New New York Sheet Music Societsy lette VOLUME 32, NUMBER 2 SINCwwwE.NYS1MS.o9rg 80 NOVEMBER 2010 r DEDICATED TO THE PRESERVATION OF CLASSIC POPULAR MUSIC s g n i A Rare Treat... Gershwin Rarities: l l i B e The Gershwin You May Not Know s o R y Saturday, June 12, 2010 b By Jerry Laird that I am a veteran, people ask if I fought o t o for the Blue or the Grey, which could make h To me, it is always a rare treat to P discover little-known music by well-known me a friend of Stephen Foster! Our composers. In many cases, a tune that admiration and our thanks to the following earlier audiences may have passed over for presenting a fantastic afternoon of often has more to offer than some songs entertainment and information: that are part of the Great American The Presenters Songbook. Actually, they are part of that same book, but too many people don’t Tom Inglis is a retired school music realize it! At our June meeting, the entire teacher still very active as Musical Director group of performers and speakers did a for local theatre and choral groups and as a masterly job of presenting these rarities. I church organist and choir director. His first Pianist: Paul Bisaccia am surprised that “Vodka” and “The book, The Sheet Music Art of Irving Berlin , Original American Folk Song is a Rag.” has become a valuable source for dealers teacher in New Britain schools. She credits aren’t better known. Actually, the only and collectors. More recent volumes the movie “Rhapsody in Blue” for turning reason I single those two out is that I have include The Sheet Music of George her into a Gershwin fan. Now retired and sheet music of each of them… Whoops! Gershwin and Words by Ira Gershwin. studying harp, she enjoys Goodspeed and Now that I look again, I also have “By Broadway productions, and spending time Strauss,” “Who Cares,” and “Walking the Janice Grower, a New Britain, CT native with her son, daughter and three very Dog.” I guess what makes a rarity also and graduate of Boston University was an special grandchildren. depends on how old one is. When I mention elementary vocal and instrumental music Continued on page 5 NYSMS Hosts Tammy Grimes, Steve Ross, and Elizabeth Sharland: What a Show! Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010 actor lucky enough to see him. Coward discovered Tammy Grimes at the Downstairs at the Upstairs in New York and This is one of the many intriguing tales offered her a role in his play “Look after to be found in Elizabeth Sharland’s new Lulu,” Of course Steve Ross has been w o l r book, Behind the Doors of Notorious Covent performing Coward’s songs for over thirty a h C Garden, the Cultural Heart of London. Ms. years. n e l Sharland kicked off the 2010-2011 season of G y The New York Sheet Music Society by Elizabeth Sharland’s life has not been b o t reading from her fascinating collection of routine. Born in Tasmania, she’s lived in o h P stories, aided by Tammy Grimes and Steve London, Paris, Toronto, New York and Ross who performed a number of songs from Tangier. Sharland has been an actress, author, By Jerry Osterberg the Noel Coward canon. playwright, producer, pianist, and music Contrary to popular belief, not all teacher. Along the way she’s toured with apparitions go bump in the night. “The Man Having Sharland, Grimes, Ross and by Katherine Hepburn in London’s Old Vic in Grey,” one of several spirits that are said to proxy, Noel Coward, in the same room, was Company, acted in summer stock, performed haunt Covent Garden, restricts his not fortuitous. Ms. Sharland lived in Covent many roles on CBS Radio and CBC movements to the daylight. The ghost, Garden for twenty years and has written four Television, ran her own café-theater, and perhaps the soul of a murder victim found books connected to Mr. Coward, who had a served as a personal assistant to Yul Brynner behind the wall of Theatre Royal in Drury long association with theaters in the West on his final tour of The King and I. Lane, is said to bring good fortune to any End, essentially London’s Broadway. Noel Continued on page 5 PAGE 2 NEW YORK SHEET MUSIC SOCIETY NOVEMBER , 2010 President’s Message... New York Linda Amiel Burns, President Sheet Music Society The 2010-2011 season of the New York Sheet Music Society opened with a simply OFFICERS terrific program, with Elizabeth Sharland sharing excerpts from her new book on President: Covent Garden. Eric Kuzmuk joined in the fun, reading excerpts from the book, and Linda Amiel Burns 1st Vice Presidents: presenting us with a most amusing “poetic” recitation. The musical treat was the one Lynn DiMenna & and only