It must have been sometime in the winter of 1961-62. We were two soldiers on leave, exploring the mysteries and enticements of New York City for the very first time. Probably on someone’s recommendation, we sought out a place on 7th Avenue called the Village Vanguard, eager to hear some jazz. The chairs were uncomfortable, the tables were tiny and crammed together to make the most of the space, and the cover charge and liquid refreshments cost more than we could afford, forcing us to nurse our drinks all evening in spite of the waitress’s judgmental looks. It was one of those situations where you have to hang onto your glass for dear life lest the waitress scoop it away before it’s empty.
The featured artist that night played jazz piano with a heavy gospel flavor and sang with an air of authority rare in one so young (she was probably not yet 20). She had an enormous voice. I was gobsmacked by her performance. I remember writing a letter to a friend back in Texas, a fellow jazz lover, saying, “You’ve got to listen to a singer named Aretha Franklin. See if you can find any of her records.”
I don’t think I heard of her again until four or five years later, by which time she had altered her repertoire and become the “Queen of Soul.” I never hear her music now without thinking of how she sounded to me on that cold, long-ago night, as I sat huddled in that overcrowded club on 7th Avenue.
This song, a standard from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, provides a good approximation of how she sounded that night.
By Paul Goldfinger and Charles Layton. Editors, Blogfinger.net. August 2012. Paul Goldfinger photographs—see show below.
Ocean Grove becomes transformed late at night. Another side of the town’s beauty — at once calmer and more dramatic — emerges.
Streets, porches, vegetation and storefront displays turn ghostly and mysterious. Over on the Asbury side, some of the murals on the Casino (like the one above) become downright scary.
The contrasts of encompassing darkness, silvery moon and spots of artificial light point up architectural features that are less obvious in the brassy light of the day. Sounds strike the ear differently; the ocean surf suggests the breathing of some giant, sleeping thing.
As humans withdraw from view, wild creatures begin to roam noiselessly – a rabbit grazing on a darkened lawn, a possum scuttling in the shadow of a curb.
Walking through town at midnight, one is surrounded by a world filled with secrets.
In an effort to convey that feeling, we offer a multimedia show: a collection of nocturnal photos by Paul Goldfinger and a musical performance by Ben Webster on tenor sax, Oscar Peterson on piano and Ray Brown on bass.
The tune is “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.”
To enjoy this sight/sound combination, click on the audio arrow below. Then, as the music plays, put your cursor on the photo slide show and use the tool that appears to freeze a frame in place or to move forward or backward from one photo to another. — Charles Layton
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall were married when they made this “film noir” in 1948. The poster says “suitable only for adults.” Clair Trevor won the Academy Award for “best actress in a supporting roll.”
Paul Goldfinger, Editor. Blogfinger.net. 11/24/12
Bertie Higgins: “Key Largo” Higgins is a Florida singer who recorded this top ten hit (his only one) in 1982.
When Christina Aguilera flubbed the lyrics to “The Star Spangled Banner “at this year’s Super Bowl, it revived the perennial argument that America needs a new national anthem.
It won’t happen, of course, but it’s fun to review the issue once in a while.
The most persuasive argument against “The Star Spangled Banner” is that most people can’t handle its range of more than one and a half octaves. At a baseball game or other such function, you’ll see people silently mouthing those unreachable high notes. Or they’ll drop down an octave when they get to “laaaand of the freeeeee…” Or improvise a few lines of alto harmony. (Aguilera switched very awkwardly into falsetto and still didn’t quite nail the high note.)
Another beef you’ll often hear about Spangled Banner is that it’s too militaristic. It’s about bombs.
Any song proposed as an alternative, though, needs to meet three tests: Are the lyrics appropriate? Is it singable? And (my favorite) does it meet what has been called the “Casablanca challenge”?
Alfred Gingold, writing in Slate, once proposed that a national anthem, when sung by patriotic partisans, should be able to silence those arrogant Nazis in Rick’s American Cafe. The French anthem, La Marseillaise, met this test splendidly in the movie. I think Spangled Banner would also succeed in that situation — but only if the people singing it could reach those stirring high notes. If not, it would be pathetic.
So, here are the two most commonly suggested alternatives:
America The Beautiful. Are the lyrics appropriate for a national song? Yes, they are; they declare that the country is beautiful. Is it singable? Yes, it is. Does it pass the Casablanca challenge? Unfortunately not. Waves of grain, fruited plains — that won’t scare very many Nazis.
This Land Is Your Land. Many people champion this song as a national anthem on the grounds that it’s assertive about democracy, expansiveness and inclusiveness on a continental scale. And I agree. It is easily sung, for sure, spanning one note less than an octave. It passes the Casablanca test in my opinion. Furthermore, it’s often sung to guitar and/or banjo accompaniment — what’s more American than that? And it’s structured like an American folk song, with a repeating chorus; it’s designed for group singing.
Here it is, performed by country music artist Lee Greenwood. Sing along if you want to; it’ll make you feel good.
An early scene in Stardust Memories from the PBS documentary about Woody Allen. Still image by Paul Goldfinger.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor, Blogfinger.net
“Stardust Memories” (1980) was Woody Allen’s 10th film in which he acted and directed. It came after his biggest hit, “Manhattan” (1979), a gorgeous film which had won four Academy Awards.
“Stardust Memories” is about a famous filmmaker who comes to a seashore retreat to celebrate his work. The movie is a serious effort that examines themes such as life, death, relationships and religion. It was shot in black and white by Gordon Willis, the famed cinematographer who also filmed “The Godfather.”
Woody says that “Stardust Memories” is one of his favorite movies, but it bombed at the box office. The film was discussed during part I of the Woody Allen Documentary on PBS Sunday night.
