Duo’s show to mix classic jazz, classy pop and more
By Ross Boissoneau
Sun contributor
What do you get when you mix classic pop, Broadway, the Great American Songbook, originals, jazz royalty and two voices raised in harmony? Well, one thing is the July 1 appearance by Kevin DiSimone and Hilary James at The Homestead.
The next entry in Music on the Mountain series features the husband-and-wife couple who separately and/or together have worked with—deep breath—Barry Manilow, Carly Simon, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Bette Midler, Willie Nelson and Billy Preston.
You want more? Throw in Sam and Dave, Peter Nero, Quincy Jones, Eddie Arnold, Cybill Shepherd, Mickey Rooney, and Dudley Moore. And don’t forget Bob James. They won’t, as he’s Hilary’s father and Kevin’s father-in-law.
Together. or separately, they have performed at The Blue Note jazz club, Birdland, The Bottom Line, CBGB’s, Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Wembley Stadium and The Hollywood Bowl. Television appearances include The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, The View and The Today Show.
Bring it all together and you get a night of music that crosses musical boundaries as effortlessly as DiSimone’s finger fly across the ivories and James’s lithe voice brings her lyrics to life. The show atop Bay Mountain begins at 7 p.m.
For the two it’s a chance to continue a partnership that began in the studios of New York before their professional relationship blossomed into love. “I’d come off the road with Barry,” says DiSimone, referring to Barry Manilow, for whom he had played keyboards, sung backgrounds and acted as musical director. “I was doing jingles and reestablishing myself in the studios.
“I got a call that Bob James’s daughter was looking for a piano player.” They met in a studio and he learned her songs, but a proposed tour never eventuated. However, things didn’t end there. “She said, ‘I have some lyrics.’ I was used to singer/songwriters writing prose, no meter. These were great.
“One thing led to another. Six months later we were kind of an item.” Within two years they were married. Tiring of small apartments in the Big Apple, they moved to his hometown of Canton, Ohio. Following the death of Hilary’s mother Judy, her father invited them to live on his compound on Long Lake, and they relocated to Traverse City.
Since then, they have played together as a duo, with bass and drums, with Bob and their daughter Ava, a singer songwriter herself. Now living in Austin, she may be in town to join them at the show, though it’s unlikely Bob will be available as the 86-year-old musician keeps a busy performing schedule of his own.
Drummer Randy Marsh and bassist Jack Dryden, now regular bandmates of DiSimone’s, will join them at the show. They will perform a diverse set of vocals and instrumentals, with likely candidates including originals, jazz standards, maybe a pop tune or two by DiSimone’s former employer and a few surprises.
While James, a successful Broadway and recording artist herself, handles the bulk of the lead vocals, DiSimone will likely sing as well, both a couple leads and harmonies. Their original material will come from their own records as well as those Hilary has made with her father.
This is the second show of the season at the Glen Arbor resort. They take place at the top of Bay Mountain, with the sparkling waters of Lake Michigan in the background. Upcoming concerts include the rootsy sound of Blue Water Ramblers July 8, Marsh’s organ trio Cat Daddy July 22, and four more.
Tickets are $22 and include a ride to the venue on the ski lift. Go to tinyurl.com/Tickets-MOTM.
