Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Music Column – The Big Band Era with William Price King and Sally Cronin 1930 – Fred Astaire and Leo Reisman, Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields, The Blackbottom

Welcome to the new series of the music column where I am joined as always by Jazz singer and composer William Price King.  We hope you will join us every Tuesday for some of the chart hits of the big band era from the 1930s through to the 1950s.

Some of the earlier videos are not of the best quality however where possible we have sourced remastered copies to share with you. Considering some are almost 100 years old, it is remarkable that they exist at all.  A testament to the love of the music of that era.

Along with our selections each week I will also be showcasing one of the dance crazes from the 1920s onwards and as with the music videos some are not of the highest quality and in some cases I have substituted more modern versions.

Here is my next selection from the Big Band chart in the 1930s from Fred Astaire with the Leo Reisman’s Orchestra

Fred Astaire with Leo Reisman’s Orchestra “Cheek to Cheek” (1935) 

“Cheek to Cheek” was written for Fred Astaire by Irving Berlin for the musical “Top Hat,” co-starring Ginger Rogers. The song was nominated for the Best Song Oscar for 1936, which it lost to “Lullaby of Broadway.” The song spent five weeks at #1 on the charts and was named the #1 song of 1935. Astaire’s 1935 recording with the Leo Reisman Orchestra was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000. In 2004, Astaire’s version finished at #15 on AFI’s 100 Years . . . 100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema. Atticus Jazz

Here is my next selection from this era of popular music from Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields.

Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields “I’m in the Mood for Love” (1935)

“I’m in the Mood for Love” is a popular song published in 1935. The music was written by Jimmy McHugh, with the lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The song was introduced by Frances Langford in the movie Every Night at Eight released that year.

It became Langford’s signature song. Bob Hope, who frequently worked with Langford entertaining troops in World War II, later wrote that her performance of the song was often a show-stopper. Mario Gargano

Other sources: Wikipedia

The early videos that I have managed to find are not always the best quality but hopefully they convey the wonderful joy that dancing brought to the times. Sally.

The black bottom is a dance which became popular during 1920s amid the Jazz Age. It was danced solo or by couples. Originating among African Americans in the rural South, the black bottom eventually spread to mainstream American culture and became a national craze in the 1920s. The dance was most famously performed by Ann Pennington, a star of the Ziegfeld Follies, who performed it in a Broadway revue staged by Ziegfeld’s rival George White in 1926. maynardcat

Your Hosts for The Big Band Era

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.

Blog– IMPROVISATION – William Price King on Tumblr – Buy William’s music: William Price King iTunes – Facebook – William Price King – Twitter – @wpkofficial
Regular Venue – Cave Wilson

Sally Cronin is an author, blogger and broadcaster who enjoyed four years as part of the team on Onda Cero International’s English speaking morning show in Marbella and then for two years as a presenter on Expressfm the local radio station in Portsmouth. She co-presented two ‘Drive Time’ shows a week with Adrian Knight, hosted the live Thursday Afternoon Show and The Sunday Morning Show guests including musicians and authors. Following this she became Station Director for a local internet television station for two years, producing and presenting the daily news segment, outside broadcasts and co-presenting the Adrian and Sally chat show live on Friday evenings.

She and her husband David have now returned to Ireland where they live on the Wexford Coast where she blogs and continues to write books.

Books :Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – More reviews: Goodreads – blog: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Twitter: @sgc58 – Facebook: Sally Cronin – LinkedIn: Sally Cronin

Thanks for tuning in and as always we love to hear from you.. thanks William and Sally.

 

 

Smorgasbord Music Column – William Price King Meets Music Legends – #Jazz – Sir George Shearing – 1970s and Latin and Classical Styles

It is nine years since William Price King joined Smorgasbord to share music across the genres. We continue in 2023 with series sharing the lives and music of some of the great names in music over the last century

Part Four of the series exploring the life and music of one of the most important British Jazz musicians of the 20^th century.

#Jazz – Sir George Shearing -The 1960s

We are now into the 60s and George Shearing moves into the decade where pop and rock were beginning to take over the charts.

George Shearing did well in the transition period in music when many less popular musicians and singers faded away. He was versatile and with several styles to offer his audiences, he spent the 60s building on his reputation and popularity.

He never forgot his classical roots and he began to introduce this element back into his own concerts as well as performing as a soloist with larger orchestras. His quintet would often feature as well later in the performance giving George the best of both worlds.

Here is George Shearing, playing with Robert Farnon and his Orchestra  How Beautiful Is Night.

There were 26 albums released in the 1960s most with Capitol records but also individual albums for other labels including George Shearing and the Montgomery Brothers for Jazzland. Also Jazz Moments with Blue Note in 1962, Smooth and Swinging for MGM also in 1962 and a live album for Request in 1966 that was not released until 2006 called Live Jazz from Club 15.

Here is No Hard Feelings from George Shearing and the Montgomery Brothers.

