By Paul Goldfinger, Editor, Blogfinger.net
121 years later, 2025, another large city, Los Angeles, suffers major damage from a fire.
KATE AND ANNA McGARRIGLE “The Baltimore Fire”
Archive for the ‘Blogfinger Music Department’ Category
Baltimore the beautiful city. 1904
Posted in Blogfinger Music Department, tagged The Baltimore fire 1904, The McGarrigle sisters on Blogfinger on January 21, 2025| 1 Comment »
Blogfinger presents: Christmas music of another sort —-not so merry.
Posted in Blogfinger Music Department, tagged BLOGFINGER CHRISTMAS MUSIC on December 13, 2024|
KACEY MUSGRAVES AND LEON BRIDGES “Present Without a Bow”
The holiday’s just another day that’s cold
Standing all alone under the mistletoe
I don’t feel the cheer, ooh, without you here
There’s no red and white stripes on a candy cane
And Silent Night just wouldn’t sound the same
Where’d the magic go?
All I know is me without you is like a present without a bow
“You are love….” From Showboat
Posted in Blogfinger Music Department, tagged Showboat on Blogfinger on October 22, 2024|
Captiva Island, Fla. Photo by Paul Goldfinger. © Undated.
REBECCA LUKER AND MARC JACOBY from the 1994 Broadway production revival of Showboat.
This show was written by Jerome Kern (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics.)
OG modern history—2013. Ocean Grove landmark appears in HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire.” 2013.
Posted in Blogfinger Movie Review, Blogfinger Music Department, Blogfinger News, Music from TV, tagged Albatross Hotel appears in Boardwalk Empire, Ocean Grove appears in "Boardwalk Empire." on September 10, 2024| 7 Comments »
Boardwalk Empire: A 1920’s Atlantic City nightclub. HBO photo. This series debuted on September 19, 2010.
Boardwalk Empire. A young Al Capone (center) and his two brothers are busy creating the family business, out of Chicago. It’s good I spell his name correctly, because in this episode, Capone makes a personal visit to a newsman who got the spelling wrong. HBO photo.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor, Blogfinger.net
Ocean Grove and its buildings have appeared in a number of movies including Woody Allen’s “Stardust Memories” (1980) and “According to Greta” with Hillary Duff (filmed in 2007). Except for Greta, Ocean Grove has appeared because of it’s unique seaside appearance rather than because it is Ocean Grove.
In Stardust Memories, the town was presented as a generic seaside resort, and the Great Auditorium became the Stardust Hotel. In Greta, the town actually was portrayed as OG.
Which brings me to the opening episode of Boardwalk Empire’s 4th hit season on HBO. This multi-award winning series is film-making at its best. Set in 1920’s Atlantic City, during Prohibition, it is about Nucky Thompson, a gangster who struggles to maintain his hold on the booze trafficking into New Jersey. As many of you know, we at BF are big fans of the production including its music, and we often post songs by Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, the Grammy winning group that provides much of the music.
Last Sunday it began again with its usual precise and georgeous portrayal of an era and a place. The costumes and the settings are magnificent. The plots are fascinating.
Now it is 1924, and Nucky has carved out his territory which is from Cape May up to Asbury Park and west to Trenton. He is having trouble with rival gangsters from New York City and Chicago, and his marriage has failed. Now he is living in a fancy suite in an Atlantic City hotel.
Late in the episode he steps onto the porch to get some sea air, and this is what we see:
HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, season 4, episode 1. Sept. 8, 2013. This scene is set in Atlantic City. On the porch is Nucky Thompson (foreground) and his personal assistant. Paul Goldfinger still photo from the TV series.The setting is Atlantic City, but that sure looks like our Albatross Hotel. So I went over to Ocean Pathway to compare, and, as you see, the look is very close—too close to deny. Inside, owner Bill Reilly decided to let the cat out of the bag.
A crew from HBO showed up a couple of months ago. They thought that our Albatross looked like a 1924 seaside hotel. So they took photos and measurements inside and out, and then, somehow, with some modifications, re-created our Albatross in Atlantic City.
The Albatross in Ocean Grove, Sept. 13, 2013. Paul Goldfinger photo.So once again, OG is shown in a successful film production, but this portrayal is unique because the hotel exterior scene in this episode was not actually filmed in the Grove.
Considering the sex scenes, the booze, the violence and the chorus girls (and the current absence of a boardwalk in the Grove) it is amazing that a part of OG has actually found its way into this production, especially one ironically called “Boardwalk Empire.” But that did happen, and maybe more scenes of the Albatross will show up later.
VINCE GIORDANO AND THE NIGHTHAWKS, From the original soundtrack of Boardwalk Empire: “Margie” Their soundtrack recording won a Grammy. Vince appears regularly in New York City. We met him there. A group of OG citizens were fans, and we joined them one night.
