Alan & Marilyn Bergman: News

UPCOMING EVENTS:

"Queen of the Stardust Ballroom"

Alan and Marilyn are currently in pre-production on a theatrical remake of “Queen of the Stardust Ballroom” to be directed by Jerry Mitchell, with book by Jerry Kass and original music by Billy Goldenberg and new music by Marvin Hamlisch, starring Tyne Daly. Details to follow.

Check back later for more news!

PAST APPEARANCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS:

March 1, 2011

Alan performed at Vibrato's in Bel Air, CA

Live Music: Alan Bergman at Vibrato Grill Jazz...Etc.

By Don Heckman

Hearing Alan Bergman perform a program of his songs Tuesday night at Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc. was like hearing Johnny Mercer sing “One For My Baby” or Antonio Carlos Jobim do “Aguas de Marzo.” I say “his” songs inclusively, since they really were songs with lyrics written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman, with music by the likes of Michel Legrand, Johnny Mandel, Dave Grusin and others.

When one considers what that list of songs includes – “The Windmills of Your Mind,” “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?” “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?” and “The Way We Were” and more – there was enough hit power in the program to make for an intriguing performance on that basis alone.

But that wasn’t what this evening was about. The real center of attention was the slender, smiling figure of 85 year old Bergman, perched on a stool, singing with the sole backing of pianist Bill Cantos and bassist Trey Henry. His singing, his way with a song, his utterly convincing ability to tell a story, were enough to mesmerize his listeners. Add to that the extraordinary lyrics by the Bergmans, combined with the soaring melodies by their world class composer partners, and the result was that too-rare experience, a musical evening to remember.

Every song, in its own way, was a highlight. But there were pieces that had additionally captivating moments: the jaunty swing (perfectly enhanced by Cantos and Henry) of “Nice ‘n’ Easy” and “It Might Be You”; the less familiar, but no less engaging “The Trouble With Hello Is Goodbye” and “What Matters Most,” both written with Grusin; a whimsical break in the Bergman part of the program for Cantos to sing “Everybody’s On the Phone” – his version, not the Jimmy Buffett tune. As well as the most touching moment – Bergman’s tender rendition of his “That Face,” originally written in the late ‘50s as a gift to his then soon to be wife – topped off with a gentle smile in the direction of Marilyn Bergman, seated in the audience.

As I said, a memorable evening. Bergman recorded most of these songs with full orchestra in the 2007 album, Lyrically Alan Bergman, his debut as a singer. It’s a CD that should be owned by anyone with a love for American song.

But as the Tuesday night performance concluded, I found myself wishing for a Bergman recording of the same songs, perhaps via a DVD video, with just a rhythm section, preferably Cantos and Henry with a sensitive drummer – say Peter Erskine. Why? Because the musical airiness of the sound, the intimacy of the setting and the spontaneous empathy between singer and players brought these remarkable songs alive in way that warrants re-hearing and re-seeing.

February 19, 2011

Alan Bergman to performed at The West Coast Jazz Festival in Newport Beach, CA .

May 19, 2010

Boston Pops Orchestra premieres Bergman song "We The People" with Patti Austin.

Keith Lockhart, the Boston Pops will be joined by the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and special guests—actors Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, and Ed Harris and actress Cherry Jones—for the world premiere performance of The Dream Lives On: A Portrait of the Kennedy Brothers—the centerpiece of the Boston Pops’ 125th anniversary season celebration—on May 18, at 8 p.m. (repeated on May 19), at Symphony Hall in Boston, MA. The May 18th and 19th programs will also feature Arlo Guthrie singing “This Land is Your Land” and Brian Stokes Mitchell singing a new arrangement of one of his signature songs, “The Impossible Dream,” with chorus and orchestra.

Patti Austin joins the orchestra on May 19 & 20 for a song set that includes the world premiere of a powerful new song called “We the People,” written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman and Roger Kellaway. "We the People" is the theme song for "Visions of America -a Photo Symphony."

