I made this a separate category because 1) the sampled piano sounds on the Yamaha Clavinova sound so good (especially with good speakers or headphones) and 2) it has literally changed my life. Since I got the Clavinova, I’ve kind of become addicted to listening to it on my headphones because of the sound quality. I always wondered how some piano recordings sounded so rich even with a one-note melody as in a soft Carlos Jobim tune backing Sinatra. Well, now I know. It has allowed me to be more expressive than I ever could be on my acoustic piano. So I’ve also been playing more than ever because it’s way more fun and I don’t bug my family because of the headphones! Anyway, I hope you enjoy these songs as much as I enjoy playing them!
I'll Be Home for Christmas
December 19, 2018
Danny Boy
December 7, 2018
Give My Regards to Broadway – A Tribute to George M. Cohan
November 5, 2018
I’ve always loved this song. “Give My regards to Broadway” was written by George M. Cohan, who has been called “the greatest single figure the American theatre ever produced”. “Give My Regards to Broadway” was from his first Broadway play, Little Johnny Jones in 1904, after which he wrote, composed, produced, and appeared in more than three dozen Broadway musicals. Cohan published more than 300 songs during his lifetime, including the standards “Over There” (America’s most popular World War I song), “Give My Regards to Broadway”, “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag”. This little tribute to Cohan is also an homage one of my personal favorite actors, James Cagney. Cagney played Cohan in the Academy Award-winning film Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), which includes James Cagney’s unforgettable musical tap dance rendition of “Give My Regards To Broadway”, for which he won an Oscar. On May 1, 1940, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt presented him with the Congressional Gold Medal for his contributions to World War I morale, in particular the songs “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and “Over There.” Cohan was the first person in any artistic field selected for this honor, which previously had gone only to military and political leaders, philanthropists, scientists, inventors, and explorers. In 1959, at […]
All The Way
September 7, 2018
And we here at Weiss Cosmetic love our family of patients “All The Way”! As promised, for those of you whose taste might be more appreciative of jazz standards and for you crooners out there, I’m thrilled to share with you another karaoke offering, “All The Way”. The song was written by famed songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen, and is dedicated to my dear friend Pat D – because she actually worked with the composer! Pat and Jimmy worked together in the 40s and 50s; she was his assistant, helping him as he composed hit after hit for Broadway, movies, TV and was even there for Jimmy’s first song! She’s also had the pleasure of wedding dancing (and smooching) with Frank Sinatra and horseback riding with Jimmy – and that’s just a couple of her fascinating stories (such as the time she was crowned “Miss Dairy Queen” in Lindstrom, Minnesota for writing the song, “I Like My Eggs With A Kiss”). “All The Way” won the 1957 Academy Award for best original song from the movie “The Joker is Wild” – one of my favorite films. So here you are, Pat, after much delay: “All The Way.” Karaoke Participation Instructions You’ll […]
America the Beautiful
June 5, 2018
I’d like to once again (in what has now become a yearly tradition) re-share this video rendition of “America the Beautiful” with my family of patients and friends. Help me honor and remember those who died for our country, and pray that many less will need to die in the future.
Claire de Lune
May 11, 2018
Wishing all the mothers out there the happiest of days on their special day! Of course, as we all know, the day is merely symbolic – you should celebrate your mother EVERY day ?. Here’s a famous piece of music called “Claire de Lune” by Claude Debussy. I played it for my mother 40 years ago at her wedding and I’m happy to share it with you all well! You’ll learn a bit more about Debussy and his similarities to another of my favorite musicians, Stevie Wonder, a bit later today. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this “classic” Mother’s Day treat.
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”!
This blog is a tribute to the New Orleans Jazz Fest that started today and runs this weekend and next weekend. First of all, I want to give a shout out to everyone having a great time down there! I sure wish I could have made it down this year. As jazz enthusiasts have been saying every year around this time: Next Year, in New Orleans! Playing a simple piano rendition of ‘Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans’ reminds me of so many good memories over the years. Here are a few. (Click on the photos for better detail.) You just can’t stop dancing from the moment you get to the fairgrounds around noon. Plenty of alligators and crawfish and colorful looking people. Plenty of fiddlin’ around. You basically can’t not dance to Springsteen swinging acoustic. I took this photo of the inside of a grocery store in one of the Parishes that was completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. One of the most moving performances I’ve ever seen anywhere was Springsteen at the first JazzFest (2006) after Katrina (which was August 2005). The day was cloudy, but when he came on in the late afternoon, the […]
I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy!
July 3, 2016
Happy Birthday, America! From our family to yours, we wish you all a fantastic holiday filled with food, fun and fireworks! And to kick off your holiday weekend, we thought we’d give you a little song and dance. Enjoy your holiday weekend while we wait anxiously for the recording contract offers to come rolling in 😉 Happy Independence Day From Weiss Cosmetic