A Place For Us: A Tribute To 50 Years Of West Side Story

Performer: Various Artists
Engineer: Richard King
Producer: Didler C. Deutsch (Compilation)
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Since its first staging in 1957, and especially since its adaptation to the screen in 1961, WEST SIDE STORY has become an integral part of the American cultural imagination. The songs, an amalgam of Leonard Bernstein's music and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics, have been subject to endless interpretations, and A PLACE FOR US: A TRIBUTE TO 50 YEARS OF WEST SIDE STORY gives some idea of the range and passion of these interpretations. With Johnny Mathis singing "Maria," Dave Brubeck turning in a jazzy instrumental to "Somewhere," and Andy Williams interpreting "Tonight," there's no shortage of old-school sophisticates on hand. But Neil Diamond, Art Garfunkel, and Julie Andrews are also on board, offering lovely renderings of iconic tracks such as "One Hand, One Heart," "I Have a Love," and "I Feel Pretty." The Masterworks Broadway division of Sony BMG delves into the archives of Columbia Records and RCA Victor Records to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Broadway opening of West Side Story, also commissioning a couple of new recordings. The point here seems to be to demonstrate the breadth of different interpretations of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's score, from Johnny Mathis' 1960 chart single of "Maria" to an excerpt from classical violinist Joshua Bell's 2000 world premiere of arranger William David Brohn's "West Side Story Suite." That excerpt also presents "Maria"; there is no attempt to replicate the complete score in a collection that skips over "Jet Song" and "A Boy Like That," but also has two versions each of "Tonight" and "One Hand, One Heart." The new recordings are a jazz piano reading of "Cool" by Eldar and a duet on "Tonight" by Kristin Chenoweth and Hugh Panaro, while a live 1963 recording of "Gee, Officer Krupke" by a jazz trio led by Andr� Previn is previously unreleased. Major pop singers like Barbra Streisand and Julie Andrews share space with the Dave Brubeck Quartet on a set that tries to make the music from West Side Story seem both pop and classy. Actually, it always did, but here it also comes off as surprisingly versatile, adaptable to many different musical approaches. ~ William Ruhlmann

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