Little Steven shares songs from Lilyhammer score and Announces Tour Dates
As Little Steven gets ready to embark on his North American Summer Of Sorcery tour in support of the recently released new album, the ever-prolific Rock and Roll Hall Of Famer is excited to share two more songs from his forthcoming score for “Lilyhammer,” Netflix’s first-ever series that actor/musician Steven Van Zandt starred in, co-wrote and co-produced from 2012-2014. The swinging jazz tune, “Lilyhammer Nocturne (Theme From Lilyhammer),” and the bluesy rocker “Espresso Martini,” showcase the diversity and eclecticism found on the two corresponding volumes of the “Lilyhammer” score which will be released for the first time on July 12 via Wicked Cool/UMe as two separate albums: Volume 1: Jazz and Volume 2: Folk, Rock, Rio, Bits And Pieces.
The moody, evocative “Lilyhammer Nocturne (Theme From Lilyhammer),” which premiered via JazzTimes, opens Volume 1: Jazz and allows listeners and fans of the show to hear the full song that the opening theme was developed from. The broadcast version, found on Volume 2, starts off as a 1950’s era jazz number before it deftly segues into Norwegian folk music, illustrating the collision of the two cultures. This full version shows how the song evolved into the show opener and sets the scene for the album that collects together 13 of the best jazz compositions from the show, featuring a mix of jazz standards, instrumental score and original songs. Van Zandt provides vocals and channels the crooners of yore on the jazz classics, “All Of Me,” “Ring-a-Ding Ding!” and the Sinatra classic, “My Kind Of Town,” which is accompanied by a video featuring Van Zandt’s performance of the song on the show mixed with memorable scenes from across the series.
An accomplished set of songs that harkens back to the greats like Henry Mancini, Stan Getz and Nelson Riddle, the cinematic music on Volume 1: Jazz which ranges from the sensual (“The Night Before,” “I’m A Fool To Want You”) and swinging (“My Kind Of Town,” “Rumble Island, “The Thief,”) to the mysterious (“Sorceress”) and melancholy (“Gloomy Sunday”), transports listeners to a dark, smoky jazz club somewhere in 1950’s New York or in this case, Norway in the late 2000s. The strength of the music, expertly performed by these veteran musicians, both stands on its own as a cohesive jazz album and as a soundtrack for fans who want to relive the great jazz music of the show.
When Van Zandt was tasked with coming up with the music to soundtrack “Lilyhammer,” the veteran musician, songwriter and producer who had pretty much done it all in the worlds of songwriting, including dozens of albums, hundreds of songs, tracks for movies, a Broadway musical, as well as music supervision and musical direction, had never scored a television show and was up to the challenge. Knowing he wanted to create something that combined New York jazz to represent his character Frank “The Fixer” Tagliano with the Norwegian folk music of his exotic new environs, he turned to friend and fellow E Street Band member Max Weinberg for some advice on who could help him put a band together that could flawlessly execute these two disparate genres. On Weinberg’s recommendation, he enlisted GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist, arranger and orchestrator, Lee Musiker, known for his wealth of experience working with premiere artists in the jazz, classical, Broadway, and pop genres, such as Mel Tormé, Kristin Chenoweth, Wynton Marsalis, Buddy Rich and Tony Bennett, to help bring his vision to life. Together they assembled the Interstellar Jazz Renegades, a loose collective of some of NYC’s finest musicians, led by Musiker and orchestrators Raul Agraz, Adam Hochstatter and longtime friend/Asbury Juke/Disciples Of Soul saxophonist Stan Harrison.
Typically, the music created for TV is short musical cues but Van Zandt took a different approach. “I figured I’ve got some of the most talented musicians in New York City so why waste them on 15 second cues,” Van Zandt explains. “We decided to have some fun. I’d meet Lee about an hour before the session and give him the top line melodies, basic chord changes and structure and talk about the overall mood of the piece. I wanted to try something different and get the musicians creative input and let these guys who were used to always reading their parts express themselves for a change. We would basically arrange it on the spot. I’d suggest a harmony, Lee would suggest an idea and the musicians would begin to orchestrate themselves. It was wild and extremely fruitful. After the success of the first session I knew we had a legitimate jazz album in addition to an incredible score.”