Apart from the classical and Jazz elements to his music and performances there was also another major facet to George Shearing’s music and that was the introduction of Afro-Cuban jazz in the 50s. Some of the Latin musicians of the 60s had been inspired by George’s pioneering work in this style and some of the artists that he worked with included Cal Tjader, Mongo Santamaria and Armando Paraza.

Here is an early recording of this style The George Shearing Quintet with Drume Negrita

In 1969 after a very lucrative partnership with Capitol Records which had included hit albums such as On The Sunny Side of the Stripand White Satin and collaborations with Nat King Cole, Nancy Wilson and Peggy Lee, George moved on and started his own label, Sheba, and released six albums between 1970 and 1973. He also began to phase out the Quintet working in trios or duos with his solo work with orchestras.

This move to his own label did lower his public profile to a degree without the marketing machine of a major label, but things began to change again when he signed with MPS Records which was a German jazz record label founded in 1968. MPS stands for “Musik Produktion Schwarzwald” (Music Production Black Forest). George recorded eleven albums with the label including The Reunion with Stephane Grappelli. Here is George Shearing with Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen on Bass and Irish jazz guitarist Louis Stewart with 500 Miles High from the MPS Trio Sessions

The 70s also were notable for an award received in May 1975, When George received an honorary degree of Doctor of Music from Westminster College in Salt Lake City.

George Shearing headed into the 80s signed to a new label Concord Jazz that was to prove to be a very popular and successful partnership with over 20 albums in the next 10 years.

Next week the 80s and two great artists join forces when Mel Torme and George Shearing hit the stage

Buy the music of George Shearing . Amazon

Additional material.
Sir George Shearing Bio
Wikipedia

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.

Blog– IMPROVISATION – William Price King on Tumblr – Buy William’s music: William Price King iTunes – Facebook – William Price King – Twitter – @wpkofficial
Regular Venue – Cave Wilson

 

As always William would love to receive your feedback… thanks Sally.

 

Smorgasbord Music Column – William Price King Meets Music Legends – #Jazz – Sir George Shearing – The Collaborations

It is nine years since William Price King joined Smorgasbord to share music across the genres. We continue in 2023 with series sharing the lives and music of some of the great names in music over the last century

The third post in the series exploring the life and music of one of the most important British Jazz musicians of the 20^th century.

#Jazz – Sir George Shearing – The Collaborations

We now move into the mid-50s and 60s and the decision to move to America permanently has offered George Shearing to work with the best in music.

George Shearing and his Jazz Combos became more and more successful and popular through the 50s and 60s and he would release 48 albums, some in collaboration with other jazz artists of the day such as Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Nancy Wilson and Mel Torme.

Most of George’s albums in the early 50s were with the MGM label but as his popularity grew other record companies wanted to sign him. From 1955 until 1969 he formed a very lucrative association with the Capitol label releasing several runaway albums including Beauty and the Beat with Peggy Lee in 1959.

The Rodgers and Hart – Nobody’s Heart featuring Peggy Lee – vocals; George Shearing – piano; Toots Thielemans – guitar; Ray Alexander – vibraphone; Warren Chiasson,
Jimmy Bond – double bass; Roy Hayens – drums; Armando Peraza – conga.

George had invented a unique quintet sound with the combination of piano, electric guitar, bass, drums and the introduction of a vibraphone. This enabled him to develop further a style called ‘locked hands’ which he had picked up when playing with and listening to other bands in the 40s such as Lionel Hampton and the King Cole Trio.

The written description does not really explain the style of ‘locked hands’ very well if you are non-musical. The style involves stating the melody on the piano with closely knit, harmonised block chords with the vibraphone and guitar tripling the melody in unison… See what I mean. But you might get a better idea by watching this short (under two minutes) tutorial actually on the piano.

Here is George and another wonderful female jazz artist Nancy Wilson — vocals The George Shearing Quintet: George Shearing — piano Dick Garcia — guitar Warren Chiasson — vibraphone Ralph Pena — double bass Armando Peraza — percussion Vernel Fournier — drums recorded in 1961 which was a very busy year for the quintet.

Over the 60s he also began showcasing smaller lineups trios, duos and of course his own solo work. Particularly with a duo, George was able to perform more freely within the styles that he favoured most, moving effortlessly between classical to bebop in the same number. He certainly was sought after to accompany other greats of the music world and here is another wonderful collaboration with Nat King Cole.

Here is Let There Be Love written in 1940 with music by Lionel Rand and lyrics by Ian Grant, recorded by Nat King Cole and the George Shearing Quintet on their 1961 album for Capitol – Nat King Cole Sings and George Shearing Plays.

George’s career was firmly established by the end of the 60s and audiences around the world delighted in the variety of his styles both in his larger combos and his solo work. The early influences that set him on the path to musical success still featured in his own playing including both ends of the spectrum of boogie-woogie and classical. He was admired by other pianists of the day for his light and refined touch and his ability to move seamlessly between styles and he added the odd surprise when he would pick up the accordion or sing on occasion.

It is fitting to end this episode on collaborations in the 60s with another great performer Mel Torme and the song How Do You Say Auf Wiedersehen?

