I first encountered Mr Wilson’s Second Liners when they appeared as part of the ISAN Festival (Independent Street Arts Network) in Bradford during 2016. They were playing on the grass outside city hall to an enthusiastic crowd. Our recent visit to New Orleans with Dr. John and Hugh Laurie put me in mind of their […]
ZAZ
Isabelle Geffroy, better known by the nickname Zaz, is a French singer-songwriter. Her mother was a Spanish teacher, and her father worked for an electric company. In 1985, she entered the Conservatoire de Tours with her sister and her brother, attending courses from the ages of 6 to 11. She studied music theory, specifically the […]
Celebrate!
I am aware that it is Remembrance Sunday, and I will be addressing that on Wednesday 11th which is Remembrance Day, but I just felt today should be one of celebration because the results of the latest election in the United States perhaps give us some cause to believe that there is still some hope […]
Hugh Laurie
During my recent post on ‘Puttin’ On The Ritz’ I used a clip of Hugh Laurie playing the piano in the role of Bertie Wooster. This reminded me that he has developed a following as a musician in recent years and perhaps it was time to feature hi on this blog. So let’s begin again […]
Mack The Knife
I thought we might visit with the macabre this morning in the guise of an apparently jolly jazz standard, “Mack the Knife“. It is more properly called “The Ballad of Mack the Knife” (German: “Die Moritat von Mackie Messer“) and is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their 1928 […]
Firework Music
This being the 5th of November, it seemed opportune to share with you, dear readers, music inspired by fireworks and bonfires. So lets begin with the earliest piece that was written specifically with fireworks in mind. The Music for the Royal Fireworks is a suite in D major for wind instruments composed by Handel in […]
Puttin’ On The Ritz
“Puttin’ On the Ritz” is a song written by Irving Berlin. He wrote it in May 1927 and first published it on December 2, 1929. It was introduced by Harry Richman and chorus in the musical film Puttin’ On The Ritz (1930). According to The Complete Lyrics of Irving Berlin, this was the first song […]
The Trumpty Dumpty Cycle
After four long years of ‘American Carnage’, to coin a phrase, the people of America go to the polls to choose their next President (as well as senators, congressmen/women and other appointed officials. To mark this momentous occasion we are pleased to present some episodes of the Trumpty Dumpty Cycle, which might help you, dear […]
Mac Rebennack (Dr. John the Night Tripper)
Our visit to New Orleans yesterday, put me in mind of another great musician who hailed from that city. Malcolm John Rebennack Jr., better known by his stage name Dr. John. was one of great exponents of the New Oreleans style. Growing up he found early musical inspiration in the minstrel tunes sung by his […]
When The Saints Go Marching In
To celebrate All Saints Day, I thought I would share with you some variations on the song “When the Saints Go Marching In,” often referred to as simply “The Saints“. The origins of this song are unclear. It apparently evolved in the early 1900s from a number of similarly titled gospel songs, including “When the […]