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This page is devoted to Liza Minnelli's eleventh album (and fourth live album), Liza Minnelli Live At Carnegie Hall.
Liza Minnelli Live at Carnegie Hall was the first of two Carnegie Hall albums that would be released by Minnelli; this one being from September of 1979, and the other from 1987. It was produced by Hank Cattaneo and Bill LaVorgna -- the latter of which would also remain Liza's drummer and musical conductor for the next 30+ years until his sudden passing. Although the performance was recorded in 1979, the general public would not see it for another two years -- it wasn't released until August 1981 by Altel Sound Systems, Inc., 461 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10016. (The trained Minnelli-phile will recognize this company as the same that did the sound for Liza's concerts of that era.) The album packaging was produced by Ash/LeDonne, Inc., and supervised by Scott H. Mauro. The cover of this album should be instantly recognizable to most as having been designed by the one and only Andy Warhol.
The liner notes read as follows:
LIZA MINNELLI LIVE AT CARNEGIE HALL
Musical Conductor
Bill LaVorgna
Arrangers
Ralph Burns
Michael Abene
Billy Byers
Musical Coordinator
Larry Grossman
Special Material
Fred Ebb & Larry Grossman
Written & Directed by
Fred Ebb
Staged by
Wayne Cilento
With
Roger Minami & Obba Babatunde
The Band
Saxophone: Kenny Berger
Piano: Warren Bernhardt
Percussion: David Cox
Trombone: Harry DiVito
Saxophone: Lawrence Feldman
Trumpet: Ross Konikoff
Saxophone: Arnie Lawrence
Bass: Jay Leonhart
Guitar: Rick Loewus
Trumpet: Victor Paz
Electric Piano: Stephen Tubin
Drums: Bill LaVorgna
Produced by
Hank Cattaneo and Bill LaVorgna
Remote Recording by
Record Plant, New York
Remote Sound Mixers
Chuck Irwin
Dave Hewitt
assisted by
Phil, Dave & Kooster
Mixing at Record Plant, New York by
Sam Ginsberg
Chuck Irwin
Hank Cattaneo
Bill LaVorgna
assisted by Jim Ball
Mastering by
Master Cutting Room
Joe Brescio
Live Audio by
Altel Sound Systems Inc.
Richard Braca
Timothy Kalliches
Danny Fabrizi
We wish to thank the staff and stage crew of Carnegie Hall
Cover portrait by Andy Warhol
Recorded at Carnegie Hall, New York City September, 1979. This 11-night concert appearance marked the longest running consecutive engagement for any one performer in the history of Carnegie Hall.
With gratitude to Fred Ebb
Liza
(Photos from the liner notes sleeve. Click thumbnails to enlarge. Apologies for all the glare -- it was too big to scan!)
Carnegie Hall was a venue that already loomed large in the family legend -- it was, after all, where her mama Judy Garland made her triumphant comeback 18 years prior in what has become known by some as "the greatest night in show biz history". (The live album it spurred would go on to win 4 Grammys; both the first live album and the first album by a female performer ever to win the award.) Liza herself had only played Carnegie once before this run; as part of a benefit concert on January 10, 1965. This run would be a landmark in her career: from September 4 - 14, 1979, she would hold not only the record for the longest-running consecutive number of performances by an artist in the history of Carnegie Hall (a venue typically famed for its one-night-only events), but every single show was sold out. (This record would later be broken by none other than herself in 1987, when she would perform for 3 straight weeks, also for all sold-out shows.)
The black & white ad first appeared in the Sunday New York Times. The announcement was concise: "Liza/In Concert/At Carnegie Hall." Tickets, starting at $7.50 and escalating to $25.00, would go on sale the next day at 10 A.M. (At the time of writing this in 2013, with the cost of inflation, $25 in 1979 was worth about $80 in today's money.)
Liza didn't want to come back to New York with the same nightclub act she'd already been doing for years. She wanted something new. With the help of her dedicated staff -- including Fred Ebb (who'd write, produce and direct the show), Wayne Cilento and Ron Lewis (who would choreograph), and Lawrence Miller (who would design the multi-tiered set) -- Liza set out to knock New York on its backside. She also hired Mark Gero as her production manager.
