Moderated by BMI Workshop committee member David Spencer, the Master Class examined two musicals developed in the Workshop: Adam Overett's Call It Courage and Carla Rose Arnone and Jason Coll's Haunted.

Pictured after the class are Adam Overett, Marcus Stevens, Jason Coll, Carla Rose Arnone, David Spencer, David Yazbek and BMI's Jean Banks. photo by Eric Miller

Call It Courage tells the tale of a 12-year-old boy living on a Polynesian island who has lost his mother to the sea and is deathly afraid of it. To conquer his fear, he sets out himself and winds up a castaway on a volcanic island.

Haunted, with music by Jason Coll, lyrics by Carla Rose Arnone and book by Marcus Stevens, chronicles the key events surrounding the Lincoln assassination. Through the eyes of six historical figures, we observe their lives and losses, both on a national and personal level.

Master Class guest speaker David Yazbek, whose Dirty Rotten Scoundrels earned him a Tony nomination and the 2005 Drama League Award for Best Score, had his first outing on Broadway with his Tony and Grammy nominated musical comedy, The Full Monty. The show also won a Drama Desk Award for Best Score. Until recently, Yasbek thought of himself primarily as a singer/songwriter. His first album, The Laughing Man, won the 1997 NAIRD Award for Best Pop Album. Other albums include TOCK and Damascus.

As a TV writer, he earned an Emmy for his work on Late Night with David Letterman, co-created the groundbreaking Puzzle Place for PBS, and wrote the theme song to Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?. He's scored films and shows for HBO, NBC, Fox, Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel, and has worked as a songwriter and/or producer with such diverse artists as XTC, Tito Puente, Ruben Blades, Crash Test Dummies, the Persuasions, Savion Glover and They Might Be Giants.

David Spencer, author of The Musical Theatre Writer's Survival Guide, moderates the twice-a-year Master Class that features a pre-eminent American musical theatre writer as a Master teacher for two new musicals in development in the BMI Workshop. Previous Masters include Stephen Sondheim, Sheldon Harnick, John Kander, Thomas Meehan, Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Terrence McNally.

The BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, recently honored with the 2005 Drama League Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre, was founded in 1961 by the late Lehman Engel, dean of American musical theatre, to create a setting where new writers could learn their craft. Since its inception, the Workshop has been operated by BMI free of any cost to participants; admission is based on merit.]]> 2005-10-20T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234562 Artists, Engel, Lehman, Kander, John, Spencer, David, They Might Be Giants, Yazbek, David, Musical Styles, Musical Theatre, Pop Grammy Award-winning BMI composer David Yazbek will be a guest speaker at the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop Master Class on Thursday, September 29. The class will be held at 5:00pm at BMI's midtown office (320 West 57th Street). Admission to the Master Class is for members of the BMI Workshop and New York Musical Theatre Festival gold passholders; a limited number of seats are available to the public. Requests can be made by calling 212-830-8360 or emailing masterclass@bmi.com.

Moderated by BMI Workshop committee member David Spencer, the Master Class will examine two musicals developed in the Workshop: Adam Overett's Call It Courage and Carla Rose Arnone and Jason Coll's Haunted.

Call It Courage, with its book, music and lyrics written by Adam Overett, tells the tale of a 12-year-old boy living on a Polynesian island who has lost his mother to the sea and is deathly afraid of it. To conquer his fear, he sets out himself and winds up a castaway on a volcanic island.

Haunted, with music by Jason Coll, lyrics by Carla Rose Arnone and book by Marcus Stevens, chronicles the key events surrounding the Lincoln assassination. Through the eyes of six historical figures, we examine their lives and losses, both on a national and personal level.

Master Class guest speaker David Yazbek, whose Dirty Rotten Scoundrels earned him a Tony nomination and the 2005 Drama League Award for Best Score, had his first outing on Broadway with his Tony and Grammy nominated musical comedy, The Full Monty. The show also won a Drama Desk Award for Best Score. Until recently, Yasbek thought of himself primarily as a singer/songwriter. His first album, The Laughing Man, won the 1997 NAIRD Award for Best Pop Album. Other albums include TOCK and Damascus.

