Asbury Park, New Jersey. By Michael Goldfinger © Left click to enlarge. Special to Blogfinger.
Michael Goldfinger is a former Grover who was a photojournalist with the Asbury Park Press c. 1995.
MAROON FIVE. From the Valentine’s Day–original motion picture soundtrack. But the first time it was heard was in the movie “Swing Time.” In that 1936 film, Fred Astaire sang it to Ginger Rogers. It won the Academy Award.
“Just the Way You Look Tonight” was written by Jerome Kern (music) and Dorothy Fields (lyrics). Dorothy Fields later said, “The first time Jerry played that melody for me I went out and started to cry. The release absolutely killed me. I couldn’t stop, it was so beautiful.” And so it is. So many performers have covered this song.
Maroon 5 is a pop rock band from Los Angeles, but they do very well with a variety of music including old standards like this one as well as doo wop favorites.
My own experience with this song was in the 1960’s when my band was playing a beauty pageant for high school girls. They paraded around in evening gowns on the arms of their fathers. I chose this song for that part, and I could barely keep from choking up—the music and the visuals were just perfect. This song is one of my all-time favorites. —-Paul Goldfinger Editor Blogfinger.net
TeeCos: Thanks for asking.
The Paul Gary Quartet played college dances and parties, summers at the shore (The Red Rail in Lavalette—now condos) but I also was a member of the jazz band at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Rutherford and Teaneck. I have to say that we were an exceptional college big band playing the Newport Jazz arrangements as well as original music. In that group, I was 3rd alto, because the 1st alto was already a professional musician who could do it all.
We were invited to the Fun in the Sun festival at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where the beauty pageant (college girls, and no fathers around) kept us focused. They nearly shipped us back to Jersey because we didn’t have an arrangement for “Dixie.” The band director, Dr. Tom Monroe, stayed up all night to write the parts. Then we became good old boys.
I played tenor and alto sax in the Paul Gary Quartet (which sometimes became 5 or 6 pieces, depending on the gig). The Gary was a stage name because Goldfinger wasn’t cool (it made me sound like a pre-med student–which I actually was) Our piano player was an FDU coed named Bunny who had long black hair down to her sacroiliac. She sometimes sang, but only one song “Willow Weep for Me.” She wore tight dresses and attracted a lot of attention.
The three guys (me, Frank–on drums, from Seton Hall and Charlie–on standup bass–who was a precocious high school senior from Paterson; ) bought wrinkled sport jackets at Robert Hall’s. One time we played an FDU boat ride where Carmen McRae and Gene Krupa were performing. I think they put us on the poop deck–boy was I sea sick.
We were the only shore band who could play dance music for adults: a waltz, a cha cha, or an honest-to-god romantic slow tune. We also did sing-a-long medleys for the bar crowd–and sometimes we would change the words a bit to add something ribald and laugh our heads off because nobody noticed. Our biggest problem: We were too young to drink, so we had to pass up some really fine offers.
I should write about that period, because we dealt with drunks, mobsters, groupies, ballroom dancers, and even a few music lovers. I have some photos, of course, but the trick is to find them.
Paul, tell us about your band. But, maybe that is a separate article.
Paul,
You’ve done it again, tugged at the heartstrings, brought back the memories. This song, sung by the Lettermen in 1961, was the 1st song I dance with my 1st boyfriend in 9th grade. By a quirk of fate it was also the last dance we danced together. What a wonderful and sentimental song. Thank you for posting it!
Anna