Another one of my favourite musicals, Dirty Dancing and a song that has touched the hearts of millions.
I’ve Had The Time of My Life was composed by Franke Previte, John DeNicola and Donald Markowitz in 1987. It was recorded by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes and used as the theme song for Dirty Dancing. The song won a number of awards including Oscar for best original song, Golden Glove and Grammy.
In 1963, Frances “Baby” Houseman, a sweet daddy’s girl, goes with her family to a resort in upstate New York’s Catskill Mountains. Baby has grown up in privileged surroundings and all expect her to go on to college, join the Peace Corps and save the world before marrying a doctor, just like her father. Unexpectedly, Baby becomes infatuated with the camp’s dance instructor, Johnny Castle, a man whose background is vastly different from her own. Baby lies to her father to get money to pay for an illegal abortion for Johnny’s dance partner. She then fills in as Johnny’s dance partner and it is as he is teaching her the dance routine that they fall in love. It all comes apart when Johnny’s friend falls seriously ill after her abortion and Baby gets her father, who saves the girl’s life. He then learns what Baby has been up to, who with and worse, that he funded the illegal abortion. He bans his daughter from any further association with “those people”. In the first deliberately willful … Written by Amanda W, amended by Linda C.IMDB
Welcome to the weekly round up with posts that you might have missed during the week here on Smorgasbord.
I doubt that there are many of you who are not in some form of self-isolation at the moment and I hope that you have everything you need to keep your spirits up. It is saving our lives and I must admit that even going out once a week for my fresh vegetables and fruit does have me spooked as I try to avoid the invisible serial killer roaming the aisles. Thankfully, the majority of people here are very good about self-distancing and being respectful. Some are wearing masks or scarves as I do, and latex gloves.
The supermarkets are taped for distancing and the checkout staff are behind perspex. Everyone is doing their bit and again, they and the healthcare sector are heroes for turning up each day.
I thought you might like to share a special moment. For the last couple of years, my lucky black ceramic cat has sat next to the front door looking out on the world. One morning just after I placed it there, a black cat came to visit. He still does from time to time, but as you can see he is observing social distancing. I have no idea why he keeps coming back as he gets no response from our cat, but I guess he might be determined to do so one day.
Stay safe and as I have previously offered, if you are struggling and would like to chat online then please email me at sally.cronin@moyhill.com.
And in the spirit of getting together and having a little fun, despite the circumstances, there is a party going on over Easter weekend 11th and 12th April. There are still some spots available and I hope you will participate…
This Easter most of us will be in isolation from family and friends and I know how tough that can be. However, as planned the Easter Parade will go ahead and I hope that you will join me over the two days.
Apart from an opportunity to share your blog and books, it is also a chance to meet others who will be featured or who drop in.
There will be food provided as always and something to drink as well as a bit of music. Since the theme is ‘Flashback’ – the music will be from the 1960s – 1980s. All I need from you is a photograph taken any time in that time period along with a favourite song of the era.
I wrote this piece about the dreaded driving test that we had to take to enable us to buy a car and get insured. We both had full licences from the UK but had to give this up and obtain a Texas licence…
Thank you for taking the time to visit today and during the week. It means a great deal…stay safe and I hope you will join me again next week for more fun and games…Sally.
This week William Price King shares the music of Carla Bley – American jazz composer, pianist, organist and bandleader.
Carla Bley is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and bandleader. Born in 1938 she was an important figure in the free jazz movement of the 1960s. Carla was born Lovella May Borg in Oakland, California and was encouraged to sing and play piano by her piano teacher and church Choirmaster. She tragically lost her mother at eight years old and moved to New York aged seventeen to become a cigarette girl at the legendary Birdland club. Here she met her future husband jazz pianist Paul Bley and toured with him as Karen Borg, later changing her stage name to Carla Bley in 1957.
A number of musicians began to record her compositions and throughout her career she has considered herself to be a composer first. She was involved in organising the Jazz Composers Guild in 1964 which brought together the most innovative musicians in New York at the time. And she co-led the Jazz Composers Orchestra with her second husband Michael Mantler. This led to the creation of the JCOA record label which issued recordings by other notable musicians such as Clifford Thornton and Roswell Rudd as well as her own work.
She continues to play and record with her own big band and compose for other musicians.
