When the Broadway musical, Ain’t Misbehavin’, came to the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco in 1980, my then-jazz pianist husband and I had to see it. Today, the name Fats Waller is rarely heard. But in 1980, San Francisco boasted a number of hopping improvisational jazz clubs where the musical styles of greats like Charlie Parker, Oscar Peterson, and Fats Waller were very much alive and well.
Waller (1904-1943) studied piano with James P. Johnson, who developed the Harlem stride school of jazz piano. This style employed a wider range of scale in the left hand, smoother dynamics, and left more room for improvisation than its forerunner, ragtime. Fats Waller became a master of stride jazz and his sense of comedy and playfulness secured his legacy as a popular comedic entertainer. His radio program showcased his comedic talents throughout the 1930s. Later, he went to Hollywood and played in the 1943 film, Stormy Weather, with co-star Lena Horne. In the same year, he became the first African-American to compose the music for a Broadway musical, Early to Bed.
Two well-known jazz standards composed by Waller are “Honeysuckle Rose” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” He reportedly copyrighted over 400 songs, but he often sold songs to other performers and allowed them to take full credit.
Mobster Al Capone was so taken by Fats Waller that four of his hoods kidnapped the well-known pianist in 1926 and forced him to perform at Capone’s birthday party.
One of my favorite Waller songs is “Your Feet’s Too Big” because it’s funny and set to a catchy tune. It truly captures the pianist/composer’s delightful sense of humor.
(Your Feet’s Too Big by Fats Waller)
Dawn Pisturino
June 7, 2023
Copyright 2023 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
I’m a Gemini, a freethinker, fiercely independent, self-sufficient, and self-reliant. Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd is a song that resonates with me, especially the line, “And this bird you cannot change.” My freedom means far more to me than great wealth and success, which usually corrupt people and tie them down.
Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd
If I leave here tomorrow Would you still remember me? For I must be traveling on now ‘Cause there’s too many places I’ve got to see
But, if I stay here with you, girl Things just couldn’t be the same ‘Cause, I’m as free as a bird now And this bird you cannot change, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
And the bird you cannot change And this bird you cannot change Lord knows I can’t change
Bye-bye, baby, it’s been a sweet love, yeah, yeah Though this feeling I can’t change But, please, don’t take it so badly ‘Cause Lord knows I’m to blame
But, if I stay here with you, girl Things just couldn’t be the same ‘Cause, I’m as free as a bird now And this bird you’ll never change, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
And the bird you cannot change And this bird you cannot change Lord knows I can’t change Lord, help me, I can’t change
Lord, I can’t change Won’t you fly high, free bird, yeah
Songwriters: Allen Collins, Ron Van Zant. For non-commercial use only.
from Musixmatch.
[Please note that I will mainly be posting on Mondays and Wednesdays through the summer.]
Have a blessed day!
~
Dawn Pisturino
May 31, 2023
Copyright 2023 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
St. Patrick’s Day is an all-inclusive holiday that anyone can enjoy. Green beer, shamrocks, magical leprechauns, corned beef and cabbage, dancing, singing, and parades celebrate Irish culture and Irish immigration to America. What can be better than that? Finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, of course!
(A little Irish clogging for your enjoyment. It’s incredible how nimble these dancers are!)
(One of the most beautiful Irish songs ever written)
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Dawn Pisturino
March 17, 2023
Copyright 2023 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
There are some singers whom you will never forget. Roberta Flack is one of them. Her lush voice washes over you like a liquid massage, soothing all your anxieties, and smoothing all the rough corners away. She simply is fabulous!
Two of her hits are my favorites: Killing Me Softlywith His Song and The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.
“Internationally hailed as one of the greatest songstresses of our time, GRAMMY Award winning Roberta Flack remains unparalleled in her ability to tell a story through her music. Her songs bring insight into our lives, loves, culture and politics, while effortlessly traversing a broad musical landscape from pop to soul to folk to jazz. She is the only solo artist to win the GRAMMY Award Record of the Year for two (2) consecutive years: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face won the 1973 GRAMMY and Killing Me Softly with His Song won the 1974 GRAMMY.
Classically trained on the piano from an early age, Ms. Flack received a music scholarship at age 15 to attend Howard University. Discovered while singing at the Washington, DC nightclub Mr. Henry’s by jazz musician Les McCann, she was immediately signed to Atlantic Records. With a string of hits, including, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Where Is the Love (a duet with former Howard University classmate Donny Hathaway), Killing Me Softly With His Song, Feel Like Makin’ Love, The Closer I Get to You, Tonight I Celebrate My Love, and Set the Night to Music, Roberta Flack has inspired countless artists with her musical brilliance and honesty.
Described by Reverend Jesse Jackson as “socially relevant and politically unafraid”, Ms. Flack is very active as a humanitarian and mentor. She founded the Roberta Flack School of Music at the Hyde Leadership Charter School in the Bronx, providing an innovative and inspiring music education program to underprivileged students free of charge.
In 2010, Ms. Flack founded The Roberta Flack Foundation whose mission statement is to support animal welfare and music education. In 2019, she awarded grants to Anasa Troutman’s Shelectricity and filmmaker Carol Swainson.
In 2018, Ms. Flack retired from touring and continues to make special appearances.
