Frank DiSalvo

                                                   

I think the pictures posted above should tell you a lot about the Frank DiSalvo Show at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel. Frank DiSalvo is a performing dynamo who sings, plays guitar, tells great stories about the Sinatra era singers and even tells jokes.  All in a night's work for Frank. Frank simply loves to perform and perform he does on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel. I have seen Frank perform many times but he never fails to surprise me with his talent and high energy. Because of his sincere love to sing and perform, Frank has won the hearts of many Valley residents and has developed the largest and most loyal fan base in the Desert.  His shows are always packed gaining more new fans every week.  I have done three blog reviews of Frank's show over the past three years and blogs about Frank DiSalvo are always my most requested.  Over the past four years that Music Man Blog has been published, all three of Frank's reviews are in the top 10 most popular blogs on my site.

From my perspective, there are a couple of reasons why Frank and his show are so popular.  First, Frank is an extremely talented singer who loves to sing "The Music Of Your Life". The songs that a lot of the residents in the Valley grew up with. He covers Sinatra, Martin, Sammy, Elvis, Nat King Cole and Bobby Darin just to mention a few. He always covers the best singers and songs of the 70's, 80's and 90's right up to the present time. Second, there is no one around today that puts on a show like Frank where people can sit back and rediscover their musical memories. Third, Frank is a most sincere and kind individual always looking to help someone in need. He is real and a quality individual.

Besides performing his show 3 nights a week, Frank also sings in the big band that performs every Sunday night at the Resort.  This band plays the charts from the big bands we loved bringing them back to life.

If you have not seen Frank's show, you must make plans to get over to Indian Wells to see for yourself what I am talking about. You will leave his show re-charged with a smile on your face and a song in your heart! Take a listen to the YouTube of Frank singing with the Ted Herman Big Band.    

                                                                                             

Book Review: Paul Anka's Autobiography "My Way"

I grew up with Paul Anka, and he has always remained one of my favorite performers.  Paul has re-cycled himself more times than I can remember, each time emerging as a more clever and astute singer/composer and performer. I never knew much about his personal life except that he was from Canada and had four beautiful daughters. Even though he was an extremely popular singer, he always conducted himself as a gentleman, and he was able to avoid getting in the middle of any press scandals. No small accomplishment for someone who has been in the public view for over 50 years. When most of the singers who started out in the 50's and 60's became old, they stopped performing.  Paul had the smarts to recognize major music changes during his career and made the necessary changes to become new again.

This autobiography is not just the story of Paul Anka's life and career. It is a story about the music and entertainment business of 6 decades starting in the late 50's and continuing right up to present day. Certainly for anyone who was around when Paul had his first hit, "Diana" this book covers life as you lived and observed it through these years. The focus on Vegas, Sinatra, the "Rat Pack" and the changes in the music business over the last 60 years are nothing short of fascinating! We all have our memories and perceptions of what Vegas was like in the 60's and 70's but Paul gives the reader an insider-look.

I was very surprised that Paul's writing was so frank and detailed.  If you are an Anka fan, you will flip out reading this book. Paul talks about all the rock and roll singers at the time he had his first hit and for me it was like opening a college yearbook and remembering my past. He pulls no punches and what he has written in his autobiography are the facts as Paul remembers them.

I know a lot of my readers are Sinatra fans so I know you will love the following quotes from Anka.

"I finished typing my final draft of "My Way" at five A.M. in the morning. I know Frank is at Caesars, I know he's offstage, drinking at the bar and I know he's there with Don Costa and I say, "Frank I've got something very interesting, I'm gonna bring it out. I flew to Las Vegas in August 1968 and I played it for Sinatra.  I knew Frank loved the song when I originally played it for him but he always wanted to be cool, so all he said was "That's Kooky, kid. We going in." Coming from him, you have to understand that meant he was ecstatic."

"Frank went into the studio on December 30. He knew the song so well he sang it in one take.  All the musicians were there, this huge orchestra playing live. Everybody who'd worked with him through the years was there, they all stood up and gave him a standing ovation.  I got a phone call from the studio on Sunset Boulevard and Sinatra played it to me over the phone and I started crying."

