I've already spoken you to about old movies, one in particular being Court Jester with Danny Kaye. Well, I stumbled across a show released on DVD that was one of the best pieces of entertainment I've seen in years. It was "An Evening with Danny Kaye and the New York Philharmonic".
Danny was an American treasure and his work remains as such. He couldn't read a note of music, and yet his musical comprehension was light years ahead of some of the best musicians. He was known to conduct orchestra's in his day, and this particular performance has become to be known as one of his crowning achievements.
Being a musician myself, I can tell you how hard it is to get yourself and four other guys to learn something and perform it together in a way that will impress an audience. There's a great deal of headaches and challenges that go into the final product. I often think of that when I hear the band name, "Blood, Sweat and Tears" - which isn't far from the truth. But to play in a group of a hundred people... I just can't imagine. What a rush that must be. Now take all that talent and put someone like Danny Kaye in front of them conducting, and you have a really special event.
The show was recorded September 23, 1981 and billed as a charity event for the Musician's Pension Fund. Over the course of his career, Danny helped to raise over five million dollars for the charity. Toward the end of the performance, Danny sits down on a chair and talks to the audience about the Musicians Fund and thanks the audience for coming out to see the show. It's actually very moving and echoes my own thoughts of how music brings people together.
I admit that I downloaded this from a torrent. But if you can find it, please - rent it, buy it, download it... just watch it. No matter who you are, you will not be disappointed and you'll agree when I say what a great piece of entertainment it is.
As an afterthought, I'd like to invite all that read this blog - well, the one's that are local to me at least - to go to New York City's Lincoln Center to see a performance of the New York Philharmonic. I haven't seen an orchestra play since I was very, very young. We could select a date way down the line to give everybody the ability to set aside, plan and save up for the trip. A train ride with a bag lunch/dinner (and perhaps everyone bringing a little something extra to make a real fun meal) for the train ride in to NYC and on to the show. It could be a really fun night. We'd have time to get the calendar and select something that everyone would enjoy hearing.
I'd really like do this before I get to old to enjoy it with a bunch of good friends. So spread the word and let me know what you all think of my idea.
Danny was an American treasure and his work remains as such. He couldn't read a note of music, and yet his musical comprehension was light years ahead of some of the best musicians. He was known to conduct orchestra's in his day, and this particular performance has become to be known as one of his crowning achievements.
Being a musician myself, I can tell you how hard it is to get yourself and four other guys to learn something and perform it together in a way that will impress an audience. There's a great deal of headaches and challenges that go into the final product. I often think of that when I hear the band name, "Blood, Sweat and Tears" - which isn't far from the truth. But to play in a group of a hundred people... I just can't imagine. What a rush that must be. Now take all that talent and put someone like Danny Kaye in front of them conducting, and you have a really special event.
The show was recorded September 23, 1981 and billed as a charity event for the Musician's Pension Fund. Over the course of his career, Danny helped to raise over five million dollars for the charity. Toward the end of the performance, Danny sits down on a chair and talks to the audience about the Musicians Fund and thanks the audience for coming out to see the show. It's actually very moving and echoes my own thoughts of how music brings people together.
I admit that I downloaded this from a torrent. But if you can find it, please - rent it, buy it, download it... just watch it. No matter who you are, you will not be disappointed and you'll agree when I say what a great piece of entertainment it is.
As an afterthought, I'd like to invite all that read this blog - well, the one's that are local to me at least - to go to New York City's Lincoln Center to see a performance of the New York Philharmonic. I haven't seen an orchestra play since I was very, very young. We could select a date way down the line to give everybody the ability to set aside, plan and save up for the trip. A train ride with a bag lunch/dinner (and perhaps everyone bringing a little something extra to make a real fun meal) for the train ride in to NYC and on to the show. It could be a really fun night. We'd have time to get the calendar and select something that everyone would enjoy hearing.
I'd really like do this before I get to old to enjoy it with a bunch of good friends. So spread the word and let me know what you all think of my idea.
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