Reminisce

Recorded at Moose Camp II, Heber City, UT July 2008 Photographs by Cynthia Signor Souther (P)(C) 2008 Northersouth Music Northersouth Music Attn: Richard Souther PO Box 287 Heber City, UT 84032 Notes on each song: http://richardsouther.blogspot.com/2008/08/reminisce.html Edit Jan 2017: Blog page gone, so thanks to archive.org the full text follows: Monday, August 18, 2008 Growing up, we all have some kind of special memories that we revisit on occasion. Just like an old familiar friend you haven't seen in awhile. Memories, “little treasures", those special moments that no one can ever take away from you. Something almost magical, that strings back to our earliest childhood recollections and follows us up to the ever-present. And in those few milliseconds we feel a longing. I guess you'd call it nostalgia. Those memories are like “landmarks" in your life. They can be anything that triggers the five or six senses. A smell, a sunset, a laugh, a remark someone made. For me personally, it’s a song. You know that song I'm talking about....the one when you hear it... you immediately recall that moment where you were the first time you ever heard it...and fell in love with it.... reminisce~ gave me the opportunity to sit at the piano and revisit some “old friends” and catch up with them... About The Songs 1. A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT Back in January of this year, through circumstances I had very little to do with, I was asked to be the guest performer at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, Opening Night Gala in Salt Lake City. In reality that meant I played piano at a “dessert reception” between the screenings of a film being premiered. In thinking of material that would be fitting for such an event, this song kept coming to mind. The common denominator was, actor, director and environmental activist, Robert Redford (one of the founders of the Sundance Film Festival and director of the film; “A River Runs Through It”). I honestly don't think he was there that night but recording this beautiful theme song by composer Mark Isham was my way of saying "thanks!" for letting me play a part in that special evening. 2. CAPTAIN FOR DARK MORNINGS Laura Nyro’s 1969 landmark album, New York Tendaberry had a profound effect on my music and still does to this day. The process of adding additional instrumentation to a recorded “live performance” in the studio, of her singing and playing piano, was very creative to me and I chose the same process when I recorded Vision: The Music Of Hildegard von Bingen. I was very fortunate to see her perform live several times before her passing. I recall one amazing performance she did and never spoke a word...well, maybe "thank you"! It was an intimate setting at a little club in West Hollywood called "The Troubadour". What made the evening so special, besides the performance, was when my friend and I left the club, we discovered my VW Van had been towed away. We sat waiting on the curb, directly across the street from The Troubadour, till about 4AM in the morning, when my Uncle Chet came and picked us up. The real show started while we were waiting for our ride. If you look at the picture of the building, you’ll notice several windows above it. Now all I know is (I don't mean to be tellin' tales out of school!) we watched a “silhouetted figure” go from one room to another, back and forth, past those open upstairs windows. It appeared to be a female with long dark hair. She was playing excerpts from Laura Nyro songs on a record player. She’d play a little passage, stop the record, then sing the parts accapella. This went on for a couple hours. That was pretty cool, even if it wasn’t Laura...but it sure sounded like her! She was after-all, a "stone cold" perfectionist. 3. CHARADE Katherine, my Mom, just loved this beautiful song written by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer. Her favorite version was recorded by 60’s pop singer, Jack Jones, and she kept wanting me to sing it like him. I was probably twelve at the time and she secretly recorded me singing along to the record. A school friend came over to the house and she played the recording for him (much to my embarrassment!). That was my Mom... and how I miss her! 4. CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN (aka) Climb Ev'ry Mountain I don’t really know what possessed me to record this song although I love Rogers and Hammerstein’s music. I never was a big fan (probably one of the few!) of “Sound Of Music.” But...this is a beautiful song nevertheless and it has some link into my life. 5. COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS The actual title is Count Your Blessings Instead Of Sheep I have always loved this Irving Berlin song and especially Bing Crosby’s version. I admit I never quite understood the bridge lyrics, ”I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads. And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds.” But the last lines say it all it for me. “If you're worried and you can't sleep Just count your blessings instead of sheep And you'll fall asleep Counting your blessings.” 