Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Themed Recital Sub-Forum Great American Songbook Themed Recital - Discussion Thread

Barbaram - you nailed the jazzy, bluesy feel and rhythm of this song. Very nicely done!

winterflower - I haven’t seen Porgy and Bess for a long time - your recital submissions reminded me how much I like the music. Thanks for submitting these wonderful and evocative songs!

Sam S - one of my absolute favorites of the recital. To my ears this tricky piece was flawlessly performed. The pianist seems to be all business and laser focused on the piano - the clarinetist seems to be having a ball bopping along with the tune! Terrific video!

rwsavory - Very cool intro to Moon River. I love that you took your time and let this great melody breathe. The slow and stately tempo works - well done!

Jason Lenthe - You absolutely crushed this rag! What a fun and energetic performance. Your Cunningham Grand is up to the task and sounds great as do you.

jazzyprof - You have a real Piano Bar playing style that is an absolute pleasure to listen to - a professional level performance and recording - a classy ending to the recital!

KevinM What a beautiful start to the recital! Loved it! In fact it's become my latest earworm...playing constantly in my head!

This was really a brilliant recital; in my view one of the very best. Great songs, great playing! I did not submit anything (been too busy), but having now listened through the recital, I have to say: Great work, everybody!

If I had known the high niveau of this recital beforehand, I would have not participated. All in all I can just say to everyone else here, very well done. All songs were done remarkably well and listening to the submission made me understand, what the Gread Americal Songbook really is about.

Thanks Sam, Tim and Bill for your cheerful comments. And yes Bill, those rythm issues is something I have to work more. And I should record myself more often, so I can hear what must be improved the most. But for now, it seems this is the best I can do.

01. KevinM - Forgotten Dreams
Very well done, you played it with so much expression. Honestly I listened to this several times to get more of it.

02. pianist685 (Constantin) - But Beautiful
I never heard this song before in my life. Good thing you changed that because this is really enjoyable to listen to. You brought a really relaxing mood into your playing, making me calm down.

03. pianist685 (Constantin) - Laura
And again your playing is so beautiful and relaxing.

04. pianist685 (Constantin) - Embraceable You
Very well performed (again). It sounds so effortlessly when you play it. What should I say: Einfach toll, wirklich!

05. Tim Adrianson - 1 Always; I've Got the Sun in theMorning and the Moon at Night Your submissions alone make an entire album. An album with two CDs as one alone doesn't contain enough space.And it is interesting to see every composer has his own style. What I want to say is, every of your piece-collections holds an own signature, even as they are all performed by the same person. Needless to say, each one was played with same easyness (is this a word?). If I had to pick one of your performances to be my favorite, at a first glance I would say it was the Gershwin's collection. I guess the reason is that he sounds most familiar to me. And as single I preferred "An Affair To Remember", "Somebody, Somewhere" and "Skylark" as those have a kind of dreamyness. Thanks for sharing the journey through the Great American Songbook with the very well known composers and also for giving the lesser known life again.

07. PianogrlNW (Ellen) - Do It Again
A very nice piece, performed very well. I changed the title into "Listen it again" as your submission is very pleasing to listen to.

08. Beemer/Ian Jackson - And the Angels Sing
I loved this piece very much. And I love this kind of a swing in it, paired with the relaxed style. Thanks for sharing.

11. Beemer/Ian Jackson - Our Love Affair
Basically I enjoyed all of your performances. I can imagine wearing a smoking, being in a cocktail bar and having a very nice time listening to your playing.

13. BillM - The Way You Look Tonight
Outstanding performance with your singing. This makes it unique. Maybe there is a way to fix the highlights of your window with color grading technique. But this isn't photography forum, it is about piano playing and you were excellent with all your submissions.

16. Marklings - Along Came Betty
You got it spot on, well done. I wish I could get same control over the piano within 3 years of playing. Bravo!

18. Kepijapa - The Man I Love
There is nothing to be called boring on this. I don't know how Schuberts sound when you play it, but this kind of jazz-like music is something you should keep.

23. TomLC - Stardust
You put me in a very relaxed mood with your piano playing. Thanks for sharing.

28. lilypad - Over the Rainbow
A very well known tune and everybody knows how it should sound when played perfectly. And yours is no exception, you put a lot of expression in every bit of this piece. It's a pleasure to listen to every note, when you slow down at the end of a phrase, how you play with the dynamics. Very well done!

