George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned both popular and classical genres. George lived a boyhood not unusual in New York tenements, which included running around with his friends, roller-skating and misbehaving in the streets. Until 1908, he cared nothing about music. Then as a ten-year-old, he was intrigued upon hearing […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Jerome Kern
Jerome Kern (1885 – 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over 100 stage works. A native of New York, Kern created dozens of Broadway musicals and Hollywood movies in […]
A Little List
Usually on a Monday, Katy provides me with a list of suggested tasks for the week. This I attempt to complete by Friday (well at least I have a go at it!). This put me in mind of the song ‘I’ve Got A Little List’ from the Mikado by Gilbert and Sullivan. Koko, a cheap […]
Wednesday Songs
So the search for themed or appropriate songs continues. Today Wednesday. I wonder what musical delights await us? Well just to continue the tradition of beginning with a Wednesday that is not quite a Wednesday, we bring you and extract from the original TV series of The Addams Family. Here is a dance designed to […]
Wayfaring Stranger
“The Wayfaring Stranger” (also known as “Poor Wayfaring Stranger” or “I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger“), is a well-known American folk and gospel song likely originating in the early 19th century about a plaintive soul on the journey through life. As with most folk songs, many variations of the lyrics exist. According to the book, […]
Ruth Bader Ginsberg
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, also known by her initials RBG, was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in September 2020. Ginsburg was born and grew up in Brooklyn. Her older sister died when she was a baby, and her mother […]