“Escalator over the Hill” is a jazz opera written by Paul Haines and Carla Bley. It was produced and coordinated by Michael Mantler over a two year period from 1968 to 1971 and performed by the ‘Jazz Composer’s Orchestra.’* There are vocals on most of the tracks and each singer plays a character. EOTH creates a magical universe with a convergence of raga, rock, jazz, avant garde, and surrealist theater – all brought together through Carla Bley’s extraordinary sense and ability to unify diverse musical segments. The mood of this jazz opera is one of almost complete loss of rationality and the sense of morality is absent. All of this takes place inside a cheesy hotel full of low-life degenerates and their vices. Joining Ms. Bley on this album are heavy weights Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, Manfred Mann’s Paul Jones and Linda Ronstadt.
“Music Mechanique” was released in 1979 on the Watt/ECM label featuring Michael Mantler on trumpet, Gary Windo on tenor and bass clarinet, Roswell Rudd on trombone, and Bob Stewart on tuba. The album opens with a track called ‘440’ in reference to the frequency orchestras use to tune up before a concert. The music on this album lies somewhere between big band, fusion, and avant garde, spotlighting the horns. The colorful three-part “Music Mechanique” opens with random tones and sounds and builds up into a frenzy. The random noises come from Bley’s toy piano, her daughter’s glockenspiel, and a walkie talkie. The third parts ends with the band imitating a skipping vinyl record, causing weird rhythmic sounds as if a piece of dust got caught in a groove and the needle which turns the grooves into sound keeps bumping back. Amazing.
“The Lord is Listenin’ To Ya, Hallelujah!” is from Bley’s ‘Live!’ album, released in 1982 and recorded in the presence of a live attentive audience at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall. This song is not as experimental as her earlier works but reflects her religious childhood. The unparalleled Gary Valente, in his trombone solo, performs a brilliant caricature of the ‘salvation style’ which the audiences responds to much like the call and response associated with church revivals. This adds to the musical color of the piece. The ‘Penguin Guide to Jazz’ gave the album 3½ stars.
“Andando el Tiempo” was recorded in 2015 with saxophonist Andy Sheppard and bass guitarist Steve Swallow on the ECM label, and is a three movement composition dealing with addiction and recovery, inspired by a friend of Bley’s struggle with alcoholism. Each section of this work represents different stages of recovery from addiction. This is an album of introspective music highlighting her noncompliance with jazz and classical conventions. Although she has mastered all of the characteristics of musical narrative, here she minimizes her occasional excesses in favor of warmth and class.
*The Jazz Composer’s Orchestra was an American jazz group founded by Carla Bley and Michael Mantler in 1965 to perform orchestral avant-garde jazz.
Here is a track from the album with an intro from Carla Bley Naked Bridges Diving Brides you can hear the full album: Andando el Tiempo
William Price King is an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.
His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.
While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.
His debut jazz album was entitled “Home,” and was a collection of contemporary compositions he composed, with lyrics written by his wife Jeanne King. His second album was a Duo (Voice and Guitar) with Eric Sempé on the guitar. This album included original songs as well as well known standards from contemporary jazz and pop artists. The “King-Sempé” duo toured France and thrilled audiences for more than three years before going their separate ways. King has formed a new duo with French/Greek guitarist Manolis, and is now exploring new ideas, in a smooth jazz/soul/folk direction.
In addition to singing and composing, King has been collaborating with author Sally Cronin over the past few years on her blog “Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life,” with the series “A Man And His Music – Jazz, Contemporary, Classical, and Legends” and now, the “William Price King Music Column.” Working with author Sally Cronin has been an exhilarating experience in many ways and has brought a new dimension to King’s creative life. King has also created a micro blog, “Improvisation,” which features and introduces mostly jazz artists from across the jazz spectrum who have made considerable contributions in the world of jazz; and also artwork from painters who have made their mark in the world of art. This micro blog can be found on Tumblr.
His vocal mentors are two of the greatest giants in jazz, Nat King Cole and Mel Tormé. King has a distinctive wide-ranging voice which displays a remarkable technical facility and emotional depth.
How are you all doing? A tough week for every country as the virus takes its toll and family and friends around the world are being directly impacted.
We are officially on lock down here in Ireland from today until April 12th initially. No non-essential journeys unless to work, supermarket and medical appointments. All non-essential businesses such as hotels, cafes and restaurants, hair salons etc have been shut down for a couple of weeks now and I think that the current lock down has been timed over the Easter weekend to counteract any thoughts of heading off to the coast or other holiday destinations in the country. I went out early to stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables and everyone was being very respectful of safe distances and I was in and out in 20 minutes, including waiting for the shop to open.
