Piano Solo - Level 5 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.999484

Composed by Alex Lewis. 20th Century,Concert,Contemporary,Standards. Score. 8 pages. Alex Lewis #6302621. Published by Alex Lewis (A0.999484).

Free Flow is about the free flow of information. Freedom of speech is one of the most important pillars of a liberal society. And it seems as though that's being eroded too easily these days.
I am reminded, ironically, of the quote by Henry Ford after showcasing the now-famous Model-T, You can have this vehicle in any color you want, as long as it's black. It seems as though the appropriate quote that the media has adopted is, You may have any opinion you want, as long as it's our opinion. I don't know why black was the only option for the Model-T, but perhaps there was a good excuse for it. There is no good reason to silence anybody's voice. What I want in this country is diversity. After all, doesn't everybody agree that diversity creates a better life than monotony? But I'm not just talking about Asians, Blacks, Whites, and others living in the same country. I'm not just talking about people of different ancestries working in the same economy. The pinnacle of diversity is when people of different philosophies and ideologies work together, collaborate together, and fight together. Censorship, then, is the greatest enemy of diversity. You may think censorship is needed. You may think censorship is justified. But censorship is used as a weapon against 'dangerous' people. I will clarify. Censorship is not being used against criminals, but against individuals with controversial ideas. Free Flow of information is the only safeguard against tyranny.

Piano - Level 4 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1398436

By Bobby Darin. By Albert Lasry, Charles Trenet, and Jack Lawrence. Arranged by Tobi A Crawford. Contemporary,Jazz. Score (Chords/Lyrics). 7 pages. Tobi Crawford #981711. Published by Tobi Crawford (A0.1398436).

This arrangement came to me over a number of weeks in a very organic way that began with the ostinato piano figure that prevails throughout the piece. I began playing it unattached to any tune and I just liked the way the line descended in the left hand and how I had to find voicings in the right hand that made harmonic sense – like a puzzle. As I was playing around with this puzzle, thoughts of my father were swirling around in my head – I was at the end of a 4 year period of separation from my parents owing to the fact that I’m a Canadian expat living in the US and the borders were closed for a long time because of Covid, and then I had work visa issues and my parents were getting older before my eyes. They were also losing friends to cancer and other ailments and my dad, in particular, had experienced the loss of many close family members and friends during our separation and it was taking a toll.

 

One day I sat down and played the now familiar-to-me ostinato but randomly I started to sing “Beyond the Sea� over it and it fit perfectly. I thought it a happy coincidence. As the days went on I committed to putting my ostinato with Beyond the Sea and the lyrics started to seep into my brain. I have, of course, heard these lyrics many times before, (who hasn’t seen Finding Nemo?) but the lyrics didn’t mean what I thought they meant… They’re NOT about the ocean, they are about my dad!!! Well, kind of… I realized, through careful reflection and by slowing the words down, that the lyrics are talking about a person in heaven who is patiently waiting for their partner to join them.

 

Somewhere beyond the sea

She’s there watching for me

…

It’s far beyond the stars

It’s near beyond the moon

 

And the lyrics end with them meeting, “We’ll meet beyond the shore, we’ll kiss just like before,� and the song ends with: “and never again I’ll go sailing.� It’s like the big bang went off in my head about why all these thoughts of my dad, and his friends, and this arrangement, and what it all meant suddenly just MADE SENSE and I was able to start formulating a plan.

 

Performance Suggestions: 

The improvisation solo in the middle should be free of any traditional “scat syllables� and should be more of a lament. Listen to singers like Aubrey Johnson and Sara Gazarek improvise on ballads for inspiration.

Piano Solo - Intermediate - Digital Download By Various. Arranged by Mario Stallbaumer. 3 pages. Published by Mario Stallbaumer