Paul Anka's autobiography is just a wonderful read and a must read for anyone that lived through the same period of time Anka did!

 I have attached a "YouTube" of young Paul singing some of his early hits.

                                                                   BOOK REVIEW
                                       The Music Man Awards This Book "4 Quarter Notes"
                                                   4 Quarter Notes= Excellent, Must Read
                                                   3 Quarter Notes= Good Read
                                                   2 Quarter Notes= Somewhat Interesting
                                                   1 Quarter Note  = Save Your Time and Money

The Unsung Musical Heroes: Sidemen

Homage to Royo's "Pensentiva" 

A recent documentary film, "Twenty Feet From Stardom" looks at the life and career of backup singers, who are so important to popular music while  at the same time so unknown by the general public.  It's an excellent look at the lives of these singers and started me thinking about the lives and careers of thousands of sidemen that are also critical to popular music and Jazz and yet live their lives virtually unknown to the listening public.

I have a lot of personal friends who have spent their lives making a living as sidemen and appear to have no problem playing 2nd fiddle to some of the most popular musical stars of our lives. I have had many conversations with these sidemen trying to understand why, for the most part, they find full satisfaction in making a living in a supporting musical role.  They seem satisfied in their supporting roles even while watching the lead singer or player take all the spotlight, oxygen, applause and most of the money.

Sidemen are really special musicians! They don't play for the glory, fame or money, their payoff is in the music. They simply love playing music, it consumes their very existence. It is who they are!

I recently observed a couple of my sidemen friends who have retired but still play and have moved into a lead position in groups they put together to perform in local restaurants. I have to say they seem to really enjoy being in front after years of being in back.  Personally, it is a good feeling for me to see at least some sidemen finally getting their day in the sun.

We will always have musical stars but without superb sidemen supporting their performance, their road to success would be a lot tougher.

Sinatra said "Here's to the Band" and I say "Here's to the the Sidemen" bless them all!

     
                                           Sinatra Singing "Here's To The Band" From "YouTube"

"Live" CDs Trump "Studio" CD's Almost Every TIme!

Brown Onions

I had an interesting conversation with one of my favorite singers, Aubrey Tadman, about why it seems that CDs recorded "live" produce better recordings compared to recordings by the same musician that are cut in a "studio". I am sure many of you have purchased CDs recorded by an artist who you heard singing "live"in a club or restaurant. You loved the artist's performance but when you got home and listened to one of their recorded CDs, it just didn't have the exact effect on you as did the live performance, right?

I would like to offer some reasons that cause this difference. First, music is art and in great music and works of art, producing a perfect reproduction of your subject or written notes in a song, can be great but seldom outstanding. Most time the beauty in art and music is found in the embodiment of emotion that the painter or singer adds to the subject. Also, sometimes slight imperfections in art and music can enhance the value to the listener or viewer. Life is not perfect but real beauty in life can be found when we uncover the emotional spirit of the creator, unveiling not only the perfect parts but also the slightly bruised parts.

Consider the difference between two of the best singers of the Great American Songbook,  Frank Sinatra and Vic Damone.  Even Sinatra said more than once that Vic Damone had the best singing voice of anyone he had ever heard, and I have no argument with that.  Damone has had a wonderful career, lots of fans and sold millions of records So what was missing in his recordings that put Sinatra on the top of the heap? I think the answer is Sinatra's ability to bring his life experiences both good and bad and inject them into his recordings. If anyone can record in a studio and instill emotional life into the cuts, Sinatra can; but to me, Sinatra's greatest recordings are the ones recorded live. They were not as perfect as his studio recordings. A Great performance like great art can sometimes create greater value with slight blemishes or imperfections. Listening audiences do not necessarily crave perfection but they do want emotional reality.

