Category: Amazon Music
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The Quill and the Lyre: Music and ‘Comings and Goings’
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Music, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Billy Joel, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Ludwig van Beethoven, Music, Music & Concert Specials, Pathetique Piano Sonata (Adagio cantabile), Reunion DuologyEvery story has its soundtrack. For Comings and Goings, the most overtly relevant piece isn’t tucked away in a concert hall—it’s right there in Billy Joel’s “This Night”, spinning from Kelly’s stereo in Mission Hill. Yet, at the heart of this pop ballad lies Beethoven’s Adagio cantabile, whose timeless melody Joel borrowed and reimagined, creating…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Leisure Time Activities (Even Writers Need Time Off!)
Sunday, November 16, 2025 — Orlando, Florida Hello, Constant Reader. Today is a day of relative rest. Aside from this post, I don’t plan to do much writing. Most of my energy lately has gone into the release of Comings and Goings’ audiobook. I don’t yet have a clear vision for “The Next Big Project,”…
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Adventures in Audiobook Production: ‘Comings and Goings’—Now in My Ears
🎧 Comings and Goings—Now in My Ears Last night, for the first time, I listened to Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen in its entirety. Not in fragments. Not in editing mode. Just… as a listener. It felt surreal. These were words I typed in Word, often late at night, chasing memory…
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Now Available on Audible: ‘Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen’
Friday, November 14, 2025 – Orlando, Florida It’s official: Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen: A Jim Garraty Story is now available for purchase on Audible for $3.95. This marks a major milestone in the journey of the Reunion Duology’s companion story—one that began with a quiet idea and has now found…
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Music Album Review: ‘Victory at Sea – Richard Rodgers, Robert Russell Bennett & the RCA Symphony Orchestra’
Victory at Sea – Richard Rodgers, Robert Russell Bennett & the RCA Symphony Orchestra Label: RCA Victor Genre: Classical/Film and TV Score Released: 1992 Although Richard Rodgers is best known for his legendary musical theater collaborations with Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II—especially the emotionally resonant scores for South Pacific and The Sound of Music—his…
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Music Album Review: ‘Casablanca – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack’
Casablanca – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Labels: Turner Classic Movies Music/Rhino (1997);Sony Music (Reissue) Year of Release: 1997 (Original), 2010 (Sony Music reissue) Genre: Film Score/Standards/Spoken Word 🎶 Casablanca Soundtrack: Memory, Melody, and the Music of Longing Of all the soundtrack albums I’ve collected over the years, none is quite as haunting—or as structurally unusual—as…
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Music Album Review: ‘Tchaikovsky:1812’
Tchaikovsky: 1812 – Orchestre Symphonique De Montréal, Charles Dutoit – 1812 Overture • Capriccio Italien • The Nutcracker Suite • Marche Slave Genre: Classical (Romantic Era), Orchestral Compositions Label(s): London/Decca Year of Release: 1986 🎼 Tchaikovsky for the TikTok Era: A People’s Composer Revisited In an age where musical tastes are splintered across streaming platforms…
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Sunday Serenade: Songs and Compositions I Enjoy
Midday/Early Afternoon, Sunday, January 5, 2025, Miami, Florida Hi, everyone. Well, while I am feeling a bit better today, I’m still under the weather. So, instead of the usual narrative blog post or occasional review, here’s a selection of music from YouTube for this first Sunday of 2025! Enjoy!
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Music Album Review: ‘Kiri Sings Gershwin’: A Swinging Tribute to Timeless Classics
Kiri Sings Gershwin (1990) Label: EMI Records Genre: Standards/Crossovers Artists: Kiri Te Kanawa (soprano), John McGlinn (conductor), New Princess Orchestra Release Date: October 25, 1990 Regular readers of this blog won’t be surprised. Still, I seem to follow the beat of a different drummer because I prefer older musical styles to contemporary ones, especially when…
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Music Album Review: Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Shines in Kiri Sings Kern
Kiri Sings Kern (1993) Label: Angel/EMI Records Genre: Crossover/Standards Artists: Kiri Te Kanawa (Soprano), London Sinfonietta (Orchestra), Jonathan Tunick (Conductor/Arranger) Release Date: March 16, 1993 Jerome Kern (1885-1945) remains one of the most influential composers in American popular music. Alongside legends like Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Richard Rodgers, the New York-born Kern…
A Certain Point of View, Too 