Hollywood On 52nd Street
It Might As Well Be Spring has been a classic jazz favorite for many years but it didn’t start out that way. It was a song taken from the 1945 film State Fair with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and was part of the only original film score.
Jeanne Crain, who played Margy Frake, sang the song in the film, but was dubbed by Louanne Hogan. Dick Haymes, who portrayed the original Wayne Frake, made the first hit recording of the song, followed by Frank Sinatra, Sammy Kaye, Paul Weston, Margaret Whiting, Shirley Bassey, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Blossom Dearie, Nina Simone, Brad Mehldau and Jane Monheit.
The Story: Love, romance and competition take center stage as the Frake family sets off for the state fair. Margy is melancholy and looks forward to the break in routine. Father Abel is excited about entering his prize pig Blue By for the ribbon and bets his neighbor. Mother is entering the cooking competition with her pickles and mincemeat recipes. Brothe Wayne is left forlorn by his girlfriend’s inability to go with him.
At the fair all the romances take a different turn of occurrences and lucky beaus end up with new ladies, Blue Boy wins in all his categories thanks to his lady love Esmeralda, and it’s a happily ever after story ending.
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Porta Jazz: Sirok Sokak, Bitola, Macedonia / Telephone: ++38947236615 / Contact: Vlatko Hristovski-Dado / Situated on the main street called Sirok Sokak, simply translated as Wide Street, I will finally arrive at my destination, Porta Jazz. It is a really good jazz bar that has a nice atmosphere and superb music. Wanting to hear every note the musicians are offering I will arrive when the doors open at 9:00pm and take in a couple of sets before the 1:00am close. I will see if Porta Jazz really does provide their claim of a relaxed and friendly atmosphere for enjoying the best international and local jazz. Macedonia is old enough to be placed in the annals of antiquity around the year 356 BC that Philip II, father of Alexander The Great established.
Next Stop: Brazil! Jet-setting around the globe is taking me back below the equator to the country I love – Brazil. Having driven back to Skopje I jump on the plane at 3:50pm and three stops and nearly 22 hours later i arrive in Curitiba at 10:39am. Time to get to the hotel, relax for a while before heading out into the city and enjoying the people , the food and the music that’s always in the streets. I’ll have a leisurely dinner before heading out for some good music.
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Dee Felice Cafe: 529 Main Street, Covington, Kentucky / Telephone: 895 261 2365 This unobtrusive locale with New Orleans decor offers up a menu of jazz and swing Thursday thru Sunday with the Sunday jazz beginning at 5pm. The music is accompanied by great Cajun and Creole recipes straight out of New Orleans to delight your taste buds while listening. It’s all nestled right in the heart of Covington’s Main Strasse Village.
Next Stop: Macedonia! Leaving Covington, Kentucky next Saturday, I will take a short 7 minute drive across the Ohio River to the Cincinnati airport. My plane departs for Macedonia at 2:59pm from Cincinnati for a 15 hour, two stop flight in Washington, DC and Vienna before landing me in Skopje the next day at 11:50am. Then it’s off to explore the city to see the Stone Bridge, Old Town, the Millennium Cross and the Kale Fortress before renting a car and driving the 173 kilometers, approximately 2 hours to Bitola, a place known for its textiles. See you there!
The Jazz Voyager
Firehouse 12: 45 Crown Street, New Haven, Connecticut / Telephone: 203-785-0468 Fax: 203-785-0478 / Contact: Nick Lloyd. The performance space at Firehouse 12 is unique in its design. The performance space is the recording studio – and all performances happen in an acoustically balanced, soundproofed space with installed sound reinforcement and stage lighting systems. The space seats 75 audience members. The build-out of this space creates a perfect venue for music that benefits from close listening.
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The Lighthouse: 30 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach, California / Telephone: 310-376-9833 / Since the 1940’s, The Lighthouse Cafe located on Pier Plaza in Hermosa Beach, has been a haven for musicians and music lovers alike. The venue first gained popularity with the world renown jazz jam group “The Lighthouse All-Stars” called the club home. For years SoCal residents swarmed to the South Bay to take part in the west coast jazz movement and to see the talents of greats such as Buddy Guy, Miles Davis, Howard Rumsey, Chet Baker, and Shorty Rodgers swing every Sunday afternoon for Jazz Brunch, a tradition that continues today.
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