The last factor in the mix is the emotional lift that all performers get from an appreciative audience. If you ever played or sung for a live audience, you know exactly what I mean. Another friend of mine, the great bassist, Jim De Julio played in Sinatra's band in Vegas for years. Jim shared this story with me.  Just before the curtain was set to go up, Jim would look over to the side and he would see Sinatra standing there waiting to come on.  According to Jim, he would almost know exactly when the curtain would rise because he could see Sinatra's blue eyes actually getting bigger and this was Jim's signal that Frank was ready to roll. As great as Sinatra was, he always became bigger than life on stage and I believe it made his live recordings just the greatest!

I have attached a couple of YouTube recordings that I think support my point. The first is a live recording from Diana Krall from her "Live In Paris" CD.  As you listen to this recording, I believe you can feel the emotion and love for great American Jazz coming straight from the audience to Diana and her band which impacted her performance.  This is one of my all-time favorite "live" CDs and one of the reasons is the great supporting musicians that performed with her.  I don't think it is possible to put a better Jazz group together than this one with the great Jeff Hamilton on Drums, the one and only John Clayton on Bass and the marvelous Anthony Wilson on Guitar.
                                 
                                                   Diane Krall "Live In Paris" CD

The second YouTube is of Ella Fitzgerald singing "Mack The Knife" from her 1960 classic "Ella In Berlin" recording. It's far from perfect but just a brilliant recording!

Frank DiSalvo Plays to a Packed House in the Indians Wells Resort Hotel

Frank DiSalvo 

Frank DiSalvo

Capacity Crowd at Indian Wells Resort Hotel Enjoying Frank DiSalvo

Frank DiSalvo along with Ron Kalina Playing the great standard, "The Very Thought  of You"

Frank DiSalvo only arrived in the Desert two years ago. He arrived without family or friends or a job. But Frank had a strong belief that he could find a singing  job and become a musical success.  He started sitting in with any live music group that would let him sing and leaving his promo kit in every place in town that had live music.
Finally, he got a call from Dave Nichols, the CEO of the Indian Wells Resort Hotel who asked Frank to stop by.  Dave had listened to Frank sing by way of the promo kit Frank had dropped off at the front desk of the hotel. The rest is now musical history.  Frank started singing at the Hotel the next week and began drawing people in to hear him each week as word spread in the Valley about Frank's great show.

Fast forward two years and Frank now performs every Thursday, Friday and Saturday to packed houses and rave reviews from all of the Valley entertainment critics.

Frank is much more than just a great singer/performer.  Frank is a very caring and sincere person who is never too busy to help another musician.  As soon as Frank got the job at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel, he started encouraged Dave Nichols to add more live music.  Frank began to introduce some of the best musicians he knew to Dave who had such faith in Frank that he agreed to add more live entertainment one night at a time and give them a chance to prove they could draw music lovers into the hotel.  As a result of Frank's efforts and Dave's willingness to take a chance, the Hotel has live music six nights a week.  Not everyone is aware that Frank DiSalvo is greatly responsible for securing over 30 jobs for wonderfully-talented musicians in in the Valley. Without question, Frank DiSalvo is one of the "Good Guys" of live music, and I personally would like to thank Frank for all his efforts on behalf of all of us who love live music.

As you can see, tonight's show was in front of a packed house and Frank was at his very best.  His songs include dozens of the best songs of Sinatra, Darin, Nat King Cole, Neil Diamond, Matt Monroe and Tony Bennett just to name a few.  He also played some great guitar while singing songs made famous by B.B. King, Glenn Campbell and Johnny Cash. 

The great Harmonica player, Ron Kalina was in the audience tonight, and Frank asked him to come up to play a song with him.  They played an outstanding duet of the classic, "The Very Thought of You" that received a standing ovation.  If you have not heard Ron Kalina play, you can hear his trio every Tuesday night at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel.

Pat Rizzo Makes Musical Magic at Vickys In Indian Wells, Ca.

