unforgettable “Live From Berlin” renditionof “Mack The Knife,” where she made thelyrics up as she went along, was delivered“word for word” by Matzuki with much thesame light humor. In fact, neither ladyappeared to take herself too seriously. At onepoint when Sue lost her place, like a truecabaret veteran, she deftly handled themoment and moved confidently on to hernext selection.

She had as much fun with a revised versionof “I Won’t Dance” that she called “I Won’tScat!” Proving that she’s not afraid to take arisk, she proceeded to convincingly scat herway through the whole song. The point wasmade however...NOBODY can top Ellawhen it comes to scatting...but kudos to Suefor going for it

Another highlight was a wonderful, obscuresong called “Too Young for the Blues,” sentto “Aunt Sue” by her young niece. Toroian’sinstrumental interlude was an added bonusand, shockingly, the song managed to totallystump our astute

SINCE 1980VOLUME 30, NUMBER 5 FEBRUARY 2009www.NYSMS.org

NewsletterDEDICATED TO THE PRESERVATION OF CLASSIC POPULAR MUSIC

“Crafty old softy,” SueMatsuki, has learnedlessons very well from heridol, the smoothest “OldSmoothie” of them all:Ella Fitzgerald! With tastyand clever arrangementsfrom musical director,Gregory Toroian, Matsukicharmed the NYSMSaudience at our Januarymeeting with a tribute shecalled “The Best of Ella!”

Approaching a dauntingtask for any singer,Matsuki wisely chose to forego a “librarian”approach regarding the facts of Fitzgerald’slife. Instead, she provided us with abiographical profile entitled “A Final Wordon the First Lady of Song” written byMichael Maliner, which gave the audiencesubstantial background information. Shewas then able to focus on her own strengthsand explain why her particular song choiceswere meaningful to her.

Given the magnitude of the Fitzgeraldsongbook and catalog of recordings,Matsuki’s choices were both revealing andentertaining. Her song list included favoriteslike “A Night InTunisia,” “Blue Skies,”“Embraceable You,” and “Can’t We BeFriends,” which included an interesting andseldom-heard verse. She demonstrated akeen understanding of the lyrics throughoutthe program, and that made her story aboutsinging “Love for Sale” in a contest at theage of five, all the funnier.

And speaking of fun, she showed that sheshares Ella’s “easy, breezy” sense of fun andgoofiness. Beloved by her musicians, Ella’s

New York Sheet Music Society

By Lynn DiMenna

Continued on page 5

Ella Fitzgerald –A Final Word on theFirst Lady of Song

ByMichael L. Maliner

In 1934, Zoot suits were the latestfashion, “Sophisticated Lady”was the latest hit, and the ChickWebb Orchestra was the houseband at one of the world’ hottestnight spots, Harlem’s SavoyBallroom. That same year, anawkward sixteen-year-old girlmade her singing debut at theApollo Theatre’s amateur night.Despite her timid and lacklusterperformance, she captivatedWebb. After personally coachingthe shy yet ambitious performer,Webb introduced her at the Savoyone evening as his orchestra’ssinger. That evening marked thebeginning of Ella Fitzgerald’ssinging career.

Continued on page 4

Sue Matsuki and her accompanist/Musical Director,Gregory Toroian.

Photo by Rose Billings

““TTHHEE BBEESSTT OOFF EELLLLAA””SSUUEE MMAATTSSUUKKII’’SS TTRRIIBBUUTTEE

TTOO EELLLLAA FFIITTZZGGEERRAALLDD

I am sure that you all saw the inspiring Inaugurationfestivities of our new President, Barak Obama. It was an exciting day,filled with a coming together of America and hope for the future.

We began the New Year with a terrific program given by NYSMSmember Sue Matsuki, a “Tribute To Ella Fitzgerald – The First Lady ofSong.” You can read all about it in this issue, in the great article by ourVP Lynn DiMenna. Sue and her accompanist did an outstanding jobon the program.

IMPORTANT NOTICE!Our February program falls on Valentine’s Day and we will have afabulous afternoon for you. PLEASE remember that we will bemeeting at The Triad Theater Cabaret – located at 158 West 72ndStreet (up one flight) for this date only. The balance of the seasonwe will be back at Local 802.

