Back to Brooklyn

Personnel: Dean Parks (guitar); Laura Sherman (harp); Antoine Silverman, Carol Pool (violin); Richard Brice (viola); Mark Shuman (cello); Mark Thrasher, Rick Heckman, Lou Marini, Lawrence Feldman, Bob Malach (reeds); Bob Millikan, Danny Cahn (trumpet); Larry Di Bello (French horn); Keith O'Quin (trombone); Tamir Hendelman (piano); Randy Waldman (keyboards); John Robinson (drums); Bill Hayes , Norman Freeman (percussion).
Audio Mixers: Dave Reitzas; Steve Colby.
Liner Note Author: Jay Landers .
Recording information: Brooklyn, NY (10/11/2012/10/13/2012).
Director: Scott Lochmus.
Editors: Dave Reitzas; Guy Harding.
Recorded live on October 11 and 13, 2012 at Brooklyn's Barclay Center, Back to Brooklyn features vocal legend Barbra Streisand performing on the first night of her world tour. The event marked the first time Streisand had performed in her hometown since embarking on her storied career. The concert also marked the infamously stage-shy Streisand's first live performance since her intimate 2009 Greenwich Village show, One Night Only: Streisand at the Village Vanguard. Backed by a 65-piece orchestra led by conductor Bill Ross, and featuring special guests -- trumpeter Chris Botti, vocal trio Il Volo, and her son, Jason Gould (who has clearly been blessed with the same God-given talent as his mom) -- Streisand performed a bevy of her biggest hits and favorite songs, many of which she has never performed live. Included here are such Streisand standards as the Marvin Hamlisch/Alan & Marilyn Bergman "The Way We Were," the Oscar-winning "Evergreen," and "Don't Rain on My Parade," from Streisand's 1968 film debut, Funny Girl. Similarly, we get superb renditions of several other notable Streisand numbers including "The Way He Makes Me Feel," from the Yentl soundtrack, and "People," also from Funny Girl. Elsewhere, Streisand delves into a handful of standards including "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," "You're the Top," and "What'll I Do"/"My Funny Valentine," featuring gorgeous accompaniment from Botti. In her seventies at the time of recording, and with a lifetime of experience and skills to bring to the table, Streisand has graduated from stage & screen diva to grande dame of traditional vocal pop. Besides a minor but delightful uptick in her vocal grit (a quality she's always used to some extent to give her voice character) Streisand's resonant vocal chops are in top form throughout the Back to Brooklyn concert. Ultimately for Streisand, as well as for her fans, Back to Brooklyn isn't just a return to the stage, it's a coming home. ~ Matt Collar