WGBH Radio; The Callie Crossley Show

I'm Cally Crossley This is the Cali Crossley Show. We're paying tribute to Boston's piano bar scene and the Great American Songbook from Diamond gems at the Linux hotel to the dark paneled Oak Room at the Copley Plaza. The piano bar has been the stomping ground for sweethearts and celebrities and the stomping grounds for piano greats like Gladys trooping and Dave McKenna. Now this throwback to another era is in peril. The Oak Room is undergoing massive renovations and the fate of its legendary piano bar is unknown and other hotels from the Ritz to the Four Seasons have already phased out their Ebony and Ivory ads. This hour we keep the piano bar alive with Randell akey as our guide and pianist James Potter and Bob almond on the bench. Up next Boston's piano bar a sometime thing. Say it isn't so. First the news. From NPR News in Washington I'm Lakshmi saying Republicans are facing

a potentially game changing primary in Florida today. Polls put Mitt Romney way ahead of Newt Gingrich both of whom are the front runners in this race but all polls across the state won't be close until 8pm. NPR's Craig Wyndham is now in Tampa where he's been speaking to voters about the campaign frenzy leading to this primary election to voters leaving a polling place I visited in Tampa Palms had almost a look of relief on their faces today. I spoke with Lloyd Michel who says he's glad the barrage of negative ads will be over after today at least for a while. In some ways it was good but most ways it was derogatory towards Kay did it or didn't put impersonal forces staying to the issues that he had. Michelle's wife Carolyn says most aggravating to her were the robo calls from the candidates that came at all hours. I'm frankly glad it's over. Now we can hopefully focus more on the issues and move forward to the. Election.

Hey Craig what what's the turnout like where you are. Well in this county in the Tampa area Lakshmi the turnout has been light so far less than 7 percent of the eligible voters casting ballots this morning. But Florida GOP leaders are sticking to their prediction of a strong turnout statewide based on the more than 600000 people who voted before today either in early voting or by absentee ballot. And of course remember the candidates have also been lobbying heavily for the very crucial Latino vote in Florida will certainly see what the outcome is again polls across the state all polls will be closed by 8:00 p.m.. Greg thanks very much that's NPR's scrag Windham he is in Tampa. In other news the Greek prime minister says the country likely won't need further aid if it secures a debt swap deal and a second bailout. But as you want to get reports from Athens he also admitted that Greece is still in difficult negotiations with international lenders. Prime minister Lucas by the most spoke to reporters in Brussels early Tuesday after wrapping up talks with European Union officials. The EU and the International

Monetary Fund are supplying Greece with billions in bailout loans they're reluctant to sign on to a second bailout unless Greece approves financial reforms such as slashing private sector wages. The prime minister says he's very close to clinching a massive bond swap deal that could cut Greek debt by at least 50 percent. The private creditors face losses of up to 70 percent. For NPR News I'm Joanna Kaye casus in Athens. Royal Bank of Scotland's former CEO Sir Fred Goodwin is being stripped of his knighthood for leading the bank to the brink of collapse. The British government says it's taking the unusual step because Goodwin had brought the honor system into disrepute at last check on Wall Street the Dow was down more than 40 points it's a twelve thousand six hundred twelve. This is NPR News. Claremont McKenna College in California admits the school has inflated S.A.T. scores reported to college rankings organizations and to the federal government. NPR's Larry

Abramson reports the school is blaming the incident on a single administrator who has resigned. Claremont McKenna says an internal probe discovered the problem when the school investigated further a senior administrator admitted he had inflated the S.A.T. math and reading scores of students admitted to the Southern California School by 10 to 20 points. Claremont McKenna says the administrator took complete responsibility and resigned. The scores help the prestigious college reach the top 10 of liberal arts colleges in the U.S. News and World Report rankings. The school also misreported the scores to its accrediting body and to the U.S. Department of Education. The school says it has hired a law firm to investigate further. Larry Abramson NPR News. The Associated Press reports Republican Congressman Dan Burton will not seek re-election to his 16th term. The 73 year old lawmaker from Indiana had planned to announce his decision on the state house floor. The United Nations is considering a resolution that demands Syrian President Bashar Assad resign. Western and Arab leaders

argue Syria is refusing to end its bloody crackdown on political dissent resulting in the deaths of thousands of people since the uprising started 10 months ago. However Russia a veto wielding permanent member of the Security Council is opposed to the draft. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is among those hoping to overcome Russia's opposition. The latest from Wall Street Dow down 41 points at twelve thousand six hundred thirteen Nasdaq off three points S&P 500 down two. I'm Lakshmi Singh NPR News. Support for NPR comes from the Pew Charitable Trusts working with states to reform the voting process for military and overseas citizens. At a pew Trust's dot org. Good afternoon I'm Catholic Crossley welcome. We're right broadcasting with a

live audience out of Frasier performance studio this hour. Today we're paying tribute to Boston's piano bar scene the Oak Room at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel is undergoing massive renovations. It has been home to one of the last piano bars standing where piano greats like Teddy Wilson and Dave McKenna play when the outgrown reopens this spring. We don't know if there will be a piano bar or not. So today we're celebrating the piano bar and the Great American Songbook with radio legend and WGBH is own Ron Della KSA as our guide and pianist Jane Potter and Bob Bowman. Right here on the bench. Listening to tally this is it this is a nice way to open this is a Take the A train the quickest way to get to Harlem. I am. I

am. I am. I am. I am. I am. I am. Repeated.

That's how you take the A Train and you get what you got. You're going to write. Kelly I don't know how they get that big neon sign outside their studios just flashing Mrs. Kelly's piano bar so tight here I'm enjoying it so much. Yeah. Tell us about why that song is that song continuing to be popular. Well you know it was into Duke use that as his theme song but actually was written in collaboration with Duke's alter ego a gentleman named Billy Strayhorn who really Ellington and Strayhorn was that wonderful collaboration between the two of them like George and Ira Gershwin you know it just worked every time. And that song is such a swinger and it made a great recording of that in the early 50s with Bette rochet and then the saxophonist was Paul Gonzales. They took it up tempo then they made it as a ballad then they took it way up at the end. It's great but do people request this. Sure yeah. People love Ellington and all the Great American Song

composers. Jerome Kern Richard Rodgers George Gershwin etc. Cole Porter and certainly lots of others but those are are big and they're very popular here. Jane is it fun to play. It's a it's a blast. It's one of my favorites. Yes. Could you tell. Yeah I could tell you. Fingers fly when we talk about the Great American Songbook. What are we talking about Ron delegates. We're talking about a legacy that some rivaled anywhere in the world because this music you can you can hear it in France you can hear it in Italy Japan and it's used so much as part of our the ambience of our lives. If you watch television or go to the movies they frequently go back to the American songbook I remember a movie called Sleepless in Seattle. Do you remember that. And it had to be you. Yeah yeah. Gus Kahn wrote that. But there's so much in the American songbook that I think we can all relate to as I said before the bittersweet quality of love falling in love falling in

love falling out of love the the pain and the agony that goes through it. When you're you're in love and then a love affair and so much of that is in the American Songbook is really poetry too in the lyrics. Just one clarification so when you say song sometimes I think that jazz standards are not or is it more popular. You know all of you weigh in on that I'm curious about how you feel about how you define American song American Songbook. I feel it speaks to the standards Gershwin Cole Porter etc. etc.. Yeah I don't. For me I don't think it really goes past the 50s when I think of that but other people may have other perceptions of it. How about you. Yeah those are the those in the great That's the great heritage that we have of those those composers and their songs and I just wanted to add you mention the lyrics and the poetry of lyrics I think also the the melodies are so strong you can you can play them instrumentally and with the harmonies and it's it and it just makes a great

statement which is not always true with more recent more recent music if you take away the lyrics there's. It's hard to play them instrumentally but these songs have such strong melodies and harmonies that they're going to be around forever I think. Some of the lyrics speak to you when we talk about lyrics. Yeah. Well you know I think for example the Jerome Kern's all of the things you are you are the promised breath of springtime that makes the lonely winter seem seem long. I mean Jerome Kern you know he really created the American songbook and he actually adapted it from from the operettas. There were popular years ago in Vienna Franz Les har people like that Kern brought it into America and established the sound of the American songbook he was one of the first ones to do that. And then later on we had other songwriters with chorus Cole Porter who wrote growth both the music and lyrics. Irving Berlin. I mean how can you envision the American songbook without every moorland my goodness he wrote so much. Again music and lyrics.

Well the things you are that you mention is one of the top ten we ask our live audience members to pick their favorites and came down to these top 10 and that's one of them so let's hear a bit from Rob and Jane. All the things you are. Listen to this fabulous. Music. All the things you are.

I'm Kelly Crossley were celebrating the Boston piano bar scene with pianist Bob Aman and Jane Potter and radio legend Ron delegate is here to represent the Great American Songbook and to take us through Boston's rich piano bar history. You're listening to eighty nine point seven WGBH Boston Public Radio. And I'm Catholic Crossley. We're broadcasting out of the Fraser performance studio this hour. This program is on WGBH thanks to you and Northeastern University where researchers are developing advanced algorithms to secure the world's most sensitive communications networks. Learn more about why northeastern stands out at Northeastern dot edu and Dedham savings striving to offer the bank products you need with the technology you expect for your personal and business banking. For more than one hundred eighty years Dedham savings

your bank you can learn more at Dedham savings dot com. The next fresh air the coming tsunami of line in the presidential campaign. Journalist Joe Hagan says the emergence of super PACs has changed the game bringing an unprecedented flood of special interest money to fund opposition research and negative ads Hagan's article was published in New York magazine. Joining us. This afternoon at two point seven WGBH. Hello I'm John. President as you begin to settle into 2012 I hope you're setting aside some time for the crawlies family at the center of Downton Abbey the British drama that's now in its second season here in the states courtesy of the Masterpiece Classic. WGBH supporters keep an eye out for my letter about the next great series for masterpiece. And thanks for playing the most important part here at WGBH radio and television.

Local issues local officials and citizens are concerned that is the same make and model as three reactors that experienced fires an explosion hundred nine point seven. Boston Public Radio. Good afternoon I'm Cally Crossley. Welcome. We're broadcasting with a live studio audience out of Fraser performance studio here at WGBH. You 9.7 today were paying tribute to Boston's piano bar scene in December of the old bar at the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel was closed down to undergo massive renovations. It has been home to one of the last piano bar standing piano greats like Teddy Wilson and Dave McKenna play when the Oak Room reopens this spring we don't know if there will be a piano bar or not. So today we're celebrating the piano bar and the Great American Songbook with radio legend Ron Della Ks as our guide and pianist

Jane Potter and Bob and the band that's playing someone to watch over. Thank

you. Part of a continuum of people who played at piano bars in Boston Tell us a little bit about the rich piano bar bounced in history a wonderful history of piano bars you know we can go back there places like well across from the Plaza bar in what used to be a merry go round and there used to go around they used to have jazz acts and then it became a piano bar and of course Dave McKenna held court there for 10 years. We had the Four Seasons. Bob winter another great pianist he plays with the Pops Ray Santis he is another regular staple of Sammy Pryce wonderful friend of mine the king of the boogie woogie he played at the at the Plaza bar Al Vega. Great pianist who just passed away a few weeks ago at the age of 90. So it was a very very active scene you could hang out late at night at the piano bar and he have favorites and enjoy the camaraderie of others who are tuned into what you were listening to. I think there was a sentiment there to that. That's missing in a lot of what we had today a

sentiment that you hear in the lyrics in the poetry. It was all there in the American songbook and they played it a lot of them without music. So did the piano bar make the American songbook special or was the American songbook making the piano bar special. I think it's sort of symbiotic I think you can't have one without the other. The American Songbook of course was there first and then you had these wonderful musicians who came out interpret it in their very own way and improvised as Bob did on that wonderful someone to watch it watch over me. So it was never the same way twice. Always different interpretations. I personally find piano bars very romantic I've had some let's just say really good dates at piano bars. TMI Let's move on. But I'm interested in Bob and Jane is it different because you both play other places many other places in the piano bar the atmosphere. What makes it special. I guess what makes it special It seems like people are coming in to relax and take

something in you know just to relax and receive a relaxing time more. All the requests seem to be about special memories for people and special feelings from the song so I think it's an opportunity for people to really get something back from life right through songs. Well I think you hit on something with the emotional impact of music. You can play a certain song that someone request and it just it just evokes so many memories and feelings that it's a very special thing I think to to even. I mean to play song at someone request is just a great thing because that it means so much to them to hear it. Someone play it and bring it to life in so way it's a wonderful way to work and make a living and so you know you just heard from him you just heard you played Someone to Watch Over Me. When I hear that song I think of what the legendary Gladys troupe and who played

at the in the Lenox Hotel. And it was rumored to be that she at one time was engaged to George Gershwin so he had this rich you know wonderful conduit right to Gershwin and she had a huge huge following. Gladys trooping was one of the legendary pianists on the piano bar scene. I'd like everybody to know a little bit about your both of your backgrounds because you didn't just sort of take a few piano lessons and roll up into the oak room. You're both quite professional and have years of playing piano in many different venues. So Bob let's start with you I'm told you know more than a thousand tunes. Sure. Well I've been doing this a few years. I don't know if you have any specific questions about my background where I want people to understand what you do when you're not playing a piano bar. OK I teach piano at Phillips Academy and the Groton School and elsewhere and it play at other places like sushi island is another that's a

piano bar type place that's in Wakefield that has live jazz every Friday and Saturday so Jane and I both play there too. And we do private events and. So maybe we'll see you at one of your house parties here. And Jane you are at Berklee College of Music. Yes I am a professor at Berkeley and love it. Lot of fun to work with. So much talent you know. So that's real pleasure going to work. Yes and I play a lot of you know not just piano bars but weddings and parties and. Just really enjoy it I'm it's a lot of work of course to get to the level where you can play songs that people request but it's worth it so keep practicing. I read that you've been a compass for vocalists like Joey McIntyre of New Kids On The Block. Yeah I did some work I think yeah yeah yeah. And on the other side of that spectrum I actually did a live concert on the air on GBH with

Robert Downey sucker classical tenor fame. You know so I've done a few things and it's good to be back doing something totally different. So here's a question for you. Piano Bar pianist What do you do when someone approaches you to sing in their heart. Yeah. Can I take this one just to please please you know I just give him the stock line the management doesn't allow singing and you know it gets me off the hook and you know maybe it's true but it's true at the Opa are they. They said no singing. But I really thought that was released I was told that a while back one of the managers What do you do when people go you know it's so obvious at times you're going to have people are going to be drinking making a lot of noise you disturbing disrupting the people who want to hear. How do you handle that. Well you say come sit down on the bench next to me and well you know you can just sing it to me. You know rather than stand up and broadcast you know.

I see that having one of my favorite songs any of the astronauts took this one to the moon. And of course Sinatra put it on the map because he can't think about thinking of the chairman of the board and it's a great song by Sammy Kahn who once told me in an interview that I included him in my book radio my way. He's I asked Sammy on my show I said Sammy what about Sinatra he said you know something. I put more words in Sinatra's mouth than anybody else. So you want to do Fly Me To The Moon. Both of them together. Yeah so going to be great. Fabulous. I

am. I am. I am. I am. I am. I

am. I am. I am. I am. I am. I am. I

am. I am. I am. I am. I am. Thank.

You our. Fabulous panel thank you for. Connery was great. That's one of my favorites that I have that time after time was had by Howard. Maybe it was part Howard and I know. Yeah I think Sammy kind. Time after time with that which is coming up hopefully later on. Well what a great version of words. I know Ron I want to ask you about you know the one of the reasons we're doing this show is because we want to celebrate the history of the piano bar and the wonderfulness of it and the oak bar is in question now. We call the hell across Lee's show to ask the Fairmont Copley Hotel. What was the fate as they would tell us about the bar and here is the response from Susie and whens who is the regional director of public relations for the Fairmont Copley Hotel a new restaurant in the space that formerly housed the legendary merry go round Oak Room and OPAR she said will debut in the spring as part of the more than 20 million dollar rather renovation currently underway at the Fairmont Copley Plaza. The reimagining of the

restaurant includes a thoughtful renovation to the space which will take into account the architectural details and historic significance. I should note that we press to ask does that mean the piano bar. In the open room and that is she repeated the same thing so not ready to answer that question. Speak to us about what it would mean if they decide not to put it back. You know it's it's sad in a way because this is this is such a tradition in America. I mean these wonderful musicians we have here you know where they play Jane and Bob I mean and there's so many young musicians coming up who are getting into the American songbook now. I see it when I'm out in the community I see it when the phone calls I get on my shows and the demise of the piano bar. It's just it's just I can't I can't believe it's not going to get exist. And you know it probably does exist in places like holiday Guinn's you know where you're going to go. There's a lot there's But you know you know you know him but Boston I just hope this tradition

continues and I hope that they realize there is an audience for this music. When Dave McKenna used to play there Tony Bennett would walk in you know anybody who was in town Sarah Vaughan they'd all walk in because they knew Dave was playing there. And he left such a legacy and so many others to show. So I just hope that's going to continue. Another question for you Ron with regard to this. Some say the web has the Internet has worked against some younger generations finding music but actually musicians say it's also work to help them find music they might not normally run across they get out of their box and and sample other things. It seems to me that if there was some promotion of what was going on in the piano bars in a way that young people respond to Twitter and Facebook will use it here in the Kelley cross to show that that would draw more people there. This is an example of it so it's a live experience and I don't think you know YouTube is great as it is you see all these wonderful artists and performers many of them passed away. There's nothing like the experience of

hearing it live like we're hearing it. Would you agree in this music. You know when we get there we get the feeling from the P.A. and they in turn the audience response and you can't get to that so much of what we do today is not alive anymore it's all. Can you two be too busy to be you know this is it. I mean I just like one on one and I like the audience around me. I know you do too. Pick another song from the list of Wild West. Let's this is Sammy Khan and this is a beautiful song it was Sinatra had it on the hit parade for years in the 40s and 50s and it refuses to go away because it's so lovely. Time after time I found myself that I'm falling in love with you and they're going to play it for us. Oh let's hear it. Jane I bought a bunch of Jane's arrangement. It's it's kind of it's got some nice little twists and turns in it. A little bit of John Coltrane in there. Well actually we should say That's from Richard Rodgers right

from. Have you met Miss Jones the middle section. With the harmony from that song on to this song. So you may hear it. Hopefully it will sound good to you. So you're sampling just like the kids do. That's right that's right sampling at Giant Steps by John Coltrane into time after time. Oh. I am. I am. I am. I am. I am. I am.

I am. I am. I am. This is the caliber where this is the Calla Crossley Show and you are listening to the piano stylings of Jane Potter and Baumann

and we're paying tribute today to Austin's piano bar scene at the Fairmont Copley Plaza has been closed down to undergo massive renovations and the Oak Room is home to one of the last piano bars standing. It's a space where some of the greatest pianists played including our guest today. And now the fate of the piano bar is up for grabs. That's why we're celebrating Boston's piano bar scene and the Great American Songbook. They have played with some of the Boston's greatest piano bars. And you are listening to them. And we'll be continuing this conversation. Eighty nine point seven. WGBH Boston Public Radio. This program is made possible thanks to you and the Harvard innovation lab a university wide center for innovation where entrepreneurs from Harvard the Austin Community Boston and beyond

engage in teaching and learning about entrepreneurship. Information at II labs at Harvard dot edu. And American experience with the real stories behind America's greatest Western tales. Learn the truth about sharpshooter Annie Oakley and the iconic outlaw Jesse James. Starting Tuesday night at 8:00 on WGBH to. How to write an Ashima is a new phrase in Hebrew. It's come to mean exclusion of women especially by the ultra-Orthodox but religious Jews say that's an unfair characterization. When they fulfill their roles in men to fill their ears that's the way we're taught that women are not supposed to be running on the ground. How the influence of ultra-Orthodox Judaism is changing the language of Israel. That's next time on the world. Coming up at 3:00 here on eighty nine point seven WGBH. Whether you're a strict vegetarian or committed current. You keep. Your WGBH member card to save money on restaurants food stores even

cooking lessons. That's in addition to all the other benefits of being a member. From two for one ticket deals to concerts and museums to discounts on everything from vacations to feck you learn how much it pays to support public broadcasting online. WGBH dot org. Great question but it's a great question and that's a great question. It's a great question. Rick great question. You'll hear unexpected questions and unexpected answers this afternoon at 2:00 9.7. Good afternoon I'm callin Crossley If you're just tuning in we're paying tribute to Boston's piano bar scene live from Frazer's performance studio with a live audience. The Oak Room at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel one of the last piano bars standing is undergoing massive renovations. The Oak Room has been home to one of these fabulous last piano bars. And we want to pay tribute to the history that has been so rich here in the city when it reopens this spring.

The Oak Room we don't know if they will bring the piano bar back. Joining us in the piano bar celebration is a radio legend WGBH is Ron delicate. His new book is radio my way featuring celebrity profiles from jazz opera and the American songbook and more. And our pianist Jane Potter about at the beach. I

am. I am. I am. I am. I am. I am. I

am. I am. Thank you. Thank you thank you so much. Let you get away without telling us how you met Tony Bennett. Oh great Tony Bennett and I met in a bar. I met him at the at the Oak Room with my wife Joyce who was here one night and Tony came

over to us. Dave McKenna was playing and he came over us and said Tony Bennett would like to meet you guys and I said Well Dave you going to join us he says No I met him before you you know you sit down and and we had a wonderful dinner we talked about everything we talked about movies the Italian Renaissance painting. He really is a renaissance man and that that friendship went back about 30 years and I'm delighted to say Tony 85 is sounding better than ever he just made a second duets album with Lady Gaga and all these wonderful artists Shelly's on it and amazing amazing career but you know I just want to say after hearing Jane play that I thought of Robert Benchley who when he fell into the pool at the Hollywood hotel said Get me out of these wet clothes into a dry martini and have a dry martini. He would export all of what you mentioned Tony Bennett singing with Lady Gaga and a lot of the standards the American songbook are now being played again by name Young name musicians. Tell us about some of those.

Yeah exactly and you have Michael bublé you have of course Diana Krall who went to the Berkeley College you meant she studied in a piano bar. She played at the Bostonian Hotel great Boston Harbor Hotel and she never sang until an elderly gentleman came in and said Why don't you sing she sang a song for him he said why don't you. She said don't have enough money for vocal lessons and he financed her and she became one of the great legends married to Elvis Costello I believe right. Yep twins. Yeah so yeah it's you know and all of these you're right you're right Kelly all of these young singers going back and recording the American songbook because they realize something as lasting they are you know I watched the Academy Award shows through the years I have is tape going back to the 70s and only sung songs that won Academy Awards I can't remember one of them that's been back except with a few a few exceptions John Williams and a few maybe Jenny. If John Williams Yeah he's in a separate course. But you know it's sort of like Britain to be thrown away and just done once and that's it but this music we're hearing will last forever last forever.

OK I got to know from both Jane and Bob your favorites I know it's like picking children but you got to use your favorite favorite favorite song of the year. That's really tough. But someone to watch for me is up there and top 10 or so of the American songbook. I don't know if I just copy Bob and say summertime but Someday My Prince Will Come and love the harmony love. I want Oscar and I want an Oscar but yeah. Yes you go yeah. All right well my personal favorite is what a difference a day makes you just happen to know that. Oh. Yeah. I'll take a few bars of that if you please we only know the first couple of bars. We'll take the rest. OK. Difference.

Thank you thank you Glenn. Thank you.

All right you're going to do it you know. That's the beauty of the piece. You created the piano bar. OK I'm assuming you're sitting right there around the bar and you just opened up and you started singing softly sort of 40 and then you opened up and it was lovely sound like Etta James our late great question because you know. I want to know your favorite Well my favorite song which I think I think well I love to I love what Tony Bennett does because of you. I think that's such a great song. I love Sinatra summer when blowing in across a secret such as a swing and song. It's hard to say you know the American Songbook is so overwhelming when you somebody says you go blank. Cousin thousands of songs come running through your head. Irving Berlin wrote a thing called all alone by the telephone. Now it's all alone by the Internet. Do Duke anything by by Duke Ellington Sophisticated Lady Johnny Mercer. He wrote so many great songs of you know that they're out there and

we've got to keep this legacy going and passing it on to a younger generation they're getting it. If you take them to the hip to a piano bar they'll get it they'll sit there and they'll enjoy it because unfortunately a lot of them are going deaf. Because the music is so loud. I mean these audiologists are going to have a field day correcting hearing because the music you can't carry on an intimate conversation with somebody in a piano outside. The piano bar you can talk quietly in the music is playing but they're competing against music that's really loud. I mean we're living in a loud society. Let's face it. Well he's only got about seven minutes left I want to squeeze some more songs in so let's try to see if we can get a couple more in. You have a blog would you like to do I Got Rhythm is on there. Let's try that. Don't do that you going to do variations on that. Bob's going to do a solo version of that. OK. Yeah this is a tune called funky mama and it's based on the chord progression or chord sequence of I Got Rhythm like it that was a B outside of the blues that was probably the most popular song. I Got

Rhythm. I was the most popular song that musicians who would write a new melody to so this is kind of a nice one. Oh my God I love that. Like I want to do it the Latino version of

I Got Rhythm that's great by the way you know what the piano bar is alive and well in Japan. Did you see that movie with Bill Murray in it and it all took place on a piano. Yeah the Japanese alum translation they loved the piano bar and they love music. It really resonates with them. So jazz is big in Japan as well. Yeah I mean we have to fly over to Japan to hear them. MARTIN So I hope not. I really hope I hope this is going to be kind of a catalyst clearly for for people who are listening to us to keep it going keep in the tradition of when you're going to a piano bar tell management you know that you like what's going on. You don't want to hear canned music you want to hear live music. And that's why we're here. Thank you thank you. If you had to pick two or three songs that you would suggest to people to give them an entree to the American songbook what would they be.

James I would go with the way you look tonight because it's been recorded so many times and by you know younger artists so that the younger people who are listening to that of course they think that those younger artists wrote those tunes which is not true. But that's a good line I think to get people into it's a great tune and everybody loves it. You know Bob I don't know comply with music great when I Sinatra you know. Well Stardust Stardust of course is the classic holding you know Michael and Michel power going and a lot of movies as well a lot of movies can recognize it more you know. All right well we've got one last tune to take us out of this fabulous hour of music and conversation. And the name of the song is Round Things ain't what they used to be. There you go this is great yeah. Duke Ellington that is his very best and I think also is Billy Strayhorn was involved is too great. Thank you both. We've been celebrating Boston's piano bar scene with WGBH is Ranelagh

a radio legend and author of the new book radio my way. We've also been joined by pianist Jane Potter and Jane Potter is an associate professor at Berklee College of Music. She's performed all over the world including her your gig as a piano instructor at Andover is Phillips Academy. And at the Grattan school he's played virtually every legendary piano bar. Calla Crossley Show is a production of WGBH Boston Public Radio.