2 posts tagged “tennis”

My father would have turned 85 last week and boy, did he love this time of year. Perhaps it was the proximity to his birthday and with it, a fresh start to a new year, but when the end of August would roll around he would just start to burst with positive energy.

On Sundays from late August through September, he’d throw a couple of tuna sandwiches into a cooler (always on white bread with more mayo than you can possibly even contemplate) along with a couple of Lipton Iced Teas (cue the Dandy Don Meredith jingle), and the Sunday LA Times - especially the crossword puzzle - and head on down to Will Rogers beach (PCH & Temescal) to enjoy a solitary day enjoying the end-of-summer sun, sand and salt water.

September also signaled the beginning of college football and with it, the promise of an undefeated season for his beloved Missouri Tigers. Now you’ve got to understand that underneath my dad’s raging, curmudgeonly exterior beat the heart of an eternal optimist. No matter how dark his world was, he knew that something good was just around the corner; be it a solid backhand slice that caught the end line, the opening of a new musical on Broadway with songs you could actually hum, or a G.W. scandal that would evict the pretender from the White House (he’s still waiting on that one). He would steadfastly refuse to fall into negativity. That’s not to say he wouldn’t bitch and moan or rant and rave about a situation - he did that in spades - that was part of the deal

(I can literally hear his bellowing tirade against McCain ringing in my ears). But if you got close enough to see under the big show, you’d see that he was searching to find something positive that could bring him through the tunnel of darkness and in so doing, he’d light the way for his friends and family.  

Now, you might find yourself asking, “What’s a New York Jew doing rooting for Missouri?” Simple answer, he attended college in Columbia, MO as a journalism major for two years before signing up for the Army in 1942. And know that this was a watershed era for the Tigers: a standout quarterback in Paul Christman who would later play in the pros, multiple Big 8 Championships and a couple of Bowl wins. So it was with great pride on Saturdays thereafter for 64 years whether in Caserta, Italy, Manhattan or Los Angeles, that he’d proudly wear the big “M’ and bleed a little Black and Gold.

Unfortunately, bleeding is about all the Tigers have done over the past 40 years, compiling losing season after losing season. Mix that with a couple of scandals and there’s little to show a die-hard fan such as Selwyn Stuart Edgar Waldman Small.  So the irony was not lost on my brother and I when on December 1 of last year, the first season after my father’s death, the Missouri Tigers were a short 60 minutes away from playing for the BCS championship game (okay, they blew it.. but they were really, really close). And now again this year, hope is once again on high as ESPN has them ranked #7 in its pre-season poll.  So I pour a glass of Cutty on the rocks and raise a toast to my dad and the other true believers out there who continue to have faith when there is no evidence that their faith will ever be rewarded.

Here are two tracks that are bursting with sunny optimism, even more impressive as they came out of shows filled with incredibly dark themes of racism, war, death, and the social ills of street gangs and juvenile delinquency.

From South Pacific, Rodgers & Hammerstein great WW2 musical, comes A Cockeyed Optimist, here performed with pluck by original cast member, Mary Martin (Larry Hagman’s mother for those fans of Dallas or I Dream of Jeannie).

South Pacific opened on Broadway in 1949 and was the middle show in arguably, the greatest run on Broadway by any team - five mega hits which forever set the standard for musical creativity; Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific, The King & I, and The Sound of Music. This one’s probably a bit Pollyanna for a social gathering and you’d get more bang for your buck by choosing one of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Overtures, unless of course you’re entertaining a group of show biz veterans and want to impress them by drilling deep into the songbook.

Something’s Coming from West Side Story (music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) lights up the night sky and features an amazing performance by Larry Kert.

Living in the middle of a grimy tenement, in the midst of a sweltering summer, his exuberance and unconditional optimism are intoxicating.  Again, don’t know if your guests can handle show tunes (I find it about 50/50 – maybe it’s a generational or cultural thing) but I’d add this to any American celebrational party where you’d want to express the wide ranging musical colors this country has to offer.

This image is from the back cover of the memorial CD we distributed for my father’s friends and family at his service last year.

Besides a great set list of songs that showcase a bygone era of big band jazz and Broadway, the cd booklet contains a listing of 101 films he felt essential viewing, some interesting quotes he collected and kept close to his heart, as well as his grandmother, Belle Schary’s killer Brisket recipe, which answers the age old question, what does one do with lima beans.  

If you’re interested, we have quite a few extra copies lying around and would be happy to share the bounty with you.  Drop me a hello if you’d like one.

I've always found it somewhat ironic that for the past 40 years, the only major sporting event broadcast over America's airwaves on the July 4th holiday is the goings on at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club. But when else would Americans get up at 6am on a Sunday morning to dine on strawberries and clotted cream.

I was lucky enough to spend a memorable two weeks in the summer of 1977 working the event for NBC and what a time it was; Borg beat Connors to win his 2nd of 5 consecutive championships, McEnroe played his first matches there along with Gerulaitis, Nastasse, Vilas, and Laver. I got to hit the ball on the grass practice courts, spend time with Bud Collins and John Newcombe and, wearing a sickly mustache, I get confused for Raul Ramirez by a gaggle of screaming 14 yr. old british schoolgirls. Yeah, that sucked.

In building a set list for July 4th, I recommend a sonic blend that takes into account all that makes this country unique; jazz (from cool to big band), rock and soul for sure, balanced with a bit of folk and blues along with a gem or three from the great american songbook, polished off with a hint of pop, roots, classical (symphonic or soundtrack) and country. This sort of musical melding drives Young Barnaby completely nuts - he’s more of a “6 hours of one thing” sort of purist. Of course, growing up, he also kept his vegetables at arm’s length from the other foods on his plate (actually he stashed them under the cushion at the dining table but that’s a story for another day).  For a stars and stripe gathering there's only one rule - keep it within the borders. This obviously excludes Brits, Brazilians, Bach and Beethoven. Crosby and Stills are in - but Nash and Young have to sit this one out. So does Joni Mitchell, even when collaborating with Mingus. Fleetwood Mac is out too - oh well.

Here are some of my essentials:

Jazz:
Art Blakey, Artie Shaw, Benny Carter, Benny Goodman, Bird, Dick Hyman, Ellington, The Marsalis Clan, Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Miles, MJQ, Oscar Peterson, Paul Desmond, Phil Woods, Satch, Stan Getz, Tommy Flanagan, Wes Montgomery

Soul/R&B:
Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, John Legend, Temps and Four Tops, Sam Cooke, Marlena Shaw, Aaron Neville, Otis Redding, Booker T, Ray Charles,  Al Green, Ben Harper, The Miracles, Dinah Washington

Blues:
John Lee Hooker, Keb Mo, Muddy Waters, Robert Cray, Johnny Winter, Taj Mahal, Blind Boys of Alabama, Howling Wolf, the Kings; Freddie, BB and Albert, Bonnie Raitt, Paul Butterfield

Rock/Pop/Alternative:
Elliott Smith, Hall & Oates, Carl Perkins, REM, Sufjan Stevens, Wilco, The 88, Allman Brothers, Buddy Holly, Doors, Fiona Apple, Lovin’ Spoonful, Monkees, The Bird & The Bee, Randy Newman, Steve Miller, Steely Dan, Beck, Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Sam Philips, Tom Waits, Jon Brion, Rufus Wainwright, Neil Diamond, Dionne Warwick, James Taylor, Simon & Garfunkel, JD Souther, Jefferson Airplane, Chicago

Americana:
Johnny Cash, Jack White, Kingston Trio, Graham Lindsey, Lyle Lovett, Lucinda Williams, Dave Alvin, Patsy Cline, Glen Campbell, Dwight Yoakam, Ryan Adams, Alison Krauss, John Prine, Emmylou Harris, Soggy Bottom Boys, Dylan

Classical/Soundtracks:
Aaron Copland, Morton Gould, George Gershwin (Orchestral pieces not songbook ), Alex North, Elmer Bernstein, Leonard Bernstein, David Raksin, John Williams, Randy Newman

The Great American Songbook:
Blossom Dearie, Sinatra (Capitol era), Ella, Chet Baker, Peggy Lee, John Pizzarelli, June Christie, Sammy Davis Jr., Billie Holiday, Mel Torme, Dianne Reeves, Fred Astaire, Audra McDonald, Nat King Cole

A note: Be prepared for the charming, self-appointed music critic to ignore all the time and effort that went into crafting your musical canvas and slam you for including something that rubs them the wrong way. Make sure they get the seat furthest from the heater.

In honor of today’s Ladies’ Final, I offer the Super Furry Animals take on the beautiful Williams’ sisters. From their 2003 release, Phantom Power, Venus & Serena is a gritty serve and volley blast of fuzzy guitar riffs, which glide over the net on glistening beads of sugar-coated cotton candy, landing just inside the back line of a perfectly crafted Wilsonesque chorus hook.