Welcome to my music blog - The Soundtrack of My Life!

Many of you have asked me “What’s with all the music, Dr. Weiss?” Well, as I’ve told some of you:

I personally call every surgery patient on the evening of surgery just to make sure they are doing well and have no questions that need answering. Occasionally, I would be at the piano and play a song that we had listened to that day. I gradually realized that I wanted to go through all the music that I had played during my life and at least start making a list of the songs that I had recently played.

Well, there are now about 600 songs on the list and I realized that it in a way it represented the ‘soundtrack of my life’! And that’s how I got the idea to record these songs and share them with my patients, friends and family. After I record them they will reside here, for easy access.

Music is truth. It’s honest. It’s really the first social media, where in a way, people could share their souls directly. And isn’t that what the purpose of social media is and why it’s so popular - trying to share who you really are, as completely and directly as possible?

Finally, it has been (and will continue to be) a genuine pleasure sharing these different songs with you and I really appreciate all of your positive feedback!!

Categories


Casablanca Movie Poster

As Time Goes By

February 1, 2019

Casablanca is consistently rated as one of the most important and influential movies ever made.   Many of its elements are synonymous with classic Hollywood - black and white film grain, Humphrey Bogart in a trench coat, the oh-so-quotable lines and of course, the indelible soundtrack! Today's On This Day is a performance of the song "As Time Goes By", memorably performed by Sam in the famed nightclub, in honor of composer Herman Hupfeld's birthday. Interesting factoids: The "piano player" Dooley Wilson was actually a drummer, so the piano was actually played by someone off screen!  Also interesting, is that one of the lines most often associated with the film ("Play it again, Sam), is actually a misquote!  When Ilsa first enters the Café Americain, she spots Sam and asks him to "Play it once, Sam, for old times' sake." After he feigns ignorance, she responds, "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By'".  Finally, the aforementioned song might have been dropped from the film entirely if not for a haircut Ingrid Bergman got for her next film - making reshoots impossible. So if not for a haircut, we might never have known this song!! Thanks for watching and "here's looking [...]
how insensitive pic

How Insensitive

January 25, 2019

On this day, Brazilian musician Antonio Carlos Jobim was born in 1927!  "How Insensitive" is one of his more popular songs, having been covered by a large and diverse swath of people - from Ella Fitzgerald and Diana Krall to Liberace, The Monkees and William Shatner of Star Trek fame! Jobim is also known perhaps for his most popular song (and one of the most recorded songs in the world )- The Girl from Ipanema. Bosendorfer piano sound - For this recording I’m playing a Yamaha Clavinova – which has the same keyboard action as a traditional acoustic piano, but there are no strings. Pressing a key activates (in this case) a sound which was sampled from a Bösendorfer Imperial Concert Grand piano. Try listening to it with a good set of headphones! It sounds better than any piano I've ever owned!!
Simon and Garfunkel

Bridge Over Troubled Water

January 25, 2019

This powerful, inspiring and iconic song, which Bllboard ranked as the No. 1 song for 1970, has  helped countless people through challenging times.  Paul Simon was inspired by gospel music for this one. It has become one of the most performed songs of the twentieth century, with over 50 artists, among them Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, covering the song. . The distinctive piano arrangement was performed by session musician Larry Knechtel  of the famous ‘Wrecking Crew’, a loose collective of session musicians based in Los Angeles whose services were employed for thousands of studio recordings in the 1960s and early 1970s, including several hundred Top 40 hits. Leon Russell and Glen Campbell were also Wrecking Crew members before their solo careers. "Bridge over Troubled Water" was composed by Paul Simon very quickly, so much so that he asked himself, "Where did that come from? (Similar to Paul McCartney saying that ‘Yesterday’ came to him fully formed in a dream and he just got up and played it right away so he wouldn’t forget it!)  Will we ever understand fantastic musical ability and inspiration like these guys?  Maybe it’s the one thing that artificial intelligence won’t be able to replace. [...]
Bob Dylan and son

