Stravinsky: The Rite of spring

by

Updated: October 4, 2019

Sir Simon Rattle conducting The London Symphony Orchestra

There are times when I can’t stand Stravinsky’s ‘Rite of Spring’. Perhaps it’s a love/hate relationship… all that disonance when I crave listening to a Mozart Piano Concerto.

But no one can doubt the orgiastic swirl of orchestral instruments, the pounding primal rhythms and the sharp stabbing disonance of The Rite of Spring.

Yes, it started a riot in Paris during its first premiere. It was way ahead of its time at the beginning of the 20th Century.

But the more I listen to it, the more I appreciate Stravinsky’s genius, his imagination and ability to compose something so cutting edge and defiant. It was the 20th Century’s version of ‘the shot heard around the world’ since it caused such a stir.

Nowadays, it is part of the standard repertoire for orchestra, and even Disney added an adaption of it to its animated motion picture, ‘Fantasia’.

I admit, to the average listener, this music can be alien and even sinister. But further listenings will bring the listener close to the pure genius of Stravinsky.

Despite the love/hate relationship, this is one of my all-time favorites and there are certain sections of this music that bring me to tears…

piano

New Songs ADDED to the piano repertoire

by

Posted: October 3, 2019

Just some random notes

  1. I’m working on the following tunes… Side By Side, The Very Thought of You, Rambling Rose, Hey, Good Lookin’. I’ve played most of these ‘live’ already. I just need to work on getting them a bit tighter.
  2. I had a great solo piano gig yesterday at Memory Care. This is also my One Man Jazz Trio format, so not just solo piano, actually.
  3. Wednesdays are tough days for me, as the actual process of loading and unloading musical equipment and doing a solo gig kind of takes its toll. Then once I’m home and everything is unloaded at kept at home, I take a little nap, then head off to Yoga Class. Plus the working earlier in the morning truly adds to the challenge. But, after Yoga I feel rejuvenated once again.
  4. One of my goals is to be able to take the One Man Jazz Trio to a restaurant or public venue. All my piano gigs so far are private events.

My drumming on sing sing sing

by

Updated: September 24, 2019

A nice YouTube version of Big Time Operator’s version of Sing Sing Sing, featuring myself on drum solos.

days with Big time operator

I had the golden opportunity to perform with the Neo-Swing Big Band… Big Time Operator!

Despite the negativity that happened at the end of my stint with the band, I have no ill feelings nor regrets… it was a wild and fun ride.

Having said that, one of my favorite memories with the band was performing Gene Krupa’s legendary drum solo, note for note… then featuring a second half of the solo which was my own, with a compelling clarinet solo by Marc Rosen. Ah, the memories.

It was a very nice 3 year stint, touring the country doing a SouthWest tour, a West Coast tour, and opportunities to perform at Disneyland in Anaheim and Disney World in Orlando, Florida. And we got to perform at various hotel & casinos in Las Vegas.

piano

Listen to my music on spotify for free!

by

Posted: September 23, 2019

Hey, everyone!

I sincerely hope you are all doing well. Given that life can hand us our trials and tribulations, it’s always important to keep a level head, always focus on the positive side of Life.

Having said that, I invite you all to listen to my original music, which is available on virtually all music outlets, but most of all, you can listen to my music for FREE on Spotify.

Yes, all of my music.

Just follow the link to my albums page and start listening… play the music in the background while you are cooking or reading a good book.

Thanks for listening!