Kosma, Autumn Leaves (Les Feuilles mortes) Fall has arrived for most of the country, including here in North Carolina and almost surely in Paris, so we might as well celebrate with one of the most popular songs in the repertoire. Autumn Leaves was composed by … Read more
Valle, So Nice The Brazilian composer Marcos Valle (b. 1943) wrote Samba de Verão (“Summer Samba”) in 1964. It became an immediate hit in Brazil and quickly made its way to the United States as part of the Bossa Nova craze. The original lyrics in … Read more
Spencer Williams, Basin Street Blues Mardi gras is upon us. Always the last day before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, this year it falls on February 16. I will not be in New Orleans to celebrate this exercise in hedonism, some of which is harmless … Read more
Fazil Say, Paganini Variations Pianist and composer Fazil Say was born in Ankara, Turkey in 1970. He performs much of the standard repertoire in concert appearances and his recordings include mainstays such as all of the Beethoven sonatas. His performance persona tends to be eccentric … Read more
Shaw, Concerto for Clarinet Artie Shaw (1910-2004) was one of most famous and successful “big band” leaders of the 1930s and 1940s, along with Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, and Glenn Miller. His proficiency on saxophone and clarinet landed him a job as a studio musician … Read more
Ray Noble, Cherokee At the conferences this year I heard quite a few comments from people who read this series every week. I appreciate the feedback, and of course it’s nice to know that people enjoy it. I had a rather lengthy conversation with one … Read more
Kapustin, Jazz Concert Etude No. 1 This past weekend, Professor Carol and I had dinner with friends, a husband and wife who had Carol as a professor when they were at SMU. They both went on to earn their doctorates in piano performance and, fortunately, … Read more
Did you really hear that? When I was in high school, I was a pianist for a swing band. A real dance band filled with terrific adult musicians that played at country clubs and grown-up parties. This is where I learned my Cole Porter, Jerome … Read more
Even if I wanted to, I can’t pick up the phone and call Brahms. Or Bach, or Palestrina. So imagine how excited I was to grab the phone and call Sammy Nestico! Mr. Nestico, now 86, is one of the music world’s most congenial figures. … Read more