Forever Young

January 18, 2019

On This Day, “Forever Young” was released by Bob Dylan with backing by the Band in 1974. Written as a lullaby for his eldest son Jesse, born in 1966, Dylan's song relates a father's hopes that his child will remain strong and happy. It opens with the lines, "May God bless and keep you always / May your wishes all come true", echoing the Old Testament's Book of Numbers, which has lines that begin: "May the Lord bless you and guard you / May the Lord make His face shed light upon you." Its always been one of my favorites - I played it for my son at his Bar Mitzvah. Today’s Music Minute is a truncated instrumental version, but if you’re not familiar with this song, it’s worth listening to Dylan’s version (I like the slow version) and looking up the words. It’s been covered by many artists including Joan Baez, Peter, Paul and Mary, The Band, Diana Ross, Johnny Cash, the Grateful Dead, Neil Young, the Jerry Garcia Band, Pete Seeger, the Pretenders, Norah Johns and even Meat Loaf! Bosendorfer piano sound - For this recording I’m playing a Yamaha Clavinova – which has the same keyboard action [...]
Image of Anchors Aweigh songbook cover

Anchors Aweigh

January 16, 2019

Charles Zimmermann, composer of “Anchors Aweigh”, passed away on this day in 1916. “Anchors Aweigh" is the fight song of the United States Naval Academy and march song of the United States Navy. Zimmermann composed “Anchors Aweigh”, his most famous song, in 1906 when he was a Lieutenant in the United States Navy. The lyrics were written by Alfred Hart Miles, a midshipman. The march was intended from the beginning to serve as a rousing tune for football games. The song was first played during the Army–Navy football game on December 1, 1906, at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [P.S. I’m from Philadelphia - yay!] Navy won the game 10–0!  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchors_Aweigh) The word 'aweigh' is now only used in this little phrase. An anchor that is aweigh is one that has just begun to put weight onto the rope or chain by which it is being hauled up. Sailors were fond of adding 'a' to words to make new ones, for example, 'astern', 'aboard', ashore', 'afloat', 'adrift', 'aground', etc. (https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/anchors-aweigh.html) I’d like to dedicate this song to my friend and senior Naval officer, S.L., and thank him for his service. Bosendorfer piano sound - For this recording I’m playing a [...]
Frank Sinatra with a hat

The Things We Did Last Summer

January 15, 2019

The Things We Did Last Summer On this day (January 15) in 1993, musician and songwriter Sammy Cahn passed away. Cahn wrote the song that I'm covering today - "The Things We Did Last Summer", which debuted in 1946. His songs won 4 Academy Awards including one for "Three Coins in a Fountain." This time I'm trying to let my "inner trumpet" out. I've always loved this melancholy and romantic song, and for me the classic version is sung by Sinatra. This was only one of many songs that Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen wrote for Frank Sinatra. They were almost considered to be his personal songwriters - producing such songs as "All the Way", "Come Fly With Me",  "High Hopes", "Call Me Irresponsible", "My Kind of Town (Chicago Is...)" and "Love and Marriage." With composer Jule Styne he is remembered for hits such as "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow", "I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry", and this song, "The Things We Did Last Summer".  He also wrote the lyrics to "Teach Me Tonight",  "Until the Real Thing Comes Along" and even "You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly!" from the 1953 film classic Peter [...]
An image of Dr Weiss' hands on the piano. Above the hands are the words "Weiss Music Minute" and beneath is the title of the Music Minute, "Danny Boy".

Danny Boy

December 7, 2018

Today's Weiss Music Minute is Today's Weiss Music Minute is a cover of an old Irish melody. "Danny Boy" lyrics were written by Frederic Weatherly, but the melody comes from an older tune called "Londonderry Air". If you've just stumbled upon this entry, you might also be interested in one of our latest features - Photo of the Week, where I share what I feel are particularly representative examples of the work that I perform.
Happy St Patricks Day 2018 IMage

I Wish I Had Someone To Love Me – (St. Patrick’s Day)

March 16, 2018

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I wanted to share this quick session I had with Aileen F., an Irish friend of mine  who lives in Limerick, Ireland.  She was happy to share this authentic and traditional Irish song with all of us – I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did!  What a beautiful voice! Did you guys get a chance to catch last year’s St. Patrick’s Day post?  If you missed last year’s St. Patrick’s Day video, it’s never too late to watch and learn about pennywhistles and hear my version of “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling”!