Diana Krall moves Florida concert date

Attention Diana Krall concert ticket holders in Florida;

Van Wezel reports that Diana Krall has moved all of her Florida dates, including her Wed. Feb. 15th date at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. The new date will be Tuesday, March 27 @ 8:00 PM.


The pop-jazz songstress was recently invited by the legendary Paul McCartney to collaborate on a project for the upcoming Grammys! For Diana Krall to participate this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and she still will be able to be at the Hall in March.

If you have already purchased/received tickets to Diana Krall, you may use the same ticket (dated 2/15) for entrance into the 3/27 performance. YOUR TICKET WILL BE VALID.

Please contact the Van Wezel Box Office at 941-953-3368 for more details regarding ticketing, and if you cannot attend on the new date you can receive an online credit or refund.

If you haven't purchased tickets yet, a limited number of seats are still available. Ticket prices range from $30 to $115. Contact the Van Wezel Box office at or log onto http://www.vanwezel.org/.

Who wrote the Nat Cole hit Route 66?

Q. I know that Nat Cole got his kicks on "Route 66," Did he write the song?
.
A. Nat "King" Cole had a number one hit in 1946 with his Capitol 78 rpm recording of "Route 66." The composer is listed as musician Bobby Troup, but he did not compose it alone. Read on.

First here are the lyrics;

Well if you ever plan to motor west,
Just take my way , that's the highway that's the best.
Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.
Well it winds from Chicago to LA
More than two-thousand miles all the way.
Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.
Well it goes through St. Louie down to Missouri
Oklahoma City looks oh so pretty.
You'll see Amarillo, Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff, Arizona, don't forget Winona,
Kingsman, Barstow, San Bernardino.
Won't you get hip to this timely tip
And think you'll take that California trip.
Get your kicks on route sixty-six.
Get your kicks on route sixty-six.

Here is the story behind the song:

At a party in Hollywood in the 1970's I was introduced to Mrs. Bobby Troup. I was very surprised with the introduction because I knew that Bobby Troup was married to a magnificent singer (and beauty) by the name of Julie London... and this lady was clearly not Julie London. First name Cynthia.

This Mrs. Bobby Troup told me this tale about when she was the first wife of Troup: They were living modestly in Lancaster, Pennsylvania at the end of World War II and Bobby Troup had decided that 'if I'm going to make it in the music business I've got to go to LA.' So they drive cross country to Los Angeles and while they motor on a long boring stretch of US Route 66, they play word games coming up with the lyrics to a song ('I get my kicks on route 66')... which, of course, was the classic 'Route Sixty-Six.'
When they arrived in Los Angeles and rented a small apartment they were almost penniless. Bobby Troup set their lyrics to music, peddled it around and eventually convinced Johnny Mercer's new record company Capitol to record it with their top star, Nat Cole.

Within weeks after its release the song was a nationwide hit - in fact it reached #1. AND the royalties from this one song provided enough money to buy a house.

Now an all too familiar story; A few years later, Troup produced Julie London's million selling hit record 'Cry Me A River.' He divorced Cynthia and married Julie five years later."

Here is a video of my Memory Lane Presentations "lecture" about the birth of the song aboard a cruise ship (Celebrity's Constellation), It is part of a "lecture" on the "Great American Songbook." For more about the lecture service, please visit www.memory-lane.org

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Whatever happened to Glenn Miller's wife?

Glenn and Helen

Q. Whatever happened to Glenn Miller's wife?

A. For the first few years after Glenn's disappearance she was actively involved in the corporations he had set up, primarily Glenn Miller Productions, and in working with his estate to re-launch the orchestra under the direction of lead saxophonist and vocalist Tex Beneke.

She was also faced with raising their two adopted children alone, so as relations with the Beneke-led band deteriorated during the late 1940s she moved away from direct involvement with Glenn's music. In 1953 and 1954 she assisted with aspects of the biopic The Glenn Miller Story, starring Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson.

There is speculation that her disagreements with Tex Beneke over the band's musical direction were in part responsible for the fact that he was entirely written out of the script.

During the 1950s and early 60s Helen Miller was almost completely uninvolved with her late husband's music, except for giving occasional interviews to close friends such as biographer (and former Miller musician and confidant) George T. Simon. Notably, Simon refused to either deny or confirm the heartbreaking rumor that Helen had kept many of Glenn's personal effects in their bedroom and even prepared his bed every evening, just in case he should miraculously return ...

Helen Burger Miller died in 1966 at age 64. Her passing was mentioned in some newspapers but received little other notice.