The bluesy “Espresso Martini” which premiered via Ultimate Classic Rock who hailed it as a steamy mood-setter that shows off Van Zandt’s musical versatility,” is featured on Volume 2: Folk, Rock, Rio, Bits And Pieces, a wildly eclectic affair that gathers together 36 tracks from the show, ranging from short music cues to full songs spanning across a dizzying array of genres. Van Zandt fully embraced the Nordic country and integrated traditional Norwegian folk instruments into his musical arsenal to create an authentic sound for the show which was filmed in Lillehammer, Norway and watched by nearly one fifth of its population. Highlights of the folk songs include “Revelation,” “Lillehammer Mourning” and “Baptism.” On “Toboggan Negotiation,” Van Zandt, who played guitar on all but one track on the collection, injects a hard-strummed acoustic guitar into an otherwise traditional sounding folk song, creating a unique hybrid.
The pieces span the globe and musical history, ranging from the Ennio Morricone-esque “African Dawn,” to the Eastern sounds of “Tandoori Epiphany” and “Dance of the Persian Serpent,” to the symphonic rock of “Painted Angels,” to the surf rock of “Killer Surf” and the Latin jazz and mambo of “Stevie Colada” and “Mojito.” On “Out Of The Darkness,” Van Zandt revisits his 1983 song and transforms it from a stadium rock anthem into a bittersweet instrumental with a Norwegian flavor while “Favella” conjures up images of Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro. Overall it showcases both the breadth of the extraordinary and ambitious music that Van Zandt created for the show and his immense talent as a songwriter, arranger, musician and musical chameleon.
“I’m really proud of ‘Lilyhammer’ and the music I created for it,” says Van Zandt. “This was especially rewarding because it gave me the chance to finally do a score completely. This was a full commitment, I loved doing it and experimenting with sound and putting it to pictures and seeing what effect it has. It was a lot of fun, I’d love to do more of it.”
The music of “Lilyhammer” was arranged and produced by Van Zandt and recorded at his Renegade Studios in New York and at various studios in Norway while in the midst of filming. It was recorded, mixed and co-produced by Geoff Sanoff and mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering.
Lilyhammer The Score: Volume 1 and 2 come on the heels of Little Steven’s highly acclaimed new album Summer of Sorcery, his first album of original material in 20 years. Created with his 14-piece band the Disciples of Soul, the album’s 12 songs capture the energy, excitement and electricity of summer, and is an exuberant mix of rock n’ soul. Hailed by Rolling Stone as “the most eclectic record he’s ever made… it largely dispenses with protest songs and revels in the rock, soul and R&B of his Sixties youth,” the album was called “a nostalgic New Jersey starburst of sex and soul,” by Uncut while American Songwriter enthused, “Steven, his musical director Marc Ribler and veteran mixers/masterers Bob Clearmountain and Bob Ludwig, pull out all the stops to make this sonic smorgasbord explode out of the speakers with passion and clout. Few artists have the financial means or artistic vision to pull off a thunderous production like this which is impressive in its scope and sheer booming audio audacity.”
Having just returned from their European tour, Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul will bring the songs of Summer of Sorcery to life on the first leg of their North American tour which kicks off this Friday, June 28 in Omaha, NE. They will then head back to Europe in August for more shows and return to the US in September for the second leg of the tour that will culminate at New York City’s Beacon Theatre on November 6. As always, teachers are welcome to all shows for free. Each show will be proceeded with a teacher’s development workshop demonstrating how to incorporate Van Zandt’s TeachRock music education curriculum into the classroom.
LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL TOUR
Summer of Sorcery Tour – North America
June
28 – Omaha, NE – Omaha’s Memorial Park Concert
29 – Syracuse, NY – New York State Blues Fest *
July
2 – London, ON – London Music Hall
4 – Ottawa, ON – Ottawa Bluesfest *
6 – Quebec City, QC – Festival d’été de Québec *
8 – Montreal, QC – L’Olympia
10 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Theatre
12 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
14 – Clifton Park, NY – Upstate Concert Hall
16 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall
18 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount
20 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
22 – Middletown, NY – Orange County Fair
24 – Richmond, VA – The National
26 – Easton, PA – State Theatre Center For The Arts
28 – Annapolis, MD – Outlaw Jam *
Summer of Sorcery Tour – Europe
August
3 – Notodden, Norway – Notodden Blues Festival *
5 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Amager Bio
7 – Warsaw, Poland – Stodola
9 – Erfurt, Germany – Gewerkschaftshaus
11 – Hanau, Germany – Amphitheater
13 – Nuremberg, Germany – Serenadenhof
15 – Budapest, Hungary – Akvárium Klub
17 – Luxembourg, Luxembourg – Den Atelier
19 – Utrecht, Netherlands – Tivoli Vredenburg Pandora
21 – Manchester, UK – O2 Ritz
23 – Dublin, Ireland – Vicar Street
25 – Oxford, UK – O2 Academy
27 – Newcastle, UK – O2 Academy
29 – Cardiff, UK – Tramshed
31 – Monte Carlo, Monaco – Opera Garnier
September
2 – Vienna, Austria – Arena Wien
Summer of Sorcery Tour – North America
September
5-8 – Las Vegas, NV – Big Blues Bender @ Hard Rock Hotel and Casino*
9 – Ventura, CA – The Majestic Ventura Theater
11 – Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre
13-14 – San Diego, CA – Kaaboo Del Mar *
15 – Tucson, AZ – The Rialto Theatre
17 – Englewood, CO – The Gothic Theatre
20 – Wichita, KS – Wichita Orpheum
22 – Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond *
25 – Arlington, TX – Arlington Music Hall
29 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s Austin
October
1 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
3 -Birmingham, AL – Iron City
5 – Memphis, TN -Soundstage at Graceland
7 – Atlanta, GA – Center Stage Theater
13 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall
15 – Grand Rapids, MI – 20 Monroe Live
17 – Burnsville, MN – Ames Center
19 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater
21 – Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre for the Performing Arts
23 – Chicago, IL – House Of Blues
26 – Cleveland, OH – Masonic Auditorium
28 – Des Moines, IA – Hoyt Sherman Place
30 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
November
2 – Medford, MA – Chevalier Theatre
4 – Munhall, PA – Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall
6 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
* festival appearance
Lilyhammer: The Score Track Listing
VOLUME 1: JAZZ
1. Lilyhammer Nocturne (Theme from Lilyhammer)
2. My Kind Of Town (vocal)
3. The Night Before
4. Rumble Island
5. Sorceress
6. I’m a Fool to Want You
7. All Of Me (vocal)
8. Blue Midnight
9. The Thief
10. City Lights
11. Gloomy Day
12. Ring-A-Ding Ding! (vocal)
13. The Morning After
VOLUME 2: FOLK, ROCK, RIO, BITS AND PIECES
1. Lilyhammer Nocturne (Theme from Lilyhammer – Broadcast Version)
2. Revelation
3. African Dawn
4. Lillehammer Mourning
5. Baptism
6. Toboggan Negotiation
7. Curiosity
8. Sunset
9. Sunrise
10. Gregorian Papyperm
11. Elegy for Sally Boy
12. Grampa Lento’s Song
13. Tandoori Epiphany
14. Out of the Darkness
15. Wolf Hunt
16. Dance of the Persian Serpent
17. The Minstrel Boy (vocal)
18. Painted Angels
19. Espresso Martini
20. Stevie Colada
21. Mojito
22. Sex Ghost
23. Wired
24. Bliss
25. Jobim Paranoia
26. Out of the Clouds
27. Sylfast is Dead
28. Alex and Johnny
29. Lonely Girl
30. Killer Surf
31. Favella
32. Tommy’s Run
33. Bond of Brothers
34. Sigrid Kills
35. Ibsen Interrupted
36. Massage Tattoo