Mel Torme and George Shearing – composer Tony Scibetta and lyricist Johnny Mercer’s masterpiece is covered in masterful style by Shearing & Tormé. This comes from a 1983 Concord recording, their second together, entitled “Top Drawer.”

Buy the music of George Shearing . Amazon

Additional material.
Sir George Shearing Bio
Wikipedia

Next week we will be looking at the 1970s and two other styles that George brought into his performances very successfully which were Latin and a focus on his first style which was Classical.

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.

Blog– IMPROVISATION – William Price King on Tumblr – Buy William’s music: William Price King iTunes – Facebook – William Price King – Twitter – @wpkofficial
Regular Venue – Cave Wilson

 

As always William would love to receive your feedback… thanks Sally.

 

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Weekly Round Up – January 9th – 15th 2023 – Wind, Big Band Era, Podcast,The Brain, PR for Authors, New books, Reviews, Funnies

Welcome to the round up of posts from the week you might have missed on Smorgasbord.

Greetings from wild and windy Ireland, and considering around 23% of Ireland’s electricity comes from wind power, I should say this week they have more than enough to spare! Ice is coming in for the next two to three days and being rural the roads tend to stay frosty until enough traffic has passed over them. So I am off to do the shopping this morning and get it out of the way. I know there are many others knee deep in snow at the moment and we get off lightly, particularly here on the east coast so no complaints just an extra layer of thermals.

As always my thanks to my friends who contribute to the blog…

William Price King joined me this week to celebrate the Big Band Era with Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra and one of the dance crazes of the age The Cakewalk. Also the second post on Friday with the life and music of Sir George Shearing.  You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr

Debby Gies​ will be here on Monday with an exploration of Intuition… and during this past week joined me for two laughter posts. Over on her own blog you will find her review for the fantastic upcoming release Sisters by Judith Barrow and a bumper monthly writer’s links . Follow the link to Debby’s posts …D.G. Kaye

Carol Taylor will be here on Wednesday with her A-Z of food and the letter ‘O’. Over on her own blog you will find Monday Musings on Chocolate and Jogging, in the Green Kitchen a fascinating visit to a local organic farm and ways to use stale bread and Thursday Thoughts with a fantastic soup recipe and an interesting piece about lithium battery alternatives.  You can catch up with the news: CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…8th-14th January 2023

Thank you very much for your visits, comments and shares to social media, as always it is appreciated ♥

On with the show…..

– The Big Band Era with William Price King and Sally Cronin 1930s – Duke Ellington and Leo Reisman with Frank Sinatra

William Price King Meets Music Legends – #Jazz – Sir George Shearing – Into the 1940s

#Poetry #Flash Fiction – New Year’s Resolutions and Fire

Since this series began in January 2018 there have been over 1250 Posts from Your Archives where bloggers have taken the opportunity to share posts to a new audience… mine.

The topics have ranged from travel, childhood, recipes, history, family and the most recent series was #PotLuck where I shared a random selection of different topics. This series is along the same lines… but is a ‘Lucky Dip’

In this series I will be sharing posts from the last six months of 2022

Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives -#NewSeries January 2023- ‘Lucky Dip’ and Do You Trust Me??

The Body our Greatest Asset – The Brain – Development from conception to old age by Sally Cronin

Public Relations for Authors Recycled- Part Two – Author Biographies -Tips and Translations

#FamilySaga – Sisters by Judith Barrow

Book Review – #Romance #Family – Searching for Home by Jill Weatherholt

Previous Reviews from 2022 – #Children’s – Amazing Matilda: A Monarch’s Tale by Bette A. Stevens

New Book on the Shelves – #YA #History #Timetravel – Patches through Time by Sian Turner

Menagerie: A Collection of Thirteen #Mystery, #Suspense, and Contemporary Short Stories by Joan Hall

New Book on the Shelves – #Fantasy – Mystical Greenwood (One with Nature Book 1) by Andrew McDowell

Smorgasbord Blogger Spotlight 2023 – #Sisters Judith Barrow, #Health D.G. Kaye, #Reviews Jacquie Biggar, #Peace Rebecca Budd, #NewYear Liz Gauffreau, #OddBirds Cindy Knoke

Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Healthy Eating and Alternative Book Titles

Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Biker’s arms and Interpretive dancing

 

Thanks very much for dropping in today and I hope you will join me again next week.. be safe… Sally.

Smorgasbord Music Column – William Price King Meets Music Legends – #Jazz – Sir George Shearing – Into the 1940s

It is nine years since William Price King joined Smorgasbord to share music across the genres. We continue in 2023 with series sharing the lives and music of some of the great names in music over the last century

Part two of the series exploring the life and music of one of the most important British Jazz musicians of the 20^th century.

#Jazz – Sir George Shearing – Into the 1940s

Still only 20 at the outbreak of the Second World War, George began to gain a huge amount of experience by performing with some of the exiled musicians from Europe and this included the incredible Stephane Grappelli. Stephane, originally Italian but a naturalised French citizen, learned to play classical violin, but was introduced to Jazz in his early teens. Jazz violinists were rare at that time and over the next 20 years Stephane along with his various bands developed a style that the young George Shearing naturally gravitated towards.