Tex Beneke and In The Mood

New CD from one of the UK's best big bands...The NRO

Nick Ross

Here is exciting news from our friend, British bandleader, Nick Ross about the NRO's latest CD;

"We're delighted to be able to tell you that we had a great time at Angel Studios in London, recording our new CD "Jeepers Creepers"

Click here to order your copy of our new CD 'Jeepers Creepers' or our previous album 'My Favourite Things'!
See the full tracklisting below.

Moonlight Serenade

Big Band presentation at New Jersey library

Learning Happens: The Big Band Era

Thursday October 20, 2011,

11:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Sit back and be transported to the Big Band Era, 1935-1945.  Hear about the evolution of the big swing bands, from the birth of jazz in New Orleans to the great ballrooms of America...Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Harry James, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and many more!   This program will be presented by Rick Busciglio of Memory Lane Presentations.  Rick is a retired broadcast executive who has combined his lifelong love of films and music and experience in communications to create a series of nostalgic programs that he presents in the NJ/NY/PA area and internationally to the cruise community.

Julie Andrews is 76!!!

 Julie Andrews

This past week was Julie Andrews 76th birthday...can it be possible?

To commemorate her 69th birthday , actress/vocalist, Julie Andrews made a
special appearance at  Manhattan 's Radio  City  Music Hall for the
benefit of the AARP.  One of the musical numbers she performed was 'My
Favorite Things' from the legendary movie 'Sound Of Music'.  Here are
the lyrics she used:

(Sing It!) - If you sing it, its especially hysterical!!!

Botox and nose drops and needles for knitting, Walkers and handrails and
new dental fittings, Bundles of magazines tied up in string, These are a
few of my favorite things.

Cadillacs and cataracts, hearing aids and glasses, Polident and Fixodent
and false teeth in glasses, Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with
swings, These are a few of my favorite things.

When the pipes leak, When the bones creak, When the knees go bad, I
simply remember my favorite things,
  And then I don't feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions, No spicy hot food or
food cooked with onions, Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they
bring,
  These are a few of my favorite things.

Back pain, confused brains and no need for sinnin', Thin bones and
fractures and hair that is thinnin', And we won't mention our short
shrunken frames, When we remember our favorite things.

When the joints ache, When the hips break,
  When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
    And then I don't feel so bad.


Ms. Andrews received a standing ovation from the crowd that lasted
over four minutes and repeated encores.

 

 

Crystal Cruises Big Band and Ballroom Dance theme cruises for 2012

Cruise with the best of the Big Bands: With classic dance moves currently taking center stage on "Dancing with the Stars," Crystal Cruises has expanded its live Big Band and Ballroom Dance theme cruises for 2012. 

They promise that guests will feel like stars themselves as they swing, cha-cha, and tango across the Atlantic accompanied by two old-school favorites: the Glenn Miller Orchestra on Crystal Symphony's March 19th Miami-Madeira-Lisbon voyage, and the Artie Shaw Orchestra on Crystal Serenity's Barcelona-Canary Is.-St. Maarten-Miami cruise on December 9, 2012. 
 

Whether a dancer or just toe-tapping listener, guests will be surrounded by live 17-20-piece orchestras with vocalists, plus complimentary daily dance sessions, including:

-Professional group dance lessons for all levels of experience

-Advanced dance workshops for more proficient dancers

-Twice the usual number of professional dance instructors

-Extra Ambassador Hosts to lead women without dance partners

-Dancing both in the afternoon and late into the evening 

Says Entertainment Vice President Bret Bullock: "Big Band cruises are among our most popular and highly rated Experiences of Discovery theme cruises. Travelers love the timeless elegance of Trans-Atlantic cruising, Crystal Cruises' inviting onboard luxury experience, and the added pleasure of song and dance-filled days and nights." 

"Book Now" plus "Two-for-One" promotions amount to more than $5,000 per person in savings on each voyage. If booked by October 31, March's 10-day, "all-inclusive" (Crystal's first-ever) voyage starts at a remarkably-low $1,360/person, including complimentary fine wines and premium spirits throughout the ship, open bar service in all lounges, and pre-paid gratuities for housekeeping, bar and dining staff. December's 12-day sailing is also all-inclusive, with starting fares of $2,620/person, if booked by October 31. 

Crystal Cruise's award-winning entertainment offerings include a range of venues and performances, from cabaret nightclub to piano bar saloon; acclaimed productions to headline entertainers; and sophisticated enrichment activities to in-room Blu-ray-viewing. 

For more information and Crystal reservations, contact a travel agent, call 888-799-4625, or visit www.crystalcruises.com .