March 27, 2010

Alan and Marilyn Bergman joined their long time collaborator, Michel Legrand for an evening “Michel Legrand and Friends at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas”

March 19, 2010

Alan and Marilyn Bergman participate in the 1st video in Exploring the Art's new Exploring the Arts with the Masters series which is now available on The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' Education website. ETA provides free arts education programming to teachers and students nationwide. The video features, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, along with Tony Bennett in conversation and performance with high school students and ASCAP's Director of Musical Theatre, Michael Kerker, at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts. ETA is proud to offer students around the country the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest master artists of our time as they speak about their craft and tremendous contributions to The Great American Songbook. The video will remain available online in The Kennedy Center's archived broadcasts for one year. To learn more about ETA's new video series, click here.

Frank Sinatra School of the Arts Students, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Tony Bennett

and moderator Michael Kerker

March 15, 2010 -

Up Close and Musical with Alan & Marilyn Bergman

The Actors Fund (The Fund is a safety net, providing programs and services for those who are in need, crisis or transition.) presented a very special Musical Monday. This benefit was held at the Pantages Theatre with special guests Maureen McGovern and Lari White. Musical direction by Bill Cantos for Alan Bergman and Lari White, and Michael Orland for Maureen McGovern..

Alan and Marilyn Bergman with moderator Michael A. Kerker (ASCAP)

March 7, 2010

CBS Sunday Morning Show aired a piece on Alan and Marilyn with interviewer Nancy Giles.

February 2010

Jack Jones announced he will be releasing an album of Alan and Marilyn Bergman songs. Check his website for an update. http://jackjones.lolipop.jp/

September 18, 2009

Listen for their new song "Trust Me" - written with Marvin Hamlish in the movie "The Informant" starring Matt Damon.

September 9 - 19, 2009

Jack Jones launches OAK ROOM’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY
with a Bergman Songfest at the Algonquin in New York.

November 3 , 2008

"Nice 'n' Easy": The Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman at The Paley Center for Media

December 16 , 2008

Alan Bergman performed at Vibrato, Los Angeles.

August 20-24, 2008
Alan Bergman performed at Catalina Bar and Grill, Los Angeles.

Michael Feinstein celebrated the 50 year collaboration of the Oscar,
Grammy and Golden Globe winning lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman. The
show will featured Alan Bergman as special guest vocalist, in addition to nightly
guest stars. Feinstein performed Bergman standards like "The Windmills
of Your Mind," "How Do You Keep the Music Playing" and "Where Do You
Start?," in addition to rarely heard songs from their catalog. Musical
director Alan Broadbent led an all-star quintet.

May 21, 2008
"An Evening Celebrating Alan and Marilyn Bergman"
at the Paley Center for Media, New York City.

May 8-17, 2008
Alan Bergman performed with Michael Feinstein featuring special surprise guests!
Feinstein's at Loews Regency, New York City.

October 30, 2007

Alan and Marilyn Q&A with ASCAP's Michael Kerker at Northwestern University in Chicago

October 2007

Alan Bergman performed in Ireland with the RTE Orchestra and Big Band with Musical Direction by Brian Byrne.

August 21, 2007

Listen to Alan and Marilyn Bergman's interview on NPR
recorded on August 21, 2007

July 10, 2007

Alan Bergman performance at Vibrato in Los Angeles:
LOS ANGELES TIMES REVIEW
by Don Heckman

Before there were singer-songwriters, there were songwriters - those who wrote, not for their own voices, but for films, television and non-songwriting singers. Think of the Gershwins, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Duke Ellington, Stephen Sondheim.

Alan and Marilyn Bergman surely would be too modest to put themselves in such exalted company, but their lyrics - written with composers such as Michel Legrand, Johnny Mandel and Dave Grusin - have brilliantly perpetuated songwriting as the creative craft it was in the era of the Great American Songbook.

Occasionally, as Alan Bergman did Tuesday at Vibrato in Bel-Air in an appearance celebrating the release of his CD "Lyrically, Alan Bergman," he steps out of the private world of songwriting for a rare performance as a singer-songwriter.