Through the war years he also played with the Vic Lewis and Carlo Krahmer Band on several recordings for the Days Rhythm Style and HMV and Harry Parry and his Radio Rhythm Club Sextet. Eventually in 1944 he released a recording for Decca with his own sextet with that included Kenny Baker, Harry Hayes, Aubrey Frank, Tommy Bromley, and Carlo Krahmer.

Here is George Shearing performing More Than You Know in 1942 – The music was written by Vincent Youmans and lyrics by Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu. The song was published in 1929

The BBC was the driving force behind the music industry and apart from the bands that toured the country and the cinema was the only national source of news and entertainment. The BBC had been combined into one channel which was the Home Service and it only offered informational programmes, news and music.

This would later be expanded into the Forces service that was broadcast to the armed forces but it had a much larger entertainment content that included dramas, quiz programmes, comedies as well as a large musical component. It was accessible by the general public and it became increasingly more popular as the years of austerity took hold. The demand for music was therefore very high and for George Shearing this meant that he was never out of work.

His fan base grew and he became a star both at home with British listeners but also with the soldiers and sailors listening to the Forces radio. He won seven consecutive Melody Maker Polls which were the UK Grammys.

In 1945 he was ranked 5 in the Best Soloist category, ironically ahead of Stephane Grappelli at No. 8! He did however come in behind Stephane and his Quintette at No. 7 when he was placed at No.11 with his sextet in the Small Combo category. He was however No. 1 that year for Piano.

By 1946 although still very popular in Britain, George was aware that he was becoming limited in his audience and his friend Jazz pianist, composer and journalist Leonard Feather, now established in the US invited George to join him for a visit in 1946. Whilst there for three months he recorded an album for the Savoy label, and delighted with the music scene and the opportunities that were open to him in the US he moved across permanently in 1947.

He was the first of the post-war British Jazz musicians to arrive in the US and build a successful career. George was now heavily into bebop.

The birth of bebop in the 1940’s is often considered to mark the beginning of modern jazz. This style grew directly out of the small swing groups, but placed a much higher emphasis on technique and on more complex harmonies rather than on singable melodies. Alto saxophonist Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker was the father of this movement, and trumpet player Dizzy Gillespie was his primary accomplice. Dizzy also led a big band, and helped introduce Afro-Cuban music, including rhythms such as the mambo through his work with Cuban percussionists. But it was the quintet and other small group recordings featuring Dizzy and ‘Bird’ that formed the foundation of bebop and most modern jazz.

George’s reputation grew as he gained attention as the intermission pianist at the iconic jazz venue at the Hickory House on 52^nd street and as Ella Fitzgerald’s accompanist on her pianist’s night off. Eventually he landed a regular quartet engagement with clarinetist Buddy De Franco. Just before recording an album Buddy had to drop out for contractual reasons and George’s old friend Leonard Feather suggested that it was time for George to form his own group.

One of the musicians that he collaborated with was the pianist Marian McPartland and here they are with All the Things You Are. The original song was written in 1939 for the musical Very Warm for May by Jerome Kern.

In 1949 George formed the first and most famous of his quintets which included Marjorie ‘Marjie’ Hyams in the unusual inclusion of a female in the line-up. Marjie was a jazz vibraphonist, piano and arranger.

For those of you unfamiliar with a vibraphone, it is similar to a xylophone. Each bar is paired with a resonator tube with a motor-driven butterfly valve mounted on a common shaft which produces a vibrato effect while spinning. It was commonly used in jazz and also in wind instrument ensembles. Marjie had played with Woody Herman, Mary Lou Williams and Charlie Ventura and was a great addition to the sextet. The group also included Chuck Wayne on guitar, John Levy on bass, and Denzil Best on drums.

From that point on George Shearing’s success was guaranteed. With his unique quintet and later sextet ‘Shearing Sound‘ he had found the formula that would bring him worldwide fans and huge record sales. His 1949 ‘September in the Rain‘ for MGM sold 900,000 copies and his reputation in the US was firmly established when he was booked into Birdland the legendary jazz venue in New York.

September in the Rain written by Harry Warren and Al Dubin in 1937 from the film Melody for Two by the George Shearing Quintet.

Buy the music of George Shearing . Amazon

Additional material.
Sir George Shearing Bio
Wikipedia

Next week George Shearing collaborates with the great musicians and vocalists amongst the Jazz world.

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.

Blog– IMPROVISATION – William Price King on Tumblr – Buy William’s music: William Price King iTunes – Facebook – William Price King – Twitter – @wpkofficial
Regular Venue – Cave Wilson

 

As always William would love to receive your feedback… thanks Sally.

 

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Music Column – The Big Band Era with William Price King and Sally Cronin 1930s – Duke Ellington and Leo Reisman with Frank Sinatra

Welcome to the new series of the music column where I am joined as always by Jazz singer and composer William Price King.  We hope you will join us every Tuesday for some of the chart hits of the big band era from the 1930s through to the 1950s.