6. ECHOES IN THE DISTANCE This song is my favorite song written for the second Meadowlark piano album I recorded, "Second Story". I have always loved it a little more out of all my Douglas Trowbridge songs. Most people who are familiar with my piano music have probably never heard it. The album was only out for a short time before the label was sold off. When I started performing live again this old friend returned. By the way, a note to another “old friend” Peter... Thank You! for believing in me all those many years ago! 7. FIRE AND RAIN I became aware of James Taylor when he released his first album on the short lived Beatles, Apple Records and became an instant fan.... and still am! I've never met James so don't know the real truth about this song but I've heard different stories about Fire And Rain. I know the words are heart felt, wherever the truth lies, and the melody "lives with you". 8. GEORGIA ON MY MIND This is a wonderful song written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell back in 1930. One usually associates it with the 1960 Ray Charles hit but I fell in love with this song the first time I heard Richard Manuel from “The Band” sing it. Levon Helm said,"Richard Manuel was a whole show unto himself. He was hot. He was about the best singer I'd ever heard; most people said he reminded them of Ray Charles. He'd do those ballads, and the ladies would swoon. To me that became the highlight of our show." Richard's version made me want to record it for this album. RIP Richard... 9. I’LL BE SEEING YOU I grew up with this song written by Sammy Fain and Irving Kahal. Long before the outrageous costumes and Las Vegas antics; pianist, Wladziu Valentino Liberace had a television show in the early 1950’s. The big thing at my house (I think Monday nights) was having my grandmother, my mom and myself, gather around the, then new, black and white TV and watch his show. I remember he wore a black tuxedo, had a candelabra on top of his grand piano and at some point in the show he’d always say, “I wish my brother George was here!” George would appear out of the corner of the TV screen playing the violin! And of course... Lee singing “I’ll Be Seeing You” at the close of each show. Judy Collins does a wonderful rendition, arranged by Jonathan Tunick, that also influenced my re-recording of this song...but I’ll get to her later! :-) 10. NEVER NEVER LAND Jule Styne wrote the music. Betty Comden and Adolph Green wrote the words to this song from the musical “Peter Pan.” I was introduced to it in 1955 when Mary Martin performed the entire musical on that "new" TV we would gather around. She was amazing and the musical was forever etched into my memory. Years later I saw an interview with Jule Styne and he played a little excerpt from that song like it was no big thing! And I thought,"if I could write just one song as memorable as that...” 11. PLYMOUTH WALTZ James Newton Howard wrote this song as part of the score to the 1987 film, Promised Land. James is a gifted composer who can raise the level of even a mediocre film to something much better than it really is. It's always a treat to hear what creative things he comes up with for a film score. By the way, I’m not saying this film was mediocre. I actually don't really remember it well, but I’ve always remembered this beautiful song. And I only recorded a portion of it! 12. SINCE YOU ASKED I honestly never knew that Judy Collins wrote this beautiful song until I researched it for this album. I was on the road with a band called The 2nd Chapter Of Acts back in 1975 and we were basically stuck in Waco Texas for a couple of days. When I say “stuck” it was really because I had nothing to do. I was being housed by a person who worked for Word Records which was Act’s record label then. All I remember was this person was into Charlie Chaplin and had an album called Judith that I played constantly while he was at work. It’s one of my “desert island” albums like New York Tendaberry. Dan Fogelberg recorded his version. Rest In Peace Dan 13. SISTERS OF MERCY This Leonard Cohen song was originally used in the visually beautiful but odd Robert Altman film called “McCabe & Mrs. Miller". I became reacquainted with the song through a documentary about Leonard Cohen called I'm Your Man which had it's screening at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. Beth Orton did this kind of haunting rendition that for some reason stayed with me. 14. THE WEIGHT Written by Jamie Robbie Robertson is one of my all time favorite songs. It’s a very simple song in it’s construction but a true masterpiece. The first time I heard the word “cinemagraphic” was in a Rolling Stone Magazine review of the album THE BAND. It's another “desert island album." So many great songs plus one of my keyboard heroes, Garth Hudson. 15. THE BONNIE BANKS O' LOCH LOMMOND I have always loved the melody since childhood but never knew the story behind the song. There are several but the one I’ve heard that seems to resonate with me is about two captured Scottish soldiers in 1745. Their guards tell them one will be executed and one will be set free to go back to his troops and tell the story... but it’s up to them to choose who it shall be. Who took the “high road,” (the towns between London and Glasgow) and who took the “low road” (death). And I’ll be in Scotland afore ye....