New York State of Mind : The Making Of

In the mid 1970's, when New York City was on the verge of economic collapse, one might have expected an artist to write a song about the once-great city’s imminent demise. Instead, Billy Joel wrote "New York State of Mind," a love letter expressing his passion for the city. In this equally challenging time, we realized that this song was precisely the rally cry that New York needs. And so, with Billy’s support and approval, we set out to create an all-new recording and music video that we hope will inspire, lift the spirits of New Yorkers, and motivate them toward civic action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsi4COF18Kg

Sara Bareilles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKlpXnikptU

Cautious Clay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eAYFzNGB70

Mark Rivera

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KKensKnyx8

Jerry Dixon & Mario Cantone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KKensKnyx8

Tom Kitt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsJVgNyOPpo

Peppermint

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqLSvnVV04Q

The Klezmatics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5mkh91JExY

Chloe Flower

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyR3NakLqIQ

Kelli O'Hara

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pVG_eNXG68

Vicki Clark

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkGLOtFKdwE

Joseph Joubert

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUMKEgFwU9Y

David Rosenthal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csZDLA_jGv4

Brian Stokes Mitchell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ54bcRyYMI

Joan Osborne

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qis3u7jSnLM

Bobby Sanabria

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VNN0NjjqCo

Brian Newman & Angie Pontani

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve2dmxwpq9c

Anais Reno

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpMuwDJ8ZIY

The Locations

Birdland

Birdland Jazz Club, named after iconic saxophone player Charlie “Bird” Parker, opened its doors in 1949. In its many decades of operation, Birdland has been home to iconic headliners including Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, and Quincy Jones. Birdland remains one of the most famous jazz clubs in the world.

Coney Island Pier

Coney Island was a farming community until the 1880's when developers envisioned a seaside resort and hotels were built. Soon, railroads connected the area to the City and beyond with the idea that this could become a posh summer resort like Saratoga, with race courses, fancy hotels and restaurants. Needless to say, it has changed quite a bit over time to be a world-famous amusement park with The Cyclone, the world's first rollercoaster still fully functioning today. And of course the iconic Wonder Wheel, designed and built by by Charles Hermann in 1920, designated an official New York City landmark in 1989, and still as popular as ever today.

The Steinway Factory

Steinway & Sons was founded in 1853 by German immigrant Henry Engelhard Steinway in a Manhattan loft on Varick Street. Eventually, they moved the factory from Manhattan to Queens Astoria Queens to an area which came to be known as "Steinway Village." Every single piano made in the Steinway Factory is hand crafted and takes at least 9 months.The STEINWAY has become the choice of ninety-eight percent of concert pianists, none of whom are compensated to endorse the instrument. 

Russ & Daughters

For over 100 years, Russ & Daughters has been an integral part of the history of New York City and Jewish food. Joel Russ, an immigrant from Poland, opened the store in 1914 on Orchard Street, but moved to its current location on Houston Street in 1920. Having no sons, Joel Russ required his three lovely daughters — Hattie, Ida, and Anne — to work in the store from the time they were teenagers. In 1935, he made his daughters full partners and changed the name to Russ & Daughters, a bold and controversial move. Russ & Daughters expanded with the opening of a store in The Jewish Museum in 2015 , and in Brooklyn at the Navy Yard in 2019. Visit their site to learn more.

Brooklyn Museum

With roots extending back to 1823, the Brooklyn Museum is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States with an encyclopedic collection representing more than 5,500 years of artistic creativity. The Brooklyn Museum is both a leading cultural institution and a community museum dedicated to serving a wide-ranging audience. Located in the heart of Brooklyn, the Museum welcomes and celebrates the diversity of its home borough and city.

Red Hook Winery

Founded in 2008 by Mark Snyder, The Red Hook Winery aims to uncover and highlight the best vineyard sites in New York state. All Red Hook Wine is produced from grape to bottle at our winery on Pier 41. Winemaker Christopher Nicolson and consulting winemakers Robert Foley and Abe Schoener aim to produce wines that reflect the climate, geology, and viticulture that make New York unlike any other growing region in the world. The Tasting Room at The Red Hook Winery boasts amazing views of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan across the sparkling East River and offers all 150 labels of Red Hook Wine as well as by the glass and tasting flights. Visit their site for more info.