33. Barbaram - Cry Me A River
Hard to believe this arrangement is accessible that easy. Maybe hitting the right notes is accesible but you put a lot of expression into it, so it is very enjoyable to listen.

34. winterflower - I Loves You Porgy
Sounds light like a feather. I never heard this one before and I liked it in a heartbeat.

35. winterflower - Bess, You Is My Woman Now
Basocally the opposite mood that your last one. It's giving me the feeling after a rainy day, sitting inside with a cup of tea and watching raindrops dripping down the leaves. Anyway, if you wanted to do a contrast in the moods, you hit it.

38. Sam S - Promenade (Walking the Dog)
I don't know what is more challenging: Playing the melody by yourself, or just outsource this part to somebody else and synchronize it. Anyway, together with BillM your duet is outstanding within this recital as it is more than piano playing only. Congratulation also to Laurie (Tootles?) for her clarinet part.

40. rwsavory - Moon River
I love this movie (who does not?)! And your music brings back those memories of Audrey Hepburn. Very well played, thanks for sharing.

41. Jason Lenthe - Gladiolus Rag
I am very happy to see a rag in this recital, as ragtime was the music that made me start playing piano. I guess you played this piece exactly as Scott Joplin wanted it to be: "It is never right to play 'ragtime' fast." Many of today's recordings seem to be a skill show-off by playing them as fast as one can. Ignoring that it sounds better when played moderately. Just like yours. Thanks for sharing your music.

43. jazzyprof - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Reminds me to get presents for next christmas. Hoping for snow everywhere outside in late december. You created a really nice atmosphere with this song.

Thank you, Sam, for managing the recitals and giving me the opportunity to participate. Thank you, participants for sharing your music and kind comments.

KevinM Forgotten Dreams was lovely. It's haunting me because I feel as if I've heard it in one of my favorite movies. I'll need to watch the movie again and see to check it out.

pianist685 (Constantin) Enjoyed all three of your selections. But Beautiful was ... but beautiful, the harmonies in Laura were very nice indeed and your arrangement of Embraceable You was spot on.

Tim Adrianson Your comprehensive selections from the GAS were elegant. The accompanying background notes on composers and songs were welcome and very interesting. My favorites were among the more lively arrangements, namely:

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning - The arrangement had a gospel feel to it that would seem odd for a piece from 'Oklahoma', but it worked brilliantly.

I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo - Just an addictively fun listen.

Once in Love With Amy - Light hearted and matches what I have in my head when I think of the tune. Did I hear someone whistling along with the tune near the end of the recording or did I just imagine it?

PianogrlNW (Ellen) Do It Again was very enjoyable listening. I admire your skill with the mixed triplets.

Beemer/Ian Jackson Nice collection of standards. I liked the inclusion of the introductory sections.

BillM Bravo for adding your voice to the music. Singing outside of a group situation seems very exposed and personal to me, but I guess that's the point. 'What Are You Doing New Years Eve' is a holiday favorite of mine. An announcer on our local all-classical radio station sings snippets of it every year during the holidays.

Marklings Along Came Betty - Just wow! Loved the piece and the way you played it.

Kepijapa The Man I Love - Really nice tune and you play it so well. Love the ending.

Wie Waldi Linus and Lucy - Impressive! The full version that you played was way too difficult for me. All I could manage was the 'easy piano' version.

TomLC Stardust sounded just great to me, as did the version of the recording on the July piano bar.

Barbaram Cry Me A River - Nicely done! I really like the Dan Coates arrangements.

winterflower Nice arrangement from Porgy and Bess. I struggle to make any sort of a decent arrangement from a lead sheet and you did it very well.

Sam S Promenade (Walking the Dog) Delightful! Regarding your difficulty with the frequent chord changes, you made them sound effortless. You and 'Tootles' looked like you were having a blast. I had a blast listening!

rwsavory Moon River - Love the tune. Brought back memories of my distant youth. It was one of the first pieces I played when I ventured out of the method books and discovered the world of popular sheet music.

Jason Lenthe Gladiolus Rag - Well done! I could tell you had fun playing the piece and liked the showman-like hand sweep at the end of the piece on the video.

jazzyprof Lovely pieces with rich chord voicing.