Randomly Musical

Tommy Gill photographed by Ben Stroman in performance with the Mark Sterbank Jazz Group in 2005 and 2007.

View The Photographs Presented in a slide show

This is in Memory of David Stahl (4 November 1949 – 24 October 2010)

In 2003, my nephew Tommy Gill (who is well known in the Charleston South Carolina and surrounding low-country area as a Jazz Pianist and Steinway Piano Technician) was tuning the piano at home of David Stahl, Conductor of the Charleston Symphony. He was asked by Stahl to play Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” with the Symphony Orchestra. After studying Gershwin compositions for a year, Tommy not only played the concerto, but went on to compose and arrange three Jazz pieces based on Gershwin Themes, these are featured below.

Jazz Performance based on Gershwin’s Theme “Summertime”

Introduction to “Rhapsody in Blue”

Jazz Performance based on Gershwin’s Theme “Rhapsody in Blue”

Jazz Performance based on Gershwin’s Theme “I’ve Got Rhythm”

David Stahl biographical information from Wikipedia.
David Stahl studied conducting at Queens College, City University of New York. After making his Carnegie Hall debut at age 23, he came under the tutelage of Leonard Bernstein, eventually taking over as music director of the Broadway production of West Side Story. In 1984, he became Music Director of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra; a position he remained in until his death 26 years later. In 1996 he was invited to be guest conductor at the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz. He assumed the title of Music Director there from 1999. He also worked frequently as a guest conductor of operas and musicals at major theatres around the world, including the Bavarian State Opera, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the New York City Opera among others.

As an enthusiast of Bernstein, he had been behind several revivals of Candide, including conducting an acclaimed 2003 German language production narrated by Loriot and a 2008 production in Charleston, South Carolina. He was also involved in the staging of a notable production of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess in Charleston, the city where the opera is set, which went on to tour internationally in the early 1990s. In 2009 he celebrated 25 years at CSO and 10 years at the Gärtnerplatz.

David Stahl died of lymphoma on October 24, 2010.

Long Long Ago played by the three students who had lessons last Saturday ( May 21, 2011 ). Starting with the young man who has just started learning the piece, and progressing through the two young ladies who have been working on it for a couple of weeks. Finally I finish up with a jazzed up rendition and ruin the whole thing.

Here is a recent improvisation and some video “The Oriental Flowers”

The Hobo Song made famous by Burl Ives in the 1950s “Big Rock Candy Mountain”

A video made for our Church Food Ministry with some of my piano in the background. “Food Pantry Feb 22 2011″

There are a number of new videos posted in the Ben Stroman Channel on YouTube.

Visit The Ben Stroman Channel on YouTube.

Not all have music by me as a number of videos feature music at Glory of God Anglican Church in Cocoa, but there are a number of videos that show samples from my daily practice sessions posted to (Hopefully) inspire my students.

Some video on the beach, and some piano recorded at our church on the Kurzweil Electronic Piano – a far brighter sounding instrument than my Kawei Digital Piano. Music performed and recorded by Ben Stroman, as well as the video.

The Piano Lesson

The Videos are made and are streaming properly from YouTube, along with an introduction to outline how I work through a piano lesson toward what I hope will be the “Teachable Moment” – and here it is The Piano Lesson. – So Here it Is – The Videos Open Separately, just close the video window and you will be right back to the narative and Links.

Click on Photo of Article for Larger more readable Copy or Click Here

(Copied from Florida Today July 3, 2009)

Several Excellent Videos by Austin Church singing his original songs including “Miss Ola The Mississippi Giver” – Video by Valencia Community College, and several other songs with video by Ben Stroman. Austin often performs at “And All That Jazz” Cafe where you can enjoy the fine food served by Chef Peter.

Kameryn plays her original Composition “The Flying Dutchman”
on piano.