Ed Sullivan Theater

The Ed Sullivan Theater has been used as a venue for live and taped CBS broadcasts since 1936. It is historically known as the home of The Ed Sullivan Show and the The Beatles' debut performance in the United States.Since 1993, it has been home to CBS' late night talk show, The Late Show. CBS began using the theater during David Letterman's tenure as host, and Stephen Colbert retained it when he took over the show in 2015. It is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the interior has been designated a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

La Casita De Chema / Rincon Criollo

La Casita de Chema, officially known as the Centro Cultural Rincón Criollo, on Brook Ave. at 157th St., is one of the oldest casitas in the city. For two generations, La Casita de Chema has been a breeding ground for Puerto Rican musicians and a place for community members to practice and share in the music.

Maimonides Park/Brooklyn Cyclones Stadium

The stadium opened in 2001 with a capacity of 6,500. The opening of the park, and the Cyclones' permanent move there from their prior temporary home in Queens, marked the return of professional baseball to Brooklyn for the first time since MLB's Brooklyn Dodgers had played their last game at Ebbets Field in 1957 before moving to California. Demand for Cyclones tickets was so great that the team added 1,000 seats in a right-field bleacher pavilion within three weeks after the park opened. 

Open Jar Studios

Open Jar Studios is home to the largest studios in New York City, for rehearsals, auditions, classes and support offices for theatre, dance, and film productions of all sizes. 21 column-free rehearsal studios overlook Times Square across two full floors located on the corner of Broadway and 48th Street. In addition to rehearsal space, Open Jar Studios is home to The Open Jar Institute. The institute is now in its 17th year, providing training and instruction for aspiring artists and professionals. Visit their site to learn more.

Columbia University

Columbia University is one of the world's most distinguished schools and center of research. Located in Manhattan, the University capitalizes on its NYC location by connecting its research and teaching to the vast resources of the city. The University draws students and faculty from around the world creating a diverse environment and strategic relationships with countries at all over the world.Visit their site to learn more.

Grand Army Plaza

Grand Army Plaza, located in Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn, was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux as a grand entrance to the Prospect Park. In 1926, the plaza, previously known as Prospect Park Plaza, was renamed Grand Army Plaza to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the foundation of the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army and other military services who served in the American Civil War. Today, it is a central NYC subway station stop and is home to one of the city's largest farmer's markets.

Tom's Restaurant

Tom’s Restaurant is a family-owned restaurant that has been proudly serving since the 1940s located on the corner of Broadway and West 112th Street in New York. The restaurant inspired Suzanne Vega’s 1987 song "Tom’s Diner," and reached iconic status when the exterior of the building was used in "Seinfeld" to establish the local diner where Jerry and friends regularly met.

Times Square/Midtown

Spanning from West 42nd Street to West 47th Street, Times Square is a major tourist and commercial destination in midtown Manhattan. Times Square is the center of NYC’s Theatre District, and is home to 39 Broadway theatres. Approximately 50 million people visit Times Square every year. 