The result was an insightful look at the inner workings of two very creative people - "When we hear a melody," said Bergman, "we feel that the words are on the tips of the notes, and we have to find them" - as well as a chance to hear illuminating renderings of very familiar songs.

With the superb accompaniment of pianist Bill Cantos and bassist Trey Henry, Bergman started with a toughie - a song with lyrics that are difficult for the most practiced singers: "The Windmills of Your Mind." Like most "list" songs, it's often delivered as a jumble of words, with little attention to detail. In Bergman's reading, every phrase, every touching metaphor, came grippingly to life.

Up next, the far more lightweight "Nice 'n' Easy" ("How can you go wrong with a song for Frank Sinatra," said Bergman), offered via an interpretation that found the song's jaunty rhythms as well as its inner tenderness. Other hits followed -- the Barbra Streisand classic, "The Summer Knows," "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," "The Way We Were,' "On My Way To You."

But the high points of the evening were a pair of songs juxtaposing the polarities of love through lyrics exquisitely capturing the differences between beginnings and endings: "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" and "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" (both written with the Bergmans' most creatively empathic collaborator, Legrand).

Each was sung softly, with little dramatic emphasis, with enough space to allow the words to make their own effect. As they concluded, the usually noisy room was held in breathtaking silence, as Bergman, the songwriter, became the most convincing of singer-songwriters.

June 5 , 2007

Alan Bergman performance at Joe's Pub in New York:
NEW YORK SUN REVIEW
by Will Friedwald

The highly decorated lyricist Alan Bergman, (who with his partner and wife Marilyn have won more Oscars and Grammy's that I want to sit around and count) has just released his first album Lyrically, Alan Bergman (Verve). In celebration he did a show Tuesday night at Joe's Pub accompanied by the virtuoso piano and bass duo, Mike Renzi and Dave Finck.

Take the way he starts "Windmills Of Your Mind," without a full line but just a single word - "Round" - that he makes into a statement all by itself. Mr. Bergman was so completely convincing that I found myself shaking my head and wondering if my mind really does have windmills in it. He may not have chops enough to make all the notes but he leaves nothing unsung.

May 21, 2007

Lyrically CD Review
NEW YORK TIMES by Stephen Holden

There is no underestimating the value of a lowered voice. To hear Alan Bergman murmur lyrics that Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett and Neil Diamond have passionately declaimed is to rediscover movie songs divested of red-carpet glitter and dressed in street clothes. Ms. Streisand's high-strung renditions of "The Way We Were," "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?," "You Donπt Bring Me Flowers" and "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" may be the definitive, weepy, show-stopping interpretations. But as Mr. Bergman, who wrote those songs' lyrics with his wife, Marilyn, shows in his quiet, ruminative readings, emotional balance and wisdom lurk below the Sturm und Drang.

Of the album's 13 songs, most are romantic ballads ("scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind" to quote "The Way We Were") delivered in a spirit of wistfulness and gratitude. Crooned slowly in a conversational talk-sing voice, with perfect enunciation, and surrounded by sighing gossamer strings, his singing is honest, dignified and entirely devoid of affect. Greeting-card locutions like "the summer smoothes the restless sky" (in "The Summer Knows") and "north and south and east and west of your life" (in "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?") sound as natural as fleeting images in a sleepy reverie. Mr. Bergman's natural style suggests a merger of two of his idols, Johnny Mercer and Fred Astaire. You can't find better role models than that. [ READ ALBUM REVIEWS ]

May 8, 2007

Lyrically, Alan Bergman Album Released

Lyrically is a selection of Alan & Marilyn Bergman's most popular songs sung by Alan Bergman with the Berlin Big Band and Radio Orchestra. The album was released on May 8, 2007 on Verve Records.

Alan Bergman has always been a "closet crooner" according to composer, Dave Grusin. He found his public voice late in life and began singing for charity events which led to performances at clubs such as The Russian Tea Room (NY), The Jazz Bakery (LA), The Oakroom at The Algonquin Hotel (NY), Feinstein's at The Regency (NY).