The shelves were all stocked including toilet paper, and it was good to see the check out staff behind perspex, so important to keep them safe. As much as I admire the health care staff, who are amazing, it is the men and women who are turning up to work in our essential services every day and putting themselves at risk that also should be shown absolute courtesy and gratitude.
Here we have around 4,500 living in the area during the off season, but from Easter through to September this usually swells by many thousands more staying in mobile homes along the coast. Unfortunately many of the small businesses rely on this summer trade and will no longer be viable after this virus has passed. When you look at issues such as this on this level it is easy to see how our world on a global scale is going to be changed, possibly for many years.
I do think that on the upside, the majority of people are going to be a lot more self-aware with regard to health, personal space and the way they travel going forward. Perhaps for some it will mean a completely different perspective on priorities and what they can live without.
Anyway I do hope you are staying safe and staying indoors and have access to all the food you need and support. And with that in mind, I have created a new theme for Posts from Your Archives, focused on the family and friends who play such an important role in our lives. I hope you will read the post below and participate.
There is no doubt that during this current health crisis that is on a global scale, with many of us in long term lock down, it is our family and friends that we will be turning to for support. Even if, as in my case, my family are hundreds of miles away in the UK and we are only in touch by email and Skype. The online connection we have with family and friends around the world is very important, and I would personally be lost without it. Social media is also key at this time for helping to maintain connection during the isolation, particularly for those living on their own.
In this new series, I would love you to share your posts from the archives about your family and friends, and that can of course include the very important fur and feather family that provide so much comfort.
It might be historical posts about your family who I am sure in the past have had to show their own fortitude during hard times and conflict. It could be a tribute to parents or grandparents or children or grandchildren. How a pet has brought you joy and connection. Stories of your life over the years and your friendships that have supported and motivated you. In prose or poetry.
Now on with the other posts from the week, and as always, my thanks to all the guests who have contributed and regular contributors who add so much to the blog.
Thank you very much for dropping in during the week and leaving your comments, they are much enjoyed. I hope you will join me and my guests again next week and that you stay safe and well… hugs Sally
I have watched both versions ofThe King and I... with Yul Brynner and the lovely Deborah Kerr and the 1999 and more action led adaptation Anna and the King with Chow Yun Fat and Jodi Foster. I have not seen the stage musical that the films were based on, but I understand it is spectacular live.
This was another magical film that I was introduced to as a teenager by my mother on one of our Saturday Afternoon viewings.. as my father slept in his recliner ‘watching’ the football behind closed eyelids… We always kept our fingers crossed he would sleep through until the results which came up shortly on the main channel!
There are some lovely songs from the soundtrack that have become hits over the years and I know many of you will have your own favourites, but Shall We Dance, has my heart…
The King and I is the fifth musical by the team of composer Richard Rodgers and dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Margaret Landon’s novel, Anna and the King of Siam (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s. The musical’s plot relates the experiences of Anna, a British schoolteacher hired as part of the King’s drive to modernize his country. The relationship between the King and Anna is marked by conflict through much of the piece, as well as by a love to which neither can admit. The musical premiered on March 29, 1951, at Broadway’s St. James Theatre. It ran for nearly three years, making it the fourth longest-running Broadway musical in history at the time, and has had many tours and revivals.
The musical was an immediate hit, winning Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Actress (for GertrudeLawrence) and Best Featured Actor (for Yul Brynner). The 1956 film with Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr was a massive hit with an academy award for Yul Brynner. He revived his role a number of times on stage including for four years before his death in 1985. Find out more about the movie: Wikipedia – The King and I
Welcome to the weekly round up of posts that you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
There cannot be anyone left in the world, unless they live in remote areas without access to the Internet, that has not read all the news this week on the global pandemic.
There have been inspiring stories of those putting themselves in the path of the disease such as healthcare workers and those keeping groceries and medicines available… and the also stories of the panic buying and behaviour by some who feel their need should be put above others.
So, I am not going to comment on any of it further than to say that I hope that you are all safe, and if isolated you have family and friends who are buying your groceries and keeping in touch by phone, video links and email.
I know that it must be very challenging to have children at home full of energy, with the prospect for some of them to be off school until the end of the summer. I can recommend for the younger ones that you tune into Jennie Fitzkee’s stories on the Aqua Room channel on Youtube for some wonderful chapter books.
