Rachelle Garniez & Erik Della Penna - An Evening In New York (2020)

The idea for this CD was born after a multimedia performance tour of the two musicians with the author of the book New York Past & Present, Ulrich Balß. Everything is based on this photo book, which tells the story of Leipzig bookbinder Theodor Trampler, who photographed the historical photos in NEW YORK 1928. In his diary letters he describes the impressions and living conditions of a German who, out of necessity, goes to New York with his camera and bicycle to earn money for his family in Germany.

Rachelle Garniez and Erik Della Penna present a selection of New York songs, some of which have historical references to the time around the 1930s and are related to New York. The main theme is the city that never sleeps. Compositions by Irving Berlin, who started as a singing waiter in NY and then became the most popular composer in America. However, the majority of the pieces are songs by Rachelle and Erik, who both have long musical careers. Rachelle Garniez is one of the best singer/songwriters from New York, she writes incidental music for the stage and is currently working on a project about Tom Waits (Vicky Kristina Barcelona) that is scheduled for release in fall 2020. Erik Della Penna was for many years the accompanist of J. Baez and J. Osborne and is co-writer of Natalie Merchant. The compositions are based on images about New York and were partly conceived for the live show. The song "LuftSchiffBau? tells for example the story of Graf Zeppelin and the arrival of the first Zeppelin in New York in 1928, stories about Irish immigrants, the fair on Conny Island ,the high-rise building boom of the 1930s and the present time or about 42 Street. The response on the tour in autumn 2019 was so overwhelming that both musicians decided to record this CD in New York after their return in November. They decided to record it live, in an intimate atmosphere, without overdubs or technical equipment, to create an atmosphere very much like the 1930s and take us back to a time 90 years ago.

"It's a mix own songs and evergreens, which she has of her reduced duo fresh, exhilarating and reinterpret it in an original way, including the musical classics 'Bei mir bist du sheyn' and 'Let's Have Another Cup Of Coffee' by Irving Berlin." (Good Times, April / May 2020)