"I wanted to make my Carnegie Hall shows a piece of presentational theater," Liza recalls. "I wanted each song to be an acting piece; a complete character. I wanted Carnegie Hall to be my baby."
Well, Liza gave birth to that baby on September 4, 1979. She succeeded in her plan; the critics loved her. "The show has three or four high points in which the power and excitement pouring out of Minnelli is almost frightening," wrote Newsday's Jerry Parker. "She is terrific, maybe the greatest musical-hall artist going today. Are there any other performers these days who knock themselves out for an audience the way Liza does?"
Patricia O'Haire in the New York Daily News: "As Liza begins to sing 'How Long Has This Been Goin' On?,' the musicians file in one by one and take their places on the various platforms. From then on, energy, pure and simple, takes over. It's a dazzling display."
Jacques LeSourd, writing for the Gannett Newspapers: "The show is dynamite from start to finish. Liza galvanized the venerable hall in a way that I have never seen. She dispenses enough controlled energy in two hours to pwer the entire metropolitan area for a decade. She glitters and dazzles in Halston sequins. It's a job splendidly well done and a truly memorable night."
After the Carnegie Hall opening night, there was a late supper dance at Studio 54, thrown by Halston. (It also coincided with Mark's birthday.) Vincente Minnelli and Lee Anderson (Liza's stepmother) had flown in from California and dined on lobster, along with guests including Truman Capote, Andy Warhol, Diana Vreeland, Joel Grey, Michael Bennett, Victor Hugo, Baby Jane Holzer, Margaux Hemingway, Diane Von Furstenberg, and the late author Anita Loos. At one time, Jack Haley jr. was interested in Loos' memoirs, Kiss Hollywood Goodbye. He wanted Liza to play Loos. When she was asked what she thought about the casting, Loos cried: "Perfect! Liza has my bangs. That's all she really needs."
On September 10, 1979, in the New York Times, John Rockwell wrote an article analyzing the phenomenon of the superstar who attracts mass adulation. Interviewed by him in the Russian Tea Room, Liza said, "I really like people; otherwise it would scare me to death. You walk out and people roar at you."
Liza, asked by Rockwell why she thought she generated so much hysteria, answered, "Someone said to me after opening night, 'I think I know what it is. You give everybody hope.' It's everything positive that people want to hear. Momma and Piaf were very fragile and vulnerable. With me, it's like, 'Come on, let's go!' I think everybody likes to see people who enjoy what they're doing."
Liza eventually toured with her Carnegie Hall show. When she was in New Orleans she had her performance vieotaped for cable television airplay. Also, as Liza wasn't currently under contract with any record label at the time of the performance, she saw to it personally to have the performances recorded for both posterity and so that her sales profits would be larger than if she went with a more commercial company. As Liza was at one of the vocal pinnacles of her career, she felt strongly enough to fight to get this album released, even though without a record label backing her, it took two years to succeed. She begun selling the two-record set at her shows beginning at the Garden State Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey on August 19, 1981. Earlier at the end of June, the set had been shipped to her Houston, Texas concerts, but it was discovered that the Warhol painting on the cover was printed incorrectly; they'd printed Liza's skin as purple. The jackets were re-printed, and to date, the purple version is not known to have ever surfaced. The album was only produced in very limited production, and while the album continued to be sold at her concerts throughout the autumn of 1981, there was only a very limited distribution to stores before it ceased production. As such, it's sometimes a difficult album to track down, but well worth it for Liza fans, as this was one of the best points in Liza's entire performing career. As of yet, there has never been a CD release of this album aside from bootlegs ripped from the vinyl. This is a shame, given the fantastic quality of the performance. Given Liza owns the rights to the recording though, it's possible that at some point in the future, perhaps we'll someday see a CD release of this gem.
