by  Peter Cates

A wonderful jazz singer of yesteryears.

This is June Christy by June Christy, Capitol T1006, 12-inch mono vinyl LP, recorded 1958.

June Christy

The singer June Christy (1925-1990) was one of a very select group of jazz/pop singers who gained the most valuable experience honing and shaping their craft through working with the big bands before their own triumphs in the 1950s and after. Such names would include Peggy Lee, Perry Como, Jo Stafford, Doris Day, Chris Connor, Ella Fitzgerald, Anita O’Day, Sinatra, of course, and Miss Christy.

The album features 12 of the finest examples of craft to be found in the Great American Songbook – the Rodgers and Hart You Took Advantage of Me, Harold Arlen’s Get Happy, the ever joyous Bei Mir Bist Du Schon, Johnny Mercer’s I Never Wanna Look Into Those Eyes Again, Sammy Cahn’s Until the Real Thing Comes Along, etc. Her phrasing, diction, delivery and justly famous husky, wide-ranging soprano voice, along with Pete Rugolo’s spicy, vibrant arrangements, add up to a currently available four  CD set that includes seven other choice LPs, all for about 13 bucks.

A sad footnote – the singer struggled with alcoholism for years until her death from kidney failure in 1990 at the much too young age of 64.

Rimsky-Korsakov: Le Coq D’Or and Russian Easter Orchestra; Balakirev – Islamey; Sir Eugene Goosens conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra; Capitol G 7158, recorded 1959.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsako

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) is perhaps best known for the exceptionally brilliant and colorful four movement showpiece Scheherazade, which will be featured in a future column. This week I am focusing two other similarly masterful staples of his, namely the grandly majestic Russian Easter Overture and the eerie, very evocative Le Coq D’Or, along with the tone poem Islamey by the composer’s older colleague Balakirev. It adds up to a nice program of exhuberant music.

The mono LP showcases the distinguished conductor Sir Eugene Goosens (1893-1962) who came from a sizable family of formidably talented siblings, one sister a harpist who lived  past 100 and a father and grandfather with same name who were accomplished maestros in their day. These performances are competitive with the best since 1959,  and have been reissued on inexpensive CDs still available from internet sites such as Berkshire Record Outlet and the Amazon vendors, though separately with other works.

A postscript – Goosens conducted one or two orchestras in Australia, beginning in 1947, and achieving great success with audiences because of his judicious blend of traditionally popular classics and more modern works, many of which have become firmly established through concerts and recordings in our own time. He also ran afoul of the law and experienced professional disgrace through his involvement with pornography and Satanism, the sordid chronicle being recounted in his Wiki biography.

by Katie Ouilette

WALLS, do we hear what is said or do we interpret a statement as we think it is intended?   WALLS, this 86-years-young was
taught to listen and learn.  Yes, faithful readers who are younger than I am are expected to step into a time-machine and interpret what is said.  Well, my time-machine has a lot more information or actions than our faithful readers who are taken back only 10 or 20 or even 40 or 50 years.  Is this the USA that I grew up in?  Is my USA the one that younger folks wish for or do youngers consider those in my time-machine too old?

Delbert Corson took me back to 1936 and a few years later when he called to say he enjoyed WALLS.  Yes, our time machine took us back to our childhood when kids played hide and seek in the neighborhood or, get this, faithful readers,  ‘chums’ and us playing baseball in Mr. Devall’s cow-pasture, where Skowhegan’s Armory Building now stands.  Yup, I think the cowflaps were our bases!  That pasture on North School Street also was our sledding spot.  Why not?  Mémère Zelie just had to look out the living room window to assure our well-being and the phone number for all the neighborhood had been memorized, just in case a parent was needed.  Ah, Delly (his name to us kids), thanks for the reawakening of memories.

Speaking of ‘memories.’  Have you faithful readers visited the East Madison Historical Museum?  It’s worth the trip, you know.
There is so much memorabilia in that little building next to the East Madison Fire Station and, now, a surprise awaits when the new building that is being built is completed.  Just in case you are taking a ride up the East Madison Road on the first and third Thursdays of the month, stop by and reawake your memories of the area or learn something new.  The time?  1 – 4 p.m., the museum is open .  You may meet old friends Gary Malbon or Alfred Jackson as they drive nails for the new building or local historian Eric Lahti, who is now president.  The next monthly meeting of the EMHA is August 18, at 7 p.m.  Never to be forgotten are Marleen Brooks and the others who meet and create magnificently beautiful patchwork quilts.   The six East Madison Quilters presented the latest quilts that they made for veterans.  Yes, there were tears and applauses-a-plenty on the last day of the annual recent East Madison Days as each veteran was awarded a very special and beautifully designed quilt.  WALLS say ‘Thanks, Ladies, for your hard work and dedication.” And we are sure happy to have Merrit Burpee as a member.  Merrit grew up in East Madison and knows the rules that Lake Wesserunsett folks must follow to maintain its beauty.  Yes, we must be grateful that East Madison is ‘home.’

by Debbie Walker

I will get to the subject involving my little sister after a while but first:

It’s kind of strange how some areas of the country can be in desperate need of water because of fires or dry crops. Then in the same country we have areas that are being severely flooded. Let’s see, then we have areas where tornadoes are the activity of some days and nights. I guess our cross to bear is our snow and ice.

So……. we live in Maine. In my vehicle I have a first aid kit, small shovel, a blanket, a window smasher, seat belt cutter and various other handy gadgets. Also if there is a blizzard predicted I stay home because I can!  However, before moving to Florida I had plenty of snow and since I have been back these past two years.

Now I will get down to my real subject: MY LITTLE SISTER

Lyn lives in Arizona, in Phoenix, to be exact. Last week two days in a row Phoenix experienced flash floods. The first day Lyn was driving home in the mess. Her home, thankfully, was still a bit higher and dry. However, her trip from office to home was no treat, quite an experience from what I understand.

My answer to this situation is to put life jackets in her car and her husband’s vehicle. Not in a trunk but inside with them! Useless in the trunk! Do you know what she told me? Remember now, she is the youngest sister! She told me NO! She said NO! Her reasoning is flash floods hadn’t happened for 20 years! NO but you had two in two days!

It’ll be interesting when she gets the life jackets in the mail! Hey, maybe I’ll order her a little two persons and dog and cat inflatable boat. I do know that it sounds kind of crazy to be talking about this in a desert state. They would have to do some practicing with the boat to make sure they could avoid the long needle cactus, don’t want holes in boat.

Oh nuts, I forgot they do have sand storms out there too. Guess I will have to work on that.

I found a couple of these sayings and want to pass them on:

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull strong.

One thing I want to remember in volunteering in the school is “words that soak into your ears are whispered….not yelled.

This one is cool and would appear to be common sense, “do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.”