And here is the link to The Aqua Room where you will find Jennie’s stories plus other activities for younger children: The Aqua Room
As I mentioned here, if you are on your own or would like to chat then my email is sally.cronin@moyhill.com – Don’t feel that you are completely shut off from the world, as our community here on WordPress and social media is a way to keep connected.
Apart from writing my next books and the blog, I have been baking this week… I don’t want to take the bread off the shelves when it is in such high demand and it is only time that prevented me from making my own in the last few months. I make Irish soda bread (also a great mix to make scones as well).. No yeast required and very easy to make, I have just updated my recipe. Irish Soda Bread or Scones
This week’s batch that will keep us going for a week at least.
I would also like to remind any authors in the Cafe and Bookstore that whilst your physical book launches are on hold, you can still have a new book promotions here and that will usually be shared by many other authors across their own networks.
On a sad note the wonderful Kenny Rogers has died at age 81, of natural causes, after a full life. His songs have always been on my top ten list of country music hits and I love his collaboration with Dolly Parton for Islands in the Stream…So R.I.P Kenny, keep singing.
As always I am very grateful for those who take the time to write articles for the blog and also to you for dropping by and commenting and sharing…
This month D.G. Kaye, Debby Gies explores the complex area of friendships and how to keep them healthy.
A re-run of my Letters from America from two years ago – 1985 and we go to Houston for two years. I wrote home every week during our stay and after my father’s death we found a file with all the letters kept safely, with a note for me to publish..
Thank you again for dropping in when you have so much more to occupy your minds and days right now. I hope you will join me again next week… Stay Save Sally ♥
Welcome to the Smorgasbord weekly round up with posts that you might have missed.
A tough week for everyone and even more difficult if you have family and friends who might be in the middle of the worst infection rates of the Coronavirus pandemic. Whilst we have been used to being in an isolated environment and with only two of us to worry about, my heart goes out to young families coping with not only making sure they have food to put on the table and other essentials, but with the childcare dilemma that they have to manage.
I also think that the healthcare staff who are exposed to the virus on a daily basis and who are working extra shifts to care for those infected should be recognised as being angels. Many of them are being infected themselves, and being overworked and probably not taking care of themselves as much as they should, they are at far greater risk than we are.
Also the staff in the supermarkets and pharmacies that are open and serving thousands of customers going through the checkouts. They have recommended that people use contactless cards, but they have a limit which is not sufficient for most weekly shops.
The keypads of ATMs and card machines are potential contagion sites and I have been using a sticking plaster on my index finger that I use to type in my PIN number and then carefully disposing of it in the nearest bin.
When I do the one shop a week now I am wearing latex gloves and peeling them off after shopping. Obviously there is a great deal of hand washing following any kind of outside contact.
We are slightly behind the rest of Europe here in Ireland, with new cases everyday but most associated with travel, or close contact with others on their return. All the schools, colleges and nurseries are shut until March 29th, and large gatherings, such as the renowned St. Patrick Day parades have been cancelled.
I hope that wherever you are that you are safe, supported and if you are on your own or worried and need to chat then please reach out and email me on sally.cronin@moyhill.com… I may not physically be able to help, but very happy to support in anyway I can.
A note with regard to the Cafe and Bookstore…If you have a new book out in the next four weeks either on pre-order or available then please let me know. I am working a week ahead at the moment as I get on with my own projects, but I don’t want to miss helping launch your books. All I need is the title of the book and the link on Amazon.
If you are new to the Cafe and Bookstore you will find all the details on how to get your FREE book promotion up and running:Cafe and Bookstore Free Author Promotion
Time to get on with the posts from the week…. I hope you enjoy.
I had just turned 16 when I saw this movie when it hit the cinemas in the UK. I was mesmerized, but not because of the stunningly talented Barbra Streisand, but because I had an enormous crush on Omar Sharif. My parents had taken me to see Laurence of Arabia in the cinema when I was ten and then to Doctor Zhivago in 1965…Both had amazing musical scores and the title tracks are legendary.
However, I immediately fell in love with Fanny Brice and she stoked the flames of my desire to become an actress and singer. As with all the musicals that I loved, as soon as the score was available in the music shops I had bought and memorized all the lyrics. This song also hit the romantic button to perfection, and I was willing her to get to that liner with every ounce of my being.