Pat Rizzo

Pat Rizzo

Jim DeJulio

Yarek Urant

Steve Neilen

I reviewed Pat Rizzo and his talented quartet a few times over the past few years, and yet every time I hear Pat and his musical friends, I always leave just overwhelmed by the talent of the group. Pat Rizzo has been a musical fixture here in the Valley for many years, but not everyone knows about his superb musical resume.  Pat Rizzo is a polished entertainer, he sings, plays Tenor, Baritone and Alto Sax and Flute.  He is funny and witty with his comments, and he evolved over the past years into one of the best singers in the Valley. While Riz has always been recognized as a great Sax player, his singing ability and style has been developing over the past several years.  Pat shared with me that in the many years that he played for Sinatra, he studied very closely the "Voice" every night from his seat on the stage directly in back of Frank. All those years of observation have certainly paid off for Pat who now draws just as many fans to hear him sing as well as to hear him play Sax.

Pat has performed and recorded with many diverse artists such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, the Tito Puente Orchestra, Conte Condoli, Chiz Harris, Sly and the Family Stone and the Group War. In addition, Pat is an excellent composer, arrange and producer.  When it comes to great music, Pat does it all! Pat has performed many times with Valley favorite, Mike Costley.

Pat's supporting cast consists of Steve Neilen on Drums, Jim DeJulio on Bass and Yarek Urant on Piano.  This talented trio has been playing with Pat for a couple of years now and they have become so tight together that the group has never sounded better.

Pat also shared with me that a major music label will be reissuing his past CD, "Riz, Gold For Silver" in the near future.  This is a dynamite Jazz CD, and I will publish more information as soon as I receive it.

You owe it to yourself to get over to Vickys  to take in the great sounds.  With no cover and no minimum, it is quite frankly the best value in town!  Pat and his quartet will be performing again on Monday and Tuesday starting February 25th and 26th,  so be sure to call and make your reservation.

Brian Nova Sings And Plays Amazing Guitar At Cafe' Des Beaux-Arts

Brian Nova and Larry Holloway

Missoni Lanza and Brian Nova and Larry Holloway

Andy Franga Jr.

Missoni Lanza, Brian Nova and Larry Holloway

Tom Keenlyside

Larry Holloway

On Wednesday February 22, I made my first visit of the season to the always wonderful French restaurant, Cafe' Des Beaux-Arts to have dinner and hear one of the most accomplished guitar players in the country, Brian Nova.  Brian performs at Beaux-Arts every Wednesday and tonight turned out to be extra special because in addition to hearing Brian sing and play guitar, I also got to hear the emotional and delightful voice of Missoni Lanza who has been singing with Brian on Wednesdays.   In addition, I was excited to learn that the bass player tonight was Larry Holloway.

Brian Nova is one of the most understated, superb and multi-talented performers I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. His dexterity and speed on the guitar is so smooth that unless you pay close attention, you are not aware how fast his fingers are moving.  His lush tones wash his sounds in the warm colors of red, brown and orange. In addition, Brian has a "Sinatra" like feel of timing and lyric when he sings. Last season, I did not get to hear Brian sing much and I was so happy that tonight Brian sang a lot of great "standards".  His level of excellence shone through when he combined his singing and guitar playing. For those of you who don't know Brian, he studied with two of the greatest guitarists in Jazz history, Herb Ellis and Joe Pass.  Brian has performed with literally every great in the business like Arturo Sandoval, Dave Koz, Ernestine Anderson, Freddie Cole, Joe Williams, Jeff Hamilton and the one and only Ray Brown just to name a few.  Make a note to get to see Brian at Beaux-Arts or at any other venue where he is performing.  I will try to list his future gigs on my "Support Live Music In The California Desert" blog.

I had heard Missoni Lanza sing one or two songs last winter and thought she had a unique voice and feel for a lyric.  Missoni has her own singing style that is sultry, intimate and emotional. She brings the audience her own personal readings of songs and lyrics and at times reminds me of a combination of Norah Jones and Flona Apple. I hope I get to hear more from Missoni in the future.

