Review of the November 19, 2011 Concert with Artist Mark Herman by Ronald Stonehouse The November 19,2011 encore performance was rather special to me. A good friend of mine invited me to Dickinson for Mark's first time here on July 12,2008. It was the last concert that season and my introduction to our wonderful Kimball organ. I was hooked and have been a season subscriber ever since. I believe I've missed only two performances and that's with coming all the way from the Richmond, Virginia area. I caught Mark at a private home in Great Falls ,Va. and at this year's ATOS convention, my first, where Mark was a last minute replacement. His performances keep getting better and better. The evening began with a rousing version of Married I Can Always Get by Gorden Jenkins, followed by a jazz arrangement of a 1961 tune by Antonio Carlos Jobim the familiar One Note Samba. Mark's next selection was by one of his three favorite composers being Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, and George Gershwin. The tune, written by Cole Porter for the 1940 film "Broadway Melody" starring Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell, I Concentrate On You. As a side note, a 32 year old Mel Blanc was non credited but also appeared in the movie. From Mark's latest CD, "A Kid In The Candy Store", is a medley of Jule Styne music that Mark beautifully transcribed. Some People, an up beat Saturday Night Is The Loneliest Night Of The Week, a very lovely People, and ending with Everything's Coming Up Roses. I especially liked his introduction and the bridge between the first two tunes. Comparing the CD to the concert version, the styles were similar, the organs were not, and an organist never plays the music the same way twice. I liked them both. Speaking of Mr. Styne, he is in The Song Writers' Hall of Fame and The Theater Hall of Fame, and is referred to as "Broadway and Hollywood composer extraordinaire". Richard Purvis, an organist and composer, created the following music Romanza. Mark pointed out that he would use the Kimball's English Horn and the Egyptian Horn. Mark's rendition was great as always. I've heard him play it at three different places and each time it was absolutely beautiful. Mr.Herman turns composer again for the next 1920 novelty style piece which he's calling Untitled #1 because he couldn't think of anything it reminded him of. It was charming and entertaining no matter what he calls it. Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart collaborated on over 500 songs. Little Girl Blue, a ballad from the 1935 Broadway musical "Jumbo", is one of the many. The change of pace and style was perfect and the audience loved it. Vanessa takes us up to intermission. Mark said that he liked it, and it was apparent from his playing that he does. It's been a favorite of mine too. It was written by Bernie Wayne back in the early fifties. It was Love after the intermission. Composers, Hugh Martin and Ralph Blain known for The Trolley Song and Meet Me In St.Louis, wrote Love for Lena Horne in the 1945 film "Ziegfield Follies". Next a quick stroll On A Little Street In Singapore with a touch of our Chinese gong in a jazz song written by Peter De Rose/Billy Hill. Following this a torch song by Duke Ellington, I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good. Mark on the other hand wasn't bad, and he was really good. A Harry Warren medley followed. Mark made a great selection of songs, no small task from the many to choose from. A brief explanation follows. Mr. Warren has over 50 songs considered to be standards. He is considered to be Hollywood's most successful writer ever. He had 21 #1 hits and another 14 reached the 2nd spot. He also was the world's first gold record winner with Chattanooga Choo Choo. These were Mark's selections and what a wonderful tribute indeed. Jeepers Creepers, You'll Never Know, Shadow Waltz, We're In The Money, I Know Why (and So Do You) and Nagasaki. From the pen of Johnny Green who gave us songs like Body and Soul, Coquette, and I'm Yours, Mark selected and gave us a very lush arrangement of I Cover The Waterfront. George Gershwin's first big hit and the biggest-selling song of his career, written (it has been said) as a parody of Stephen Foster's Old Folks At Home (Suwanee river), was Mark's up tempo rendition of Swanee. I found the next song listed as #12 of the 25 Most Exquisitely Sad Songs in the Whole World. It was written by David Mann, made famous by Frank Sinatra, and given almost church like qualities by Mark in his transcription of In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning. The evening draws to a close, all too soon, with John Philip Sousa's Stars And Stripes Forever. The encore, popularized in 1938 by Louis Armstrong, an American gospel hymn by an author unknown, played in a Dixieland style and enjoyed by all, When The Saints Go Marching In. .