Our guest will be David Kaufman, the author of the latest Doris DayBook – “The Untold Story of The Girl Next Door.” Our guest vocalistwill be none other than Mary Cleere Haran, along with her musicaldirector, Don Rebic. Mary Cleere was on the CBS Sunday Morning’spiece featuring David Kaufman and his Doris Day book. By the way,David and I discovered that we have the same birthday! No wonder Ifelt such a kinship with this remarkable writer!

Just a reminder to let people know about the Society. Bring gueststo the meetings. For those of you who have not rejoined – what are youwaiting for - a special invitation? Well, this is it – please come back tothe NYSMS, and support the “guardians of the American Songbook.”

We are hoping to have a brochure on the NYSMS with a RegistrationForm for you to hand out and to place at all the clubs. Even with a NewYork Times article, we are still “the best kept secret in town.”

I’ll see you at The Triad on February 14th – Happy Valentine’sDay!

Best wishes,

New YorkSheet Music SocietyA NOT-FOR-PROFIT CORPORATION

O F F I C E R S

President ..............Linda Amiel Burns1st Vice Presidents........................................Lynn DiMenna & Sam Teicher2nd Vice Presidents .................................Robert Kimbal l & Sandy MarroneTreasurer ......................Glen CharlowMembership ...................................................Glen Charlow & Trudi MannRecording Secretary...........Edie S tokesPrograms & Special Events...............................Ell iott Ames & Sandi Durel lMarketing & Public Relations ..................................................Laura S lutskyWebsite .......................Glen CharlowNewsletter Editor & Publisher .......................................................Jerry Laird

lairdstdio@optonline.net214 Highland Ave., Norwalk, CT 06853Assistant Editor ................Joan AdamsGraphic Designer...........Glen Charlow

designer@NYSMS.org

PAGE 2 NEW YORK SHEET MUSIC SOCIETY FEBRUARY, 2009

President’s Message...

Linda

We welcome your comments,information about performance dates,and other items you feel our readers

will be interested in. Please be brief, &send it to the EEddiittoorr at his email

address.

From our president...Linda Amiel Burns:Special Theater Discounts forNYSMS Members! We know thatyou love a good deal, so inassociation with Marna Mintzer andMGM Consulting, NYSMS membersare being offered Broadway & OffBroadway theatre ticket discounts ofapproximately 48% or more off retail,plus arts event ticket discountsranging from 30-50% off. For showupdates and ordering information,call 212-935-2664 to hear what isavailable and please mention yourspecial Membership code #A1.Offerings change frequently so phonethe Hotline and listen carefully to themany choices currently available.

Linda Amiel Burns, President

FEBRUARY , 2009 NEW YORK SHEET MUSIC SOCIETY PAGE 3

Send Member News to Lairdstdio@optonline.net no later than the 15th of each month for the next issue.

Time Warner, Chan 56: RCN Chan 83, every other Sunday at5:00 pm .

Do you seek an elusive song? If so, contact Sandy Marrone,smusandy@aol.com or call (856) 829-6104. You can also visitSandy in New Jersey to see thousands and thousands of sheetsof music, most of which can be yours very reasonably.

Trudi Mann’s Open Mic is now at the Butterfield EightRestaurant, 5 East 38th Street. 212) 679-0646) from 1:00 to5:00. If you’re gonna’ sing, bring two copies of your music.Sign- in starts around noon.There is no cover, but “The Hat’ ispassed of behalf of the musicians. There is a $16.00minimum.

Scott Barbarino has a website www.CabaretExchange.comwith great features and articles, and his current schedule.

Lynn DiMenna and Jeffrey C. Williams have resumed theirweekly live radio broadcasts, “At The Ritz,” on WVOF 88.5FM from 3:00to5:00 pm on Fridays. Better still, here’s how tohear their show any time you want: go tohttp://www.attheritz.org/ and click on 24/7!

Joe Franklin and Steve Garrin have re-opened the JoeFranklin Comedy Club at 761 Seventh Avenue.(50th St.) .Call212)541-6592 for the schedule.

