John McDermott - A Time to Remember (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)John McDermott is someone you'd be proud to know, and this DVD shows why. The music, the interviews, the clips all reveal a real person who loves his family, his friends, his countries (!) and unabashedly revels in the music that celebrates the finer things of life. In the concert portion, John presents a number of his standards (The Old Man, Christmas in the Trenches, Danny Boy) with honest emotion. His selections (Here You Are, When I Grow Too Old to Dream, Ottawa stepdancing medley) featuring other performers such as Alison Girvan, Chandra Gibson and Pulse, and John's goddaughter Hannah Kenney are all first-rate presentations of talent. It is very refreshing to see children performing as children (not as vapid copies of socalled "stars") in delightfully straightforward style in Crazy Mary.
The special feature I most enjoyed, however, was the clip of John singing "Legacy" at the award dinner for the Congressional Medal of Honor winners. If it was in my power, I'd send that clip to every tv station in America with strict instructions to play it right alongside the national anthem. The message that "we won't forget those who served" cannot be overemphasized. If you can buy only DVD this year, this is the one you should get.

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This program by Irish tenor John McDermott (a well-sung and expertly produced show) was taped in Canada not long after September 11, 2001. Though the atrocity of that day is never mentioned explicitly, the feeling of loss and nostalgia, and the haunting shadow of what has been and what might have been are beautifully reflected, beginning with the opening number, "Try to Remember." A militant flavor appears in "Scotland the Brave" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." War and nostalgia are blended in "Christmas in the Trenches," a story song about the first Christmas of World War I when English and German soldiers suspended hostilities to sing carols together. There is nostalgia without war in "Danny Boy" and "The Old Man." McDermott's facial expressions, dancers, a children's chorus, Scottish scenes, and actors miming "Christmas in the Trenches" all make a strong case for video recording. Added documentary features are excellent. --Joe McLellan

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