DiJoseph's More-Than-a Piano Blog #3

WE interrupt OUR regularly scheduled PROGRAM WITH THIS NEWS FLASH!
As I write this..my 3rd More-Than-A Piano BLOG...I have in my possession..
Dan (no.2) Desiderio's email! Dan just turned 80!... and they just had a "this is your life" party...and missed this? geez...I've written to him and EAGERLY anticipate his reply!

OK..onto MTAP blog 3.
...So, I was talking about arguing w Dan wether or not a great pianist can also be a great composer: I call to the stand.....BEETHOVEN!!!! Among the TOP COMPOSERS of all time, Ludwig ( not to mention having a DRUM maker named after him! LOL!) was known and FEARED by his peers for his ability to improvise (known then as EXTEMPORIZATION) sending his challengers fleeing from the concert hall ( and probably back to their studios to shed!) I mean the dude was like..PianoGod..of his day...then there is Liszt who mastered ALL the piano technics of his day...in 22 months!!!!! ...ALSO a composer/arranger... OK I'm happy : >)

I must say here that I am forever grateful..to BOTH Dan's for their support, insight and guidance that helped and inspired me to become better at my craft...and for providing opportunities for a good argument..which I win... ; >)....
I have recently discovered TAPES of early piano and organ compositions of
mine that I will EVENTUALLY digitize and share for fun.

JUMPTIME: More people I'm grateful for. In High school I met a fellow named Mike DiMatteo . Mike became like a brother to me and we would talk, write and play music for DAYS at a time. Writing together was a completely fluid experience...a fabulous collaboration. Mike was deep into Paul Simon when we met and so I eagerly turned him onto classical music and especially Prog Rock.....and most specifically... Yes's Prog Rock masterpiece 'Close To The Edge' . He STILL tells me how grateful he is for that. We eventually formed a Prog Rock band called... Increase the Angle

link

As I mentioned my love for Prog and then classical culminated in this band
which gave me the opp to play with a serious collection of hyper-talented individuals. I played organ/piano/synth....Mike DiMatteo/bass and acoustic guitar....Mark "flashfingers" Huss ( Mark was writing his own Bach-like Fugues at age 14!) and drummer Jim Meneses. Jim could play along with everyone of the 3000 albums he owned..lic for lic! He played the ONLY drum solo that EVER made me cry...(except for the drummer in my teenage wedding band ...painful...ugh... : > (....

I look forward to sharing more stories from Jim because he was a freelance
drummer-promoter and show producer throughout Europe for 20 years
as well as a mover/shaker for the experimental/rock music scene in 80's philadelphia...

Here then is my weekly vid offering from a show I did at the Friends of Gwynedd concert series: Something I eventually called...Etude With Attitude based on Chopin's Etude #14 in Fm....