If you love great bass playing Bassist Larry Holloway will put you in orbit.    I ran into Larry at the end of the winter season last year at a private musicians' party and was blown away with his playing.  Larry is from the Northwest and has recently been spending the winter in the Valley. I recently learned that Larry tunes his bass in fifths, which gives his bass a wider range of sound and clarity.  This technique was first developed by one of the most respected bassists in the world, the late Red Mitchell who was Larry's mentor. The results give his bass a much greater range of notes, colors, dynamics and chords. If you like great bass playing, you have to find a way to hear Larry.  He is busy most of the time playing private events but will be playing at Vicky's on March 11, 2012.  I will publish any information I get as to where Larry is performing in my "Support Live Music in the California Desert" Blog, so keep checking it out from time to time.

After the first set,  in walks one of the best flute players in the country, Tom Keenlyside carrying his flute over his shoulder.  Tom joins the group for the next set and the music for the next 50 minutes is a delight.  I have seen Tom join in with other performers and he is nothing short of amazing! He can do it all, never a written note, just give him the key and off he goes. I love the soft sounds Tom produces on his flute and his solos are always creative and yet retain the structure of the melody at the same time. Tom has done it all and has recorded with the Best of the Best in Music: Diana Krall, Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard and Oscar Peterson just to name a few. Can't hear enough of Tom Keenlyside!

The night's final chapter occurred after the second set. The young but very talented drummer Andrew Franga Jr shows up and sets up one of the smallest drums sets I have ever seen.  The drum set may have been small but the sounds were perfect for the small space given to tonight's talented group of musicians. Andrew is young but has already gathered an impressive resume'.  He graduated from the Idyllwide School of Music in 1997 and in 2003 founded Mainstream Source with Ted Sisler.  Mainstream is a successful company that provides music to the worldwide film, television and advertising industries.

Needless to say, tonight's performance was a blast for me and the rest of the audience. There was more music per square inch tonight at Cafe' Des Beaux-Arts than anywhere in the US!

Rizzo "The Great" At Vicky's

Steve Neilen, Yarek Urant, Pat Rizzo and Jim DeJulio
All photos courtesy of Herb Koenig, photographer of the music stars of the Desert!

Pat Rizzo

Jim DeJulio

Yarek Urant

Steve Neilen

Carol Hampton

Take a look at the faces on the group picture above and it will give an idea of the quality of music the Pat Rizzo Band is performing at Vicky's.  This was my first visit back to Vicky's to see Pat's group and the music was better than I remembered.  First of all, Pat is "the man" when it comes to tenor sax playing in the Desert.  And his singing keeps getting better all the time. Pat has a great range and a keen sense of timing that allows him to sing the great songs perfectly.  Whether he is singing a Sinatra or a Bennett song, the results are always very satisfying to his audience. He also plays wonderful flute with seemingly no effort. Just a wonderful performer to see and listen to.  However, tonight I noticed that the other members of Pat's group, Jim DeJulio, Steve Neilen and Yarek Urant were just outstanding and far better than when I heard them last year.  First of all, in my opinion, Yarek Urant is one of the best pianist in the Desert today, if not the best.  If I were a singer, I would want Yarek on the keyboard without a doubt. Yarek brings a soft refreshing, emotional touch to the piano that most pianists just never get near.  

Jim DeJulio is a joy to not only listen to but to watch.  If anyone ever had the desire to play the upright bass, this is the bass player they should study.  Jim has played with the best of the best in the music world, and the reason is very simple. When it comes to the bass, he is in a class of his own. Every time I hear Jim play he reminds me of one of my heros, the great Ray Brown. And if anyone thinks your bass playing compares with Ray Brown you are at the top of your game and Jim certainly is in this class!

Steve Neilen completes this group perfectly and always keeps the group in a perfect groove.  Together, the four piece Pat Rizzo Band is one of the most talented musical groups ever to play in the Desert or anywhere else for that matter.  Don't leave the Desert until you get to hear them at least once!

Carol Hampton was in the audience for tonight's performance and sang a couple of great standards in her usual great voice and style. Carol's stage presence always makes her a great additional to any venue.

