FRANKIE RANDALL “As Long As She Needs Me.” This ballad was sung by a woman in the film version of Oliver.
Frankie Randall (1938-2014) was a Passaic, New Jersey born singer and jazz pianist.
When I was a senior at Rutherford High School, across the river from Passaic, Randall performed with his trio. He was about 20 years old then, and the boys in our jazz band were thrilled because he was using the “cool jazz” style which had just come into vogue. I don’t recall that he sang. His bio. says that he was known only for his piano playing early in his career.
The Great White is about 3 feet tall, a little shorter than the Great Blue. It has long black legs. It weighs a little over 2 pounds, but its wing span is 4 feet. Around the time when Ocean Grove was founded, the Great White Egret was endangered due to the needs of the hat industry. But it has come roaring back. It hunts for fish and small animals like frogs.
They are a group of about eight friends who met on this beautiful Sunday morning, for a session of wind surfing. The group meets at various locations where conditions might be ideal. They told me that the winds were good for about one hour this morning, just enough time to form a line and catch the breezes as they surfed around in a big continuous circle, like sail boats do. It is a strenuous sport, and you have to be in good condition; the surfers were a mix of men and women of varied ages.
I watched their session as the wind caught their colorful sales and propelled them at high speed through the calm surf. It wasn’t easy to stay afloat.
I got a chance to take some photos, then, as they reorganized on shore, we chatted for a while. One of them, a professional piano tuner, gave me her card. I promised to send them some photos, which I did.
They all seemed to have a wonderful fun time. They were laughing and chatting away on the beach as they explained how good this sport made them feel. One of them said, “It’s a great workout.”
Downtown Fort Myers, Florida. First Street is the main street—not Main Street. The place hums and doesn’t roar. It has a slow pace, like much of the South. A historic downtown slowly comes back to life on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River.
By Paul Goldfinger. March, 2015
JESSICA MOLASKEY from the album Pentimento (Ken Peplowski on clarinet)
Lakes Park Farmers Market, Ft. Myers, Fla. Paul Goldfinger photo © Click to enlarge.
