Ben Silver Sings a Mix of Old and New at Little Theater

Singer-songwriter Ben Silver entertained a receptive audience at Little Theater Sunday afternoon with a mix of popular songs, a few original compositions, and acapella and chants with the help of a looping pedal.

Silver, an instructor in various forms of vocal improvisation and group singing for over two decades, has been a member of the vocal improv performance groups "Vox Pop" and "The Tritones." His love of the environment, peace and love were on perfect display on a small stage as he performed a variety of folk, rhythm and blues, and jazz tunes on both piano and rhythm guitar.

The Brooklyn native started his show in the 66-seat theater “off microphone” by inviting the audience to join in the chant “Sing Through My Voice” authored by his friend, Abbi Spinner. He followed up with the 1901 African American spiritual “Wade in the Water” by brothers John Wesley Work II and his Fredericka J. Work. Next, he moved his informal performance to the piano for a selection. Duke Ellington’s “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” was first and feisty, and he followed that up with a short instrumental, prior to singing B.B. King’s “The Glory of Love” and Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.”

Next came the parts of his show that I enjoyed the most: original compositions. Silver, whose songs have been published in Carry It On, Sing Out Magazine, The Washington Post, and the book, Hearing Everyone's Voice, performed a quick, upbeat tune called “Givin’ It Up to Love,” during which he sings, “I’m giving it up to love, I see a new day dawning …” The music is his; the lyrics written by him and Jonathon Perl, and the same with “Take a Look at the Earth.” Both tunes were wonderful.

Afterward was his own version of the “Mockingbird Lullaby” adapted to the early days of his now-14-year-old son’s life with lyrics like "Yes little baby, you'll be heard. Poppa's gonna listen to every word..." and an impromptu chant that Silver claims is, yes, “original, but not yet written.” I can see him getting it all down on paper soon, and he affirmed that from the tiny Little Theater stage.

He then performed Suzanne Vega’s “Knight Moves,” a song which harkened back to his early guitar-strumming days, and Pete Seeger’s “Old Devil Time” and invited his friend Catherine Moon, with whom he has performed in Manhattan, from the audience for some original improvisation. Nat King Cole’s “Route 66” ended the initial set and, after a short break, Silver hit the stage again, starting off with Miles Davis’s “All Blues” tune, and then having the audience join him by singing the melody to “This Little Light of Mine.” He followed that up with "Wanted to Ask You" by Jon Fromer, and the well-meaning “Courage,” a tune written by his late friend Bob Blue. Lastly, it was the Judy Garland classic “Over the Rainbow” by Alan Freed and E.Y. Harburg.

Silver, who was as a kid one of the singers in the movie Fame and sang on the cast album of the Broadway show Runaways by Liz Swados, sings the praises of yesterday’s opportunity. 

“Gigs like the one at the Bloomfield Public Library tend to bring in very diverse in terms of age and ethnicity, which means that their musical tastes tend to be rather diverse also," he said. "I have a love for many different kinds of music and very much enjoy the opportunity to show different sides of myself. I also enjoy the casual atmosphere, which makes it that much easier to connect with members of the audience.”

For more information on events at the Bloomfield Public Library, click here.