(Back cover of the Live at Carnegie Hall album)
The following appears on the back cover of the album:
"IN 'LIZA IN CONCERT,' LIZA MINNELLI HAS MADE THAT RARE QUANTUM LEAP FROM A STATUS AS AN EXCITING PERFORMER TO THE FULLY CONTROLLED REALIZATION OF HER VERY IMPRESSIVE TALENTS AS AN ENTERTAINER. SHIFTING FROM INNER INTENSITY TO OUTWARD VOCAL POWER, BUT NEVER LOSING THE FINE LINES OF HER VOCAL CONTROL, THE ESSENCE OF HER VOCAL RANGE IS SUMMED UP IN INTENSITY PURELY ON THE BASIS OF THE PROJECTED STRENGTH OF HER OWN INVOLVEMENT. SHE IS VERY SECURE IN HER VOCAL MOVEMENTS AND SHE CAN DELIVER HIGH OR LOW, WITH GORGEOUS COLORS AND FASCINATING TEXTURES ALONG WITH HER POWER. MISS MINNELLI IS IN CHARGE.
--John S. Wilson, New York Times, September 6, 1979
Gino Francesconi, currently the director of the Carnegie Hall Archives and Rose Museum, but formerly the backstage artist attendant, recently wrote the following bit on the official Carnegie Hall blog:
As the backstage artist attendant during Liza Minnelli's 1979 run, I had the rare opportunity to be in the dressing room areas and participate from a unique perspective. I had already worked nearly 1,500 events with some of the most important musicians of the day. Yet Liza's appearances were a new experience for me. Rarely had I heard such a roar from the audience or seen a performer give so much energy on stage. I had never before seen so many flowers and telegrams from well-wishers in the dressing room. And probably most rare of all was her kindness and generosity to the staff. She bought gifts for the ushers and stagehands—something that I heard longtime ushers say was a first. One night when I picked up the Halston-designed beaded jacket Liza wore at every performance, I remarked to Helen—her dresser—how heavy it was. Without pause she replied, "Yeah, and the kid is still wearing the pants" ... which were twice as heavy!
A few days ago, Liza was kind enough to speak with me on the phone, and we went down memory lane about 1979 and 1987.
Two moments stood out.
Each event at Carnegie Hall is entitled to one poster outside of the Hall and there are about two weeks' worth of poster cases. At one point, all the posters were Liza's! She vividly remembers driving "around the block several times to see those posters.” The other moment was when she remarked, "At Carnegie Hall, the audience surrounds you and you're right with them. No other theater in the world does that."
(Photograph autographed by Liza Minnelli for Carnegie Hall)
The cover of the concert program was designed by Joe Eula, who had earlier done the advertising logo for Liza's Winter Garden show. Liza loved the Eula work so much that in 1983 she continued using this design to promote her "By Myself" tour.
(The above are scans of each page of the Carnegie Hall tour program. Enjoy!)
1. How Long Has This Been Going On/It's A Miracle (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin/Barry Manilow, Marty Panzer)
2. My Ship/The Man I Love (Kurt Weill, Ira Gershwin/George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
3. Some People (Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim)
4. Come In From The Rain (Melissa Manchester, Carole Bayer Sager)
1. London Town (Fred Ebb, Paul Klein, Lee Goldsmith)
2. New York Medley: I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City/Take Me Back To Manhattan/Manhattan/New York City Rhythm/42nd Street/Lullaby of Broadway/On Broadway/New York, New York/Every Street's A Boulevard/Theme From "New York, New York" (Harry Nilsson/Cole Porter/Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart/Barry Manilow, Marty Panzer/Harry Warren, Al Dubin/Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller/Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, Adolph Green/Jule Styne, Bob Hilliard/John Kander, Fred Ebb)
1. Someone To Watch Over Me (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
2. Twelve Fellas (Fred Ebb, Larry Grossman)
3. You and I/The Honeymoon Is Over/Happy Anniversary (Leslie Bricrusse/Harvey Schmidt, Tom Jones/Charles Aznavour, Fred Ebb)
4. City Lights (John Kander, Fred Ebb)
1. Cabaret (John Kander, Fred Ebb)
2. Shine On Harvest Moon (Nora Bayes, Jack Norworth)
3. But The World Goes 'Round (John Kander, Fred Ebb)
4. Bows (Liza/Liza) (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
