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Jazztpt -------- First tide - Another piece taking me along, for me, the new road of jazz. I'm not yet competent to make constructive comment except for my to marvel at your ability.
Tim --- Dave Brubeck - Southern Scene - One of those tunes that has parts of other tunes that I know. I only knew DB for his playing of Take Five and Its a Raggy Waltz as its what my music teacher played when they first were released. I'll need to seek other these other pieces. Nice relaxed playing.
I won't last a day without you - What an evocative Carpenters Song and well played:
Farewell to Stromness - Being a Scot this tugs at my heart strings. Thanks for your lovely performance.
My One and Only Love - Very smooth and relaxing
Pianist685 ----------- Song to Elitha - I can picture a dancer painting a musical picture to this. Captivating playing!
Riddler ------- A Mad Russian Christmas - Aptly named! Not much more I can add, except that the piano must have felt disturbed
IosPlayer --------- One for Willie - Very nice! Great sounds, playing and good swelling of the voices. My One and Only Love - as with Tim's First Tide, sorry I'm not competent to make a valued comment about this type of jazz.
Handyman --------- As Time Goes By - Great song and well played
Ian - excellent selection of all time favorite songs - love them all & elegantly played!
Just a quick note - two of my preferred versions of "Sunday" are by what would appear to be polar opposite performers: Nat king Cole and Reba McIntire...check it out...
As usual, I’m enjoying the music, fellowship and adult beverages in the bar this month. Oddly enough, my tune this month wasn’t written in the last couple of weeks although it still seems fresh.
Ed – A Mad Russian’s Christmas This is really funny and Russian at the same time. But you aren’t serious, are you? I know the Transsiberian Railway. So they have an orchestra on board? I must try a trip with them.
Me? I'm never serious!
The first thing I thought of was a Paul Theroux book I read, uhmm, ... last century.
It turns out that TSO is an American rock orchestra which chose that name because - well, just because. I know nothing about them other than what Wikipedia says, or what Tim says. It turns out that my teacher has a young student who really wants to play this piece, so my teacher was cobbling together a piano arrangement for him. He was playing the TSO recording as I walked into his studio, and I started playing along at the piano (being familiar with the Nutcracker melodies.) One thing led to another and I decided to try to find or create a backing track and piano arrangement which would fit together in a way that the piano would be prominent but would not be competing with the other instruments. I can't say I was very successful at that, but I had some fun and learned some things.
BillM - nice job on "Mr. President..." with your usual heartfelt vocal and masterful accompaniment playing - was this an FDR/Great Depression era tune ?
John
"Difficulties deferred and challenges unmet will eventually return with a vengeance to bite one in the butt." (paraphrasing Chopin)
Mr President - Completely new to me and I just had to listen to it three times for my enjoyment! Your voice and playing expressed the song's sentiment perfectly.
Jazztpt - First Tide (although I guess the Tide is now second) - an interesting and complex piece. I like the variations in mood and tempo. Wasn’t expecting the somewhat abrupt ending. Very Cool!
Tim - Your ability to perform such diverse pieces and styles of music at such a high level is amazing! I’ve been a Dave Brubeck fan since I saw him and the 5 perform at the University of Maryland when I was a freshman. It was 1967 and I didn’t think there would be much of a turnout - I was wrong - the Armory was jammed. Love the Carpenters and loved your medley - outstanding!
Riddler - Ed - a real departure from what I was expecting from you!! How incredibly fun - you have outdone yourself with this rollicking Emerson/Lake/Palmeresque performance. My favorite of all of the pieces of yours I’ve heard over the years.
Beemer - your wonderful song selection is matched beautifully with your uncluttered piano style. Your recording is also crisp and highly listenable. Always a treat to hear you play these great old standards.
Your words are too kind, but gratefully received. I simply love music nostalgia. Firstly the melody and then the added flavour of the lyrics. It doesn't have to be about love, as long as a sentiment is being expressed that has a connection to a past memory or event. I look forward to hearing more of your talent.
Handyman - AS Time Goes By - a classic if ever there was one, with nice clean playing. I have never seen the film Casablanca, something I need to rectify.
IosPlayer -One and only love, definitely worth another listen to this very original version.
Tim Adrianson - One and only love - a more traditional version of the song, beautiful arrangement beautifully played.
Beemer - great selection , particularly enjoyed 'How are things in glocca morra' from Finian's Rainbow, another film I have never seen, can't even remember this one being on. Keep them coming.
BillM - Great stuff Bill , you really let loose here, no music on the stand helps I suppose, great entertainment and committed performance , thanks for sharing it with us.
Hi, folks! Just catching up with the new monthly submissions:
Beemer
"How Are things in Glocca Morra" -- one of the many beautiful songs from "Finian's Rainbow", and from the pen of Burton Lane -- who also gave us standards such as "Old Devil Moon" and "On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever". To borrow an "Irishism", this song is thoroughly beguiling, from beginning to end. All of the "fluorishes" are written right into the original arrangement.
"Sunday Kind of Love" -- Much like "My One and Only Love", this has become a Jazz Standard from the time it was first written -- and both composed by people you otherwise have never heard of (MOaOL -- Guy Wood; SKoL -- Barbara Belle). A classic, beautifully presented. And thanks to Handyman for providing Reba McEntire's cover -- it serves to remind one how talented and versatile she is.
"Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man of Mine" -- Jerome Kern I've always thought was one the finest melodists in the Great American Standards pantheon (if not the finest), and this is one of the best from "Showboat" -- a late 1920s musical with a young Oscar Hammerstein as lyricist -- and a musical which very clearly forecasts the groundbreaking efforts of Rodgers and Hammerstein in the 1940s.
"Body and Soul" -- one of the great Jazz Standards from the 1930s -- covered by, well, virtually everybody who was anybody in Jazz circles. Johnny Green was the composer -- the only other Standard I know of by him was "I Cover the Waterfront".
Thanks for very straightforward, transparent readings of these timeless classics!
BillM -- Well, you sure seemed to be in your element with this song, Bill -- right in your wheelhouse! "Have Pity on the Working Man" sounds like it could have come from the Depression era, but in fact it came from the pen of Randy Newman in 1974 -- from his brilliant album "Good Old Boys" -- a tip of the hat to his Southern roots (he grew up in the New Orleans area). And from I what I understand, it was written as a thoroughly contemporary plea to Richard Nixon at the time -- the US was in the throes of a recession, and the South was being particularly hard hit.
I have an infection on my right hand middle finger so any more recording is out the question at the moment, so here's one from a few years ago, this is me singing accompanied by my son on piano, I wrote the music and he wrote the words. We were just playing through it and he stuck the recorder on so it wasn't rehearsed , a few mistakes but hey ho, just for fun.
