I am always amazed how music takes us into new worlds!
For example, this oboist-composer has resided in this tropical paradise called Rio de Janeiro over fifty years because music brought me to Brazil to play with the Orquestra Sinfonica Brasileira after my studies and work in Germany.
More recently, after attending at a local nightspot a musical celebration for the 93rd birthday of the internationally renowned Brazilian gaitista or harmonica player Mauricio Einhorn, I wrote him, mentioning (impolitely) that his ensemble´s version of “They Can´t Take that Away from Me” by my supposed cousin ,the late George Gershwin, was not exactly the one I recall as sung by Ella Fitzgerald (and Louis Armstrong).
I may not be an expert on Tom Jobim,Cartola,Caetano Veloso and other Brazilian geniuses of popular music, but having e grown up on the lower East Side of New York City not too far from where my supposed “cousin” grew up and initially plugged songs on Broadway, I know a bit about Gershwin.
The saying is that thought is sometimes the much more powerful than one might believe and to my surprise two days ago, or Thursday 5 June, I received a WhatsApp call from the great Mauricio himself inviting me to join him at Rio ´s German club here in the Gavea to “dar a canja,” or guest perform “They Can´t Take that Away from Me” cousin George.
The call would have completely surprised me but in my helter skelter musical life when I was a youngster in Queens, NYC, my Dad once summoned me to the phone saying “hurry answer the phone or else I will hang up.”
The caller was no one other than the great Maestro Leopold Stokowski inviting me to perform the Cimarosa Oboe concerto with the American Symphony for concerts at Manhattan hospitals for ailing war veterans!
But getting back to Mauricio …accustomed as I am as a “classical “musician, I called him back to ask “when was the rehearsal?” and “in what tonality” we would be performing Cuz Gershwin?
The answer was what seems to be the usual in Brazil´s (and the USA?) pop-jazz musical world: no rehearsal, just a sound check.
So, I played “They Can´t” first by telephone on my English oboe and then on my French with Mauricio approving the latter.
Friday(6 June) arriving an hour before the performance at the Germania club, before I could take my oboe out, I was sent to the stage for the sound “check” with the quartet running through Cuz George´s famous tune, which was first immortalized by Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers 1937 film ‘Shall We Dance.’
(The legend is Gershwin had an affair with Charlie Chaplain´s wife actress Paulette Goddard and when the “great dictator” found out about it, George and his brother lyricist Ira Gershwin composed the song about “They can´t take that away from me” —great romantic moments!)
After the five minute rehearsal(?),I was directed not to a quiet dressing room(—as usual befits visiting musical soloists—)but the front row of the German club´s auditorium ,where I enjoyed hearing Bernard Ramos, guitar, Romulo Gomes, bass and Xande Figueiredo drums, glitter with MAURICIO´S always lovely harmonica.
But like a soccer or baseball player sent into substitute late in the game, my nerves were getting a bit(?) on edge: would my reed work, was the oboe ok with all this air conditioning?
Meanwhile next to me the President of the German club was sipping his scotch and everyone was enjoying the quartet´s ten ditties which included “Here´s that Rainy Day,” to Mauricio´s own “Sadness of the two of us” to the number just before me “Autumn Leaves.”
Showtime!
My turn finally came.
Applause .”They can´t take it away” was not exactly up to Louis Armstrong’ s – Ella Fitzgerald´s but it seemed to go well and I packed up my oboe to enjoy the concluding number of the lovely musical evening.
But wait a minute… Mauricio summoned me again to join in with the second (or first?) Brazilian anthem: “Carinhoso” (“Tender”) by the immortal Pixinguinha.
And afterwards he kissed my hand in thanks!
An unforgettable evening …at least for me…. thank you, “Cousin” George Gershwin!