Daniel Rodriguez Media Archives

Concert review, By David Longfellow, Eldorado Times, Oct. 1, 2012 

He then introduced the theme of the concert, “Boy Meets Girl.” It was a Brooklyn boy meeting a Kiwi girl in New Zealand, Marla Kavanaugh. Appropriately, he sang “Stranger in Paradise,” from Kismet, and it showed off his clear and powerful tenor.

When Kavanaugh joined him on stage, they found one of the microphones was not working. Rodriguez covered with some banter while David Ellis, sound technician, tried to repair the problem. They decided to just use one microphone for their next number. Sharing it added to the romantic moment created by the “Balcony Scene” from “West Side Story,” better known as “Tonight.” Kavanaugh began and Rodriguez joined her in a wonderful blend of beautiful voices. They also included lines from the musical, showing a command of dramatic interplay.

After a sound check of the repaired microphone, Rodriguez changed the pace with a solo. “On the Street Where You Live,” from “My Fair Lady.” It was not the usual version, but a jazz interpretation, featuring the talents of Jesse Lynch on the piano, Joe Michaels on bass and Noel Brennan on drums. Rodriguez has a good voice for musical comedy, and the piano chorus punctuated the unusual presentation.

In the next number, it was Kavanaugh’s turn to show off her beautiful voice. She quipped that Rodriguez, singing into her left ear when they shared the microphone, had left her slightly deaf, but it did not spoil her performance of “If I Loved You,” from Carousel. She has the dramatic talent to bring the song to a powerful climax. Since it was designed as a duet in the show, Rodriguez returned to the stage halfway through, and they brought the song to a moving climax with their masterful blend of voices.

Kavanaugh presented a lovely version of “My Lord and Master,” from “The King and I.” In it, she showed she didn’t really need amplification. Here is a voice that can fill any hall to overflowing and cause the rafters to vibrate. After the concert, a man was heard asking how “such a big voice could come from such a tiny singer.” She continued with “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” from “Phantom of the Opera.” It was, she said, particularly personal to her because Rodriguez had kept hiring her to join him in various venues. Those concert dates and Rodriguez’s presence had helped her get through the sorrow of losing someone who was quite close to her.

Kavanaugh and Rodriguez joined voices in the next number, “All I Ask of You,” from “Phantom of the Opera.” It cannot be emphasized too much how wonderfully their voices blend in duets.

Rodriguez gained national recognition after the infamous attack on America on 9/11. He was a New York policeman at the time and was working in the area when the twin towers collapsed. He lost many good friends and was asked to sing at the funerals and memorials for the people who had been lost. His experience has led him to accentuate and celebrate the importance of first responders to any dire event in our society, and especially the first responders who represented our police force, fireman, and emergency medical technicians. He reminisced about valor he had witnessed in the face of terrible events and the ongoing fight on terrorism.

He used those remarks to lead into his next song, “Bring Him Home” from Les Miserables. We have heard Douglas Webster (in 2001) and Franc D’Ambrosio (in 2004) sing the same song in our concert series. They were quite excellent in their presentations, but Rodriguez, perhaps because of his personal experience, has given us the supremely moving experience embedded in the song.

Rodriguez closed the first half of the concert with “Be My Love.” He said Mario Lanza, a tenor who had died at the age of 28, had been his model. Indeed, Lanza would have approved of Rodriguez’s work. Also, he would have approved of the interpretation of this song and the fine accompaniment of the trio.

Act Two began with the discovery by the audience that Lynch, the pianist, was working under a handicap; the pedals on the piano, which are held in place by a wedge, had fallen off during the second number in the first act. Despite the difficulty this caused him, the trio opened the act with “When I Fall in Love,” an exquisite jazz rendition of the number.

Their quiet version of the standard love song was reinforced by Kavanaugh’s interpretation of “Summertime,” from “Porgy and Bess.” Her beautiful voice was complemented by Lynch’s interludes on the piano.

“One Hand, One Heart” became a duet with Rodriguez leading the way, first quietly and then building to a magnificent climax. Rodriguez followed this with a Spanish song, “Jurame” which translates to “Swear to Me.”

Traveling with the couple is their charming daughter, Alexandra – “Lexie.” At each concert, they sing a lullaby to her. Rodriguez sang the first and was rewarded by Lexie running into his arms from stage left and receiving hugs and kisses. Kavanaugh followed with a New Zealand lullaby, “Hine E Hine.” Her a capella arrangement and her compelling voice were impressive and moving.