"He is a gifted vocalist... reminiscent of Sinatra." -- Marvin Hamlisch

"(Alan) brings intelligence, sensitivity and innate musicality to his singing... I am a big fan!" -- Michel Legrand

"Like Sinatra, Alan can turn a 32 bar song into a 3 Act Play." -- Quincy Jones

Barbra Streisand has chosen Alan's version of "Love Like Ours" as one of her favorite recordings to listen to.

Lyrically is "a musical experience you wonπt want to miss." -- Michael Bruning.

[ READ ALBUM REVIEWS ]

For more information and to purchase the CD, CLICK HERE.

March 11, 2007

BERGMAN/MORRICONE SONG PERFORMED AT THE 79TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS

Alan and Marilyn Bergman have written lyrics to an Ennio Morricone song (theme from "Once Upon A Time In America"). The song titled "I Knew I Loved You" - performed by Celine Dion - had its premier during the Academy Awards. Celine's recording of this song is the first track on a new CD entitled "We All Love Ennio Morricone" available for purchase through Amazon.com.

November 3, 2006

Music Review; Serenading Two Grown Ups: Songs for Staying in Love

NEW YORK TIMES by Stephen Holden

An adult love song that you won't hear sung by Britney Spears: that's how Michael Feinstein described ''How Do You Keep the Music Playing?'' at a 50th anniversary celebration of the lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman on Thursday evening at Zankel Hall. Written by the Bergmans with the composer Michel Legrand for the 1982 film ''Best Friends,'' the song is a quintessential Bergman creation in its fusion of traditional songwriting craft with the more modern sensibility of self-help and therapy.

The words express the unspoken questions pondered by a couple embarking on a long-term relationship. ''How do you lose yourself to someone/And never lose your way?'' ''And since we know we're always changing/How can it be the same?'' Because the song was written for a movie, it has a conditional Hollywood ending: ''With any luck, then I suppose the music never ends.''

And there you have the essence of Alan and Marilyn Bergman at their best. The godparents of American pop tradition keep one foot in the past, the other in the present.

Mr. Feinstein, accompanying himself on piano, poured out its long-lined phrases in a soothing musical flow. When pop wisdom is imparted this gracefully, it provides a kind of artistic reassurance: if we're all in the same boat, it can be a lovely place to be.

The concert was the latest edition of ''Standard Time With Michael Feinstein,'' the Ascap-produced series in which the host's two sides, the dedicated archivist who was once Ira Gershwin's assistant and the entertainer, converge to explore traditional pop songwriting. The evening included a revealing discussion with Mr. Feinstein and the Bergmans about their history and working methods.

Three guest vocalists -- Carolee Carmello, Rupert Holmes and Lari White -- added spice. Mr. Holmes sang the Sinatra hit, ''Nice 'n' Easy,'' an early Bergman collaboration with the composer Lew Spence, who introduced the couple. It was the Bergmans, Mr. Holmes remembered, who introduced him to Barbra Streisand, for whom he produced the album ''Lazy Afternoon'' and wrote songs for ''A Star Is Born.

''Ms. Carmello offered hefty dramatic readings of ''What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?'' and ''Fifty Percent.'' Ms. White was the evening's big surprise. This Nashville based country-gospel singer who appeared on Broadway in the Johnny Cash musical ''Ring of Fire,'' delivered a medley from ''Yentl,'' that she described as ''a Baptist, shiksa version.'' Internal monologues Ms. Streisand infused with a majestic yearning lost none of their power when Ms. White sang them in a more colloquial Broadway style, and the audience responded with cheers.

Equally impressive was Mr. Bergman's rendition of ''The Windmills of Your Mind,'' the swatch of verbal vertigo from ''The Thomas Crown Affair'' that won the couple their first songwriting Oscar. Sung in a warm, ruminative murmur, it took on the metaphysical dimension of someone watching his life pass before his eyes.

