Tag: Billy Joel
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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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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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Weekend Musical Interlude, Sunday, September 3, 2023
Early Afternoon, Sunday, September 3, 2023, Lithia, Florida Hi, everyone. Well, here we are on the second day of the long Labor Day weekend, and it’s a hot third day of both the new month and the new (meteorological) autumn season. Here in the Tampa Bay area, the weather is still summer-like, although if my…
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On Writing & Storytelling: Monday, Music, and Waiting for My Muses
“So. Monday. We meet again. We will never be friends—but maybe we can move past our mutual enmity toward a more-positive partnership.”― Julio-Alexi Genao Late morning – at least in what is, for now, my room in Lithia, Florida – on Monday, April 10, 2023: Curtains cracked open, but the blinds are closed to prevent…
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Music Album Review: ‘Billy Joel: Live at Yankee Stadium, June 22 & 23, 1990’ (2022)
Billy Joel: Live at Yankee Stadium, June 22 & 23, 1990 (2022) Produced & Directed by: Jon Small Producers: Steve Cohen & John Jackson Starring: Billy Joel, David Brown, Tommy Byrnes, Schuyler Deale, Mark Rivera, Liberty DeVitto, Jeffrey Jacobs, Crystal Taliefero Release Date: November 4, 2022 The Piano Man Comes Home to The Bronx! Billy…
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Musings & Thoughts for Sunday, May 15, 2022, or: And Now, Something Somewhat Different – Part Two
More Karaoke Madness I am not the world’s greatest singer. I will be the first to admit it. But I have a good ear for music – that’s what my high school chorus teacher, Ms. Owen, once told me, anyway – and I did enjoy my two-and-a-half years as a singer in the men’s and…
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Musings & Thoughts for Saturday, May 14, 2022, or: And Now, Something Somewhat Different….
Annoying Phrases Today on Twitter, I came across a tweet by @KaylaChowShow: What word or phrase do people use that you can’t stand? Here’s what I replied: “At the end of the day.” “Irregardless.” “Trump is the best President in U.S. history.” “Do your own research.” Karaoke Madness Before I moved to the Tampa Bay…
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On Music: Have You Ever Bought an Album Just for ‘That ONE Song’ You Want to Hear…Then Fell in Love with the Other Songs?
Hi there, Dear Reader. It’s late morning in Lithia, Florida, on Friday, February 25, 2022. It is a warm subtropical winter day here in the Tampa Bay area. The temperature is 77˚F (25˚C) under sunny skies. With humidity at 81% and the wind blowing from the south at 6 MPH (9 KM/H), the feels-like temperature…
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A Writer’s Tale: Of Names and Songs
Many years ago, when I still lived in Miami, Florida, I wrote a short story which was both a coming-of-age tale and also a look at an older man who must re-examine his youthful choices after a tragic incident kills his high school “crush.” As Reunion’s summary reads on the back cover and on its…
A Certain Point of View, Too 