STEPHEN DeROSA as Eddie Cantor with a tune from Boardwalk Empire:
The very thought of you..
Posted in Blogfinger Music Department, Photography by Paul Goldfinger, Photography Girls in their summer clothes, Photography in America, Photography: New York City Street Series, tagged Nat King Cole on Blogfinger on June 26, 2024|
Central Park. August, 2014. Paul Goldfinger photo © Click to enlarge.
NAT KING COLE (requested by Kevin Chambers) The song is by Ray Noble from 1941, and there was a movie of the same name that featured this song. Re-posted—A girl in her summer clothes.
Telling stories through song. Ronald Naldi sings on a summer afternoon in Ocean Grove.
Posted in Blogfinger Music Department, Blogfinger Presents, Classical Music on Blogfinger, Ocean Grove events, Ocean Grove Musical Event, Photograph by Paul Goldfinger, Photography: Jersey Shore Gallery, Photography: Ocean Grove Gallery, Video clips we like, tagged Ronald Naldi in Ocean Grove NJ, Ronald Naldi recital on May 4, 2024| 3 Comments »
Ronald Naldi performing in the Youth Temple, Ocean Grove, NJ. 7/26/15. Paul Goldfinger photo © Click to enlarge.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor, Blogfinger.net. Ocean Grove, NJ ,USA
The concert, which was to start at 3:30 pm on Sunday, was a much anticipated recital for serious music lovers in the Grove. Ronald Naldi, who has been tenor-in-residence for 42 years in Ocean Grove, was going to present one hour of musical magic to a full house.
He would appear alone on the elevated stage of the Youth Temple, except for his young piano accompanist Sean Gough.
At 3:30 pm, soprano Monica Ziglar walked on the stage and tapped the microphone with her finger tips. Nothing happened. She tapped it a few more times, smiled a bit, and then gave up.
Next the audio man came out and tapped on the microphone a few times, but nothing happened.
Finally, with the audience squirming a bit, desperate times call for desperate measures, so out came Maestro Jason Tramm who tapped on the microphone, but even he could not make it happen.
Jason Tramm taps on the mike as Ronald Naldi enters stage left. Blogfinger.net ©
Finally Ronald Naldi came on stage, glancing over at Tramm and then he shrugged; after all, his magnificent tenor voice doesn’t require a microphone. I heard him sing the Star Spangled Banner in the Great Auditorium without a mike. Tony Bennett walked out after that and wondered aloud how he could follow Ronald Naldi.
So the recital began. If anyone in the audience was expecting Verdi, or Puccini or even Sigmund Romberg, that wasn’t going to happen. Instead, Ronald Naldi treated us to a program of short songs, each of which told a story, and, except for Rachmaninoff, none were by composers that most of us would recognize.
It didn’t matter. Ron (I guess Grovers can call him that; after all, this is a guy who lives in a tent) could have sung Al Jolson in blackface and received roaring shouts and applause.
His stories in song were about the coming of spring, love is blind, beautiful women, happiness, lost love, and lilacs. In one song, two young women go to fetch water, but someone is watching them from behind a tree. Ron liked this song—his facial expression broke into a smile.
I thought, “He’s been there, or something like that.”
He stood straight like the great tenor which he is, projecting his voice as he was trained to do. But his lavender jacket, white pants and bright tie told a story about how happy he felt performing on a warm summer day in the Grove.
Of course, Ron’s voice was magnificent. He sang, “Spring; your kisses melted the ice, now bring me love.” But Ron, it’s July.
He enjoyed that—singing in Italian, but he made sure that we had a translation so we could know why he was having such a good time.
Sean Gough played some Cole Porter for us while Ron rested, and I knew in 10 seconds that Sean is a marvelous jazz pianist. But as an accompanist, he has radar and passion, and you can see why Ron likes to work with him.
At the end of the hour, Ron had a surprise for us. He gathered a song from another corner of the musical world and treated this audience to a 1962 popular tune by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh called “When in Rome I Do What the Roman’s Do.”
Ron seemed to enjoy this departure from his usual repertoire as he smiled while singing, with I think, a twinkle in his eye, ” ‘Cept now and then in Rome, I get that old yen in Rome, and naturally when in Rome, I do what the Romans do.”
Maybe some of you who have experienced a “yen” in Rome know why Ron picked this song.
Ronald Naldi, a treasure in OG and across famous concert halls around the world, did his thing: providing musical magic for his audience, and everyone in the room was grateful.