By the end of the show I couldn't help thinking that for this fortunate couple, who have been married for almost as long as they have been writing songs together, the questions posed in ''How Do You Keep the Music Playing?'' have been resolved. The relationship may be the closest thing to a Hollywood ending any two people could reasonably hope to find.



		UPCOMING EVENTS: "Queen of the Stardust Ballroom" Alan and Marilyn are currently in pre-production on a theatrical remake of “Queen of the Stardust Ballroom” to be directed by Jerry Mitchell, with book by Jerry Kass and original music by Billy Goldenberg and new music by Marvin Hamlisch, starring Tyne Daly. Details to follow. Check back later for more news! PAST APPEARANCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS: March 1, 2011 Alan performed at Vibrato's in Bel Air, CA Live Music: Alan Bergman at Vibrato Grill Jazz...Etc. By Don Heckman Hearing Alan Bergman perform a program of his songs Tuesday night at Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc. was like hearing Johnny Mercer sing “One For My Baby” or Antonio Carlos Jobim do “Aguas de Marzo.” I say “his” songs inclusively, since they really were songs with lyrics written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman, with music by the likes of Michel Legrand, Johnny Mandel, Dave Grusin and others. When one considers what that list of songs includes – “The Windmills of Your Mind,” “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?” “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?” and “The Way We Were” and more – there was enough hit power in the program to make for an intriguing performance on that basis alone. But that wasn’t what this evening was about. The real center of attention was the slender, smiling figure of 85 year old Bergman, perched on a stool, singing with the sole backing of pianist Bill Cantos and bassist Trey Henry. His singing, his way with a song, his utterly convincing ability to tell a story, were enough to mesmerize his listeners. Add to that the extraordinary lyrics by the Bergmans, combined with the soaring melodies by their world class composer partners, and the result was that too-rare experience, a musical evening to remember. Every song, in its own way, was a highlight. But there were pieces that had additionally captivating moments: the jaunty swing (perfectly enhanced by Cantos and Henry) of “Nice ‘n’ Easy” and “It Might Be You”; the less familiar, but no less engaging “The Trouble With Hello Is Goodbye” and “What Matters Most,” both written with Grusin; a whimsical break in the Bergman part of the program for Cantos to sing “Everybody’s On the Phone” – his version, not the Jimmy Buffett tune. As well as the most touching moment – Bergman’s tender rendition of his “That Face,” originally written in the late ‘50s as a gift to his then soon to be wife – topped off with a gentle smile in the direction of Marilyn Bergman, seated in the audience. As I said, a memorable evening. Bergman recorded most of these songs with full orchestra in the 2007 album, Lyrically Alan Bergman, his debut as a singer. It’s a CD that should be owned by anyone with a love for American song. But as the Tuesday night performance concluded, I found myself wishing for a Bergman recording of the same songs, perhaps via a DVD video, with just a rhythm section, preferably Cantos and Henry with a sensitive drummer – say Peter Erskine. Why? Because the musical airiness of the sound, the intimacy of the setting and the spontaneous empathy between singer and players brought these remarkable songs alive in way that warrants re-hearing and re-seeing. February 19, 2011 Alan Bergman to performed at The West Coast Jazz Festival in Newport Beach, CA . May 19, 2010 Boston Pops Orchestra premieres Bergman song "We The People" with Patti Austin. Keith Lockhart, the Boston Pops will be joined by the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and special guests—actors Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, and Ed Harris and actress Cherry Jones—for the world premiere performance of The Dream Lives On: A Portrait of the Kennedy Brothers—the centerpiece of the Boston Pops’ 125th anniversary season celebration—on May 18, at 8 p.m. (repeated on May 19), at Symphony Hall in Boston, MA. The May 18th and 19th programs will also feature Arlo Guthrie singing “This Land is Your Land” and Brian Stokes Mitchell singing a new arrangement of one of his signature songs, “The Impossible Dream,” with chorus and orchestra. Patti Austin joins the orchestra on May 19 & 20 for a song set that includes the world premiere of a powerful new song called “We the