Steve Ross who delighted us with his brilliant piano playing and heart-felt singing. Then, the Sam Teicher legendary Tony Award winner, Tammy Grimes got up to sing two Noel Coward songs. You can read all 2nd Vice Presidents: about the program in this issue. Robert Kimball & Sandy Marrone We have an exciting series of programs planned for the year! Now that we have a new brochure with a Treasurer: registration form, you can hand it out to everyone you know, so that they can join the Society and help us Glen Charlow continue to grow. We do have to step up our fund-raising efforts, as we don’t want to raise dues. We Membership: haven’t had a “fun-raising” raffle for the past few years, and that used to be very helpful for us, financially. Glen Charlow & Trudi Mann The Board has several ideas in mind for other benefit possibilities, and we will let you know about them Recording Secretary: shortly. Edie Stokes Programs & Special Events: NEXT MEETING – NOVEMBER 20! Renowned Jazz Historian and author, Will Friedwald will talk Elliott Ames & Sandi Durell Marketing & Public Relations: about his new book “A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers,” which has been garnering Laura Slutsky & Barbara Thaler rave reviews. This afternoon is produced by Elliot Ames, and will star some amazing jazz notables. Website: Copies of the book will be available at a reduced price for the NYSMS! Glen Charlow Newsletter Editors: DECEMBER MEETING – DECEMBER 18! Oscar-Nominated Actor, Danny Aiello has confirmed that Jerry Laird he will be singing songs from his new Christmas CD “A Christmas Song For You” at the December [email protected] meeting. Danny sent me an advance copy, and it is wonderful. This CD is dedicated to his son Danny Jerry Osterberg who passed away in May from Pancreatic Cancer - his tribute on the last track made me cry. Danny has [email protected] been a close friend for many years and I know that you will enjoy his performance (he will be at The Associate Editor: Iridium on Dec. 4 & 5). When you meet him, you will see what a generous and wonderful human being Joan Adams Graphic Designer: he is! Glen Charlow [email protected] We have the whole year lined up! January: a concert version of a new musical called “Tallulah in NYSMS Official Photographer: London” by TE Klunzinger. February: Karen Oberlin on Frank Loesser’s Centenial. We are hoping that Rose Billings Jo Sullivan Loesser will attend. March: Michael Lavine delighted us a few years back with his program on sheet music and then by singing some of the songs. Michael is a world-renowned collector and musical New York Sheet Music Society director. April: Bob Spiotto - a fabulous entertainer- will do his Danny Kaye show for us. For the past 20 P.O. Box 564 years, Bob has been booking the entertainment and hosting shows at Hofstra University. May: Sandi New York, NY 10008 Durell’s 10th Annual Songwriter’s Showcase featuring some of the finest composers and entertainers around today. June: A great afternoon with famed composer Marty Panzer, who wrote the lyrics for many of Barry Manilow hits. He is coming in from California to be with us. Looking forward to seeing you all at Local 802 on Saturday, November 20 th . Please bring friends, guests and new members! Best, Linda WILL FRIEDWALD IS OUR NEXT GUEST! A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers Will Friedwald, Pantheon, $45 (832p) ISBN 978-0-375-42149-5 Publishers Weekly In this passionately opinionated encyclopedia of the old-school virtuosos of the American songbook, music writer Friedwald (Sinatra!) celebrates 200-odd performers of jazz and pop standards, from the mid-20th-century titans—Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra—to latter-day acolytes like Diana Krall and Harry Connick Jr., with a raft of unjustly obscure singers in between. (Forget the Andrews Sisters—get a load of the Boswell Sisters!) Friedwald is all about the music; he primly shies away from his subjects’ scandal-prone personal lives, but accords each a substantial career retrospective, selected discography and wonderfully pithy interpretive essay. His tastes are wide-ranging and idiosyncratic: he plumbs the artistry of Jimmy Durante’s and Shirley Temple’s novelty voices, decries the bombastic narcissism of “sacred monster” Barbra Streisand—“I remain completely unconvinced that she’s a person who needs people”—and considers perky Doris Day’s pop gems “the most erotic vocalizing you’ll ever hear.” However unconventional, his judgments are usually spot-on, as in his compelling reassessment of Elvis as the last great Crosbyesque crooner.