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Like
always, faithful Dante escorts Rosemary to the stage. She's brought
John Oddo and Joe Cocuzzo along to play with the Smithsonian Jazz
Orchestra.
She sets the stage for our afternoon
together by opening with "Sentimental Journey."
She explains that she'll be sitting for the
concert, as about 5 years ago she had a knee replacement and she
thinks it is due for another one. She doesn't feel bad about this
"cause they're younger than me in the band, and their
sittin." She updates the audience about what's she's been up to.
She says she now has 10 grandchildren, and that in a few weeks she
will be going to Ireland for Isabella Maria Ferrer's, her youngest
grandchild's, christening. "Grandkids, that's the easiest thing
I've ever done," she says.
Now she's ready to start singing, and so she
looks over to John and says "can I have your attention
John!" just like a school teacher.
She states that she started off with Tony
Pastor's Big Band and that the songs she had to sing with him weren't
very good, so instead she's going to sing one of his, because his
songs were the best, "he was the leader." She sang "I'm
Confessin."
About 4 years ago she said she did a
recording with the Basie Band and they did a number called "Just
in Time." She said, she'd recorded with Duke and others, so she
figured she better pick up the slack and get with the Basie Band.
She next touched on her recordings with
Nelson Riddle whom she worked with a lot. Recently she'd recorded an
album of Nelson's arrangements, and it was given a "not
embarrassing" title, like the one from the 50s "Rosie
solves the Singing Riddle," this one was simply "Dedicated
to Nelson." She sang, "Do You Know What It Means to Miss
New Orleans." When she was finished she looked at John and said,
"remind me not to sing that song until it's dark."
Her next song she said was from "Cabin
in the Sky." She said she recalls so vividly Ethel Waters
singing this song so beautifully and believes it is the definitive
version, but, she says, "I'll have a whack at it," and she
sings "Happiness is a Thing Called Joe."
A
song written by Fred Astaire is what she says she is going to sing
next, but she gives some background first. Her husband Dante Dipaolo
was dancing at 6. His family lived in a coal mining town in Colorado
and there weren't many tap dancers there, so his mom took him to
Hollywood and his was dancing with Bing at 9. He finally ended up at
MGM. She read for the audience a letter that Fred had written to
Dante in the 40s. The song was entitled "If Swing Goes I Go Too."
Rosemary tells her story about Grandson
Harry and "Hey There" and then sings it.
A song that she says is most closely
associated with Bob Hope and is known as his theme song is what
she'll do next. She adds that his wife Delores Hope is probably her
best friend. She shares that when Delores was 84 she recorded her
first CD. She said she skipped the 78s, 45s and 33s and went straight
to CD. "I always think of them when I sing this," and then
she sang "Thanks for the Memories."
"Ole Rockin Chair," was the next
selection and she commented that "it's the most honest song in
the book!"
The next song she says she stole, lifted
from Bing Crosby. During the last three years of his life she toured
with him and Joe Bushkin had arranged this song for Bing at a
ridiculous pace, but she's going to try it. "Old Man River"
"You
met Joe," she says looking over her shoulder to her drummer,
"well he wrote this poem a year ago last Christmas, and it was
so moving, so wonderful," we had Vinnie Falcone set it to music.
"I don't want to do it wrong," as she picked up the lyric
sheet,"it's about an inspiration for a lot of us here." The
song is called "The Singer," she followed it Frank's
standard "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning." The new
song will be on her CD that is coming out in the fall. She was
excited she was the first to record it, and said "Tony Bennett
was really jealous."
She
closed the afternoon with the Gershwins, "Our Love is Here to
Stay," and then wanted for Dear Dante to come back for her.





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