Kiki Dee (and her band) sang and played, “I’ve Got The Music In Me”. That lyric springs to mind when I consider what music means to me. I think music is the most beautiful language and I sometimes feel that I can express myself more clearly in the language of music than in English. My daughter, when ...
WHY POETRY?
Day and night, I have to write, crunching words, playing with rhymes, thinking, in poetry land, always a notebook and pencil to hand. Scribbling, dribbling words on the paper, it’s like a caper, verses dancing, whilst I’m romancing about perfection. Writing is my art, I have a passion, but why this fashion, why poetry, why not the spoken word, why not oratory? My mind is a laboratory, always playing with ...
“THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS”
sing it: "Coffee and yoghurt and muesli and branflakes, apples, bananas, sultanas and fruit cakes, De Niro, Pacino, when Sinatra sings, these are a few of my favourite things. Music and writing and running and walking, poetry and singing and rhyming and talking, Elton and Elvis and Bennett and Sting, these are a few of my favourite things.” - Koby
‘YOU MUST BELIEVE IN SPRING’: A WORK OF SUBLIME, EXQUISITE PERFECTION.
For me, what we have here, music composed by the colossus, Michael Legrand, lyrics by the legends, Alan and Marilyn Bergman (French lyrics by Jacques Demy), on piano, the enigmatic Evans, Bill Evans, that mercurial maestro, and the voracious vocalist, the icon, Tony Bennett, we have in this team effort which produced this recording of ...
FATE…?
I went for a walk yesterday. If I didn’t believe in fate before, maybe a rethink now… Walking with my youngest child, 13, we hear music in the distance, trumpet. We walk towards it, a guy playing his trumpet: very good! He hears me talking in English: he plays the British National Anthem: lovely touch from a ...
‘SINATRA: BEHIND THE LEGEND’, by J. Randy Taraborrelli
Back in 2015/6, I read a magnificent biography of my favourite, my No.1, Frank Sinatra, a two-part colossus of a work by James Kaplan: VOLUME 1: ‘FRANK: THE VOICE’ (in the UK, ‘FRANK: THE MAKING OF A LEGEND’) VOLUME 2: ‘SINATRA: THE CHAIRMAN’. When I finished reading the biography, I was convinced that I had read the definite Sinatra biography. I, some ...
CHARLES AZNAVOUR, THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC, YOUR HUMANITY AND THE SUPPORT. AU-REVOIR, IT’S NOT GOODBYE…
Charles Aznavour, a genius of a musician, soulful songwriter (more than 1,000 songs - some he co-wrote), heavenly lyricist, magical singer, courageous activist and diplomatic, his life was one in which he made a big difference, a life in which he added quality to the lives of so many people. He was a friend of Israel/Israelis/Jews, ...
LEON RUSSELL: ‘A SONG FOR YOU’
Every so often, a song comes along or, rather, I come across a song, often an oldie, sometimes a classic, and it blows me away to the extent that I think to myself, “Wow! If the doctors hadn’t got my heart started (in 2001), if I’d died - that’s another story - I would never ...
A TRIBUTE TO THE GLOBAL SUPERSTAR, NEIL DIAMOND
Today, Tuesday 23 January 2018, one day before the legend, the global superstar, Neil Diamond’s 77th birthday, we read/heard news of his Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis which has, sadly – and I’m sure painfully for him and his family – brought a sudden and unexpected end to one of the big pieces in the jigsaw of ...
TWO LEGENDS, PAUL ANKA AND NEIL SEDAKA
2 great songs, 2 songwriting geniuses, 2 great musicians, singers, performers, entertainers, 2 barnstorming recordings plus, what was for me, a real treat, a real joy, when I tripped over it yesterday… First up, from the prolific legend Paul Anka who gave us, or gave Frank Sinatra, who then gave us, “My Way”, when he, Paul, ...
