Mr. Jelly Lord (1:33) Recorded 1/21/24 Jelly Roll Morton, born October 20, 1890 in New Orleans, has been called the first great composer and piano player in jazz. Actually, Morton once confessed that his innovations resulted from his inability to remember and play ragtime pieces properly. He had to “fudge” the notes. His improvisations led him to create loose, swinging rhythms that were more informal than ragtime, and sounded a lot more fun. Morton was jazz’s first arranger, proving that a genre rooted in improvisation could retain its essential characteristics when notated. I can personally attest to that. How else would a kid from the Philadelphia suburbs be able to record this song 100 years later? His composition “Jelly Roll Blues”, published in 1915, was one of the first published jazz compositions. He also claimed to have invented jazz. I don’t know about that (Louis Armstrong and others might also take issue with that claim), but he was certainly foundational and very influential in the development of jazz from ragtime. Morton had an eye for the ladies and the charm of a snake oil salesman. To tide himself over, from time to time, he put his talents to use as a […]
Welcome to my blog! My goal here is to get more personal – and simply share stuff with my friends, family, and patients! You can expect some posts on the latest advances in cosmetic surgery (although it seems like there’ll be a fair amount of music-related posts – they’re too much fun to make!) I also expect that we’ll have more contests and free stuff, special events and even very special guests!
On the Good Ship Lollipop
December 7, 2021
On The Good Ship Lollipop Tribute to Shirley Temple What can I say about Shirley Temple (who passed away today – December 7 – at age 85)? I will miss her but never forget her spirit. Thanks for all your smiles! We should all slow down and watch a Shirley Temple movie soon! In the meantime… Enjoy, Dr. Weiss Dedicated to Josh and Lana
Help! John Lennon’s cri de couer
July 19, 2021
Help! Dear family of patients, On this summer day July 19, 1965 – 56 years ago, the Beatles released the single “Help!” (now ranked at number 29 on the Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.) I remember listening to it over and over again with my brother in his room on our portable 45 rpm record player. I also remember wrestling with my brother while listening to the B-side “I’m Down” (OK, I was 12 and my brother was 10.) I sent you this song as an Earth Day video a few months ago, but looking back, I now feel that the importance of the Earth Day message as well as the accompanying visuals (not to mention my amateur vocals) detracted from simply enjoying the beautiful sound of this arrangement and instrumentation (Bösendorfer Grand piano sample on the Yamaha Clavinova.) I can’t quite put my finger on it, but the aural quality and chord changes alone, sans lyrics, seem to express all the existential angst of our current global pandemic moment, while improbably being strangely soothing at the same time. Lennon said that Help! was one of his favorite Beatles songs and “one of the only true songs he ever wrote.” I’ve chosen […]
Earth Day Help!
April 22, 2021
One of the first color images of Earth, a digital image mosaic taken in 1967. I was playing this song (Help!) the other day and started to imagine that the Earth was trying to talk to us all through the lyrics of a Beatles song. Looking at this image makes us realize that we are undeniably all in this together – whatever happens. In my opinion, the best thing that we could do for the earth is to simply stop trying so hard to kill it! Live sustainably and plan for the future of the earth! The earth needs us now! Dr. Weiss
Vaccine Signup for 65+
January 13, 2021
This information was just received from Hoag Hospital in Orange County, CA. Please check for similar information in your county (I just registered my mom in Pennsylvania last night.) The Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA) has now approved vaccinations for people aged 65+, which is an important milestone in the fight against COVID-19. Hoag is one of a number of sites in the County that will be offering vaccinations for seniors and high-risk patients. Please note that the actual vaccines have not yet been received, but preparations are being made for distribution for the general public aged 65+. See below for links to more information and registration. To learn more about the OCHCA’s vaccine distribution plan, please refer to their website: https://occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/phased-approach-vaccine-distribution. The County is encouraging residents to register for notifications about the vaccine with an app they plan to use called Othena. You can go to www.othena.com/individuals.php to register. Hoag is not involved with the Othena app, so any further questions should be directed to the County. General questions COVID hotline: 714-834-2000. This massive vaccination effort will take time and require patience. In the meantime and as always, this bears repeating: please continue wearing masks, staying home, washing hands and […]
Hoag Vaccines and Testing
December 30, 2020
To my family of friends and patients, Here is some information from Hoag Hospital that may be of interest to you. (For those outside of Orange County, I’m sure similar things may be happening in your own communities.). Included below is the latest COVID vaccine distribution update and the current COVID testing protocols and quarantine recommendations. Think of how these facts might apply to your own home and workplace situations. Also included is a warning on an emerging multi-drug resistant yeast infection that can live on hard surfaces for months! Yet another reason to practice safety protocols including frequent hand washing (as if we needed another reason!) Vaccine news After just 14 days after receiving the first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine: 77% of Hoag medical staff have gotten first shot of Pfizer vaccine, as of December 30 (only 4% have declined for now). More than 3000 Tier 1 high and moderate risk Hoag employees and medical personnel have also gotten their first dose No frontline, high-risk physician was left exposed, which was the result running more than 30 vaccine clinics in eight (8) days. The clinics were organized, sanitized, socially distanced, and extremely efficient. Covid Exposures and Testing protocols […]