A VIDEO SCRAPBOOK OF RON NALDI PERFORMING IN THE GROVE:
Christmas Eve in Ocean Grove’s Firemen’s Park
Posted in Blogfinger Music Department, tagged Ocean Grove Christmas EVe, Puppini Sisters on Christmas Eve on December 22, 2023|
Where’s Santa? By Paul Goldfinger. 2009. Christmas Eve tradition—with live music. Yes! click to enlarge. Blogfinger.net
PUPPINI SISTERS Christmas Album:
Bruce and Eddie Holmes create a snowperson in Firemen’s Park.
Posted in Blogfinger Music Department, Photo News, tagged Snowperson in the Grove on December 16, 2023| 2 Comments »
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger Reposted from January, 2014. Ocean Grove, NJ, USA. Fast forward to Dec 16, 2023 where we had sixty degree weather today.
Frosty the Snowman is one of the heroes of the holidays. Yet you don’t see too many of them around OG. So today, two days after our snowstorm, Bruce and Eddie Holmes of Mt. Hermon Way decided to fix that situation. Eddie said that he was creating a snowman, but it’s only a matter of time before the snow feminists complain.
Eddie’s “Frosty” already had a carrot nose, but he needed to do something with their extra carrot. Bruce wanted to use it to make eyes, but charcoal is more traditional. I suggested another anatomic part for the snowperson, but Eddie solved the issue by burying the extra carrot in the snow . He wasn’t bothered by the gender ambiguity evident in his new friend.
So, for now, we have a snowman and that probably won’t bother anybody. Besides, it doesn’t matter, because it’s Eddie’s friend, so Eddie decides.
Dec. 2023. Eddie is probably a teen ager now. Maybe he has changed from snowmen to snowgirls.
THE JACKSON FIVE
BF Music Department: Should Song Lyrics Make Sense?
Posted in Blogfinger Music Department, Blogfinger News, tagged Adam Schlesinger, Should song lyrics make sense?, The Click Five, The Fountains of Wayne on September 25, 2023| 7 Comments »
The Fountains of Wayne. Adam Schlesinger is on the right. Stereogum.com
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger, Updated from our 2013 post. Please read the comments.
Going back in music history to Gregorian chants, Mozart operas, and Frank Sinatra singing with Tommy Dorsey, it was always important for the songs’ lyrics to make sense and to be clearly heard. Sinatra was a fanatic about phrasing and pronunciation of words.
Lyricists always compose songs so that they tell a story (as in Broadway musicals) or express ideas (as in “You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught” from South Pacific) or consist of poetry (as in “You are the angel glow that lights the stars” from “All the Things You Are”)
However, since the rock era of recent times, the words, if you can clearly hear them, sometimes are unclear as to their meaning. Which brings me to the late Adam Schlesinger, a successful modern-day songwriter who wrote an editorial in the New York Times (2013) asking whether song lyrics needed to tell a story or even to make any sense at all.
I was fascinated. Adam Schlesinger had won Grammy and Emmy awards along with Tony and Oscar nominations for his song writing.
In the editorial, he said, “Lately I’ve been getting more interested in focusing on the overall sound and texture of song, and worrying less about the logic of the words.”
So, at last, someone who could explain to me why I am so often baffled by modern song lyrics.
What’s the Story NY Times link
THE CLICK FIVE: “Just the Girl” written by Adam Schlesinger
Here is one of Adam Schlesinger’s songs performed by “The Click Five.” It’s a simple story with understandable lyrics. Note that Schlesinger is from New Jersey and was one of the founders of the group “Fountains of Wayne.”
And here is a song I love, but the lyrics are incomprehensible. It is by a group called Beirut. The song is “A Sunday Smile.”
Tourists on parade in OG: Perry Young from New Hampshire…
Posted in Blogfinger Music Department, Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove Musical Event, tagged Kenny Vance and the Planotones in Ocean Grove, t, tourist in the Grove on August 16, 2023|
Perry Young. Sept. 4, 2016. Labor Day weekend. Ocean Grove near the boardwalk. Paul Goldfinger photo. ©
Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net 2016 original post:
I struck up a conversation with Perry when I spotted his Planotones shirt. We chatted near the large American flag. Perry is from Milton, New Hampshire. Originally he was from Queens, NY, but he left there in 2003.
Perry was at the World Trade Center on 9-11, and in his words, “I was fortunate to escape the falling north tower.” Perry was a member of the Painters Union.
Perry Young has been visiting Ocean Grove for nearly 40 years. He says that it is a very special place for him and he is drawn to it and loves to come here each summer. His favorite hotel is the Shawmont. He knows a lot about the town and this area.
Perry and his daughter Christine are Blogfinger fans. In a subsequent email he said, “I along with my daughter Christine will always be following Blogfinger.net. I enjoyed looking at all the photos you have posted on your website. I also thought your history in the medical field was awesome. Your friend, Perry.”
We became fast friends, and Perry asked me to pose for a picture, but I agreed only after he said I could take his picture in the Planotone shirt. We sent a copy of the photo to Christine, and she was thrilled.