Some of the earlier videos are not of the best quality however where possible we have sourced remastered copies to share with you. Considering some are almost 100 years old, it is remarkable that they exist at all.  A testament to the love of the music of that era. Along with our selections each week we will also be showcasing one of the dance crazes from the 1920s onwards and as with the music videos some are not of the highest quality but in some cases there are some more modern versions.

Here is my next selection from the Big Band chart in the 1930s from the iconic Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington with Ivie Anderson “It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got That Swing” (1932) – Bob Figurante

“It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) was penned by Duke Ellington in 1931 with lyrics by Irving Mills. It was first recorded by Ellington and his orchestra for Brunswick Records on February 2, 1932. Ivie Anderson sang the vocal and trombonist Joe Nanton and alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges played the solos. Jazz historian Gunther Schuller characterized it as “now legendary” and “a prophetic piece and a prophetic title.” The song became famous, Ellington wrote, “as the expression of a sentiment which prevailed among jazz musicians at the time.” Ellington’s recording went onto the charts for six weeks, peaking at #6. In 2008, Ellington’s 1932 recording of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Jazz Standards

Here is my next selection from this exciting era of music and dance with Fred Astaire in 1932.

Fred Astaire with Leo Reisman’s Orchestra “Night and Day” (1932)  

“Night and Day” is a popular song by Cole Porter that was written for the 1932 musical Gay Divorce. Fred Astaire introduced “Night and Day” on stage. His studio recording of the song with the Leo Reisman orchestra was released on Victor Records on January 13, 1933, and it became a No. 1 hit, topping the charts of the day for ten weeks. Astaire performed it again in the 1934 film version of the show, renamed The Gay Divorcee, and it became one of his signature songs. warholsoup100

Other sources: Wikipedia

Since man first made music feet have been tapping and the urge to move in time to the beat became irresistible. Ballroom dancing has been enjoyed for centuries but over he decades other dances have become popular, often beginning spontaneously on the streets and then filtering into the dance halls.

The Cakewalk

The cakewalk was a dance developed from the “prize walks” (dance contests with a cake awarded as the prize) held in the mid-19th century, generally at get-togethers on Black slave plantations before and after emancipation in the Southern United States.

Alternative names for the original form of the dance were “chalkline-walk”, and the “walk-around”. It was originally a processional partner dance danced with comical formality, and may have developed as a subtle mockery of the mannered dances of white slaveholders.

Following an exhibition of the cakewalk at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, the cakewalk was adopted by performers in minstrel shows, where it was danced exclusively by men until the 1890s. At that point, Broadway shows featuring women began to include cakewalks, and grotesque dances became very popular across the country.[3]
The fluid and graceful steps of the dance may have given rise to the colloquialism that something accomplished with ease is a “cakewalk” adamgswanson 

Other sources: Wikipedia

Your Hosts for The Big Band Era

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.

Blog– IMPROVISATION – William Price King on Tumblr – Buy William’s music: William Price King iTunes – Facebook – William Price King – Twitter – @wpkofficial
Regular Venue – Cave Wilson

Sally Cronin is an author, blogger and broadcaster who enjoyed four years as part of the team on Onda Cero International’s English speaking morning show in Marbella and then for two years as a presenter on Expressfm the local radio station in Portsmouth. She co-presented two ‘Drive Time’ shows a week with Adrian Knight, hosted the live Thursday Afternoon Show and The Sunday Morning Show guests including musicians and authors. Following this she became Station Director for a local internet television station for two years, producing and presenting the daily news segment, outside broadcasts and co-presenting the Adrian and Sally chat show live on Friday evenings.

She and her husband David have now returned to Ireland where they live on the Wexford Coast where she blogs and continues to write books.

Books :Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – More reviews: Goodreads – blog: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Twitter: @sgc58 – Facebook: Sally Cronin – LinkedIn: Sally Cronin

Thanks for tuning in and as always we love to hear from you.. thanks William and Sally.

 

 

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Weekly Round Up – January 2nd – 8th 2023 – New Series, PR Authors, Big Band Era, Sir George Shearing, Karma, Culinary A-Z, Podcast, Book Reviews, The Brain, Funnies

Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.

It has been a pretty wild and windy week here and it seems the weather has been hitting most places with some unseasonal variations. I don’t want to wish my life away, especially when there is less in front that behind me, but an early spring would be appreciated.

Life has got back to normal after the holidays but we do have a few celebrations in the family to look forward to in the next few months. We have found one or two spots that we frequent in the area and looking forward to catching up with my two sisters in February in the UK after three years as we have some milestone birthdays between us.

On the blog front, a new series of Posts from Your Archives begins soon with the promotional post on Wednesday, a chance for bloggers to share two of their posts from the last six months of 2022… the catch being that I get to choose them. An opportunity to perhaps connect with a few more people.

There are several new books scheduled throughout January and if you do have a new release please let me know by emailing me on sally.cronin@moyhill.com so I can get you in the diary. If you have featured before I have all your details and just need the Amazon link, if you are new to the promotions then we can chat about that after you email me.