Mel Miller offers five musicals for less than the price of oneBroadway ticket, with his “Musicals Tonight.” Actually, this isa LOT less than the prices are now!!! Please call 212)468-4444 for information.

Sheet Music Magazine always has wonderful tributes to TheGreat American Songbook. It includes sheet music for over adozen songs. NYSMS member Ed Shanaphy (Publisher &Editor-In-Chief) makes sure that each and every issue isequally excellent. If you aren’t subscribing, you should be!It’s $14.95 for each one-year subscription, Send to: SheetMusic PO Box 58629 Boulder, CO 80323-8629

Member News...

Rachel Stone performs her satiric “Medical Mess” songs atCommunity Cabaret on Friday, March 27, 2009 at 7pm at 40E. 35th St., NYC. Also, Barry Levy, MD and Greg LaGana,MD sing their acclaimed “Damaged Care” show, plus enjoyoutrageously brilliant songwriter Carl Sievert. NYSMSmembers get $5 off the $15 door price, or buy advance ticketsfor $7 at www.rachelstonemusic.com. For more info, callRachel at 718-472-0102.

If you have any member news, or other items you would like to haveconsidered for this newsletter, please send it by e-mail to the editor,Jerry Laird: lairdstdio@Optonline.net. It will be subject to editing,depending on size and content, and please remember that we try togo to press four weeks before each monthly meeting. We often getvery good items that get to us after the newsletter has been printedand mailed.

Barbara Lea is one of the recipients of the Wellesley Collegealumnae achievement award for her work as a foremostinterpreter of the American Songbook. Yea, Barbara!

Julie Wilson is rehearsing a show with Chris Denny for theMetropolitan Room in May. Exact dates will be announcedlater.

Scot Albertson & Jerry Scott can be found every Sundayafternoon, from 1:00-4:00pm at La Mediterranee FrenchBistro & Piano Bar. 947 2nd Ave, between 50th & 51st. Forreservations, call 212) 755-4155. AND they have just addedevery Wednesday night from 10:00 pm till 1:00 am.

Saint Peter’s Midtown Jazz at Midday, St. Peter’s Church,Wednesdays at 1:00 pm, hosted by Ronny Whyte (54th &Lexington Avenue.) Suggested Donation: $7.00. You can findthe schedule at www.saintpeters.org/jazz/midtownjazz.htm.

Jan 28 – Tony DeSare – Singer / Pianist – in SaintPeter’s Sanctuary with Steve Doyle on Bass andEd Decker on Guitar; www.tonydesare.com.Feb 4 - Art Lillard’s Heavenly Big Band – SaintPeter’s Sanctuary; www.artlillard.com.Feb 11 - Catherine Dupuis – Singer,www.catherinedupuis.comFeb 18 – Dick Hyman – Piano; www.dickhyman.comFeb 25 –Ash Wednesday, No Concert

Vince Giordano and his Nighthawks are featured everyMonday, from 8 to 11 pm, at Sofia’s Restaurant at the EdisonHotel, 221 W. 46th, between Broadway & Eighth Ave. $15.00cover and $15:00 food and drink

Linda Amiel Burns’ next Singing Experience, “Let’s Fall inLove” will be at The Triad on Wednesday, February 18th at7:30pm. . The Video Party will be on February 24th. CallLinda for information and & reservations.: 212) 315 3500. InManhattan, you can see The Singing Experiences on Cable.

I was very disappointed thatweather in Connecticut kept me fromgetting out of my driveway for theJanuary meeting, thereby missing SueMatsuki’s performance.I’ve been a fan of hers since meeting and working withher at the MAC Flea Market sale in the theater district thefirst year I was a member. She was very helpful and very

patient, as I didn’t know who anyonewas at that time, including Sue. Thefact that I had known Julie Wilson allmy life helped cement our friendship,as she is one of Julie’s most vocal fans.I bought a bunch of CDs at the sale,many on Sue’s recommendation, andtoday I consider them collector’s items.