As a TV writer, he earned an Emmy for his work on Late Night with David Letterman, co-created the groundbreaking Puzzle Place for PBS, and wrote the theme song to Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? He's scored films and shows for HBO, NBC, Fox, Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel, and has worked as a songwriter and/or producer with such diverse artists as XTC, Tito Puente, Ruben Blades, Crash Test Dummies, the Persuasions, Savion Glover and They Might Be Giants.

David Spencer, author of the Musical Theatre Writer's Survival Guide, moderates the twice-a-year Master Class that features a pre-eminent American musical theatre writer as a Master teacher for two new musicals in development in the BMI Workshop. Previous Masters include Stephen Sondheim, Sheldon Harnick, John Kander, Thomas Meehan, Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Terrence McNally.

The BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, recently honored with the 2005 Drama League Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre, was founded in 1961 by the late Lehman Engel, dean of American musical theatre, to create a setting where new writers could learn their craft. Since its inception, the Workshop has been operated by BMI free of any cost to participants; admission is based on merit.]]> 2005-09-22T19:00:01-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/234497 Artists, They Might Be Giants, Yazbek, David, Musical Styles, Musical Theatre, Pop, Rock, Musicworld, Feature David Yazbek is having a very good decade.

The multitalented singer/songwriter started off the new millennium by composing his very first Broadway musical, a theater adaptation of the hit UK film, The Full Monty . The resulting original score earned Yazbek Tony and Grammy nominations, as well as a Drama Desk Award for Best Score. It also won media raves like this one from the Washington Post , which effused: “The songs by Broadway first-timer David Yazbek are full of robust pop-rock hooks and bright, funny lyrics.”

Encouraged by the success of The Full Monty , Yazbek signed on to score another movie-turned-musical, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels . The play, which opened earlier this year, won Yazbek another Tony nomination, along with Best Original Score honors from BroadwayWorld.com Awards. More media accolades followed.

USA Today gushed about Yazbek’s “cleverly constructed songs,” while the New York Post ’s Clive Barnes declared Yazbek’s music to be “positively inspired.” Before long, it seemed as if critics were engaged in a battle to see who could give Yazbek the most breathless notices. “David Yazbek’s songs cannot be praised highly enough,” wrote Theatermania.com. “His lyrics … take breathtaking risks that pay off.”

As the above reviews suggest, life has been good lately for our songwriting hero. But the hyperventilating reviews leave one crucial question unanswered…

Who is David Yazbek?

Research reveals that he’s an extremely funny and talented singer/songwriter whose rags-to-riches story is itself suitable for Broadway adaptation. Yazbek’s independently-produced debut album, The Laughing Man , won the 1997 NAIRD Award for Best Pop Album. But Yazbek is more than a simple solo act. As a songwriter and/or producer, he has worked with such artists as XTC, Tito Puente, Ruben Blades, Crash Test Dummies, The Persuasions, Savion Glover and They Might Be Giants.

But Yazbek is more than a thinking man’s alt-rocker. He earned an Emmy for his work with “Late Night With David Letterman.” He co-created the groundbreaking “Puzzle Place” for PBS and wrote the memorable theme song to “Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?” The enterprising songwriter has also scored films and shows for HBO, NBC, Fox, Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel.

So let’s review: studio, television, stage and screen. We can only assume that Mr. Yazbek’s ultimate goal is to experience success in every conceivable entertainment medium. But what could possibly be next? A blog?

“All of a sudden I’ve gone from being a cult-y marginal recording artist to MR. BROADWAY!,” the composer laments on his website, www.davidyazbek.com. “I’ve worn a tuxedo three times in the past year.”

In addition to their reliably popular albums of smartly humorous pop/rock tunes, the duo have written music for films (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me ) and TV (Malcolm in the Middle ), recorded an album to accompany a 2001 issue of the literary magazine McSweeney's , and are featured in the new Cartoon Network series Squigglevision . TMBG's exploits were also the subject of the 2002 documentary feature Gigantic , and they're currently working on a project with noted animator/director Henry Selick (of Nightmare Before Christmas /James and the Giant Peach fame).

What all of the Giants' far-ranging projects have in common is the twosome's trademark combination of irresistibly melodic songcraft and left-field lyrical wit — qualities that are prominent on their two most recent albums, The Spine and Here Come the ABCs . The former is a typically crafty set of memorable pop numbers, while the latter is the band's second collection of children's songs. Here Come the ABCs manages to be both educational and fun, thanks to the two Johns' knack for merging the cerebral and the playful.

