DAN ZANES AND FRIENDS’ 76 TROMBONES ALBUM RE-IMAGINES LEGENDARY BROADWAY TUNES FOR FAMILY AUDIENCES

Friday, 09 October 2009 15:50

Family music pioneers Dan Zanes and Friends delve into a vital part of America’s musical heritage with their forthcoming album of timeless songs owned by Sir Paul McCartney’s MPL Music Publishing catalog. 76 Trombones, to be released November 17th 2009, features an array of new friends from Broadway, including Tony Award winners Carol Channing (Hello, Dolly!), Brian Stokes Mitchell (Kiss Me, Kate) and Matthew Broderick (The Producers), along with de’Adre Aziza (Passing Strange) and Derick K. Grant (Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk). The album will introduce a new generation of kids to classic Broadway songs that everyone knows and loves.

Zanes says, “With the exception of the Hair soundtrack, musicals were never my thing as a kid. I was too caught up in the music of Leadbelly back then. But as a parent, one afternoon at my daughter’s request, I figured out how to play “Bushel And A Peck” (from Guys and Dolls). I had a sudden realization that once you took away the hopped-up big band and the high intensity vocals it was an amazing folk song. It occurred to me that maybe a lot of these Broadway songs could be broken down to their ragged essence, reworked as 21st Century all-ages music, and presented in a manner that might make you think, ‘Hey, I can do that.’ When the people at MPL called me two years ago about a possible Broadway album I took it as a sign that the time was finally right to put on my dusty, moth-eaten tux and get loose with the songs of American musicals. For me, the songs and performances on this CD are packed with emotion and celebration. I’m grateful and still a little surprised that the people at MPL trusted us with them!”

Zanes, known for his popular 80’s college band the Del Fuegos, began his second career in family music by distributing a homemade cassette at a neighborhood park in New York City’s West Village and has since released several Parents Choice Award-winning for his best selling albums including Catch That Train!, which won the 2007 Grammy for “Best Musical Album for Children”. Music videos for Zanes’ songs have aired on The Noggin Network, Sesame Street and The Disney Channel’s “Playhouse Disney.”
About MPL

Founded by Sir Paul McCartney in 1971, MPL’s music publishing business has been marked by considered acquisitions and sensitive, honest handling of copyrights.  Among the writers for whom MPL administers are Frank Loesser, Carl Perkins, Buddy Holly, Jerry Herman, Harold Arlen, Jelly Roll Morton. The company also administers the songs from many Broadway shows including Hello, Dolly!, Annie, Grease, Peter Pan, Guys and Dolls, Hans Christian Andersen, Mame, A Chorus Line, The Music Man, La Cage Aux Folles and others.