We talked about Kenny Vance and his marvelous falsetto and close harmonies with his group. I should have asked Perry to do the Planotone walk. Maybe next time we could find two porkpie hats and some shades to do a video.
We agreed that one of Kenny’s most evocative songs was “Gloria”—–a beautiful and sad love song that all the fans of that era know to be the gold standard for excellence from that musical genre.
Perry confided that his favorite Planotone song is “Oceans of Time.” I never heard that song before, but you can appreciate why Perry favors it:
NOTE: This past June, 2022, Perry returned once again to the Grove. He stays at OG hotels. Perry is a creature of habit as you can see from his history of returning here every year.
After the June visit he sent me a note: “For my last night I went to Brando’s for linguine Sinatra. Since I went home I went to the supermarket and bought all the ingredients for that dish: scallops, shrimps, clams, Greek olives, and capers. That for dinner tonight.
Find enclosed tickets from 2009 when I saw Kenny Vance and the Planotones in the Doo Wop show in the GA. I will miss those shows.”
All the best, Perry.
2023 Perry Young update: Perry has remained a fan of the Grove and of Blogfinger. We keep in touch and try to get together when he visits here. This season Perry came with 12 relatives and they had a wonderful time.
He got to celebrate his birthday in the Grove, and I just heard from him by phone about the birth of his first great-grandson Henry Huggins. Perry says that we should do lunch next year, and I promised him to repost this piece along with some of those Kenny Vance songs which he still loves.
Kenny is now 78 years old and still tours with the Planotones. In December he will be at the Count Basie in Red Bank.
And here is a Kenny Vance medley from his recent album: Lost and Found Vol 2.
The Tide is High
Posted in Blogfinger Music Department, Photographic Gallery, Photography by Moe Demby, tagged Moe Demby photograph, The Atomic Kitten on Blogfinger. on April 19, 2023|
Sunrise. Ocean Grove. By Moe Demby, Blogfinger staff. Click to enlarge.
THE ATOMIC KITTEN (2002 hit version)
Atomic Kitten
“It’s All Right to Cry” says Rosy Greer from “Free To Be You and Me.”
Posted in Blogfinger Music Department, tagged Free to be You and Me, Rosy Greer on Blogfinger on November 9, 2022|
“Free to be You and Me” was published in 1974. It was Marlo Thomas’ idea. This image is from the book.
ROSY GREER from the album Free to Be You and Me
Can love cause heart problems?
Posted in Blogfinger Medical Reports, Blogfinger Music Department, tagged Love causes heart problems on Blogfinger on October 6, 2022| 1 Comment »
Lollypops can do it. Amazon music photo.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD, FACC. Editor@Blogfinger.net and Dean of the Blogfinger Off-Shore School of Medicine in Ocean Grove, NJ. 2018.
There is a song called “My Heart Goes Pitter Patter” recorded by Simone and Girlfunkle.
There is another (below) by Bia, a young singer from Brazil whose song is “My Heart Goes La La La.”
BIA:
Rod Stewart has a tune called “Rhythm of My Heart”, while Etta Jones sings “There Goes my Heart” (below)
I know a cardiologist whose heart goes pitter patter every time he drinks coffee. The symptom is due to extra heart beats (premature contractions) which give that sensation.
If a heart is stimulated, it might react with a fast beat or an erratic beat. The stimulation can be due to intense emotions including love. Brain related causes result in adrenaline release and activation of the sympathetic nervous system—ie the “flight or fight” reaction; or the stimulation might be due to certain substances such as caffeine, prescription drugs, cocaine, or alcohol. The effects on the heart may be perceived by the patient or may be “silent.”
A violinist came to see me because, before she would go on stage, she would experience tremors in her hands, sweaty palms, and palpitations due to “stage-fright.” a typical emotions-based cause of such symptoms. Other brain related causes of adrenalin release symptoms include fear, anger, severe stress, sudden surprise, threats, and battle. As for love,–if would have to be pretty intense.
The violinist was successfully treated by blocking the effects of adrenaline using a drug called a “beta blocker” which the musician could take as needed, prior to a concert. The drug would not adversely affect the performance as might a tranquilizer, but would enhance it by removing the fear factor.
The cardiac responses to stimulation do not necessarily indicate heart disease. It can happen to healthy individuals. But if you have palpitations, a visit to a cardiologist would be wise. He can order a take-home monitor which can record your electrocardiogram (ECG) when your heart goes pitter patter and it will also make a recording if you have a rhythm disturbance (arrhythmia) without symptoms. In either case, the doctor will be able to see what kind of arrhythmia is causing the symptoms, and then a decision can be made regarding what to do about it.
But no doctor will advise giving up love.
ETTTA JONES: