Happy Holidays!
Here’s one of my favorite Christmas songs – hope you enjoy!

See you all next year!

I’ve finally crawled into the 21st century with a page on facebook. Here is the link to my fan page.

Please log in, stop by and writing something on my “wall.” I’ve added a few free downloads too. I look forward to connecting with everyone. Ciao for now!

This afternoon I had the pleasure of seeing (and hearing) the Biava Quartet in concert in Manhattan Beach. They are simply superb! Incredible musicianship, warmth, passion, and energy. Check out their website and see if they are making an appearance near you. 

http://biavaquartet.com

Last weekend I had the pleasure of hearing (and meeting) Melissa Manchester, a superb singer-songwriter whose music has touched my life for so many years. She generously performed at a free concert in Marina Del Rey, California (amid the typical munchers and chatters that come out for concerts in the park) but she is a true professional. It was just Melissa, her piano, and a guitarist – but it’s a sparse setting like this (without aural pyrotechnics or a too-loud backup band) that separates the men from the boys, so to speak, and demonstrated her consummate and decades-proven artistry.

A new film favorite of mine: La Vie En Rose, about the famous french chanteuse Edith Piaf (the little sparrow). It is not necessarily a chronological biopic of her triumphant yet tragic life, but rather seems to distill the very essence of it. Marion Cotillard, in the title role, is nothing short of spectacular and certainly deserved an Oscar. Highly recommended!

As some of you know, I’m passionate about film. I particularly like films about musicians (big surprise). One of my favorites is Hilary and Jackie. I’ve seen this film several times, and it never ceases to move me to tears. It is the highly emotional (although controversial) biography of famed cellist Jacqueline du Pre (1945 -1987) whose musical virtuosity and life were cut short by multiple sclerosis.Emily Watson is phenomenal as Jacqueline. The soundtrack, prominently featuring du Pre’s “signature” recording of Elgar’s Cello Concerto, is considered the definitive interpretation of this work.  I highly recommend it.

I’m making my annual pilgrimage to the Getty Villa in Malibu, California. By way of background, Oil tycoon J. Paul Getty originally opened a gallery adjacent to his home in Malibu, finding that he quickly ran out of room, he decided to open a second museum on the property (his original home still sits at the back of the property). In 1974, J. Paul Getty opened the Getty Villa as his second museum in a re-creation of the Villa dei Papiri at Herculaneum, as well as incorporating details from several other ancient sites. In 1997 the main part of the museum moved to its current location in Brentwood to become the Getty Center and the Malibu museum, renamed the “Getty Villa”, was closed for renovation. Reopened on January 28, 2006, the Getty Villa now holds Greek and Roman sculptures once housed in the Getty Center. The Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities are arranged by themes including Gods and Goddesses, Dionysos and the Theater and Stories of the Trojan War, housed within Roman-inspired architecture and surrounded by Roman-style gardens.The Villa dei Papiri was buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79, and much of it remains unexcavated. Thus, many of the Museum’s architectural and landscaping details draw on elements from other ancient Roman houses in the towns of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae. Gardens are integral to the setting of the Getty Villa, as they were in the ancient Roman home. Open spaces around the site feature bronze sculptures, fountains, and lush plantings of trees, herbs, and flowers used by the Romans. I’ve always been fascinated by ancient history, particularly Rome, Pompeii and Herculaneum. I’m also an avid gardener, so its fun to stroll the gardens of 79 A.D. (before Mt. Vesuvius erupted, of course), if only for one glorious day. Too bad the Romans didn’t have pianos!