DAVID CASSIDY RIP
Today, we learnt of the sad, sad passing of David Cassidy, singer, actor, one-time - 1970's - heartthrob, at the relatively young age of 67 years old. So sad - another example (for the benefit of starry-eyed youngsters) of the fickle, brittle, fleeting nature of fame, fortune and celebrity and of the toll it often ...
‘(HAVE I STAYED) TOO LONG AT THE FAIR?’ (Billy Barnes)
'(HAVE I STAYED) TOO LONG AT THE FAIR?' (Billy Barnes), 1962 or 3 (please let me know the year if you know it!), is an awesome, beautiful song, full of pathos, introduced to me by ‘Count Swing’ (@zootswings) whom I follow on Twitter. In fact, 'the Count' introduced me not just to this incredible song ...
NANCY WILSON (the jazz one!), THE NEW LADY IN MY LIFE
A blog thank you to ‘Count Swing’ (@zootswings) whom I follow on Twitter. For what are the thanks due? Count Swing ‘introduced’ me, last night, to the vocals of Nancy Wilson. I knew of, and had heard in the past, a few recordings by Nancy Wilson but the album I listened to, ‘Lush Life’ (1967 ...
MOZART’S ‘REQUIEM’, PERFECT MUSIC TO DIE TO…?
Listening to Mozart's Requiem, I could almost believe again that there is a god or something supernatural, something 'not of this world' - this music isn't 'normal' and one gets a sense that Mozart was 'somewhere else' when he composed this (everything he composed, for that matter). Mozart's Requiem, the perfect piece of music to die ...
A WINDOW INTO ALICE HERZ-SOMMER’S BEAUTIFUL SOUL
I'm not sure if this blog belongs in the 'LIFE' category or the 'MUSIC' category...so I have put it in both: I saw this about 3 years ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oxO3M6rAPw Alice: what a special lady! What Alice says, how she says it, what Alice feels and how she expresses what she feels, the look on her face, the depth, her ...
‘FOR THE LOVE OF YOU’ (1975)
An oasis of calm in the midst of all the crazy, scary politico-talk as we approach the 2016 US Election, a beautiful song, 'For the Love of You', music by Chris Jasper and lyrics by Ernie Isley (both songwriters, not just Ernie, members of the legendary 'The Isley Brothers'). This beautiful song is a track ...
MARVIN GAYE & TAMMI TERRELL: “AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH”
Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson's finest hour, the penning of this magical classic, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"*, made all the more magical and classic by Marvin and Tammi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC5PL0XImjw Marvin, whose divine musical sweetness and soul was so tangible and transparent, was destroyed by Tammi's tragic death at the horrendously young age of 24 - she ...
‘ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL’, HBO FRANK SINATRA BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARY
I must put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard, to wax lyrical about a wonderful Frank Sinatra documentary I have just watched on the tele, “All Or Nothing At All”. What with James Kaplan’s magnificent, definitive two-volume 1,800 page biography and now this magical biographical documentary, my addiction to Frank has been powerfully fed ...
THE DEFINITIVE SINATRA BIOGRAPHY: A MASTERPIECE! (by JAMES KAPLAN)
VOLUME 1: 'FRANK: THE VOICE' (in the UK, 'FRANK: THE MAKING OF A LEGEND') VOLUME 2: 'SINATRA: THE CHAIRMAN' Before I began reading what I am now sure is a never-to-be bettered, definitive 1,800 page, two-volume biography of Frank Sinatra, penned by a genius of a writer, James Kaplan, he, Frank, was already my No.1. I have a wide, ...
TONY BENNETT, INSPIRATION, LEGEND, WINS HIS 18th GRAMMY AWARD AT THE AGE OF 89. MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS!!
Tony Bennett is 89 years old, he still tours the world and, last night, he won his 18th Grammy award. I'm approaching, with trepidation, 50 years old, I have been bemoaning the ageing process, the speeding up of the passage of time and the relentless skidding towards my dotage. Tony Bennett was already almost 40 when ...