As always my thanks to my friends who contribute to the blog…

William Price King joined me this week to celebrate the Big Band Era and the dance crazes of the age and the start of a new series on Friday with the life and music of Sir George Shearing.  You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr

Debby Gies​ was here on Monday with an exploration of Karma… and also joined me for the laughter post. Over on her own blog you will find her review for Ida: Searching for the Jazz Baby by Frank Prem, and a post reminding us to take care of our physical, mental and emotional care, especially during highly emotional life events. Follow the link to Debby’s posts …D.G. Kaye

Carol Taylor was here this week with her Culinary A-Z and the letter ‘N’. Over on her own blog you will find her first post of the new year Monday Musings with some goals she has planned for the year, on the Thursday Thoughts there is a reminder of soups.. always warming at this time of year and Carol’s plans to cut back on blogging while she focuses on her two cookbooks. You can catch up with the news: CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…2nd-7th January 2023

Thank you very much for your visits, comments and shares to social media, as always it is appreciated ♥

On with the show…..

The Big Band Era with William Price King and Sally Cronin 1930s – Earl Burtnett and Cab Calloway

William Price King Meets Music Legends – #Jazz – Sir George Shearing – The Early Years

Spiritual Awareness – #Karma – The Law of Cause and Effect by D.G. Kaye

Carol Taylor’s – Culinary A – Z Rewind – ‘N’ is for Nicoise, Nori, Nuts, Noodles, Nettles and Naan Bread.

Podcast #Poetry #Flash Fiction – The Long Drop and Key Lime Pie by Sally Cronin

Smorgasbord Health Column 2023 – The Body our Greatest Asset – The Brain- Introduction and Anatomy by Sally Cronin

Public Relations for Authors Recycled- Part One – People buy People First – Profile Photo

Smorgasbord Blogger Spotlight 2023 – #history Robbie Cheadle, #Funnies The Story Reading Ape, #Opportunities Marcia Meara, #Review Olga Nunez Miret, #Priorities Pete Springer, #Connections Jennie Fitzkee

#Romance – Unbranded (Montana Bred Series 1) by Linda Bradley

Previous Reviews from 2022 – #Children’s – Barty Barton: The Bear That Was Loved Too Much by Sue Wickstead

Smorgasbord Laughter Lines – January 2023 – Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Nutcracker and Long Flights

Thanks very much for dropping in today and I hope you will join me again next week.. Sally

 

Smorgasbord Music Column at Christmas – William Price King – Andrea Bocelli – My Christmas Album

Earlier in the year William Price King shared the life and music of the amazing Andrea Bocelli – as part of the celebration of the music of the festive season, here are three tracks from Bocelli’s wonderful Christmas Album.

The album was Andrea Bocelli’s 13th studio album and first Christmas release in November 2009. Apart from one original track, God Bless Us Everyone, which closed the 2009 film, A Christmas Carol, all the other songs are ones we all recognise and love.  I have had this album since 2009 when David bought it for me for Christmas. It is played every year and is much loved.

Over 2 million copies sold before Christmas that year in the United States alone with worldwide sales of over 5 million and it was one of the best-selling albums of 2009.

You can buy the album: Amazon

The first track I have chosen is Adeste Fideles by John Francis Wade and Jean Francois Borderies.

My second choice is a classic Christmas song that most of us will have listened to over our lifetime.  White Christmas by Irving Berlin live from the Kodak Theatre 2009.

My last choice is one that shows the showmanship, humour and universal appeal of Andrea Bocelli… Andre Bocelli with Jingle Bells with The Muppets..

 Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas..William

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.

Blog– IMPROVISATION – William Price King on Tumblr – Buy William’s music: William Price King iTunes – Facebook – William Price King – Twitter – @wpkofficial
Regular Venue – Cave Wilson

 

As always William would love to receive your feedback… thanks Sally.

 

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Weekly Round Up – 12th – 18th December 2022 – Ice skating, International Carols, Old Souls, Podcast, Book reviews, Christmas Guest posts, Funnies

Welcome to the round up of posts on Smorgasbord you might have missed this week.

I hope your week has gone well and I am sure you are busy with your holiday preparations. We have gone from white, frosty and Christmasy to gale force winds and driving rain overnight. I am not complaining as I will take a wet road over an icy one any day.

Although a few weeks away I am making preparations for my 70th, not a party but to renew my driving licence which is the age we have to do it here. It used to be you had to produce a medical certificate at 70 but they have just moved to 75 which is one step out of the renewal. To renew online however I have to go to a local office tomorrow with all my IDs and prove my identity, which gives me a card which enables me to avoid going 20 miles to the nearest licence office. I also get a free travel card when I am 70 which I can use on any public transport including all buses and trains. So whilst there may be a few more cracks in my face than last year, there are definitely benefits of turning 70.

I will however forgo any invitation to compete in Dancing on Ice as yesterday proved that I might not have the aptitude I used to have on roller skates. I went out to pour warm water in the bird bath, and next thing I knew I was flat on my back, having slipped on the ice that had accumulated around the bird bath during their ablutions. I was wet through from the bucket of water I was still carrying, and startled crows circled me calling out in distress. I assume it was concern that the human who spends copious amounts of money and time feeding the garden birds, and the crows when they can get at it, was lying injured on the ground. I suspect however it was excitement at the sight of the largest piece of road kill they had ever seen… possibly an early Christmas gift!