In 2020, Ms. Flack received a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition, she raised awareness and funds for Feed The Children.org during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Dawn Pisturino
March 6, 2023
Copyright 2023 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
(Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond in the classic 1950 film noir, Sunset Boulevard.)
My daughter has been taking acting lessons at the L.A. Acting Studios in North Hollywood, California. She tells me it has been a fun experience and well worth her time and money.
The L.A. Acting Studios teaches on-camera acting using six fully functioning, professionally-designed sets. All teachers are Hollywood professionals who actively work in the industry. Students act out scenes in front of multiple cameras, directed by Director David Rountree. During the course of the classes, students play both leading and supportive roles, giving them a well-rounded experience. Students can download their filmed scenes for their own evaluation and use. If desired, the studio can make demo reels for students at an additional cost to send to agents, casting managers, and production companies.
Classes are kept affordable and small. Acting classes are offered for children and teens. Actor David Banks teaches the Commercial Acting Class.
Most of us remember the romance of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers gliding “cheek to cheek” across the stage; the high intensity of John Travolta in his white disco suit gyrating under the strobe lights; and the graceful pirouettes of the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker ballet.
Dancing has always been popular entertainment in the United States. And since the 1940s, it has been used therapeutically, as well.
Dance movement therapy is a recognized form of psychotherapy which uses movement to encourage free expression in people with emotional, mental, behavioral, and physical problems.
Recognizing that the mind and body work together, dance therapists use the rhythmic movements in dance to promote relaxation, wellness, and social interaction.
Dance therapy is often used to help victims of rape and sexual abuse to express the trauma of their experiences. People with physical disabilities improve their balance, coordination, and self-esteem through movement exercises. Chronically ill and terminally ill people find temporary distraction from their pain, fear, and anxiety. Even children and senior citizens benefit from the unrestricted movements.
Dance is a form of creative expression which integrates body, mind, and spirit. In Asia, it developed largely as a form of sacred expression. The Hindu god Shiva, in the form of Nataraja — the Cosmic Dancer — is shown in ancient statues and engravings dancing the rhythm of the universe and its ever-revolving cycles of birth and death, creation and destruction. In quantum physics, he beautifully symbolizes the ever-changing energy of the universe in its many forms.
Dancing is a great form of aerobic exercise which anybody can do. Just put on some music, and let yourself go! It strengthens the muscles and improves flexibility and coordination. It reduces muscle tension and stress, increases circulation, and opens up the lungs. But most of all, it’s just plain fun!
“Dance till the stars come down from the rafters,
Dance, dance, dance till you drop.”
W.H. Auden
Published in The Kingman Daily Miner, June 12, 2007.
(Vera Ellen was one of the most energetic and phenomenal dancers in Hollywood, but she was overshadowed by more famous performers, like Ginger Rogers, Cyd Charisse, Fred Astaire, Danny Kaye, and Gene Kelly. This clip from White Christmas showcases her talent. I can’t even imagine dancing like this in high heels.)
Dawn Pisturino
2007; December 14, 2022
Copyright 2007-2022 Dawn Pisturino. All rights reserved.
(George Winston playing his beautiful and inspiring piece, “Thanksgiving.” My mother adored George Winston.)
My parents always came for Thanksgiving. Now that they are gone, I always think of them at this time of year.
PSALM 95:1-5 (NKJV)
Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the LORD is the great God, and the great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; and His hands formed the dry land.
PLEASE NOTE: I WILL NOT BE POSTING ANYTHING UNTIL SOME TIME NEXT WEEK.
Have a joyful and blessed Thanksgiving!
~
Dawn Pisturino
November 23, 2022
Copyright 2022 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
How did Johann Sebastian Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor BWV 565 become a staple among Halloween favorites? After all, Bach lived 300 years ago and wrote high brow classical music during the high Baroque Period — not exactly popular music for pranksters and merry-makers. And yet, this organ masterpiece has become associated with Halloween as surely as dark, haunted mansions and creepy carved pumpkins.
Bach wrote it in two parts. The first part, the Toccata (from the Italian toccare, meaning “to touch”), was meant to show off the performer’s skill as a virtuoso organist, so it is characterized by many arpeggios (broken chords) and light-fingered gymnastics up and down the keyboard. The second part, the Fugue, uses repetition in various keys (“voices”) to highlight a central musical theme. A minor scale was used to give the piece a dark, ominous, foreboding, and dramatic tone. Organs have a deep, rich, and powerful quality, so writing such a magnificent piece for the organ (especially a large, full-bodied organ with pipes) was sheer genius.
Movie audiences were introduced to Bach’s piece in the opening scenes of the 1940 animated Disney classic, Fantasia. Instead of using the organ, however, conductor Leopold Stokowski arranged the piece into an orchestral number. But the music became associated with horror films when it was used in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), The Black Cat (1934), The Raven (1935), Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972), Gremlins2 (1990), and The Babadook (2014). And, truthfully, if you ask music lovers what images come into their minds while listening to Bach’s organ piece, many will tell you that they envision ghostly encounters in haunted houses, mist-covered cemeteries, scary pumpkins, mad organists in Gothic churches, and vampires and other creatures of the night.
But experience it for yourself!
(Organ version performed by Hannes Kastner)
(Orchestral version from the 1940 animated film, Fantasia, arranged and conducted by Leopold Stokowski)
Have a spooky day!
Dawn Pisturino
October 19, 2022
Copyright 2022 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
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