Woody as Sandy Bates in Stardust Memories
The Great Auditorium exterior was used to represent the Stardust Hotel. Some other exteriors in OG and Asbury were also used, but other locations and studio venues participated. I think the Casino was used as a train station. Evidently, the electrified cross was taken down since it needed repairs, and Woody paid for a new one after filming.
In the documentary, they showed some scenes from the film, and I managed to grab a few still shots from the TV including two showing the GA.
Some of the peculiar characters in the film. The Stardust Hotel in the background. Paul Goldfinger still image.
So while we are on the subject of movies where local towns are used as locations, Stardust is a favorite of mine, and the above article explains it all. It was last posted on Blogfinger in November, 2011.
MUSIC: From the Stardust Memories soundtrack. Louis Armstrong (recorded 1931) plays “Stardust.” The movie title is derived from the Stardust recording sessions (1931) where Louis, in an alternate take, said “Oh, memories” three times in succession.
Woody liked the latter version of the song for the movie title, but the version below was chosen for the soundtrack. (Do you care? Some aficionados actually do.) PG
“Polka dots and moonbeams 2010.” Theschereport.wordpress.com —PG
“A country dance was being held in a garden
I felt a bump and heard an ‘Oh, beg your pardon’
Suddenly I saw polka dots and moonbeams
All around a pug-nosed dream.”
Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah Georgia. by Paul Goldfinger.
Johnny Mercer (1909-1976), the great songwriter and singer, was a fourth generation Mercer born in Savannah, Georgia. His family dates back to colonial times.
When he died, he was buried in the family plot at the Bonaventure Cemetery, a famous public location in Savannah. His mother is buried nearby. We visited their site on a rainy day in Georgia. The monument was beautiful that day with all the Spanish moss hanging down as the rain softly fell through the foliage.
Johnny Mercer’s grave has lyrics from his songs, but there is one that was so perfect — at his mother’s site (photo above) — It said, “My momma done tol’ me.” This, of course is from his song (he wrote the lyrics, while Harold Arlen composed the music) to the great classic “Blues in the Night,”
A large crowd assembles for the Saturday night concert in the Great Auditorium of Ocean Grove, New Jersey, USA. Photo by Paul Goldfinger
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor, Blogfinger.net Memorial Day 2012. Ocean Grove
Leave it to Harry Eichhorn to come up with a concert that celebrates America while covering the gamut of music, from Dvorak to Irving Berlin and, of course, Ocean Grove’s sentimental favorite, John Phillip Sousa.
Perhaps you are wondering what a wind ensemble is, and how it is different from a band. Well, there’s not much difference, but “wind ensemble” tells you what to expect, while a band could be anything from the Foo Fighters to the Neptune High School Marching Scarlet Fliers.
I guess a wind ensemble contains musicians who blow into their instruments. This definition , or course, doesn’t hold up for the percussionists. After all, did you ever try to blow into a snare drum? But Harry Eichhorn’s group of about 45 musicians and 35 choristers turned on the charm for an audience of mostly senior citizens, some of whom might have actually heard Sousa perform live when he conducted the Marine Band here back in the day.
Harry looked great in his trademark pressed slacks and starched shirt. If he were running for office, he would win by a landslide, even if Lawrence Welk himself were on the ballot.
The concert was predictable with the veterans rising to their feet (those who could actually still stand) and clapping to the rhythms of their theme songs. As always, the smallest group to get up has the most unrecognizable song—the US Coast Guard. But I think that their song is the most beautiful. Sometimes only one or two Coast Guard vets stand. They should wear something special like a life vest.
I get to stand with the U.S. Navy as they play Anchors Aweigh, but I wasn’t a warrior—-my weapon was a stethoscope, but I did get to wear an undrawn sword for dress inspections. I actually keep that sword in my OG bedroom in case a Barbary pirate were to invade my house. Yet I do feel proud getting up during this ritual which is always met with enthusiasm by the crowds that come to Harry’s patriotic musical tributes.
It really doesn’t matter what Harry plays—it will delight the folks, especially when a euphonium player sitting in the back, Ted Freeman, stands to announce the program using his 1940’s era radio voice. I wish, just once , that Ted would say, “”From out of the west with the speed of light and a hearty hi-yo Silver.”
The whole experience of going to a concert like this in Ocean Grove encompasses a lot more than Harry’s merry band digging into one old-fashioned medley after another. The unique ingredients that create that “old feeling” include the Great Auditorium itself, the sea breezes, patriotism, the town’s history, people sitting on the lawn, kids playing in the park, and the polite crowd lined up outside of Day’s.
The third piece on the program was the “Liberty Bell March” by Sousa. It is not well known, but Ted told us that it was played by the Marine Band at the inauguration of the last three US Presidents. So here is the US Marine Band playing the “Liberty Bell March:”
The Village of Loch Arbour, New Jersey was founded in 1958. According to the 2010 census, the population is 194. This photograph was obtained on a gorgeous June day at 7 pm—the “golden time” for photography. The image shows a group of homes arranged in a courtyard. It is reminiscent of Ocean Grove with historic houses going back to the early 1900’s. There is a porch culture like ours.
I spoke to a family sitting on their porch having a drink. The kids were doing cartwheels under a giant tree, and we met Mom and Dad, who is a volunteer fireman. The common areas are beautifully tended, and all the neighbors share that expense.
It seems like the kind of a place that would be a setting for a Jimmy Stewart movie. I got the impression that this is a neighborly place, a place where memories are made.
—Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net
Loch Arbour. Paul Goldfinger photo. Blogfinger.net Click to enlarge.
