STEVE - ProfilesArchive

About Me

In this Myspace pantheon of great artists there's only one James Taylor. He sings one of my favorites, "Only a Dream in Rio" and follows it with "Her Town, Too." The legendary Jose Feliciano in this video reprises an in-person performance of Lenny Welch's "Since I Fell for You." I say "reprises" for the reason that Jose was kind enough to play this song for me when I met him in a tiny bar in Southern California, about 12 years ago.This song takes me back to the time when I believed "true love would prevail" (to quote Al J.) and "the one" was a girl named Leslie. She's gone now, struck down in her prime. Here's to you, dear lady, and may you rest in peace.Because "Smooth Jazz" is really nothing more than progressive jazz for the lazy and uninspired, here are Miles and "Trane" be-boppin' their way through "Round About Midnight."Musical taste is hard to define, except to say that you know it when you hear it. Oscar Peterson playing Antonio Carlos Jobim's composition "Wave" is the next-best thing to a definable standard for musical taste taken to its absolute height. Paul Potts of Great Britain shows the world what it means to sing with passion and a sincere and deep committment to excellence. Singing the aria made famous by Luciano Pavarotti, "Nessun Dorma" (don't sleep), Paul Pott's love of this artform comes through on the wings of every note. Unbelievable Voice
It's tempting to say that Paul Potts is good but can't come close to the great Luciano . . . until you see this video in which both men are heard singing the same aria, in the same key, and at exactly the same and correct tempo (thank you, Zubin Mehta). STEVE IS HAPPY TO WELCOME HIS FRIENDS TO "CLUB BLUE NOTE." IT'S THAT DIMLY LIT PLACE IN THAT PART OF TOWN WHERE PEOPLE SEEM TO MOVE IN SLOW MOTION, SPEAK AS IF IN A DREAM, AND LOOK AT YOU WITHOUT EXPECTATION. THE MOOD IS RELAXED. THE TINKLE OF ICE TUMBLING INTO GLASSES TELLS YOU IT'S TIME TO SIT BACK AND DREAM AS THE GREATEST PLAYERS AND BANDS COME TO THE STAGE.
Eric Clapton performs his classic hit "Change the World."The incomparable Maty Munro sings "I Have Dreamed" from the musical "The King and I." Matt Munro has one of the best voices of all time./////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Not known for musicals, Frank Sinatra does a magnificent job singing "This Nearly Was Mine" from the haunting "Carousel." The Immortal Howard Keel proves he hasn't lost a thing despite a 20-year lapse in his stellar musical career on stage and in films. Here we get to hear Howard Keel and Judy Garland at the height of their repspective talents, singing "They Say It's Wonderful." Gordon McCrae had a sound all his own. Here, as "Curly," he sings the title song to the movie musical "Oklahoma." You've got to take your Smokey where you can get your Smokey. Here is Smokey Robinson's voice singing "Just to See Her." I would dedicate this song to a special lady but for the fact that I am too g.d. old to have a special lady! Smokey, sing the damn song please. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ////////////////////////////////////////////////// IT IS EXTREMELY RARE WHEN A LIVE PERFORMANCE SURPASSES THE RECORDED VERSION OF A PIECE OF MUSIC. HERE JOSH GROBAN IS ACCOMPANIED BY A VIOLINIST OF INCOMPARABLE TALENT PASSION AS THEY PERFORM "MI MANCHERAI" FROM "IL POSTINO." THE TITLE, "MI MANCHERAI," LITERALLY MEANS "THE ONE I LACK" OR MORE ACCURATELY, "THE ONE WITHOUT WHOM I AM LACKING." ONCE YOU UNDERSTAND THE TITLE, THE EMOTIONAL TONE IS SET FOR THE REST OF THE SONG. THIS VIDEO SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. THIS MAN IS, SIMPLY PUT, THE FINEST GUITARIST IN THE WORLD! HERE IS JOSCHO STEPHAN PERFORMING THE CLASSIC "BOSSA DORADO." THERE IS NO MUSICIAN PLAYING IN CONTEMPORARY MUSIC TODAY WHO CAN HOLD A CANDLE TO THIS PHENOMENON.Tony Bennett and George Michael team up on this beautiful arrangement of "The Music Never Ends" (often incorrectly cited as "How do you keep the music playing): Michael Buble and this really tight band perform the Dean Martin/Pussycat Dolls classic "Sway." Willie Nelson and Eric Clapton show why they're considered the very best in this video of their performance of "Nightlife."/////////////////////////////////////////// Kenny Loggins sings Paul Williams's brilliant composition "The Rainbow Connection." Kenny sings his own American Masterpiece "Return to House on Pooh Corner." STEVE'S "GIRLFRIEND" (British TV presenter Carol Smillie)//////////////////// a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"> ///////////////////////// British Super-star Elkie Brooks sings Chris Rea's composition "Fool If You Think It's Over" //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// //////////////////////////////////////////// Melissa Manchester sings "Walk on By" (Burt Bacharach and Hal David).///////////////////////////////////////////////////// ////////////////////// .. .. ..

Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com
PickensPlan Member Badge
http://push.pickensplan.com

View my page on PickensPlan

My Interests

Visit PickensPlan
This tribute to Audrey Hepburn features one of my favorite pieces of music by the greats Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer: "Moon River" / / / / / / / / As a boy of 15, desperately in love with a girl one year my senior, my dream was to dance with her to "Moon River" at our wedding. She ended up marrying another guy who rewarded her by ballooning to 450 pounds by the time he was 28. In the ultimate irony, his "moon" did turn out to be "wider than a mile."////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ////////////////////////////////////

I'd like to meet:

One of the most difficult versions of this song to find, the original, Melissa Manchester sings "I'll Never Say Good-bye (Theme from the motion picture "The Promise").It took me 28 years to find this:To someone who knows the technical aspects of singing (which very few people do) and the objective criteria upon which singing is to be judged, this next performance by Melissa Manchester proves her to be one of the most technically proficient singers in music history and this performance to be one of the greatest of all time. There's just no topping absolute perfection--Melissa Manchester singing "You Should Hear How She Talks About You."/////////////////////////////////////////////////////// //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /////////object width="425" height="344">.. ..

Norah Jones Live Dont Know Why
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NDuj-MyVyA

This young lady is so good it makes me crazy. Ravi Shankar's daughter, Nora Jones, sings her own compositon "Don't know why."

Music:

I place this video in my profile in tribute to my beloved friend Leslie who is no longer with us. Here is Al Jarreau sing "our" song, Les.//////////////////////////////////////////////////////// //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// //////////////////////////

Movies:

Arguably Audrey Hepburn's finest performance, this montage from "Two for the Road" in which she co-starred with Albert Finney offers a sense of the overall film and the genius that was Henry Mancini comes through in the musical score, the title track being entitled "Two for the Road," as well. "When you're feeling fancy free . . . come wander through the world with me . . . ." Nat King Cole and his daughter Natalie Cole perform this posthumously conceived duet "Unforgettable."//////////////////////////////////////////// //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /////////////////////Here, father and daughter sing one of the best songs ever written: "When I Fall in Love" //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ////

Television:

Books:

IN THIS EXTREMELY RARE RECORDING, WE HEAR THE PHENOMENAL PIANIST GEORGE SHEARING ACTUALLY SINGING AS HE PLAYS. THE SONG WAS WRITTEN BY THE LEGENDAY HENRY MANCINI (MUSIC) WITH LYRICS BY LESLIE BRICUSSE (BEST KNOWN FOR BEING THE LRYICIST OF THE TEAM ANTHONY NEWLEY AND LESLIE BRICUSSE). JUST AS BURT BACARACH HAD A FAVORITE SONG OF HIS OWN COMPOSITION ("ALFIE") SO, TOO, DID HENRY MANCINI. THE SONG IS ENTITLED "TWO FOR THE ROAD" AND WAS THE THEME TO FILM BY THE SAME NAME, STARRING AUDREY HEPBURN AND ALBERT FINNEY.The New York streets are steaming in the searing heat. The million-faced crowd growls its way along under the molten sun and everywhere the smell of hot tar mixes with bus exhaust. It is a miserable day in the great city.Yet . . . from beyond the skyline the ocean sends its cooling breeze in that one supreme voice of voices, Frank Sinatra singing my personal favorite, "The Summer Wind."

Heroes:

The very first music video was played in theaters sometime around 1962 or 1963. It was jazz clarinetist Aker Bilk playing his immortal composition "Stranger on the Shore." I saw this music video as a film short when I went to see "The Magnificent Seven" at the movies. Here is that same song played on the soprano sax by Kenny G. The images are so calming and peaceful in combination with the music that this must be viewed in full screen mode off of YouTube. http://youtube.com/watch?v=sCUQdjxO6mk&feature=related Here is the video: Pianist Extraordinare Peter Nero plays his hit rendition of the beautiful Michel LeGrande composition, "Theme From the Summer of '42"ARGUABLY THE FINEST VIOLINIST OF THE AGE, ITZAHK PERLMAN PERFORMS THE THEME FROM CINEMA PARADISO, BY COMPOSER ENNIO MORRICONE, BEFORE THE MIGHTY PHILADELHIA SYMPHONY CONDUCTED BY JOHN WILLIAMS. IN THIS PIECE OF MUSIC ONE HEARS THE LAST BREATH OF HOPE ARISING FROM A DEFEATED HEART, THE THEME OF CONSTANT RENEWAL AND THE POWER AND STRENGTH OF SIMPLICITY.Oscar Peterson plays "There Will Never Be Another You." As you watch this amazing talent, try to find a clue to the fact that he recorded this after suffering a stroke. These are real musicians, boys and girls.The man I call "The Emperor of the Keyboard," Oscar Peterson, and one William "Count" Basie perform the blues in this duet for jazz piano.