MY MUSICAL ‘DEMIGODS’
Christopher David Tookey, Former Film and Video Critic, 'Daily Mail': "The one other thing I remember about David Bowie was that he didn't have much confidence in his own voice. He knew that he sounded like Anthony Newley but was relaxed about that. Oddly enough, Newley hated this "imitation" and when Bowie sent him a copy ...
DAVID BOWIE, RIP
The passing of David Bowie, I know the world hasn't stopped spinning on its axis. I know that time hasn't stopped. The things that cause world leaders to lie awake at night, they were frightening and alarming yesterday and they are just as frightening and alarming, probably more so, today. We all know that but, ...
TONY BENNETT: IMMORTAL!
Tony Bennett is the last of the musical GREATS still gracing this Earth. The man is not only a giant of a musician, he is a giant of a man, a painter, a philanthropist, an awe-inspiring survivor, he is the last of the great presenters, the great deliverers, of the most beautiful music (in my ...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FRANK
Francis “Frank” Albert Sinatra, Hoboken, New Jersey’s local boy made good, whose life was truly a life worth living, a man who brought, and whose life and legacy continues to bring, to billions of people the world over, to generation after generation, extreme pleasure and happiness, is (yes, is!) 100 years old today, 12 December ...
A FEW GREAT TUNES AND VIDS FROM THE 70’S AND 80’S
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu7AR0-FRro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr8jEIQKgZI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIpfWORQWhU ...thinking "The Wedding Singer" "Do you like A Flock Of Seagulls?" "I can see you do" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WGVgfjnLqc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upyrWwstEMY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypadKraAb1s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXewIR7Y7cc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcATvu5f9vE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks_qOI0lzho https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6rrTROoZIw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWtCittJyr0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmaVK1E-VKQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1wg1DNHbNU
Johnny Carson, This One’s For You
In a blog I 'penned' earlier in the week, I 'wrote' that I'd find it very hard to list my top 10 favourite songs but that if I was to try, Johnny Mandel and Paul Francis Webster's 'The Shadow Of Your Smile' would be in it. Another song which would definitely be in the list ...
‘The Shadow Of Your Smile’
I'm not sure that I could pen my top 10 favourite songs of all time...there are so many greats, so many classics, so many beautiful songs that make me melt, that bring tears to my eyes no matter how often I hear them. However, if I were to try to produce a list, I'm sure ...
‘Ooh Baby Baby’: 3 Beautiful Versions of a Beautiful Song – Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Linda Ronstadt and Seal
'Ooh Baby Baby', what a beautiful song, co-written by Smokey Robinson (and Pete Moore) in 1965, performed originally by Smokey and The Miracles on, of course, the Motown label. Watch this performance - Smokey's voice is exquisite, his vocal control is staggering. Class, class, class: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwwsT2Hh1AQ I trust that you enjoyed that... Next up, a sumptuous cover by ...
Wow, Wow, Wow!!! Seal Performing The O’Jays’ Classic, ‘Back Stabbers’
Last night, I happened to come across this performance by Seal of 'Back Stabbers'. I have never before seen anything like it. What a beautiful performance! I watched aghast, I couldn't mentally digest what I was seeing. The colour 'play', it's magical, the song, of course, is special, the arrangement, orchestration, production/direction, all perfect, Seal ...
George Benson: “This Masquerade”, “Breezin'”
Relax, get your headphones on, sit back and listen to, and watch, this, George Benson at his very best...the whole concert is off-the-scale terrific ('Absolutely Live In Belfast, Northern Ireland') but here's "This Masquerade" and "Breezin'". As long as I have known music, I have known George Benson, an outstanding guitarist, a beautiful singer and a ...
Frank Sinatra, 12 December 1915 – 14 May 1998.
I can't let today, 14 May, go by without penning and posting yet another Frank Sinatra tribute, a few words in recognition of this, the 17th anniversary of the great man's passing. 14 May 1998, I remember exactly where I was when I learnt that he had passed away - opposite the Royal Courts of Justice ...