According to Linnell, the difference between making records for adults and children is "Not as much as you would think. Aside from the issue of what's appropriate, which tends to get overstated to the detriment of the quality of kids' music in general, the main difference is that kids don't tend to compare our music to the whole history of popular music. Young children live in a less context-dependent world, and the great advantage to us is that we can make up a song that will be the first of its kind the kids will hear."

They Might Be Giants' recent ventures into the youth market have led to them performing concerts in front of all-kid crowds. "Kids are pretty tough audiences," observes Linnell. "They're not as concerned with the flow of the concert as adults are. They don't applaud if they don't feel like it, and it doesn't seem to make kids nervous or embarrassed to watch a band struggle and fail. They also don't hold up their lighters during the ballads."

Flansburgh and Linnell have been friends since childhood and began writing songs together while in high school. After moving to Brooklyn from their native Lincoln, Massachusetts in the early 1980s, the resourceful team began to make a name for themselves on the local scene, compensating for the lack of a record deal by launching Dial-A-Song, serenading their growing fan base via answering machine.  

The same D.I.Y. spirit that spawned the lo-fi Dial-A-Song — which continues to this day — has led to TMBG emerging as an innovative force in online music distribution. They were one of the first acts to release a full album — 1999's Long Tall Weekend — exclusively as an MP3 download. They continue to explore new digital vistas, maintaining an online music subscription service via EMusic, offering fans exclusive new tracks every month.

"It seems like we've been rewarded for being ourselves, rather than calculating the formula for mainstream success," Linnell states. "We've never figured out what the recipe for a hit song is, so we've made our way by producing what we ourselves would want to hear. We've also been very lucky in the opportunities that have come along, and prudent in the offers we've turned down. We're still very excited about (They Might Be Giants) because it's still personal and fun, and that excitement has always been the jet fuel that keeps us going."

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Alison Krauss

Alison Krauss and her band Union Station were also among the night's top winners, picking up the Best Bluegrass Album Grammy for New Favorite and Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal for "Lucky One." The track also won Best Country Song for songwriter Robert Lee Castleman.

BMI's Robbin Ahrold with John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants, winner of the Grammy for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or other Visual Media ("Boss of Me" from Malcolm in the Middle)

Other Country category winners included Best Country Instrumental Performance for the remake of the Earl Scruggs classic "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" from his latest CD, Earl Scruggs and Friends, adding to the seven out of eight Country Grammys earned by BMI stars. BMI songwriter/artists also made an impressive show in several other categories, including Jazz, Gospel, Latin and Blues.

Other BMI Grammy Award winners included two each for Mel Brooks, Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer, as well as a statuette each for Linkin Park for Best Hard Rock Performance, Enya for Best New Age Album, and Lil' Kim and Mya for Best Pop Collaboration on the remake of the Patti LaBelle classic "Lady Marmalade."

Complete List of BMI's Grammy Award Winners:

T Bone Burnett
Producer of the Year
Album of the Year (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
Best Compilation Soundtrack Album (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
Best Traditional Folk Album (Down From the Mountain)

Alison Krauss & Union Station
Album Of The Year (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
Best Country Performance by Duo or Group ("Lucky One")
Best Bluegrass Album (New Favorite)

The Soggy Bottom Boys (Dan Tyminski, Harley Allen and Pat Enright)
Album of the Year (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
Best Country Collaboration ("I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow")

Mel Brooks
Best Musical Show Album (The Producers)
Best Long Form Music Video ("Recording The Producers - A Musical Romp With Mel Brooks")

Bel� Fleck
Best Instrumental Arrangement (Claude Debussy "Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum" from Children's Corner)
Best Classical Crossover Album (Perpetual Motion)

Edgar Meyer
Best Instrumental Arrangement (Claude Debussy "Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum" from Children's Corner)
Best Classical Crossover Album (Perpetual Motion)

Ralph Stanley
Album Of The Year (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
Best Male Country Vocal Performance ("O Death")

Norman Blake
Album Of The Year (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)

The Cox Family
Album Of The Year (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)

Fairfield Four
Album Of The Year (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)

John Hartford
Album Of The Year (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)

Gillian Welch
Album Of The Year (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)

Lil’ Kim
Best Pop Collaboration ("Lady Marmalade")