They again joined voices to continue the “Boy Meets Girl” theme of love and marriage. “And This Is My Beloved” again combined the perfect blend of their voices and enunciation of words with an excellent sense of dramatic delivery, complete with a kiss at the end.

“Conte Partiro” translates to “Time to Say Goodbye.” It was an appropriate number to bring the concert to an end and a confirmation of their talent.

On February 10, Daniel Rodriquez and his wife Marla Kavanaugh gave a beautiful pre Valentine’s day performance to a full house of 850 people at Three Stages at Folsom Lake College. For the first time the show opened with performances by four local vocalists: Lauryn Caruso, Savannah Argyle, Alison Chavez, and Katherine Sorgea, accompanied by local pianist Fred Weber.

Then Rodriquez and Kavanaugh sang a selection of songs from Phantom of the Opera and Maria, and each also sang several solos. Rodriquez, who is also known as the “singing policeman of NY” (he worked in NYPD and sang God Bless America after 9/11), is a fabulous entertainer and tenor singer whose voice pairs beautifully with Kavanaugh’s lovely soprano. “The love shared between them on stage made for an emotional performance,” said JoAnne Davidson, Publicity Coordinator for Folsom Lake Community Concert Association (FLCCA).

After the show, the performers were available for autographs and photographs, and also sold CDs. This event was put on by the FLCCA and has put on five concerts each year for the past 19 years. Proceeds from their shows benefit the FLCCA Student Scholarship and their outreach program for children and the elderly. 

 
Message from Daniel:

Dear Friends,

I am having a quiet moment in the early hours of a beautiful morning in Artesia, New Mexico and wish to let you all know how things have gone on this Cross country tour. I have to first give thanks to God for blessing me with the opportunity to experience this trip with my family. I don't know how I could ever do this without them by my side. Every morning I awake to the beautiful smiles of my wife and my daughter, what man could ask for a better way to start the day.

From the start I thought this tour would be difficult. With all the driving and hotel rooms, the packing and unpacking and lugging all the show gear in and out of the theatre each night. But I have to say that everyone has pulled their weight and together it has been much easier than I had expected and with the addition of my brother-in-law, Simon Dikkenburg, not only is the grunt work easier but there is more in sight on the tour for our friends. Simon is a welcomed addition and with his creative style has worked hard to bring photos and soon video of the tour to the web where our family and friends can virtually come along on the road with us.

We have lived the lyrics of Lee Holdridge's song "An American Hymn" as we travel across this beautiful country. I have seen silver mountain tops and prairies, quiet canyons through mountain passes covered in fresh snow, amazing trees beneath the Big Sky's over Montana. I witnessed for the first time in my life a herd of wild buffalo and thought to myself, this is a glimpse of the way it must have been back in the wild youth of our country when the American Indians flourished here. I felt an overwhelming excitement that I find hard to describe.

We all live in the world we see and experience each day and apart from the T.V. or our occasional vacations, that's all we see. We know that there are places of wonder in the world and great sites to behold but how many of us can get away from the responsibilities of our everyday lives to go out and experience them. So when the chance encounter of this magnitude happens you can't help but feel awed and humbled at the wonders God has made.

The show has been very well received and we have had a lot of fun performing it. I tell the story of Daniel Rodriguez before 9-11 and try and dispel the myth that I began singing after September 11. I put together a program that covers music from my youth all the way up to the present, starting with "The Impossible Dream".

I chose this song because when I look back at all that was needed to get from where I started to where I am today, It really seemed like an impossible dream. Just goes to show that with faith and hard work all dreams are possible. I sing a lovely duet with my sister in-law, Marissa. I chose a song that mom would sing to me as a lullaby called "Just in Love". Marla joins me for "If I loved you" then the twins come out with Alexandra in hand, and hand her off to me as I leave the stage. Then they sing "I Need you to Turn to" from their new CD "Songbirds". The audience absolutely loves them and has had so many wonderful comments about the delicate harmonies they present. I end the show with "Bring him Home" as a prayer for the safe return of our troops. I believe that show has grown and gives the audience a look at my life and the driving force that has shaped it.

I want to personally thank Bonnie for all her hard work and dedication, and for keeping a diligent watch on the web. She has archived all my information, and caught misprints that could have caused people to miss some of my concerts. I don't know any artist who has such a dedicated friend. I would also like to thank Carmen for her hard work on the web site and for having the courage to persue her own dreams.

I wish to thank my dear friends for their support and loyalty.  Daniel