Jersey Boys Blog

(Photo Credit #3-16: BroadwayWorld.com)

The JERSEY BOYS 5th Anniversary celebration culminated with a once in a lifetime experience for Four Seasons/JERSEY BOYS fans: A Q&A session at the Paley Center for Media on Monday evening, November 8 with original Four Seasons members Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli and JB writers Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice. The panel was moderated by Late Night with David Letterman’s musical director, Paul Shaffer.

Throughout the evening, there was so much to take in—the archival performance clips; the sharp questions, amusing commentary, and the true love of the Seasons’ music & JERSEY BOYS by Paul Shaffer; and the insightful, humorous, fascinating, and sometimes rather surprising comments from panelists Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Marshall Brickman, and Rick Elice. So much to take in, that I may have gone a little overboard in my note-taking that evening. In fact, as the evening ended and we were saying our goodbyes, Rick Elice asked if I had writer’s cramp! So, that’s why my recap of this unforgettable evening will be a three-parter!

The evening began with a fabulous video clip of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons’ 1977 American Bandstand appearance with a bearded Frankie Valli and his group wearing some colorful ’70s attire and singing the chart-topping “Oh, What A Night.” That song title was an understatement for what was about to take place on the Paley Center stage!

Pat Mitchell, President & CEO of the Paley Center for Media took center stage to welcome the audience and stated that the evening would celebrate Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons’ television appearances, their lives, and the band’s legacy, along with the Broadway smash hit JERSEY BOYS!

Ms. Mitchell then introduced the evening’s panel participants and noted their amazing accomplishments: Marshall Brickman, Rick Elice, Bob Gaudio, and Frankie Valli–who all received a thunderous round of applause from the audience. In addition to the panelists, Ms. Mitchell introduced two JERSEY BOYS Broadway cast members—Dominic Nolfi (Tommy DeVito) and Dominic Scaglione, Jr. (two-show Frankie Valli), who would also be participating in the evening’s Q&A.

Following the introductions, we were treated to some spectacular Four Seasons’ TV footage from the early 1960s through the late ‘70s. Ms. Mitchell noted that the interns had a great time going through the archives finding some rather rare appearances—some of which even the big Seasons’ fans had not seen before. The footage included:

• Steve Allen, 1964: Four Seasons singing Day In, Day Out & I Can Dream, Can’t I? with the very clean-cut, sharply dressed Seasons performing their four-part harmony with one microphone.
• Where The Action Is, 1966: Rag Doll & Opus 17: The guys singing outdoors to crowds of teenagers and younger kids.
• Hullabaloo, 1966: Working My Way Back To You: The guys rocking on stage with their mod-looking collared sweaters and turtleneck fashions.
• The Midnight Special, 1974: Let’s Hang On: A treat seeing Frankie & the boys singing one of their biggest mid-’60s hits in their embroidered bellbottom leisure suits. Frankie saluted the band (and of course, the horn section) as he shouted, “Ladies and gentlemen, The Four Seasons’ orchestra!”
• Echoes of the ‘60s, 1979: A more mature Valli, decked out in a velvet sportcoat and a gold chain singing the song that almost never saw the light of day (sorry, I had to add a JB line), “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”

When Ms. Mitchell stated that Paul Shaffer had just finished his day job, Shaffer popped on stage to a round of applause, donning funky silver glasses and a black sportcoat with tassels, saying that he has seen JERSEY BOYS three times thus far. He said that every Broadway show needs two things: great music and a great book.

Shaffer began by asking Frankie Valli, “The way you sing, nobody does it like you; where did this crazy voice come from—that high falsetto and that beautiful ballad voice?”

Valli chuckled. “All that is true,” he said. “My father used to say to me, `What kind of singing is that?’”

Shaffer continued and asked Frankie, “You talked with my dad at my wedding and you guys really share the love of jazz.”

Frankie said, “Jazz was a major influence, along with major R&B artists like Dinah Washington, Nellie Lutcher, and Little Jimmy Scott. And Frank Sinatra. No one could deliver a lyric with such passion like Sinatra. I took from people I liked.”

Shaffer then chuckled and asked Frankie, “Where in the hell did that high voice come from?”

Frankie explained that R&B groups had been doing the falsetto for years, mostly in the background. R&B singers did it in a softer way.

When Shaffer asked what were Frankie’s highest notes, Bob Gaudio chimed in and said, “Many of Frankie’s endings and fadeouts to songs were his highest.”

Valli humorously added, “Only dogs could hear some of those notes!”

Shaffer said to Frankie, “You had an edge and a piercing element in your voice.”

Valli said, “I did, but I thought everybody could do it.”

Dominic Scaglione, Jr. who has played the “Frankie” role in JERSEY BOYS in Vegas, Chicago, and on Broadway told the audience, “There were two Frankies in my house growing up—Sinatra and Valli.” He added, “My dad was an East Orange cop and later worked for the FBI and their music was always on at our house.”

Frankie joked, “His father forced him to listen to it!”

Scaglione then said, “Before I got the job, I listened to the music constantly, trying to get the sound, and I’m still learning. It’s an amazing journey playing this role and I am still pinching myself.”

Gaudio said, “Let’s back up one second. Frankie’s right, his voice was natural, but there was an edge on top of that.”

“And all those tight underwear!” Frankie laughed.

Regarding the Seasons’ first hit and Frankie’s powerful pipes, Bob said, “When you first heard Sherry on, it 3D’ed on AM radio. Frankie could break a microphone. When recording, he would stand two or three feet from the mike to keep from destroying the microphone.”

Paul Shaffer commented on one area of Frankie’s vocal talent that was really remarkable–something that I had been curious about forever–his powerful mid-range. Shaffer growled, “When she was just a kid…..” and asked, “Where the f*ck did that come from?” and the audience howled.

Gaudio stated that The Beach Boys had an amazing harmony, but he was a drum fanatic. He said, “Our records were very rhythm-oriented; you had to fight through the rhythm. It was R&B, Jersey style.”

According to Valli, while The Beach Boys sang their parts in a lighter fashion, similar to The Four Freshman, “we did it more forcefully to create a sound that would be recognizable. You knew who it was when you heard it.”