Mya
Best Pop Collaboration ("Lady Marmalade")

Brian Eno (PRS), producer
Record Of The Year ("Walk On")

Eric Clapton (PRS)
Best Pop Instrumental Performance ("Reptile")

Janet Jackson
Best Dance Recording ("All For You")

Sade (PRS)
Best Pop Vocal Album (Lover's Rock)

Harry Connick, Jr.
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album (Songs I Heard)

Lucinda Williams
Best Female Rock Vocal Performance ("Get Right With God")

Linkin Park
Best Hard Rock Performance ("Crawling")

Scott Underwood (Train)
Best Rock Song ("Drops of Jupiter")

Dolly Parton
Best Female Country Vocal Performance ("Shine")

Earl Scruggs
Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Foggy Mountain Breakdown")

Glen Duncan
Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Foggy Mountain Breakdown")

Randy Scruggs
Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Foggy Mountain Breakdown")

Vince Gill
Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Foggy Mountain Breakdown")

Marty Stuart
Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Foggy Mountain Breakdown")

Gary Scruggs
Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Foggy Mountain Breakdown")

Albert Lee
Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Foggy Mountain Breakdown")

Jerry Douglas
Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Foggy Mountain Breakdown")

Robert Lee Castleman
Best Country Song ("Lonely One")

Enya (IMRO)
Best New Age Album (A Day Without Rain)

Michael Brecker
Best Jazz Instrumental Solo ("Chan's Song")

Sonny Rollins
Best Jazz Instrumental Album (This Is What I Do)

Charlie Haden
Best Latin Jazz Album (Nocturne)

DC Talk
Best Rock Gospel Album (Solo)

CeCe Winans
Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album (CeCe Winans)

The Blind Boys of Alabama
Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album (Spirit of the Century)

Yolanda Adams
Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album (The Experience)

Freddy Fender
Best Latin Pop Album (La Musica De Baldemar Huerta)

Robert Blades
Best Salsa Album (Encore)

Ram�n Ayala y Sus Bravos Del Norte
Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album (En Vivo...El Hombre Y Su Musica)

Jimmie Vaughan
Best Traditional Blues Album (Do You Get The Blues?)

Delbert McClinton
Best Contemporary Blues Album (Nothing Personal)

Verdell Primeaux
Best Native American Music Album (Bless the People - Harmonized Peyote Songs)

Johnny Mike
Best Native American Music Album (Bless the People - Harmonized Peyote Songs)

Jimmy Sturr
Best Polka Album (Gone Polka)

John Flansburgh
Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or other Visual Media ("Boss of Me" from Malcolm in the Middle)

John Linnell
Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or other Visual Media ("Boss of Me" from Malcolm in the Middle)

Deep Dish
Best Remixed Recording ("Thank You" [Deep Dish Vocal Remix])

Larry Combs
Best Instrumental Soloist (Strauss Wind Concertos)

Christopher Rouse
Best Classical Contemporary Composition ("Rouse: Concert De Gaud� For Guitar And Orchestra")

Chris Thile
Best Classical Crossover Album (Perpetual Motion)

Bootsy Collins
Best Short Form Music Video ("Weapon of Choice")

In recent months, the talented twosome released an Internet-only album, Long Tall Weekend, available exclusively as an MP3 download via www.emusic.com. They've also contributed original songs to Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Disney's forthcoming Peter Pan sequel and the TV series Malcolm in the Middle, Brave New World and Nickelodeon's forthcoming Stewy the Dogboy, as well as making several appearances on the cult-hit NPR radio program This American Life.

Meanwhile, Linnell recently released his first solo album, State Songs, while Flansburgh - who also maintains a parallel solo career under the name Mono Puff - has emerged as a budding filmmaker, directing videos for his own band as well as such artists as Ben Folds Five, Harvey Danger, Soul Coughing, Frank Black and Edwyn Collins.

The two Johns' playfully quirky sensibility has remained intact since they began working together in the early '80s. Since then, they've progressed from homespun do-it-yourselfers to unconventional pop stars, releasing nine albums and touring extensively (first as a stripped-down duo but eventually with a full band). The Giants show no sign of slowing down their breakneck creative pace; they're presently working on a collection of children's songs, as well as a more rock-oriented album.

"I think it's safe to say we're getting older," Flansburgh states, "but we're also getting stranger."