Composer Randy Edelman

Welcomes Clive Davis to his Epic Performance @ Chelsea NYC 9/22/23

Fate whispers to the warrior: “You cannot withstand the storm”. The warrior whispers back, “I am the storm”…I’m sure whoever wrote that had to be referring to musical warrior Randy Edelman, songwriting nobility who leaves his audiences raptured and breathless. In an intoxicating performance at the chic new nighttime hotspot Chelsea Table and Stage in the heart of New York City on September 22, Randy Edelman killed it. The audience was swinging from the rafters, and the sold out space was swollen with icons and rockers from every species of music, including one of the most prominent and divine living legends on the planet, aside from Randy himself.

Celebrated record producer Clive Davis entered the venue with his entourage, wearing a dapper, verdigris attire, and carefully chose his seat to the slight right of the piano. It was apparent that he was excited to see Randy perform. He watched and listened as the award winning symphonist took command of the stage and captured the audience from the moment he sat down at the piano and began to play. The crowded room was noticeably touched and silent as Randy honored Davis with the story of his quintessential song, “Weekend In New England” (as recorded by Barry Manilow). While in the UK, Randy received a long distance call from Davis, requesting the song for Manilow, and the rest became music history forever, while the rocky beaches of New England’s shore rode the wave of fame.

Through his music and stories, Randy shared the ever changing direction of the soundscape of his career. There was no sun, there was no moon, no direction, no sense of time….just fine musical notes swirling up and around the room like thunder screaming across the sky. 

He featured songs including “If Love Is Real” (recorded by Olivia Newton-John), an emotional “You” (as recorded by the Carpenters), and Randy’s own charted hits, “The Uptown, Uptempo Woman” and “Pretty Girls” (used in the film The Beast Inside). And there was much more music to enjoy as well.

He shared the riveting melange of his film scores in an enraptured showcase of emotion and passion. The crowd remained entranced by the poetry and the intimacy of his musical display. They could feel what he felt….and what he felt was intense. 

A musical heterodox at times and certainly an anomaly, Randy speaks in all genres, some not yet invented or known publicly to the wider world encapsulated within his musical soundtracks including “Last of the Mohicans”, “My Cousin Vinny”, “While You Were Sleeping”, “Kindergarten Cop”, “Ghostbusters ll”, “Dragonheart”, “Beethoven”, “The Bruce Lee Story”, and over 100 other film and television scores. 

There is a wistful elegance to Randy songs, whether they be about the demise of romance, the echoing of a dream or the longing for deeper love. Randy Edelman has emerged as a solo artist with an exuberant mystique connected to his one-man shows, proven by the well deserved standing ovation he received from a congregation that included artists like Grandmaster Caz, Screamin’ Rachael (Queen of House Music), DJ So Gaudy, actor Apache Ramos, Desmond Child, representatives from the UN, and a host of others…

Photo Credit: Billy Hess

Michael Todd

Related post