People,” written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman and Roger Kellaway. "We the People" is the theme song for "Visions of America -a Photo Symphony." March 27, 2010 Alan and Marilyn Bergman joined their long time collaborator, Michel Legrand for an evening “*Michel Legrand and Friends at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas”* March 19, 2010 Alan and Marilyn Bergman participate in the 1st video in Exploring the Art's new Exploring the Arts with the Masters series which is now available on The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' Education website. ETA provides free arts education programming to teachers and students nationwide. The video features, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, along with Tony Bennett in conversation and performance with high school students and ASCAP's Director of Musical Theatre, Michael Kerker, at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts. ETA is proud to offer students around the country the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest master artists of our time as they speak about their craft and tremendous contributions to The Great American Songbook. The video will remain available online in The Kennedy Center's archived broadcasts for one year. To learn more about ETA's new video series, click here. Frank Sinatra School of the Arts Students, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Tony Bennett and moderator Michael Kerker March 15, 2010 - Up Close and Musical with Alan & Marilyn Bergman The Actors Fund (The Fund is a safety net, providing programs and services for those who are in need, crisis or transition.) presented a very special Musical Monday. This benefit was held at the Pantages Theatre with special guests Maureen McGovern and Lari White. Musical direction by Bill Cantos for Alan Bergman and Lari White, and Michael Orland for Maureen McGovern.. Alan and Marilyn Bergman with moderator Michael A. Kerker (ASCAP) March 7, 2010 CBS Sunday Morning Show aired a piece on Alan and Marilyn with interviewer Nancy Giles. February 2010 Jack Jones announced he will be releasing an album of Alan and Marilyn Bergman songs. Check his website for an update. http://jackjones.lolipop.jp/ September 18, 2009 Listen for their new song "Trust Me" - written with Marvin Hamlish in the movie "The Informant" starring Matt Damon. September 9 - 19, 2009 Jack Jones launches OAK ROOM’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY with a Bergman Songfest at the Algonquin in New York. November 3 , 2008 "Nice 'n' Easy": The Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman at The Paley Center for Media December 16 , 2008 Alan Bergman performed at Vibrato, Los Angeles. August 20-24, 2008 Alan Bergman performed at Catalina Bar and Grill, Los Angeles. Michael Feinstein celebrated the 50 year collaboration of the Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe winning lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman. The show will featured Alan Bergman as special guest vocalist, in addition to nightly guest stars. Feinstein performed Bergman standards like "The Windmills of Your Mind," "How Do You Keep the Music Playing" and "Where Do You Start?," in addition to rarely heard songs from their catalog. Musical director Alan Broadbent led an all-star quintet. May 21, 2008 "An Evening Celebrating Alan and Marilyn Bergman" at the Paley Center for Media, New York City. May 8-17, 2008 Alan Bergman performed with Michael Feinstein featuring special surprise guests! Feinstein's at Loews Regency, New York City. October 30, 2007 Alan and Marilyn Q&A with ASCAP's Michael Kerker at Northwestern University in Chicago October 2007 Alan Bergman performed in Ireland with the RTE Orchestra and Big Band with Musical Direction by Brian Byrne. August 21, 2007 Listen to Alan and Marilyn Bergman's interview on NPR recorded on August 21, 2007 July 10, 2007 Alan Bergman performance at Vibrato in Los Angeles: LOS ANGELES TIMES REVIEW by Don Heckman Before there were singer-songwriters, there were songwriters - those who wrote, not for their own voices, but for films, television and non-songwriting singers. Think of the Gershwins, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Duke Ellington, Stephen Sondheim. Alan and Marilyn Bergman surely would be too modest to put themselves in such exalted company, but their lyrics - written with composers such as Michel Legrand, Johnny Mandel and Dave Grusin - have brilliantly perpetuated songwriting as the creative craft it was in the era of the Great American Songbook. Occasionally, as Alan Bergman did Tuesday at Vibrato in Bel-Air in an appearance