Anyway, I broke my fall with my wrist and apart from various bruises from top to tail I have escaped with another lesson learnt. Throw the water in the bird bath from a distance when the hose is frozen.

This week I will be sharing the final Christmas book fairs including new book news for John Howell and Dan Antion, there will be festive music, videos and funnies with a couple of short stories, book review and the round up over the holiday weekend.

Contributor News this week.

William Price King has been sharing some wonderful international carols this week and there will be more festive music on Tuesday and Friday…and on New Year’s Eve a party  with music from William and some special guests .  You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr

Debby Gies​ was here on Monday morning with the next post in her Spiritual Awareness series – Old Souls.. It was amazing to read the comments and discover how many of you resonated with the post.  Over on her own blog you can find Debby’s own exciting news of her latest release Fifteen First Times: Beginnings: A Collection of Indelible Firsts and you can read all about that in the promotion post that went out here this morning. On Debby’s own post you will find December’s very useful selection of writer’s tips, and the Sunday book reviews... for Robbie Cheadle and D.L. Finn. Follow the link to Debby’s posts …D.G. Kaye

Carol Taylor will be back after Christmas with the next in her Culinary A-Z and the letter ‘N’ – Carol is also one of the special guests at the New Year’s Eve Party. Over on her own blog you will find some amazing holiday recipes including Homemade Christmas Ham, …Winter Warmers…Hot Chocolate, Fish Pie and a delicious Thai Duck Curry…Carol shares more edible flowers and if you have room after the Fish Pie, there are some fabulous White Chocolate Chip Cookies…make a delicious ice cream sandwich…Head over for the winter warmer recipes… take your appetite: Carol Taylor’s Christmas Recipes Winter Warmers

Time for some shameless self promotion… and a heartfelt thanks for the generosity shown by the writing community.

My thanks to Joy Neal Kidney who didn’t just review my latest book but the other three collections in the ‘Life’ series. Wow.. I was blown away..

Joy’s lovely feature: Prose and Poetry Gems

Colleen Chesebro is celebrating the release of her latest collection Fairies, Myths, & Magic II: A Winter Celebration, and as part of her blog tour she kindly featured each of her hosts in a post. Colleen also included her review of my latest so I am feeling quite chuffed this week as you can imagine.

Head over to Colleen’s: Colleen’s blog tour and review for Variety is the Spice of Life.

Author Aurora Jean Alexander included me in her festive newsletter this week with an update on her writing, including her latest release  and recent blog posts, and a delicious recipe for tangy honey glazed ham topped off with a delightful poem. If you have a newsletter you have sent out during December please drop the URL in the comments so we can all enjoy..

Head over to enjoy AJ’s festive newsletter: A.J’s Writing Adventure

Thank you too for all your visits, comments and shares during the week. As always very much appreciated…♥

 On with the show….

Christmas Music with William Price King Rewind – Carols from around the World – #Germany, #Greece and #France

Carols from around the World – #Italy, #Nigeria, #Sweden

Spiritual Awareness – Old Souls by D.G. Kaye

#Flash Fiction – Season of Goodwill and Retail Therapy by Sally Cronin

New Book on the Shelves – #Memoir – Fifteen First Times: Beginnings: A Collection of Indelible Firsts by D. G. Kaye

#Shortstories Hugh W. Roberts, #Crimestories Jane Risdon, #Historystories Lisette Brodey

Book Review – #Contemporary #Romance – Falling by Stevie Turner

 

New Book on the Shelves and my review – Fairies, Myths, & Magic II: Book 2: A Winter Celebration by Colleen Chesebro

Previous Reviews from 2022 – Oh Baubles: A Christmas Romance Novella by Harmony Kent

#Thriller #Mystery John L. DeBoer, #Malaya #1950s Apple Gidley, #Romance Stevie Turner

#ElementarySchool Pete Springer, #Fantasy #Magic Chris Hall, #Poetry Balroop Singh

#Photography #Poetry #Flash M.J. Mallon, #Women’sLit Toni Pike, #Family #Poetry Lauren Scott

A Christmas Eve Poem: Children Singing in Latin by Elizabeth Gauffreau

#Recipe #History – French Canadian Tourtière, Our Family Tradition by Dorothy Grover-Read

#Christmas #Santa Darlene Foster

Cooking up Memories- EggNog French Toast #Recipe #Christmas #FamilyFirst by Jacquie Biggar

Host Malcolm Allen December 2022 Part One- #Christmas Crackers

 

Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you will join me again next week if you have time.. Sally

Smorgasbord Weekly Round Up – December 5th – 11th 2022 – Bird Cafe and Spa, Munster Express, Hits 1950s, Tony Bennett, Culinary A-Z, Christmas Book Fair, Book Reviews, Flash Fiction, Funnies

Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed on Smorgasbord this week.

