Category: Music & Concert Specials
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More Musings for Mother’s Day 2025: Of Mothers, Sons…and Music
Evening, Sunday, May 11, 2025 – Miami, Florida Mother’s Day always brings a mix of emotions. The ache of missing my mother is ever-present, but today, I choose to celebrate the memories—the quiet, joyful moments that defined our bond. Mom and I shared an unspoken connection through the things we loved: books, films, dogs, and…
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Saturday Serenade: Some of My Favorite Piano Pieces*
Midday/Early Afternoon, Saturday, January 4, 2025, Miami, Florida * Including piano transcriptions of orchestral compositions. Hi, everyone. I’m feeling a bit better today, but still dealing with a persistent cold. I’m exhausted from the symptoms and medication. Instead of my usual long blog post, here are some of my favorite piano performances. Enjoy!
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Evening Reflections in Madison, NH
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Autumn 2024, Creative Writing, Donating “Reunion: A Story” to the Conway Public Library, John Williams (Composer), John Williams in Vienna, John Williams Live in Vienna (2020 Album), John Williams: Live in Vienna, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Madison (NH), Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Music & Concert Specials, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: CodaOn the evening of September 28, 2024, in Madison, New Hampshire, a chill settled in as night fell. After visiting the mailboxes with Patti’s husband, Marc, the narrator had a relaxing day, enjoying pizza and a brief walk. They listened to John Williams’ film scores while contemplating the fate of their novella, “Reunion: A Story,”…
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A Late Week Musicfest (Inspired by a Facebook Exchange with Frank)
On a Thursday afternoon, my friend Frank and I discussed Taylor Swift’s music on Facebook. I respect her talents and support for Kamala Harris, but her music isn’t my thing. I prefer older pop/rock, jazz, Broadway, classical, folk and country, and even international tracks like “La vie en rose” by Edith Piaf.
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Narrative Threads: A Conversation on Crafting the Reunion Duology, Part the Fourteenth
Music and Emotion: Maddie is a concert pianist for the New York Philharmonic. How did you use music to enhance the emotional depth of the story? Are there specific pieces of music that played a significant role in the narrative? Music is a huge deal in the Reunion Duology, and it shapes the story in…
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Narrative Threads: A Conversation on Crafting the Reunion Duology, Part the Thirteenth
The author of “Reunion: Coda” drew inspiration from Billy Joel’s “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” to implement a dual timeline approach. This allowed for a seamless transition between early 1980s South Florida and early 2000s New York City. The story features Jim and Marty’s high school journey and Jim’s romance with Maddie, presented through alternating…
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May the Fourth be With You: Music to Help Fans Celebrate ‘Star Wars Day’
Today is May the Fourth be With You Day, so instead of a usual blog entry, here are music videos featuring themes from the space fantasy series “Star Wars.” May the Force be with you.
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More of My Top Fives: A (Hopefully) Self-Explanatory Set of Five ‘Favorites’ Lists
More of My Top Fives: A (Hopefully) Self-Explanatory Set of Five ‘Favorites’ Lists For my friend Patti Aliventi. Music Albums – Movie Soundtracks Music Albums – Classical Music Albums – Pop/Rock Music Albums – Jazz/Standards Music Albums – Miscellaneous
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My Top Fives: A (Hopefully) Self-Explanatory Set of Five ‘Favorites’ Lists
My Top Fives: A (Hopefully) Self-Explanatory Set of Five “Favorites” Lists Movies Books (Non-fiction) Books (Fiction) Computer/Video Games Songs (Standards, Mostly)
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Tempus Fugit: Yesterday Was My Mom’s 95th Birthday….
Yesterday was my mother’s 95th birthday. She, of course, is no longer here. She died in the early morning of Sunday, July 19, 2015, after a five-year struggle with dementia and the effects of a long and eventually failed recovery from an operation to repair her spine. I do my best not to dwell on…
A Certain Point of View, Too 