celebrating the release of his CD "Lyrically, Alan Bergman," he steps out of the private world of songwriting for a rare performance as a singer-songwriter. The result was an insightful look at the inner workings of two very creative people - "When we hear a melody," said Bergman, "we feel that the words are on the tips of the notes, and we have to find them" - as well as a chance to hear illuminating renderings of very familiar songs. With the superb accompaniment of pianist Bill Cantos and bassist Trey Henry, Bergman started with a toughie - a song with lyrics that are difficult for the most practiced singers: "The Windmills of Your Mind." Like most "list" songs, it's often delivered as a jumble of words, with little attention to detail. In Bergman's reading, every phrase, every touching metaphor, came grippingly to life. Up next, the far more lightweight "Nice 'n' Easy" ("How can you go wrong with a song for Frank Sinatra," said Bergman), offered via an interpretation that found the song's jaunty rhythms as well as its inner tenderness. Other hits followed -- the Barbra Streisand classic, "The Summer Knows," "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," "The Way We Were,' "On My Way To You." But the high points of the evening were a pair of songs juxtaposing the polarities of love through lyrics exquisitely capturing the differences between beginnings and endings: "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" and "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" (both written with the Bergmans' most creatively empathic collaborator, Legrand). Each was sung softly, with little dramatic emphasis, with enough space to allow the words to make their own effect. As they concluded, the usually noisy room was held in breathtaking silence, as Bergman, the songwriter, became the most convincing of singer-songwriters. June 5 , 2007 Alan Bergman performance at Joe's Pub in New York: NEW YORK SUN REVIEW by Will Friedwald The highly decorated lyricist Alan Bergman, (who with his partner and wife Marilyn have won more Oscars and Grammy's that I want to sit around and count) has just released his first album Lyrically, Alan Bergman (Verve). In celebration he did a show Tuesday night at Joe's Pub accompanied by the virtuoso piano and bass duo, Mike Renzi and Dave Finck. Take the way he starts "Windmills Of Your Mind," without a full line but just a single word - "Round" - that he makes into a statement all by itself. Mr. Bergman was so completely convincing that I found myself shaking my head and wondering if my mind really does have windmills in it. He may not have chops enough to make all the notes but he leaves nothing unsung. May 21, 2007 Lyrically CD Review NEW YORK TIMES by Stephen Holden There is no underestimating the value of a lowered voice. To hear Alan Bergman murmur lyrics that Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett and Neil Diamond have passionately declaimed is to rediscover movie songs divested of red-carpet glitter and dressed in street clothes. Ms. Streisand's high-strung renditions of "The Way We Were," "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?," "You Donπt Bring Me Flowers" and "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" may be the definitive, weepy, show-stopping interpretations. But as Mr. Bergman, who wrote those songs' lyrics with his wife, Marilyn, shows in his quiet, ruminative readings, emotional balance and wisdom lurk below the Sturm und Drang. Of the album's 13 songs, most are romantic ballads ("scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind" to quote "The Way We Were") delivered in a spirit of wistfulness and gratitude. Crooned slowly in a conversational talk-sing voice, with perfect enunciation, and surrounded by sighing gossamer strings, his singing is honest, dignified and entirely devoid of affect. Greeting-card locutions like "the summer smoothes the restless sky" (in "The Summer Knows") and "north and south and east and west of your life" (in "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?") sound as natural as fleeting images in a sleepy reverie. Mr. Bergman's natural style suggests a merger of two of his idols, Johnny Mercer and Fred Astaire. You can't find better role models than that. [ READ ALBUM REVIEWS ] May 8, 2007 Lyrically, Alan Bergman Album Released Lyrically is a selection of Alan & Marilyn Bergman's most popular songs sung by Alan Bergman with the Berlin Big Band and Radio Orchestra. The album was released on May 8, 2007 on Verve Records. Alan Bergman has always been a "closet crooner" according to composer, Dave Grusin. He found his public voice late in life and began