I also want to thank Lynn DiMennafor the brilliant job she did ofreviewing the meeting for thisNewsletter. And that reminds me: toany of you who would like to send incomments on our series, or any otherproductions that are current - I wouldlike to include those remarks infuture issues. For instance, one ofour members commented to me that Steve Ross’ s currentprogram at the Algonquin is sensational. Of course, Ithink everything Steve Ross does is sensational, and itdidn’t occur to me at the time to ask my friend to send in

his remarks to me by e-mail, so Iwould be able to include them here.So I’m now asking all of you to let usknow about any performances wemight have missed, so that we can bealert to their future appearances orrecordings. Material will be subjectto editing, primarily for length. Andplease don’t review your own work -get a friend to do it!

PAGE 4 NEW YORK SHEET MUSIC SOCIETY FEBRUARY, 2009

Laird’s LairMs. Fitzgerald died on June 15, 1996 of complicationsassociated with diabetes. She was 79 years old. Thoughhermetic and in poor health in recent years Ms.Fitzgerald remained an active performer until 1992.

From start to finish, Ms. Fitzgerald’s life was markedboth by extreme highs and lows. Orphaned in 1932 atthe age of 15, Ms. Fitzgerald was placed in the ColoredOrphan Asylum in Riverdale, one of the feworphanages at the time that accepted Afro-Americanchildren. From there, she was transferred to the NewYork State Training School for Girls, a reformatory atwhich State investigations later revealed wide-spreadphysical abuse. Having escaped from the reformatory,Ms. Fitzgerald was literally living in the streets ofHarlem when she was discovered by Webb. She wasmarried twice, first at the age of 24 to a shady characterby the name of Benjamin Kornegay, and then again tobass player Ray Brown at the age of 30. Both marriagesended in divorce. A diabetic for many years, the diseasecompromised her vision as well as her circulatorysystem before taking her life. In 1992, both of her legswere amputated below the knee due to diabetes relatedcirculatory problems. As an artist, however, Ms.Fitzgerald achieved legendary success in a career thatspanned six decades, yielded recordings numbering intothe thousands, and earned the singer countless awardsincluding a Kennedy Center Award for hercontributions to the performing arts, honorary doctoratedegrees from Dartmouth and Yale, and thirteenGrammy Awards.

Despite never having received formal vocal training,Ms. Fitzgerald’s technique rivaled that of theconservatory trained lieder singer. From the very top tothe very bottom of her over three-octave vocal range,Ms. Fitzgerald’s voice remained uniform in its clarityand child-like timbre. Her diction was unfailingly crisp,and her intonation was absolutely flawless. Coupledwith this textbook-perfect technique, Ms. Fitzgeraldhad an improvisational talent on par with that of thebest jazz instrumentalists. Her spontaneous, oftenpyrotechnic scat vocalizations, in fact, were atrademark of her style.

In looking back upon Ms. Fitzgerald’s rich catalog of

Julie Wilson

Lynn DiMenna

Steve Ross

Continued: Ella- First Lady of Song...

Of course, asnoted, no tributeto Ella Fitzgeraldwould becomplete withouther signaturesong, “A Tisket, ATasket” andMatzuki didn’t disappoint the enthusiasticcrowd.

“The First Lady of Song” was quoted assaying “I hope the people will like me.” Well,as we all know, people liked Ella Fitzgerald aLOT! Those of uswho were at theJanuary meetingspent a delightfulafternoon gettingto know SueMatsuki and likedher a lot as well!

FEBRUARY , 2009 NEW YORK SHEET MUSIC SOCIETY PAGE 5

audience. No onehad ever heard itbefore! But, lestwe forget, JerryLaird wasn’tthere! Toroianthen delivered asensitive readingof Burke and Van

Heusen’s “Here’s That Rainy Day.”