The film was directed by William Wyler and the screenplay by Isobel Lennart, based on her book. The film loosely follows the career of Broadway star Fanny Brice and her relationship with gambler Nick Arnstein. The film was produced by Fanny Brice’s son-in-law Ray Stark with lyrics by Jule Styne and Bob Merril. Barbra Streisand had played the role on Broadway and now won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film version.
Two songs stand out for me one being His Love Makes Me Beautiful, and the wonderful Don’t Rain On My Parade.
Welcome to the weekly round up of posts that you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope everyone is doing well despite the ‘virus’, floods, tornadoes, fake news and politics. It is so easy to become panicked when you see what might be ahead and the papers are doing a very good job of keeping us informed but also creating a fear culture.
Healthy living has never been so important and a fully functioning immune system over the next few weeks and possibly months is vital. Especially for those with underlying health issues, such as the elderly. Apart from washing hands in hot water and soap frequently and avoiding crowds etc, we do need to make sure that we have a nutritionally balanced diet to maintain a healthy immune system system.
The governments are going to do their best to keep food and essential household products on the shelves and we are going to have to trust that it will happen without panic buying.
Having seen the images of what some people are grabbing off the shelves,clearly beer, chocolate and crisps appear to be classified as essential food groups for some.
Whilst I am not rushing out to buy food or these essentials, it is a possibility that as we are in our later 60s, we will be considered at risk and might have to self-isolate even if we do not have the virus.
We used to get snowed in when we lived in the mountains in Spain during the winter months, and it even happened here for over a week the first year in this house in Ireland. I have always kept a basic survival larder that is sufficient to keep us going for at least a couple of weeks.
If you are faced with self-isolation and still want to maintain a healthy nutritional diet for you and the rest of the household here are some of my basics for two weeks should we have to manage without shopping. As you know I do not recommend the use of industrially manufactured foods in a normal diet and prefer the cook from scratch approach. However, at times you might have to fall back on to some canned goods and cereals, but if you choose the ones that are low in sugar then it is not going to cause you harm in the short term.
For other posts on the immune system, supplements, and health you can find more information in the Health Column Directory
I keep a week’s worth of fresh vegetables and fruit topped up every shop that I make and if they start to wilt, I will cook off and they keep for another few days in the fridge.
In the freezer- depending on the size and ours is quite small.
I keep some frozen vegetables – carrots, broccoli and cauliflower mix, butternut squash, onion, mushrooms.
Protein in the form of chicken, beef mince and fish.
Butter and cheese (both keep for at least three months in the freezer if well wrapped)
Some pre-prepared meals that offer a full nutritional balance – Brown Rice Pilaf
Slow cooked stews of meat and vegetables in family sized portions.
Fresh eggs can last about three weeks after their best buy date in the fridge
In the larder
Tinned tuna, salmon and sardines.
Tinned soups that can be used as a base for a more substantial meal.
Marmite, honey and nut butter.
Brown Rice, whole grain pasta, brown bread (I make my own Irish Soda Bread but you can buy ready prepared mixes). Good quality muesli and porridge oats. Wholegrain rice cakes and oat cakes.
Dried beans and lentils
Tinned tomatoes, tubes of tomato puree and garlic puree, dried herbs such as basil, oregano and turmeric. Jars of pasta sauce.
PIckled vegetables such as beetroot.
Olive oil and coconut oil.
Jars of carrots, spinach and green beans (useful during power outages).
Canned pears and mandarins in juice.
Good quality fruit juice without added sugar I have cranberry, orange and apple.
Dried apricots and walnuts.
Long life milk – Dairy or coconut or almond milk.
Tea – Black, Green and lemon and Ginger
Water (although that is unlikely to be a problem)
Some 80% dark chocolate.
I hope that has been of some help with regard to having a back up in your larder that will provide you with foods that will help maintain your immune system over a hopefully short period of time without access to shops. As always if you have any questions please let me know.
Time to get on with this week’s posts and as always my thanks to my guests and their amazing contributions.
Whilst we are all concerned about the spread of Coronavirus, there is a danger lurking in the food that we eat, particularly that prepared by rogue takeaway kitchens.
This week William Price King shares the music of jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Sphere Monk.
Thelonious Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire. Monk is the second-most-recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington, which is particularly remarkable as Ellington composed more than a thousand pieces, whereas Monk wrote about 70.
Monk was renowned for a distinct look which included suits, hats, and sunglasses. He was also noted for an idiosyncratic habit during performances: while other musicians continued playing, Monk would stop, stand up, and dance for a few moments before returning to the piano.
