Welcome to the home of 150 Music, the independent record label featuring the recorded works of Stevie Holland and Gary William Friedman.
Internationally acclaimed song stylist, performer/writer/lyricist Stevie Holland has traversed many musical worlds, headlining at concert halls, jazz clubs, cabaret rooms in addition to performing in theater, amassing an unusually eclectic fan base along the way. Her recordings consistently receive praise from jazz, pop and cabaret critics. Her CD Before Love Has Gone, was picked by USA TODAY as a 'Top CD of The Year.' She recently starred in one-woman musical entitled Love, Linda: The Life of Mrs. Cole Porter, which premiered Off-Broadway at the York Theatre, with direction by TONY award-winning Richard Maltby, Jr. Her performance was filmed in 2021 and is streaming at Amazon Prime / BroadwayHD.
Visit Stevie's Website for additional bio info.
Stevie's most recent CD Life Goes On, is a collection of original songs, standards, and Stevie’s trademark picks of lesser-known gems from the pop world and American Songbook. She is joined by a stellar jazz trio with pianist Randy Ingram at the helm, Nicholas Payton on trumpet, and a string quartet on some selections. Arrangements are by award-winning composer Gary William Freidman, and Grammy-winning producer Todd Barkan joins Holland, once again.
An intimate and swinging performance, Before Love Has Gone is a collection of rarely recorded classics and standards, as well as original songs, including the title track written by Stevie and Gary William Friedman, who also did the arrangements. Grammy award winner Todd Barkan is on board as co-producer, and esteemed author and journalist Gary Giddins penned the liner notes for the album. Pianist Martin Bejerano joins Stevie again on Before Love Has Gone, with Edward Perez on bass and Willie Jones III on drums.
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More Than Words Can Say is Stevie's most richly orchestrated CD. With arrangements by Gary William Friedman, More Than Words Can Say explores classic jazz standards, songs from the 50's and 70's and original material with exciting, innovative and haunting approaches. Stevie is backed by a string orchestra on several selections and by some of today's hottest jazz musicians led by pianists Martin Bejerano and Kris Davis. All About Jazz praised it as "a musical performance of the highest caliber", and Stevie's cover of Kenny Loggin's "This Is It" became a 'hot pick' at smoothjazz.com and charted on RadioWave's Smooth Jazz charts. The album landed on top ten lists and received nominations for awards in the cabaret world, and crossed over to Oldies and R&B; radio stations with Stevie's cover of the Platters' hit "Only You"
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Restless Willow is a frolicky, swinging album of classic standards, special and original material. Joining Stevie is George Small on piano, Kenny Washington on drums, Sean Harkness on guitar, Steve Kroon on percussion, David "Fathead" Newman on sax, and special guest singer Ruben Flores on the duet "One Touch". Restless Willow charted on stations from coast to coast and was voted a Top 10 CD For the Year at KSDS in San Diego, CA ands a Top 10 Vocal CD with the Cape Fear Jazz Appreciation Society in NC.
Stevie returned to the American standard songbook with a CD/show that earned her the 2004 BACKSTAGE BISTRO AWARD for 'Outstanding Vocalist of the Year.' Material includes songs by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Carole King, Vernon Duke, and a soulful performance of the Buddy Johnson classic "Since I fell For You". Stevie is backed by a trio, with pianist Jesse Green at the helm.
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Stevie's debut CD of inspirational pop songs, co-written with Gary William Friedman.
Gary William Friedman is a versatile composer best known for his groundbreaking score for the TONY nominated, OBIE Award winning musical The Me Nobody Knows. Other musical theater credits include the award winning Taking My Turn, which was presented on PBS Television's Great Performance Series, Sheba, Platinum, The Last Supper and most recently, Treasure Island. In addition to the theater, his music spans the genres of jazz, film, symphonic and liturgical works. His orchestral, operatic and dance works have been commissioned and performed at venues such as the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Lancaster Music Festival, the Columbus Symphony, The Festival at Sandpoint, Idaho, and Encompass New Opera Theatre. In addition to scoring features and highly acclaimed television films, he served as Music Director for T.V.'s "The Electric Company", for which he wrote many songs including the popular "Spider Man Theme Song". Visit Gary's Website for more info.
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An exciting and challenging collection, the CD contains varied, and highly personal and introspective works:Passages, a dramatic clarinet concerto, Song Of Moses, a stark, a capella choral work, Colloquy, a sonata for viola and piano, featuring NY Philharmonic violist Judith Nelson and internationally acclaimed concert pianist Judith Lynn Stillman, and My Heart's Friend, an orchestral setting of four poems for soprano and baritone.
The original cast recording of the award-winning musical! With music by Gary William Friedman, lyrics by Will Holt and additional lyrics by Herb Schapiro and inner-city children, this ground breaking show featured the hottest young cast who went on to become stars, including Irene Cara, Beverly Bremers, Hattie Winston and Northern Calloway.This CD release of the original LP is truly a collectors' item. Included are liner notes from all of the authors, woven into an 8-page booklet containing photos and art from the original production!
With the help of an Angel who serves as his muse, each Apostle appears to Leonardo and tells a story which is then reflected through music in an uplifting contemporary pop-gospel score by Gary William Friedman and Thomas Mitz. Stevie Holland is featured as the Angel, joined by a stellar casts of soloists and a full chorus.This is a re-release of the original ensemble recording, now with liner notes and lyrics, dialogue added on select tracks and with the addition of the song "You Are The Light".
