A Christmas Song
"Merrily We Roll Along" and GRAMMY voting has begun!
Hello Friends.
Happy Holidays! I meant to send this newsletter out a few weeks ago, but I’ve been on the road a lot and just couldn’t get my act together. So this issue of Between Flights is rather jam-packed! I’ll start with a song.
A Song From My Living Room
During the Pandemic, I recorded a Christmas album called Comfort & Joy with my neighbor, the wonderful guitarist Peter Calo. We opened the album with this song. I’ve always been a huge Carpenters fan, and “Merry Christmas, Darling” is one of my favorite holiday songs.
When You’ve Got “Old Friends” Like Mine
On November 29, I reunited with some of my beloved cast-mates from Merrily We Roll Along- we met for dinner and then went next door to see the marvelous Broadway revival of Merrily. What made this particularly special was that November 29 marked the 42nd anniversary of when we recorded the original cast album. (We recorded the album the day after we closed!) It was an unforgettable night for all of us.
Speaking of Old Friends, one of my closest pals from Merrily We Roll Along is David Loud. After Merrily, David became one of the most sought-after conductors and musical directors on Broadway. We’ve worked together many times over the years, including The Look of Love on Broadway, my Maltby & Shire show for American Songbook at Lincoln Center, and his brilliant 2015 tribute to the Sondheim/Prince collaboration at the 92nd St Y.
David has written an incredible book about his life in the theatre and coming to terms with his Parkinson's disease- Facing the Music: A Broadway Memoir. I highly recommend this book. And if you are looking for a last-minute stocking stuffer, the audiobook, narrated by David, was just released.
In Other News
I’m proud to be part of the just-released Well-Behaved Women Studio Cast Recording. This album, by the uber-talented Carmel Dean, features songs about some kick-ass women in history, sung by a great cast, including Lindsay Mendez, Bonnie Milligan, LaChanze, and Laura Benanti. The album is available to stream or download wherever you get your music. Here’s my song- “One Step Closer” in which I play Neil Armstrong’s wife, Janet.
Also…
I subscribe to a lot of Substack newsletters about everything from creativity to current events to cooking and music. Here’s an interview I did with Chris Dalla Riva, who writes a terrific newsletter about music data called “Can’t Get Much Higher.” I really enjoyed our conversation about Sondheim, Jimmy Webb, singing back-ups on The Nanny theme, and my unexpected GRAMMY nomination.
And Speaking of the GRAMMYS
Voting has begun for the 2024 GRAMMY Awards! I am thrilled to be nominated for a GRAMMY Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for my Sondheim album. (Something I never thought I’d be writing!) If you are a voting member of the Recording Academy, I would be very grateful if you would consider my album.
Where in the World is Liz?
After a super-busy few months, I’m thrilled to be home for Christmas and to get to spend the week singing with my sister, Ann, at 54 Below. This will be our first Christmas together in New York since Ann moved to Tucson five years ago!
After the holidays, I have concerts coming up in NYC, Washington DC, Utah, Las Vegas and Costa Mesa, CA. Here’s my schedule through March, with more dates soon to be announced.
Dec 24 & 26-30 NEW YORK, NY Yuletide Revelry with Ann (LIVE-STREAMING Dec 27)
Jan 14 NEW YORK, NY (Carnegie Hall) CCM Tribute to Stephen Flaherty
Jan 20 WASHINGTON DC To Steve With Love: Liz Callaway Celebrates Sondheim
Jan 27 ST GEORGE, UT Broadway the Calla-way! with my sister, Ann
Feb 4 LOS ANGELES, CA The GRAMMY Awards (Yes, I’m going!!)
Feb 24 NEW YORK, NY Liz Callaway: Broadway and Beyond
March 23 LAS VEGAS Liz Callaway: Broadway and Beyond
March 28 COSTA MESA, CA A Broadway Birthday: Sondheim, Lloyd Webber, and Friends!
Click here for my full schedule
That’s it for this edition of Between Flights. Thank you for reading. I wish you and your loved ones the happiest of holidays.
XOXO Liz
PS If you know of anyone you think might enjoy Between Flights, please feel free to share.
Thanks for all the updates Liz! Congratulations and good luck at the Grammys. I wish I could vote for you. Can’t wait for the 54 below stream next week.
Beautiful!
Peter Calo! Wow. When I was in college, he led a band called Bellvista that I saw a number of times at Ryles jazz club. A favorite local group from that time.