Credits

NYCNext Project Credits

Perry Ascher

Maryam Banikarim

Susie Banikarim

Sydney Berger

Rachana Bhide

Quincy Confoy

Nick DiPillo

Brian Donovan

Phoebe Ellman

Michael Ferguson

Shannon Fox

Cathy Gay

Andrew Golomb

Jiawei He

Tom Kitt

Lori Klamner

Jesse Kranzler

Dana Kuznetzoff

Amanda Lazaro

Andrew Lerner

Natasha Lerner 

Nicky Lerner

Donna MacPhee

Catherine McCormack

Susan McPherson

Nancy Oda

Shena Patel

Abby Raphel

Jennifer Reingold

Blake Ross

Grace Santa Maria

Robert Sgalambro

Joshua Seftel

Alexandra Shapiro

Uyen Tieu

Megan Valle

Marcia Zimmerman

Smartypants Film Credits

Joshua Seftel, Director

Jeremy Mack, Executive Producer

Anna Bick Rowe, Executive Producer

Drew Levin, DP

Jeremy Medoff, Editor

Lindsay Blatt, Talent Producer

Sabine Rogers, Field Producer

Marki Yaccino, Production Manager

Jacob Breland, Production Manager

Karl Schroder, Additional cinematography

Jesse Sanchez-Strauss, Steadicam

Calvin Falk, Steadicam

Kevin Jacobsen, Steadicam

Mike Guaspari, 1st AC

Sam Tetro, 1st AC

Adam Roberts, 1st AC

Bri McCarthy, 2nd AC

Cal Heller, 2nd AC

Nada Stjepanovic, 2nd AC / MM

Bridget McQuillan, 2nd AC / MM

Ash Bean, 2nd AC

Julia Gowesky, Gaffer

Ted Maroney, Gaffer

Derek Sexton Horani, Gaffer

Ryan McCluney, Grip

Nick Pietroniro, Grip

Kevin Villafuerte, Grip

Matt Discala, Grip

Matt Jimney, Sound Mixer

Josh Heller, Sound Mixer

Keith Lee, Sound Mixer

Laura Thomas, BTS

James Frazier, PA

Ishmael Green, PA

Scott Bausemer, PA / Driver

Anna Beth Riggs, PA

Jordan Reis Alexander, PA

Steve Benjamin, Asst Editor

Nick Cancelliere, Asst Editor

Melissa Ulrey, Asst Editor

Sophie Glassman, Intern

Lily Ross, Intern

Music Credits

Produced by - Scott M. Riesett, Tom Kitt, and David Rosenthal

Additional Production by - Zane Mark, Brian Usifer, and Darryl Archibald

Mixed by - Derik Lee

Orchestrated and Arranged by - Tom Kitt

Additional Arrangements by - Joseph Joubert

Additional Orchestrations by - David Rosenthal

Instrumental Recording Session

Damien Bassman - Drums & Percussion

Angie Swan - Guitars
Joseph Joubert - Piano

Michael Olatuja - Bass

Scott M. Riesett - Producer

Tom Kitt - Producer

Ian Kagey - Recording Engineer

Teng Chen - Assistant Engineer

Recorded at Power Station at BerkleeNYC (New York, NY)

Mark Rivera - Saxophone

David Rosenthal - B3 and Strings

Recorded at Sonic Adventures Studio

Engineered by - David Rosenthal

Assistant Engineer - Kaz Fernando

Crystal Taliefero - Additional Percussion and Percussion Arrangements

Recorded at CTstudio

Engineer - Crystal Taliefero & Michael Lattanzi

Chloe Flower - Additional Piano

Tom Kitt - Additional Piano
Bobby Sanabria - Additional Percussion

Ben Stiller - Voice-Over

Bobby Sanabria Recording Session

Julian Cornell - Engineer

Mingyang "Jerry" Xu, David Peck, Michael Matsakis - Assistant Engineer

Dr. Elise Sobol - Director of Music Education, NYU Steinhardt

Parichat Songmuang - Manager, Dolan Recording Studio

Dr. David Schroeder - Chair, NYU Steinhardt Music and Performing Arts Professions

Bobby Sanabria - Percussion

Recorded at Dolan Recording Studio at NYU Steinhardt

Alexa Ray Joel Recording Session

Recorded by Parker S. Lyons at MonkMusic Studios in Easthampton, NY

Suzanne Vega Recording Session

 Sound engineer - Colin Mohnacs  

Voiceover

Ben Stiller

Advertising & PR

Our Man In Havana

Edelman

Fiscal Sponsorship

genEquality

Sherry Hakimi

New York Yankees

Major League Baseball footage used with permission of Major League Baseball. 

All rights reserved.

Partners

New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment

Edelman

MUSE

NYC & Company

NuRide Transportation Group

Our Man In Havana

Partnership for New York City

Reed Smith LLP

SAG-AFTRA

Smartypants Pictures

Universal Music

Legal

Randy Friedberg

Special Thanks

Asif Ahmed, Annaleigh Ashford, Kaitlyn Brennan, Jon Butensky, John Campanelli, Kevin Carey, Brian Cashman, Grace Cashman, Cameron Crowe, Niki Russ Federman, Donna Gryn, Sarah Jeffreys, Billy Joel, Mikael Jorgensen, Emily Lazar, Claire Mercuri, MUSE, Ken Rich, Ben Stiller, Nick Trotta, Josh Russ Tupper, Lia Vollack, Michael Williams, Kim Youngberg and Jason Zillo.

Birdland Cafe, Deno's Wonderwheel Park, Dennis Vourdetis Maimonides Park, Rincon Criollo / La Casita de Chema, Tom's Restaurant, Columbia University, Open Jar Studios, Russ & Daughters, Madison Square Garden, Times Square Alliance, Brooklyn Museum, Steinway Pianos, Red Hook Winery

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