Matsuki used the song “How High The Moon”to end her tribute and to express how shepersonally feels about music in general. She

added someoriginal lyrics,and heartfeltcomments andconvinced me thatthe teacher wouldhave been proudof her student!

recordings, the name of NormanGranz consistently emerges inconjunction with that of Ms.Fitzgerald’s. Ms. Fitzgerald met therecord producer and founder of boththe Verve and Pablo Jazz labels in1949, after which the two developeda working relationship which lastedforty years. Under the direction ofNorman Granz, Ms. Fitzgeraldrecorded her legendary “songbook”albums – a series of albums eachdevoted to the songs of a particularAmerican composer. Between theyears of 1956 and 1964, Ms.Fitzgerald recorded songbookalbums featuring the music of ColePorter, Rodgers and Hart, DukeEllington, Irving Berlin, George andIra Gershwin, Harold Arlen, JeromeKern and Johnny Mercer.Collectively, these are one of Ms.Fitzgerald’s crowning achievements.Granz also produced Ms.Fitzgerald’s phenomenalcollaborations with Count Basie andDuke Ellington, respectively entitled“On the Sunny Side of the Street”and “Ella at Duke’s Place.” All of

these recordings are on the Vervelabel, and are available on CD. Afterfounding the Pablo label, Granzrecorded the four Ella Fitzgerald/JoePass duet albums, each of which aredeservedly considered jazz classics.

Ms. Fitzgerald’s most memorablealbum was the Granz-producedrecording of her 1960 Berlinperformance. This Grammy-winningrecording, entitled “Ella in Berlin,Mack the Knife”, highlights the bestof Ms. Fitzgerald’s musical offeringsat the apex of her artistic ability. Theperformance featured severalstandards, most notably “The Lady isA Tramp”, “Misty” and “The Man ILove.” Upbeat and ballad alike, Ms.Fitzgerald executed each song withan unparalleled effortlessness andfinesse. While singing “Mack theKnife”, a song rarely recorded byfemale vocalists, Ms. Fitzgeraldextemporized her own humorouslyrics after the original wordsapparently slipped her memory part-way through the song. On “HowHigh the Moon”, Ms. Fitzgerald used

“Ornithology” – Charlie Parker’sclassic solo based on the “How Highthe Moon” chord changes – as aspringboard for her ownimprovisation, resulting in what isquite possibly the greatest scat soloever recorded by a jazz vocalist.

As amazing as Ms. Fitzgerald’smusical talents were, equallyamazing is the fact that she managednot to fall through the cracks of thesegregated child welfare system ofthe 1930’s. A victim of poverty andabuse, Ms. Fitzgerald was able totranscend circumstance and developinto one of the greatest musiciansthat America has ever produced.Musically, professionally, andpersonally, Ms. Fitzgerald was one-of-a-kind, an American treasure.

As published in Good Times,July 30, 1996.

© 1996 by Michael L. Maliner.All rights reserved.

Re-typed for NYSMS byMike Broad.

Continued:SSUUEE MMAATTSSUUKKII’’SS

TTRRIIBBUUTTEE

Photo by Dana Lorge

Photo by Rose Billings

Photo by Rose Billings

Below: Sue &Gregory withLynn DiMenna

What’s Coming Up Next...

April 11, 2009Sandi Durell's 8th Annual Songwriters Showcase - youwon't want to miss it!

February 14, 2009David Kaufman, the author of "Doris Day, The UntoldStory of the Girl Next Door." Mary Cleere Haran willsing a few of Doris's hits. Her musical director, DonRebic.March 14, 2009"The Lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein" - a new book editedby our guest Amy Asch and Alice Hammerstein Mathiaswith a forward by VP-Music Historian Robert Kimball.

“All programs are subject to change without notice. But of courseweʼll always try to let you know!”

P.O. Box 564New York, NY 10008

February 14March 14April 11

May 9June 13

The 08-09 SeasonMeeting Dates:

Now you canjoin or renew your

membership OOOONNNNLLLLIIIINNNNEEEE!!!!

www.NYSMS.orgIt’s all right there, spelled out for you, in 3 easy steps!

LOCATION – ONLY FOR FEBRUARY 14TH, 2009The Triad at 158 West 72nd Street.

Flea market 12:30 – Great place to find music sheets, tapes, CD’s etc. Program: 1:45 – 3:30PM. Non-member guest fee $10. Membership only $50 per

year…quite a bargain! Nine great programs and our monthly Newsletter.

We were saddenedto learn of the

passing of long-timeNYSMS memberPaulette Attie

on January 21st, 2009.

A Memorial Service was heldfor Paulette on

Friday, Jan. 23 at theNicholas Roerich Museum

right after the burial.

We will have more onPaulette in our next

Newsletter.