GOOD SOUNDS
Dear Friends,
Last week's note about "sound ideas" led to very prompt responses from some of you, mostly noticing that I didn't mention the fact that noise levels from background music in restaurants is also a big issue. I completely agree! And with that in mind, a short but true story to share with you on this topic!
A very famous American pianist living in upper state New York absolutely can't stand music being played in restaurants. So much so that he refuses to go if a hint of music is known to be "on the menu". Several years ago, a restaurant opened up near his home in the Finger Lakes region that friends told him had a terrific kitchen and no music played in the background. Trusting his friends, he and his wife ventured out. The food was excellent. The service terrific. And... no music! He couldn't be happier. But when he and his wife returned for a second helping (ahem) a few weeks later, halfway through the meal some music was suddenly heard coming from behind the bar. He looked over and noticed it was a Bose Wave Radio system that was being used. Interestingly, he had recently purchased the exact same machine - which comes with a remote control - for his wife. So, you guessed it, he and his wife returned to the restaurant for a third time weeks after, this time with the trusty remote control from his wife's machine. After sitting down, he covertly pointed it to the position behind the bar where the Bose sat. He turned the volume down successfully to zero over the span of about a minute... and no one noticed. Success!!!
And now back to actual music that isn't noise...
It's likely that you all will have seen/heard/experienced A Charlie Brown Christmas at some point over the last decades. It is a true classic, and with truly great music as a soundtrack. The music was written and brought to life by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Likely the most famous tune from that particular show is Linus and Lucy. There's a link of the tune below. What you may not have known is that the drummer in the trio - Jerry Granelli - moved from the U.S. to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1990. In 2010, he released his very first solo album (at the age of 70!). Here he is just a short while before he passed laying down the beat for Linus and Lucy. I hope you enjoy this, and if the sounds bring back some sentimental feelings, well...'tis the season!
Also from the east coast, my favourite rendition of the Christmas Classic O Holy Night, with the wonderfully powerful voice of Ben Caplan. I post this every year, so if you've been with me since we started these Friday messages during COVID, you will already know this. My hope is you're looking forward to hearing it again - it does not disappoint.
From all of us at Stratford Summer Music, we'd like to wish you and your loved ones a safe and happy holiday season. 2025 was a special year for SSM, and we couldn't have done it without your support. We're looking forward to getting together again in 2026 and committing ourselves to music and all that it brings with ever greater fervour.
Our very best wishes,
Mark and the SSM Team