Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an influential American jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer, whose innovations to the Harlem stride style laid the groundwork for modern jazz piano. He wrote the Valentine Stomp above in 1929.
New Year’s Day is observed on January 1, and is probably the most celebrated public holiday, often observed with fireworks at the stroke of midnight as the new year starts in each time zone.
Who? You might say. Johnny Marks (November 10, 1909 – September 3, 1985) was an American songwriter. Although he was Jewish, he specialized in Christmas songs and wrote many holiday standards, including “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (a hit for Gene Autry and others) “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (a hit for Brenda Lee) “A Holly Jolly […]
Night on Bald Mountain refers to a series of compositions by Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881). Inspired by Russian literary works and legend, Mussorgsky composed a “musical picture”, St. John’s Eve on Bald Mountain on the theme of a witches’ sabbath occurring on St. John’s Eve, which he completed on that very night, June 23, in 1867. Interestingly, […]
The Monster Mash by Bobby “Boris” Pickett is in Piano Maestro with 3 different levels to play. The song was released as a single in August 1962 along with a full-length LP (record) called The Original Monster Mash, which contained several other monster-themed tunes. The “Monster Mash” single was #1 on the Billboard Hot […]
If you’re lucky enough to be traveling, I hope you have a wonderful time off and see you next Monday. Keep practicing!
Keep practicing!
Today is a great day for patriotic music and there’s nothing better than John Philip Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever A part of every Fourth of July program at the Esplanade in Boston involves a giant American flag unfurling from the ceiling during the Stars and Stripes. Can you find it? Piano arrangement by Vladimir Horowitz: With […]
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