Gilbert O’Sullivan: One Of THE Great Songwriters
Gilbert O'Sullivan is one of those songwriters whose music I listen to and I think how blessed he is to have been able to pen such beautiful songs. What a gift! When he arrived on the scene in the 70's, no one had seen anything like him, a most unlikely looking star, the hair, the ...
Errol Brown of Hot Chocolate RIP
A few days have gone by since we learned of the sad passing of Errol Brown M.B.E., lead singer of Hot Chocolate. Errol wasn't just a performer (and what a performer he was!) - his writing partnership with bassist Tony Wilson (not the late Tony Wilson of legendary Factory Records fame) gave us some great ...
Sir Elton John: A British National Treasure
I've been listening to/watching Sir Elton John over the last couple of days. He really is a British National Treasure, a genius songwriter (as is Bernie Taupin, a genius lyricist). The Beatles and The Stones are grouped together as Britain's 'greatest' and, of course, they are amongst our very, VERY best but Elton is surely ...
Music, My Drug Of Choice
As Jews, we're deep into Sefiras Ha'Omer (the counting of the days of the Omer) now and for part of this time, we observe a period of mourning (commemorating the death of 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva z''l's sudents). There are many minhagim (customs) in the matter of when, during the 49 days of the Omer, ...
Billy Paul: ‘Me and Mrs Jones’
This song!! I love it. The dreamy, soulful, instrumental intro and Billy Paul's special, special, instantly recognisable vocal, his emotional input, his heart and soul, he puts everything into it. The orchestration, the production, I never tire of listening to it. This is a terrific performance on Soul Train. It's one of those songs, you're ...
Frank Sinatra: For Me, The Very Best!
I love so many singers, Mel Torme to name one of the special ones, but Frank is my number one. Why? Why/how do we fall in love? Scientists have answers but for me, not a scientist, it's a G-dly thing, it's part of our soul and we can't understand how that works. Frank isn't just attached ...
Frank Sinatra: ‘Dindi’
One of my favourite songs, it is beautiful yet tragic...the music was composed by the legend, Antonio Carlos 'Tom' Jobim (words by Aloysio de Oliveira - English lyrics by Ray Gilbert) for the Brazilian singer, Sylvia Telles. After Sylvia recorded it, she was, in 1966, killed in a car accident. She was 32 years old: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfudNEKC62c
George Benson: ‘Love Ballad’
This song is so alive, so uplifting, it is kicking'!!! I think, but, of course, I could be wrong, originally delivered up by L.T.D. (with Jeffrey Osborne on vocals): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHhU_y3zc8s
Rachmaninoff’s Adagio Sostenuto
Question: How do you spell 'beautiful' in the language known as music? Answer: Like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znlUBaLH2zY
“Saved” by Sam Brown
What a magnificent performance by Sam Brown, definitely her dad's daughter!! Thanks to my pal, Jonathan Baddiel, a man who knows his music, for bringing it to my attention! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3WDGbFNJxA
Quando, Quando, Quando
I've watched this so many times over the last few weeks...it's such a great, star-quality, performance by Engelbert...look how he moves and dances...he glides across the floor...it's great to watch! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=128LI6_4L-s
I Will Wait For You
I have just been introduced to the beautiful "I Will Wait For You", great renditions by Frank, Connie Francis and other greats but this, by the composer of the piece, Michel Legrand, I've just watched it and I was aghast...I was blown away, stunned...it is magnificent! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X4AYu5m2ko
More “I’m A Fool To Want You”:
oh, Linda Ronstadt, what a staggering beauty and what a voice she had...tragically, suffering with Parkinson's, she can no longer sing. This song, co-written by Frank Sinatra (his rendition is, of course, superb) is beautiful and Linda could not have done it more justice....jaw-dropping! The arrangement!! Johnny Carson's favourite song was the outstanding "Here's That ...
I’m A Fool To Want You
sit down, get comfortable, relax, put your headphones on, volume up and listen to this...it's up there with the most beautiful music ever composed, produced and performed: it is magical https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z26panRGOI&index=65&list=PLniYytlAbsKXnjXLa3FbwfeqvephMw-Zs