I hope that the week has treated you well. It is very cold and frosty here and we have been sticking close to home. No snow but the roads have been pretty treacherous. The birds are very hungry and also with all free standing water frozen everywhere they are making good use of the warm water I fill up their bath with a couple of times a day.

The Sally Bird Cafe and Spa is doing a roaring business with an all you can eat buffet of mixed seed, suet blocks, fat balls, meal worms, sunflower hearts, soaked sultanas, peanuts and cooked wholegrain rice. Charlie the crow that we rescued and rehabilitated last year does not go far from the garden and I suspect he shacks up with the starlings at night for company. He is there on the roof first thing in the morning giving me it in the ear if I am late. He still cannot open his beak very far so the cooked brown rice,a soft crumbly fat ball and a soft slice of brown bread with peanut butter is his idea of luxury.

Are they spoilt… absolutely they are more entertaining than Netflix and they sing to me every morning to start the day.

First my thanks to Mary Crowley who is not only an excellent author whose books I have enjoyed, but who is also a columnist for the The Munster Express a well known South East Ireland newspaper. Mary supports Irish authors and reviews books that she features too. She has always been very supportive of my new books when they are published as she has been for the latest.

If you are looking for more books to topple your TBR (they can take it) Marjorie Mallon has done an amazing montage of books she has reviewed this year and honoured to be included amongst friends and new authors I have yet to discover.

Just some of the excellent authors included D.G. Kaye, D. Wallace Peach, D.L. Finn, Richard Dee, Robbie Cheadle, Colleen Chesebro, Darlene Foster, Adele Marie Park, Jina S. Bazzar, Ritu Bhathal, Helen Pryke, Sarah Northwood, Michelle E. Northwood, S.C. Skillman and Lizzie Chantree.  I hope you will head over to read the recommendations and dive into the pile…

Head over to discover all of Marje’s reviews: Merry Indie Christmas! #bookstoread #recommendations #writingcommunity

Contributor News this week.

William Price King joined me for The Breakfast Show for the next in the series on hits from the 1950s and the final post in the series about the ultimate showman Tony Bennett coming up in the next two Fridays some festive music and on New Year’s Eve a party special with music from William and some special guests .  You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr

Debby Gies​ will be here on Monday morning with the next post in her Spiritual Awareness series – Old Souls.. we have all met them and fascinating to discover more.  Over on her own blog you can find her Sunday Book Review for Alex Craigie’s The Bubble Reputation, a Q&A with Colleen Chesebro about her new book.Follow the link to Debby’s posts …D.G. Kaye

Carol Taylor will was here on Wednesday with her  A-Z of food with the letter ‘M’…on her own blog you will find Monday Musings with Stained Glass Sushi, a link to a wonderful recipe for Christmas Sauerkraut, a recipe for warming Lancashire Hot Pot, more edible flowers and to discover more about those here is the link Friday Food Edible Flowers Carol Taylor

Thank you too for all your visits, comments and shares during the week. As always very much appreciated…♥

 On with the show….

The Breakfast Show with William Price King and Sally Cronin – Chart Hits 1950s – Chuck Berry, Debbie Reynolds, The Champs and Ritchie Valens

William Price King meets the Music Legends – Tony Bennett – A lifetime of achievements

Carol Taylor’s – Culinary A – Z Rewind – ‘M’ is for Mayonnaise, Mango, Mousse, Morels, Khao Neow Manuang and Marengo

Flash Fiction Many Hands and Following Elephants

New Book on the Shelves and my review – From Scratch: Adventures in Harvesting, Hunting, Fishing, and Foraging on a Fragile Planet by David Moscow and Jon Moscow

#Festive #Romance Staci Troilo, #Romance #Suspense Pamela S. Wight and Ashley Brandt, #Festive #Mystery James J. Cudney,

New Book on the Shelves – #Travel – Caravanning with #Dogs – To Hel In A Hound Cart: Journey To The Centre Of Europe (Adventure Caravanning with Dogs Book 5) by Jacqueline Lambert

#Supernatural #Adventure John W. Howell, #Western #Romance Sandra Cox, #YA #BlendedFamilies Yvette Calleiro

#ChildrensBooks, #Fantasy Jemima Pett, #YA #Travel Darlene Foster, #Bathtime Sue Wickstead

#Fantasy Lunar Boogie (The Hat Book 4) by C.S. Boyack, #Christmas #Romance Love, Me by Jacquie Biggar

#Murder #Mystery Sharon Marchisello, #Thriller Gwen Plano, #Historical #Romance Ailish Sinclair

#Moonshine #WWII #Family Allan Hudson, #Crime #Paranormal Jaye Marie,#Shortstories Stephen Geez

#Paranormal Marcia Meara, #Fantasy J. M. Murphy, #YAFantasy Janice Spina

An Unseasonal Christmas – Rain, Wind and Snow in 1878 by Catherine Meyrick

HANDS – A #Christmas Story by Jan Sikes

Smorgasbord Laughter Lines Extra – December 2022 – Another Open Mic Night with author Daniel Kemp

 

Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you will join me again next week… Sally.