Would you / Do you play this on a job?

Donna Taggert's "Jealous of the Angels" is moving piece of music. I'm considering adding it to my NH set, but am now wondering how it might affect the residents. Would you play it? Why or why not?

https://youtu.be/0n67dSG35L4

I play for a number of older residents. I try to keep the music light and fun as a number of folks are prone to sadness/depression.

My wife and I have many favorite tunes that speak of one partner gone and the other left behind.

Two in particular are If You Get There Before I do and Far side Banks of Jordan.

However we have, at times, seen tears of sadness, folks missing a loved one, when we do these songs.

So we try to do these types of songs judiciously only when we think they might give hope or cheer rather than depress.

Would be nice for background music at a diner party..

Think this kind of songs can be truely enhanced by a good vocal harmoniser..

Only if I had a drop-dead gorgeous female singer standing in front of me singing the song. And, even then, I would have reservations about doing it at a senior event. Another song I stopped performing at senior events was Remember When. I have been told I do a damned good job of it, but everyone ends up with tears streaming down their face, including me.

Here's my rendition of Remember When

Gary

I listened to the entire song, and it is very pretty, but at 1:10 I knew I would never sing this at a senior event ...
Another song I will not sing at senior events is "My Way" ... no need for me to remind people "...And now the end is near..."
But that's just me ...

Correct, old friend. While everyone in the audience has likely heard My Way, the story the lyrics tell is not what you wish to convey to an older/senior audience that is currently residing on death's waiting room. Many, many years ago, Donny Pesce said to me, play only songs that will keep their toes tapping and make them want to get up and dance, even though they physically are incapable of dancing. Leave them on a high note, singing an upbeat song as you walk out the door with your gear and you will be there every month for as long as you wish. Donny was absolutely right and I have followed that rule for three decades with great success. My signature last song was Show Me The Way To Go Home using an upbeat shuffle beat - the audiences loved it, and many were still singing it as I walked out the door. Oh how I miss being on stage.

All the best,

Gary

"My Way" is still one of my best received songs at Senior and Nursing facilities. It's all in the presentation. If you sing it with confidence, and conviction - it's not sad, at all. Quite the contrary. I do 50s R&R, Broadway, modern country ... pretty much anything for the old folks. If your show is sincere, and your presentation is done with humility, you can't go wrong. Everyone has their niche ... our job as an entertainer is essentially a sales job. Make 'em want your product, and leave 'em wanting more of it.

Like others have said, I keep the senior gigs rather up tempo. Not totally, but most of it. Thanks Gary for the reminder of Show Me The Way To Go Home. Used to do that tune years ago. I need to add that one again. I’ve started to chat more with the groups between songs, going over the composers, the year it was written, who was noted for the recordings, what show or movie the tune was from. I may even point out that the tune will change keys during the bridge, or something special about the song. Quite often, a former piano teacher may be in the group. I’ve got a retired band director, who shows up with his horns on occasion. Another guy, who played percussion in a major orchestra. He sits up by me and really adds cool stuff to latin songs. I couldn’t believe how many have commented about this approach----how much they enjoy hearing the history of the song. I don’t spend a lot of time---just a few brief sentences before each song.

Plus one for My Way.


The only thing I no longer say is the line I was using that Frank used at the 1974 Main Event performance at Madison Square Garden. Sinatra before singing "My Way " said and We Will now do the National Anthem but you need not rise, he then segued into the song. I once did that at an assisted living facility and despite saying "no need to rise" a couple of people did. If I close with that song now I usually say "now Frank Sinatra's national anthem.

Yes.....shows/movies and just about everything in the stratosphere. Who starred in Casablanca....and the female love interest...can you name more stars in the movie.....Peter Lorre....Claude Reins. What movie star did Humphrey Bogart end up marrying? Then play the William Tell Overture and ask what show had that as a theme song? The Lone Ranger......no, it's the Loan Arranger!. What was the name of his sidekick? The name of his horse? The Social Security # of his horse? What other cowboys can you remember from that era? What were the names of the horses...the dogs.....the Indians? Point out a major key vs a minor key (play Jingle Bells in F and then in F minor.....like Larry said. And so on.....

I figured it out. That's the way to go now. Been doing it a lot lately as I figured out that, as musicians, we have enough knowledge of songs, etc to do the whole hour just talking about the music. And as an audience member, appreciating a song is one thing, but knowing the history of the song enhances that appreciation. I can get 5-10 minutes of patter out of just the history alone of After the Ball from Showboat.

This past weekend I gave a piano performance of 90 minutes and spent almost half that time talking about "show business," different songs, different shows, jokes, parodies, stories (like some of the members present on this forum.....recently the damaged goods post).

It's a fine line though that you have to walk. You always have to balance your presentation and watch your audience closely for signs of "impatience" for more music.

But, I'm enjoying my performance so much more now and so are the people. I ask some of the audience at the end of every show did you enjoy the patter along with the music? I receive thumbs up every time.

Mark