<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1051747486"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">Month Upon a Time</span></a><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://archive.org/download/TheJeffBlumenkrantzSongbookPodcast-MONTHUPONATIME_Episode12-_Mayday_M_Aider__/maydaymaidersungbymichaelwinther.mp3" target="_blank">, Episode #12 (May)</a>: It's the final installment of my yearlong song cycle! I did it! And I have the perfect guest with whom to complete the cycle, someone who knows a thing or two about song cycles himself: <a href="http://broadwayworld.com/people/Michael-Winther/" target="_blank">Michael Winther</a>! I've known Michael since the early 90's, when we were <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forever_Plaid" target="_blank">Plaids</a> at the same time (but never in the same production). Since then, Michael has had quite a distinguished theatre career, bouncing between musicals and plays, including the Broadway productions of <a href="http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=4258" target="_blank"><i>Artist Descending a Staircase</i>,</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Damn-Yankees-Original-Broadway-Recording/dp/B000001E4U/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;s=music&amp;tag=jeffblumenkra-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;qid=1338314671&amp;camp=1789&amp;sr=1-4&amp;creative=9325" target="_blank"><i>Damn Yankees</i></a> (with me!), <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/1776-The-Broadway-Cast-Recording/dp/B000000GU0/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;s=music&amp;tag=jeffblumenkra-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;qid=1338314765&amp;camp=1789&amp;sr=1-3&amp;creative=9325" target="_blank">1776</a>, <a href="http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=13135" target="_blank">The Crucible</a>, <a href="http://www.mammamianorthamerica.com/" target="_blank">Mamma Mia</a> </i>(with last month's guest <a href="http://blumenkrantzsongbook.blogspot.com/2012/04/there-has-to-be-reason-sung-by-dee-hoty.html?zx=3cabcdbc285db1b0" target="_blank">Dee Hoty</a>!)<i>, </i>and most recently, <i><a href="http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=482128" target="_blank">33 Variations</a></i>.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;">But the reason I think of Michael when I think of song cycles is that he was at the center of a very distinguished one, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Songs-From-Unmade-Michael-Winther/dp/B000EHQ846/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;s=music&amp;tag=jeffblumenkra-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;qid=1338315034&amp;camp=1789&amp;sr=1-1&amp;creative=9325" target="_blank"><i>Songs from an Unmade Bed</i></a>, which began as an offhanded idea from the very talented lyricist/librettist <a href="http://www.martinhennessy.net/mark.htm" target="_blank">Mark Campbell</a> and blossomed into a theatre piece that became part of <a href="http://www.nytw.org/score_and_unmade_bed_info.asp" target="_blank">The New York Theatre Workshop's 2005 season</a>, earning Michael a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance!</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;">His interesting collaborations continue, most notably <i><a href="http://fredherschfilm.com/2011/04/12/speakersinger/" target="_blank">My Coma Dreams</a> </i>with <a href="http://www.fredhersch.com/" target="_blank">Fred Hersch</a>, the brilliant <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=jeffblumenkra-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;field-keywords=fred%20hersch&amp;url=search-alias%3Dpopular" target="_blank">jazz pianist and composer</a>, and <a href="http://www.theoneill.org/summer-conferences/nmtc/2012-conference/" target="_blank"><i>When We Met</i></a> with another previous podcast guest, <a href="http://blumenkrantzsongbook.blogspot.com/2006/01/im-free-sung-by-sally-wilfert.html" target="_blank">Sally Wilfert</a>!</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;">The inspiration for this month's song comes from <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/BrettLowell" target="_blank">Brett Lowell,</a> who gave me so many great ideas this month that I had to narrow it down. I particualrly liked his idea of incorporating "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayday" target="_blank">Mayday!</a>," the distress signal, into a song about how in May, thoughts turn to love, etc. Add to that my own fascination to learn that "Mayday!" springs from the French, "[Venez] m'aider!" and the next thing I knew, there was a samba! (Special thanks to <a href="http://www.carolinebergonzi.com/CB-ARTS-US/INTRO.html" target="_blank">Caroline Bergonzi</a>, <a href="http://www.backstage.com/bso/content_display/news-and-features/e3i87577c0eb631045fd10a275aae66cde5" target="_blank">David Turner</a>, and <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/marcy-scott/10/a61/619" target="_blank">Marcy Scott</a> for their help with the French translation.) What a fun way to end the project!</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><br /> <span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;">In closing, I'd like to express my gratitude once again to <a href="http://www.colonytheatre.org/bios/kayeBradley.shtml" target="_blank">Bradley Kaye</a> for the adorable <a href="http://www.jeffblumenkrantz.com/CLOCK%20final.gif" target="_blank"><i>Month Upon a Time</i> logo</a>, to all the wonderful singers who lent their time and talent to my songs, and to all of you who offered up ideas for songs each month.&nbsp;</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;">Don't forget, if you want to perform any of these songs, they're available as sheet music in my <a href="http://www.jeffblumenkrantz.com/musicstore.html" target="_blank">online music store</a>.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><br /> <span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;">Until the next episode...</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://archive.org/download/TheJeffBlumenkrantzSongbookPodcast-MONTHUPONATIME_Episode12-_Mayday_M_Aider__/maydaymaidersungbymichaelwinther.mp3" target="_blank">This episode</a> was recorded on May 28. 2012. </span><br /> <span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="http://archive.org/download/TheJeffBlumenkrantzSongbookPodcast-MONTHUPONATIME_Episode12-_Mayday_M_Aider__/maydaymaidersungbymichaelwinther.mp3" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05kXG_1wfej2sURHsBRaH4ri_PZQoWgJi4EqwhlVLuQ_T7vbUsWt-9syvSqV-dInVnPLi0djMbixf13pOm61I_DgPyCX1eOpEVY96n443Nxmu2cu4yVi6W7tw3FWQEhfU1bod7Q/s320/winther300.jpg" title="winther" width="260" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>