albums for the discerning collector

Harbinger Records

devoted to musical theater, cabaret and the Great American Songbook

About the Label

Since 1983 the Harbinger label—formed by Bill Rudman and Ken Bloom-- has housed an extraordinary range of artists, from legendary performers such as Peggy Lee (in her penultimate recording), Mabel Mercer and Ethel Merman to first-rate contemporary singers including Sylvia McNair, Steve Ross, Barbara Fasano and Eric Comstock.

Of special interest: historic and rare musical theater recordings by songwriters Richard Rodgers, Cy Coleman, Harold Arlen, Hugh Martin, Sheldon Harnick, Jones & Schmidt, Cryer & Ford and John Kander.

And there are many other musical theater CDs that will surprise and delight you! We hope you will visit us often and get in touch by emailing info@musicaltheaterproject.org.

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sample the label

Sheldon Harnick:
Hidden Treasures

In this tantalizing 2-CD set, the late, great lyricist Fiddler on the Roof, She Loves Me and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Fiorello! shares with musical theater fans 53 of his Hidden Treasures: rarely heard songs from 17 musicals, with many songs performed by Harnick himself and his late composer-partner Jerry Bock. Three cuts feature Harnick as recorded for this special collection, and other archival recordings star three-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, Brian d'Arcy James, Charlotte Rae and more.

This magnificent set is testimony to Sheldon's extraordinary gifts, and to his place in the pantheon of Broadway musical creators.

Hear the original demo of Fiddler’s opening number performed by Harnick and Bock.

PRAISE FOR HARBINGER records

Cabaret Scenes Magazine

Harbinger Records has long been a musical oasis, releasing everything from studio sessions by legends to rare archival recordings, all while maintaining a dedication to preserving and celebrating the Great American Songbook.

Rodgers_CommandPerformance_Harbinger

Praise for
Richard Rodgers: Command Performance

The first release of Rodgers’s complete 1920s piano rolls: 14 Rodgers & Hart songs–plus never-heard recordings conducted, played and even sung by the composer.


“Beautifully packaged with testimonials by William Bolcom, Ted Chapin, Michael Feinstein and others, here is an illuminating addition to Rodgers scholarship and a CD musical theater mavens will treasure.”

– Don Rosenbert, Gramophone magazine

 

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Praise for
Shuffle Along

The original recordings by composer Eubie Blake and lyricist Noble Sissle of their jazz score for the trailblazing 1922 all-Black musical, whose centerpiece is “I’m Just Wild About Harry.” Winner of a Grammy Award for Ken Bloom’s liner notes.


“If you have any interest in American musical theater get these discs and settle down for an afternoon of good listening and reading.”

Rare Archival Recording

RossSondheim

Praise for
Steve Ross Sings Sondheim

This long-awaited national release of new recording by the elder statesman of
New York cabaret singers ranges from well-known Sondheim (“Losing My
Mind” and the Oscar-winning “Sooner or Later”) to obscurities like the
irresistibly risqué “I Never Do Anything Twice.”


"The disc is a role model for anyone who aspires to be smarter, worldlier and more stylish than the rest.”

– James Gavin, author of Intimate Nights: The Golden age of New York Cabaret

 

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Explore and Shop the Full Collection

Explore our full collection of Harbinger Albums, each available for purchase on our full store.