Now time to listen to some of the innovative music of Thelonious Monk.
“Brilliant Corners”, recorded in three sessions in1956 with two different quintets, was Monk’s third album for Riverside Records. The title track, with its unconventional song structure that deviated from the standard song and blues form as well as from Monk’s African-American music roots, was quite complex and required over a dozen takes in the studio to get it right, with changing tempos and accents that only Monk could think of. Monk was the master of the single note, perfectly selected, timed, and struck so that it would have a symphonic amplitude. For Down Beat Magazine, “Brilliant Corners” was the most critically acclaimed album of 1975. In 1999 this album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, it was also included in the reference book ‘1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die,’ and in 2003 was added to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress because of its historical significance.
“Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington” is Monk’s tribute to the Duke released on Riverside Records in 1955. Monk and the Duke were totally different in terms of personality and style. The Duke was known for his delicate and elegant melodies and Monk for his harmonic dissonance and percussive style playing with complicated twists and turns. On this album Monk took creative liberties, turning familiar melodies and harmonies into subtle but complicated inversions, playing in the spirit of the Duke while at the same time demonstrating mastery over both tradition and innovation. Monk recorded this album with bassist Oscar Pettiford and drummer Kenny Clarke. This is an outstanding album highlighting the beginnings and golden years of Monk’s career.
“Round Midnight” was penned as an instrumental by Thelonious Monk when he was 18 years old and it was first recorded by Cootie Williams and His Orchestra in 1944 at the suggestion of jazz pianist Bud Powell. Following its success, Dizzzy Gillespie asked lyricist Bernie Hanighen to put words to the melody. This beautiful and haunting ballad was then recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Tormé, Sarah Vaughan and many more making this the most recorded jazz standard composed by a jazz musician. In 1986, the song was used as the title for the film “Round Midnight “starring saxophonist Dexter Gordon with jazzmen Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, and Ron Carter. The film won both the British and Academy Awards for Best Score by Herbie Hancock. In 1993 a version of this piece recorded by Monk’s quintet was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
“Criss-Cross”, released on Columbia Records in 1963, is one of Monk’s best albums and features his unique style of stride* piano, harmonic sophistication, rhythmic displacement, and orchestral swing. This album demonstrates how jazz of the 60s was played and at what point many trends were changed. It’s important to note that the musicians who recorded this album had been playing together with Monk for four years at the time of the recording, consequently these tracks are like polished works of art. The title song « Criss-Cross, » is one of Monk’s most critically acclaimed compositions and the success of this song and album led to Monk’s appearance on the cover of Time Magazine in February 1964.
* Stride piano is a style that was developed on the East Coast of the US during the 1920s and 1930s, mainly in New York. This consists of the left hand playing a four-beat pulse with a single bass note, octave, major seventh or major tenth interval on the first and third beats, and a chord on the second and fourth beats.
William Price King is an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.
His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.
While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.
His debut jazz album was entitled “Home,” and was a collection of contemporary compositions he composed, with lyrics written by his wife Jeanne King. His second album was a Duo (Voice and Guitar) with Eric Sempé on the guitar. This album included original songs as well as well known standards from contemporary jazz and pop artists. The “King-Sempé” duo toured France and thrilled audiences for more than three years before going their separate ways. King has formed a new duo with French/Greek guitarist Manolis, and is now exploring new ideas, in a smooth jazz/soul/folk direction.
In addition to singing and composing, King has been collaborating with author Sally Cronin over the past few years on her blog “Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life,” with the series “A Man And His Music – Jazz, Contemporary, Classical, and Legends” and now, the “William Price King Music Column.” Working with author Sally Cronin has been an exhilarating experience in many ways and has brought a new dimension to King’s creative life. King has also created a micro blog, “Improvisation,” which features and introduces mostly jazz artists from across the jazz spectrum who have made considerable contributions in the world of jazz; and also artwork from painters who have made their mark in the world of art. This micro blog can be found on Tumblr.
His vocal mentors are two of the greatest giants in jazz, Nat King Cole and Mel Tormé. King has a distinctive wide-ranging voice which displays a remarkable technical facility and emotional depth.
Your right and left brain can work together sometimes. With a teaching, sales, marketing backgrounds I infuse poetry/photography/short stories & illustrations into my life. Travel, art, architecture, music and the outdoors are what I love!
![Funny Girl [DVD] [1969] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81tO43zK4%2BL._AC_SY445_.jpg)
