks Square by Barry Manilow. Avenue C was the only one he didn't have to fool around with. Since it was already a jazz song that was recorded by Lambert , Hendricks and Ross. Barry had the best band out there. Heck half of his band use to play for Brian Murphy till he took some much needed time off three years ago and Barry swiped them off Brian Murphy. Barry figured Brian wouldn't miss them. Which Marc heard Brian didn't. Barry's band now  consisted of Russ McKinnon on drums, David Rosenblat on percussion, Stan Sargent on bass, Mike Lent on guitar, Ron Pedley  on keyboards, Joey Malotti on keyboards, Jay Robbins on saxophones and flute, Kenny Martinez on trumpet, Brain Curtis on
trombone and leading the entire band musical director Ron Walters JR on keyboards. Backup singers were  Kye Brackett, Muffy Hendricks and Melanie Nyemma. Members of the band also sang too. David Rosenblat, Stan Sargent, Mike Lent, Joey Malotti,  Jay Robbins and Ron Walters JR. Barry and Marc were picking a batch of  theatres for Barry to play. Barry hated with a passion arenas. Barry was starting on west coast in Seattle at the Paramount Theatre and ending the road trip in New York City for a month on Broadway. Marc was still having trouble getting a Broadway theatre for one month. Well maybe one night a Radio City Music Hall would do. After Brian's QVC Q Sessions ended Marc called once again. What's up Marc asked Barry. Well someone leaked a story that you were going to play the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn. Don't these people know I hate arenas with a passion said Barry. Oh BTW your 2015 calendar has come in. Rachel Kelly just called me to let me know the boxes with the calendars came in. Rachel  Kelly was the new director of the Barry Manilow International Fan Club. Rachel took over for Vikki Thomas who was now the director of the Manilow Music Project. Kirsten Kief who use to be the director was now president of Stiletto Entertainment. Kirsten took over for her dad Garry Kief who use to be the president. As well as Barry Manilow's manager. That now fell to Marc Hulett Barry's old personal assistant. Barry's new personal assistant was another Mark named Mark Harris. Barry decided his 2015 calendar would be all candid photos. Barry decided he would to go different places through out New York City to have his picture taken. Barry picked  Brooklyn Heights home (Barry in his at home recording studio.) Greenwich Village, Times Square, Chelsea, Williamsburg Brooklyn,  Brooklyn Heights (On the front steps of his home with his dogs Maggie and Max.) , Tribeca, Lower East Side, The Today Show Plaza (Fall concert series.) Central Park,  Little Italy and Brooklyn Heights inside Barry's home (Barry sitting in front of a Christmas tree in his living room. Barry knew his fans would love the candid shots of him through out New York City and at his home.

No Longer Californicated

You got that right Barry was no longer living in California. Barry had sold his Palm Springs house. Now he would be living out east for good. Why live out on the west cost when everything he did was on the east cost.  He even recorded his albums in New York City studios. Barry was going to take the money he got from selling his house and buy a house in upstate New York. Barry had been looking in booth Schenectady and Saratoga Springs New York. Yes his ex girlfriend Abigail's parents used to live in Saratoga Springs. But they don't any more. They moved to San Juan Puerto Rico. In fact Abigail's parent were featured on an episode of HGTV's House Hunters International. Barry was going to look for a home in either city. Gregory Nelson kept suggesting Barry buy property on Long Island. Barry didn't want to live there. Barry want to live in a quaint little town or city in upstate New York. Barry had taken up a new sport mountain biking. Since moving back east Barry did a lot more biking than he did when he lived in Palm Springs. Barry bought himself two bicycles. One was a Raleigh Detour 5.5 urban city bike for the sidewalks  and streets of New York City. Two was a Rocky Mountain Flatline mountain bike for  when he went mountain biking. Barry was also in the middle of doing a commercial for the New York State Of Mind campaign. It was a joint effort between New York state governor Andrew Como and New York City mayor Bill de Blasio to create new ads for New York state and New York City using Billy Joel's song New York State Of Mind. Barry's  commercial  was going to have the following celebrities singing and playing along with him. Actresses/singers Liza Minnelli and Lorna Luft, actress/singer/dancer Chita Rivera,  Wyntom Marsalis musician/musical director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, jazz singers Nancy Wilson and Cassandra Wilson and Dave Koz saxophonist. Liza and Lorna were doing their part at the Gershwin theatre, Wynton was doing his at Lincoln Center, Chita was doing hers at the Minskoff theatre, Nancy and Cassandra were doing theirs at the Blue Note jazz club. Barry and Dave were doing  theirs at Radio City Music Hall. Barry was also in New York City for the premier of the motion picture musical Here At The Mayflower. Barry was taking his dear friend Lorna Luft with him. Lorna Luft was in the movie playing the part of Esther the older lady married to Joe (Joseph Bologna). Diane Degramo (Diane)  and Ace Young (Ken) were going to there too. Along with the rest of the cast.  Barry was in the movie too playing the part of  the Shadow Man. Barry's songwriting partners Adrienne Anderson, Enoch Anderson, Jack Feldman, Marty Panzer and Bruce Sussman who wrote the lyrics and book would be there.  Plus Garry and Nina Kief , Rob and Susan Kief,  manager Marc Hulett, Suzanne Somers, Alan Hammel, Kirsten Kief head of Stiletto Entertainment, Vikki Thomas head of the Manilow Music Project and Robin Naughton director of the Barry Manilow International Fan Club.. Here At The Mayflower was Barry's second acting gig and his first on the big screen. Barry's first acting gig was on the big screen in his movie musical  called Copacabana. Copacabana was about songwriter Tony Starr who wanted to write musicals for Broadway and Lola Lamarr who wanted to be an actress on Broadway. Along comes Rico Castilli owner of the Tropicana in Havana Cuba to sweep Lola down to Havana to star in his Tropicana show.  Barry won his first acting Oscar for lead actor in a movie for Copacabana. Besides the Oscar Barry has many Tony's for his Broadway musicals,  Grammy's for his record albums and Broadway cast albums. After tonight's movie premier of Here At The Mayflower Barry was getting ready to promote his new jazz album Paradise Café II. This album was all about the people  who worked at the Paradise Café night club in the Greenwich New York neighborhood. Tomorrow he was doing Kathie Lee and Hoda in the morning at 10AM. Then Rachel Ray at 3:30PM. Barry was going to be Rachel's mystery taster. Next Monday was going to be Mystery Taster Monday. So that's when Barry was going to be on Rachel Ray's show. Then at the end of week he was doing The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Plus he was doing  an interview on 88.7 WBGO (Jazz 88) on Thursday. Then on Sunday he was debuting his album Paradise Café II at the Village Vanguard. There would be one hundred fans and twenty of his friends there to hear his latest album.