Oscar Peterson:Remembering The Jazz Giants: Chapter One

The other night I was looking at some YouTube videos of some of the great musicians that had impacted my life when I came across a few great videos of Oscar Peterson. I enjoyed these videos so much that I decided it would be interesting to do a series of blogs on the "The Jazz Giants ". 

THE JAZZ GIANTS: CHAPTER ONE

OSCAR PETERSON

Oscar Peterson is considered  one of the greatest jazz pianists of all times. I think he was the absolute best! During his long career, Oscar recorded with most of the jazz greats including Louis Armstrong, Ella, Count Basie, Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie and almost all of the great singers of the past 50 years.  He released over 200 recordings and won seven Grammy Awards. He was much more than just a jazz pianist, he was a teacher and composer. But don't take my word for it.  Take a look at the YouTube videos I have attached below. On the first YouTube, Oscar plays "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" and his playing has been transcribed so you can follow along. Hearing what Oscar is playing is one thing but seeing the actual notes is just heaven.

On the second YouTube, Oscar plays "I Can't Get Started" and it just flows with emotion and grace. Hope you enjoy these videos as much as I did! PS: Playing on guitar with Oscar at this session was another of my favorites, Joe Pass.

                                            Oscar Plays "On The Sunny Side Of The Street"

                                                   Oscar Plays "I Can't Get Started"

CD Review: Tony Bennett Duets II

Tony Bennett has just released his new CD, "Tony Bennett Duets II", as a follow-up to his highly successful first Duets CD. Ever since Sinatra released his first and second "Duets" format several years ago, more and more artists are turning to this duets format. From my perspective, I really love these CD's because they all seem to be covering tunes out of the "Great American Songbook".  The two Sinatra Duet  CD's are still two of my favorite CD's. I think this format works because it uses some of the greatest songs ever written sung by a combination of a great seasoned singer with other great singers who in most cases have not recorded songs out of the "Great American Songbook". The last part of the Duet format might just be the most important, it needs to be produced by Phil Ramone.  I don't remember ever hearing a CD that Phil Ramone produced that I didn't love! And I am not alone  respecting the talents of Mr. Ramone who has received 36 Grammy Nominations and 14 Grammy Awards. Bennett's Duets II follows his formula and the results are outstanding.  I love almost all of these Duet CD's because I get to hear new recordings of the songs I love and because, I get to listen to artists that don't usually record this the standards. For the most part, I always seem to be caught off guard by these artists whose taste in music is materially different than my musical tastes and how great they sound singing standards. I find it difficult to listen to some of today's newer music of  and evaluate the quality of the performers' voices and talents.   But when I hear them sing a great standard, I find it easy to evaluate their future musical potential.  In the Bennett CD I heard some singers that I knew, but were not favorites of mine, sing standards that knocked me off my chair.  For example, on Track One Lady Gaga singing "The Lady Is A Tramp". I find it hard to focus on Lady Gaga's voice with all the distractions going on when she performs.  But singing this standard, she is nothing short of outstanding. I know she sells millions of CD's but none of them turn me on compared to hearing her singing one of the great old songs.  Another example on Track Three Amy Winehouse singing the great old chestnut, "Body And Soul". Singing doesn't get any better than this! What a shame we lost her so young! And on Track 5, k.d. lang singing Blue Velvet. I have listened to many of Ms. Lang's CD's and to me they are all just ok.  But everything she has done singing standards with Tony Bennett are exceptional in every way, and her voice reminds me of Jo Stafford. In my opinion, everyone of the 17 tracks on this CD are keepers.   This is a CD worth buying because you will be playing it over and over again for a long time.  All the songs selected by Tony Bennett are just great, and take a look at the lineup of great singers that join him:

Andrea Bocelli
Michael Buble'
Mariah Carey
Natalie Cole
Sheryl Crow
Aretha Franklin
Josh Groban
Faith Hill
Norah Jones
Lady Gaga
k.d. lang
John Mayer
Willie Nelson
Queen Latifah
Alejandro Sanz
Carrie Underwood
Amy Winehouse