singing for charity events which led to performances at clubs such as The Russian Tea Room (NY), The Jazz Bakery (LA), The Oakroom at The Algonquin Hotel (NY), Feinstein's at The Regency (NY). "He is a gifted vocalist... reminiscent of Sinatra." -- Marvin Hamlisch "(Alan) brings intelligence, sensitivity and innate musicality to his singing... I am a big fan!" -- Michel Legrand "Like Sinatra, Alan can turn a 32 bar song into a 3 Act Play." -- Quincy Jones Barbra Streisand has chosen Alan's version of "Love Like Ours" as one of her favorite recordings to listen to. Lyrically is "a musical experience you wonπt want to miss." -- Michael Bruning. [ READ ALBUM REVIEWS ] For more information and to purchase the CD, CLICK HERE. March 11, 2007 BERGMAN/MORRICONE SONG PERFORMED AT THE 79TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS Alan and Marilyn Bergman have written lyrics to an Ennio Morricone song (theme from "Once Upon A Time In America"). The song titled "I Knew I Loved You" - performed by Celine Dion - had its premier during the Academy Awards. Celine's recording of this song is the first track on a new CD entitled "We All Love Ennio Morricone" available for purchase through Amazon.com. November 3, 2006 Music Review; Serenading Two Grown Ups: Songs for Staying in Love NEW YORK TIMES by Stephen Holden An adult love song that you won't hear sung by Britney Spears: that's how Michael Feinstein described ''How Do You Keep the Music Playing?'' at a 50th anniversary celebration of the lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman on Thursday evening at Zankel Hall. Written by the Bergmans with the composer Michel Legrand for the 1982 film ''Best Friends,'' the song is a quintessential Bergman creation in its fusion of traditional songwriting craft with the more modern sensibility of self-help and therapy. The words express the unspoken questions pondered by a couple embarking on a long-term relationship. ''How do you lose yourself to someone/And never lose your way?'' ''And since we know we're always changing/How can it be the same?'' Because the song was written for a movie, it has a conditional Hollywood ending: ''With any luck, then I suppose the music never ends.'' And there you have the essence of Alan and Marilyn Bergman at their best. The godparents of American pop tradition keep one foot in the past, the other in the present. Mr. Feinstein, accompanying himself on piano, poured out its long-lined phrases in a soothing musical flow. When pop wisdom is imparted this gracefully, it provides a kind of artistic reassurance: if we're all in the same boat, it can be a lovely place to be. The concert was the latest edition of ''Standard Time With Michael Feinstein,'' the Ascap-produced series in which the host's two sides, the dedicated archivist who was once Ira Gershwin's assistant and the entertainer, converge to explore traditional pop songwriting. The evening included a revealing discussion with Mr. Feinstein and the Bergmans about their history and working methods. Three guest vocalists -- Carolee Carmello, Rupert Holmes and Lari White -- added spice. Mr. Holmes sang the Sinatra hit, ''Nice 'n' Easy,'' an early Bergman collaboration with the composer Lew Spence, who introduced the couple. It was the Bergmans, Mr. Holmes remembered, who introduced him to Barbra Streisand, for whom he produced the album ''Lazy Afternoon'' and wrote songs for ''A Star Is Born. ''Ms. Carmello offered hefty dramatic readings of ''What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?'' and ''Fifty Percent.'' Ms. White was the evening's big surprise. This Nashville based country-gospel singer who appeared on Broadway in the Johnny Cash musical ''Ring of Fire,'' delivered a medley from ''Yentl,'' that she described as ''a Baptist, shiksa version.'' Internal monologues Ms. Streisand infused with a majestic yearning lost none of their power when Ms. White sang them in a more colloquial Broadway style, and the audience responded with cheers. Equally impressive was Mr. Bergman's rendition of ''The Windmills of Your Mind,'' the swatch of verbal vertigo from ''The Thomas Crown Affair'' that won the couple their first songwriting Oscar. Sung in a warm, ruminative murmur, it took on the metaphysical dimension of someone watching his life pass before his eyes. By the end of the show I couldn't help thinking that for this fortunate couple, who have been married for almost as long as they have been writing songs together, the questions posed in ''How Do You Keep the Music Playing?'' have been resolved. The relationship may be the closest thing to a Hollywood ending any two people could reasonably hope to find.