United Kingdom What The World Needs Now – The Burt Bacharach Songbook: Rob Shirakbari (music director, keyboards), Rumer, Shaun Escoffery (soloist), Georgia van Etten, Woody Mankowski, Jana Varga, Michael Bakewell (soloists, instrumentalists), Flo Moore (bass guitar), Ed Richardson (drums), Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, 5.10.2026. (JPr)
The concert does exactly ‘what it says on the tin’ and is a glorious celebration of the songs of Burt Bacharach. Introducing the evening from the piano his former music director, Rob Shirakbari, said ‘Burt started writing songs professionally in the 1950s and started having hits pretty soon after that. He continued to have hit records and artists recorded his songs for the next seven decades. Still people record his songs and they’ve been so instrumental in the careers of artists, not just established artists, but his music has also been the launchpad for new artists … We are talking introducing the world to Dionne Warwick, for The Carpenters first big hit, Sandie Shaw, so many artists got their start with his material. And what we are going to do tonight is a whole lot of music.’
Writing in the – more than usually informative souvenir programme –Shirakbari explained in his introduction how he had been ‘professionally playing the songs of Burt Bacharach my entire life’ (and indeed he told us that he ‘worked with Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach for forty years’ going on to reveal how he had been always playing ‘within five feet’ of them both. He concluded by adding how ‘The focus of this concert is very simple. The songs are the stars of the show. We onstage are the guests. My job is to be the tastemaker and present them to you in the way they were intended – by both the songwriters and the artists. Those who gave the music life.’ Later in the programme Shirakabi writes ‘To assemble even a partial account of this output – now running past 1000 documented recordings across seven decades and seventeen languages – is to understand that Bacharach didn’t just write songs. He wrote structures flexible enough to whatever the next generation needed to pour into them. That’s why the songbook never closes.’ Variety apparently described the show as ‘Two hours and forty-five minutes of bliss’ and that indeed it is, especially for those of a certain generation …my one!
We hear the first notes on solo piano from the indefatigable Shirakabi of ‘What the World Needs Now is Love’, before its trumpet refrain (so typical of Bacharach) was heard and the full ensemble entered and with a rousing key change the ‘whole lot of music’ was underway. Michael Bakewell accompanying himself on guitar sang ‘Baby It’s You’, then it was Georgia van Etten with ‘Don’t Make Me Over’, Woody Mankowski (also an amazing saxophonist and guitarist) with ‘I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself’ and Jana Varga (flautist and guitarist too) singing ‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’. That was only the first quarter of an hour and I was wondering whether we would be hearing nearly all of those supposed 1000 recordings! Far from familiarity breeding contempt, the fact that much of what we heard was so familiar and triggered happy memories of times past, that the evening became so irresistible. What made it even more so was the amazingly versatile talent that Shirakbari had assembled; not least the accomplished musicians of the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra with its unacknowledged trumpeter (so vital to some of Bacharach’s scores). Then there was the combined excellence of Georgia van Etten, Woody Mankowski, Jana Varga and Michael Bakewell (replacing the unavailable Ed Harcourt for this concert alone and having learnt all his songs) who if they weren’t singing were accompanying the others in some way; as well as Shaun Escoffery and Rumer.
There were just so many memorable songs …one after another, after another. My only minor criticism is that we heard nothing much about those Bacharach collaborated with and who provide the lyrics until well into the second half and only then there was just a brief mention of Hal David (who worked with him for over 50 years), Carole Bayer Sager and Elvis Costello. I would have much preferred more structure to the evening with it divided into sections about the lyricists, the artists Bacharach worked with, the films he scored, etc. But it was all highly enjoyable, nonetheless.
I can only give a few personal highlights and if you see this concert on tour you will have your own. There was Michael Bakewell’s ‘Always Something There To Remind Me’ and ‘God Give Me Strength, Jana Varga’s ‘Do You Know the Way to San Jose’ and ‘I Say a Little Prayer’, Georgia van Etten’s ‘Message to Martha’ and particularly wonderful duets with Varga for ‘Trains and Boats and Planes’ and Woody Mankowski for ‘On My Own’. They were all mightily impressive in these as much as Kris Kristofferson-lookalike Mankowski was ending the first half with a mashup of ‘Magic Moments’ and an audience rousing ‘What’s New Pussycat’ before later singing ‘Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)’ when his own saxophone accompaniment had to be seen and heard to be believed!
Known for playing Mufasa in The Lion King Shaun Escoffery’s wonderfully soulful voice brought out the best in songs like ‘Anyone Who Had a Heart’, ‘Making Love’ and ‘A House is Not A Home’. Rumer’s instantly recognisable, velvety smooth, soothing and understated voice will have me replaying ‘You’ll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart)’, ‘(They Long to Be) Close to You’ and particularly ‘Alfie’, in my mind for a long, long time. She certainly lived up to Shirakbari calling her ‘a national treasure’.
Much fun was had by all and Burt Bacharach was well and truly celebrated (as he deserved to be) even before a joyous finale when all concerned – as well as the Cliffs Pavilion audience – joined together for ‘What the World Needs Now Is Love’ and (what else would you expect?) ‘Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head’.
Jim Pritchard
For more about What The World Needs Now – The Burt Bacharach Songbook on tour click here.