St. Louis native John McDaniel is a Grammy and Emmy award-winning musician. For years he performed as the band leader of The Rosie O’Donnell Show. Londoner Barb Jungr is known for her pop music, theater and cabaret performances. McDaniel and Jungr will perform together at Kranzberg Arts Center later this month.
On Tuesday’s St. Louis on the Air, host Don Marsh talked with McDaniel and Jungr about their upcoming performance “Come Together,” which features music by the Beatles.
Growing up not too far from Liverpool, the birthplace of the iconic band, Jungr had always avoided listening to their music until McDaniel arranged their song, “In My Life,” for her to perform. She loved the arrangement and the two decided to feature their take on the group’s music for their next album.
The musical duo will give the familiar sound of the Beatles something new. They will take the music apart and reconstruct it to give the audience a different type of presentation.
“We will take a song and have a look at it and either slow it down or work with it in some way to bring out the lyric that is existing there, but that often times, people haven’t really heard before,” McDaniel said.
When it comes to picking out the lyric, Jungr said the two use their intuitions to know what songs work with their styles.
“[The songs] just have to speak to you,” Jungr said. “John and I will sit with the songs and some songs will start and we’ll just go ‘yes, we have it. We have it.’” But other songs aren’t as obvious and need more time and effort to perform.
McDaniel said they focus on the lyrics and what the sense of the line is, as opposed to the way it was initially written.
“It’s not about ignoring the [original] melody by any sense, but it’s about finding the intention of the thrust of the thought,” Jungr said.
Listen to hear more about Jungr and McDaniel’s work together:
Related Event:
What:"Come Together: Barb Jungr and John McDaniel Sing the Beatles"
When: Jan. 27, 2018 at 7:00 & 9:00 p.m.
Where: Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103
St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and producers Mary Edwards, Alex Heuer and Lara Hamdan give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.