150 Music proudly presents the re-issue of the original cast album of TAKING MY TURN, the award-winning, critically acclaimed musical with lyrics by Will Holt and music by Gary William Friedman. TAKING MY TURN was one of the first musicals to deal with aging. Director/Adaptor Robert H. Livingston collected the actual writings of people "in their prime", which became the basis for the non-linear book. The stellar cast included Margaret Whiting, Cissy Houston, Marni Nixon and Tiger Haynes. TAKING MY TURN opened Off-Broadway at the Entermedia Theatre in 1983, and won the 1984 Outer Critic's Circle Award for Best Lyrics/Music and a Drama Desk nomination for Best Musical. TAKING MY TURN was also presented on the PBS Great Performance Series.
Love, Linda is a one-woman musical created by Stevie Holland and Gary William Friedman about Linda Lee Thomas, the southern beauty who married, and was a driving force behind legendary songwriter Cole Porter. Though Cole Porter was gay, their love and companionship lasted through 35 years of marriage and a spectacular, glamour-filled life. With innovative arrangements by Gary William Friedman, Cole Porter's timeless music and lyrics weave through the compelling narrative, celebrating the deep love that Linda and Cole shared, while examining the darker sides of their life. Love, Linda enjoyed a successful Off-Broadway Premiere at the York Theatre 2013-2014 and returned to NYC October 2018 for a limited engagement at the Triad Theater, both productions starring Stevie Holland with direction by TONY award-winning Richard Maltby, Jr.
"Spider Man, where are you coming from? Spider Man, nobody knows who you are...Spider Man, you've got that Spidey touch...Spider Man, you are a web-slinging star!"
Gary William Friedman wrote over 60 songs as the Music Director and Composer for CTW's Television show "The Electric Company". Hands down, his most popular song was the Spider Man theme. In addition to writing it, he was the vocalist on the recording (under the pseudonym Will Power). Until now, fans have only heard the version used on the television show. But a full-blown, wacky dance version was also produced and recorded in the 70's. 150 Music is proud to make it available as a CD single.
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Written by Gary William Friedman and Stevie Holland and performed by Stevie Holland, this CD single was produced to benefit the victims' families whose lives were impacted by the acts of terror on September 11, 2001.
150 Music focused the majority of its fundraising efforts on the Families of Freedom Scholarship FundTM, a program of Citizens' Scholarship Foundation of America (CSFA). This fund provides educational assistance for the dependents of those killed or permanently disabled as a result of the terrorist attacks. The campaign drive was chaired by former President Bill Clinton and former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole.
The song has been reissued on YouTube with a lyric video to promote a nation united, not divided.
Written by Gary William Friedman and Stevie Holland and performed by Stevie Holland, the popular theme song "Talk To Me", was played nightly on Rock and Roll Hall of Famer/Late night talk host Joey Reynolds' WOR Radio Show.
Since 2000, 150 Music has been successfully releasing critically acclaimed, internationally selling recordings by Stevie Holland and Gary William Friedman.
In addition to producing and releasing Holland's vocal albums and Friedman's musical theater cast albums, 150 Music released Colloquy, a collection of Friedman's symphonic works.
Early coups for the label included obtaining the rights from Atlantic Records to release for the first-time-ever on Compact Disc, the Original Cast Album of Friedman's hit musical The Me Nobody Knows.
For fifteen years, 150 Music's national retail distribution was with music producer Nile Rodgers' and Andy Uterano's distribution company, Sumthing Distribution. Sumthing consolidated its efforts towards video games at the end of 2018 and 150 Music is now distributing through all traditional retail channels independently.
Stevie Holland's recordings have consistently charted at radio stations across the country, appearing on top ten lists in jazz, cabaret and pop fields.
Her track "This Is It" on her CD: More Than Words Can Say, crossed over to the smooth jazz world, and remained on the RadioWave Jazz/Fusion chart for two months in the top 25 spot.
Grammy-winning veteran jazz producer Todd Barkan joined 150 Music as a co-producer of Holland's CD: Before Love Has Gone, which was picked by USA TODAY as a 'Top CD of The Year'. Before Love Has Gone continues to chart internationally on the iTunes Jazz Charts.
In 2009, 150 Music expanded with a new theatrical producing division, 150 Productions. 150 Productions produced the premiere of the Musical: Love, Linda: The Life of Mrs. Cole Porter.
With music and lyrics by Cole Porter, arrangements by Gary William Friedman, and book by Stevie Holland with Gary William Friedman, Love, Linda is a one-woman tour-de-force musical that tells the story of Linda Porter, the Southern beauty who married the legendary songwriter Cole Porter at the dawn of the roaring twenties, exploring their glamorous and challenging life.
LOVE, LINDA enjoyed a successful Off-Broadway premiere at the York Theatre in 2014 and returned to NYC October 2018 for a limited engagement at the Triad Theater, both productions starring Stevie Holland with direction by TONY award-winning Richard Maltby, Jr. LOVE, LINDA is published by Concord Theatricals/Tams-Witmark. Visit the Website for Love, Linda.
