Antonei Sergejvitch Tartarov was a fictional Russian pianist whose real name was Jean-Jacques Hauser.
He had an exceptional gift for improvisation.
On April 16, 1968 Hauser fooled an audience of 2,000 people in Zurich into thinking not only that he was a little-known Russian virtuoso (Tartarov), but that much of the improvised material in his program was composed by Beethoven, Mozart, Prokofiev, and Liszt.
Imagine when it was announced that the music the audience had just applauded as works of genius had actually been improvised on the spot by a home-grown Swiss pianist.
• 1964 ~ Rolling Stones recorded their 12×5 album at Chess Studios Chicago
• 1966 ~ The BeatlesPaperback Writer was released in England
• 1966 ~ The Beatles recorded Rain, first to use reverse tapes
• 1966 ~ Janis Joplin’s first live concert in the Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco
• 1966 ~ The Mamas and The Papas won a gold record for Monday, Monday
• 1968 ~ Yury Sergeyevich Milyutin, Composer, died at the age of 65
• 1972 ~ Elvis Presley recorded a live album at NY’s Madison Square Garden
• 1972 ~ Sammy Davis, Jr. earned his place at the top of the popular music charts for the first time, after years in the entertainment business. His number one song, The Candy Man, stayed at the top for three consecutive weeks. The Candy Man was truly a song of fate for Sammy. He openly did not want to record the song, but did so as a favor to MGM Records head Mike Curb, since it was to be used in the film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Davis said he would give the tune one take, “and that’s it!” Sure enough, in that one-time recording, Sammy nailed it. The Candy Man stayed on the pop charts for 16 weeks. The best the legendary performer had done before was 12 weeks for Love Me or Leave Me in 1955 and 11 weeks for I’ve Gotta Be Me (from Golden Rainbow) in 1969. After TheCandy Man became a hit, Davis included it in his stage shows and concerts — and collected huge royalties from it.
• 1976 ~ Paul McCartney and Wings set a record for an indoor concert crowd as 67,100 fans gathered in Seattle, WA to hear the former Beatle and his new group.
• 1982 ~ Addie “Micki” Harris, American singer with the Shirelles, died at the age of 42
• 1985 ~ Nineteenth Music City News Country Awards: Statler Brothers, BarbaraMandrell
• 1990 ~ “Meet Me St Louis” closed at Gershwin Theater NYC after 253 performances
• 1992 ~ Hachidal Nakamura, Composer, died at the age of 61 of heart failure
• 1996 ~ Thirtyth Music City News Country Awards: Alan Jackson
• 2001 ~ Pianist Yaltah Menuhin, last of three famous siblings whose musical talents brought them fame at an early age, died at the age of 79. Yaltah, the youngest, and her sister Hepzibah, also a pianist, did not achieve the international renown of their brother, the violinist Yehudi Menuhin. But they often appeared with him in concerts around the world, including the Bath Festival in Britain, where Yehudi was artistic director in the 1960s. Yaltah Menuhin was born in San Francisco, to Russian-Jewish parents. Like her siblings, she began studying music as a child, and moved about the world performing. Her brother was astonishing audiences with his virtuosity by the age of 7. Yaltah Menuhin and her husband, pianist Joel Ryce, often performed together as a duo in the United States, and she also performed with violist Michael Mann.
• 2001 ~ Harold S. Grossbardt, a founder of Colony Records, the famed record collector’s store in Manhattan, died at the age of 85. Grossbardt founded the store in 1948 with his partner, Sidney Turk, and the shop quickly became popular with music lovers. Hundreds of musicians, including Frank Sinatra, John Lennon and Michael Jackson, shopped at the store. Grossbardt worked at Colony Records until his retirement in 1988.
• 1361 ~ Philippe de Vitry, French Composer and poet, died at the age of at 69
• 1656 ~ Thomas Tomkins, Composer, died
• 1717 ~ Louis Le Quointe, Composer, died at the age of 64
• 1810 ~ (Carl) Otto (Ehrenfried) Nicolai, Composer
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• 1828 ~ Carlo Marsili, Composer
• 1829 ~ Gaetano Braga, Composer
• 1832 ~ Manuel Garcia, Composer, died at the age of 57
• 1849 ~ Joseph Vezina, Composer
• 1849 ~ The term recital used for the first time to describe a solo performance by an instrumental player. The first recitalist was Franz Liszt
• 1865 ~ Carl Nielsen, Danish composer and conductor
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• 1865 ~ Alberic Magnard, Composer
• 1870 ~ Erik Drake, Composer, died at the age of 82
• 1879 ~ Oscar Back, Austrian-Dutch viola player
• 1886 ~ Kusaku Yamada, Composer
• 1888 ~ Hugo Kauder, Composer
• 1890 ~ The opera “Robin Hood” premiered in Chicago
• 1891 ~ Cole Porter, American composer and and lyricist for the musical theater. His many famous musicals include “Anything Goes”, “Kiss Me Kate” and “Can Can”.
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• 1892 ~ Friedrich Wilhelm Langhans, Composer, died at the age of 59
• 1900 ~ Fred Waring, Musician, conductor and inventor of the Waring Blender
• 1991 ~ Max van Praag, Dutch singer, died at the age of 77
• 1992 ~ Clarence Miller, Blues/jazz vocalist, died at the age of 69 of a heart attack
• 1993 ~ Arthur Alexander, Singer/songwriter, died at the age of 53
• 1995 ~ Frank Chacksfield, Conductor/arranger, died at the age of 81
• 2000 ~ Jazz bassist Burgher “Buddy” Jones, who played in big bands behind Peggy Lee and Frank Sinatra and toured with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, died at the age of 76. A native of Hope, Ark., Jones was a childhood friend of the late Virginia Kelley, mother of President Clinton. At 17, Jones went to the University of Kansas City, where he met and befriended saxophonist Charlie Parker. Jones later introduced Parker to his wife, Chan. Jones played in the Elliot Lawrence band, when its arrangers included Al Cohn, Tiny Kahn and Johnny Mandel. As a staff musician for CBS in New York in the 1950s and 1960s, Jones played for the Jack Sterling radio show and in bands behind Lee and Sinatra. In 1996, Jones was inducted into the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame.
• 1612 ~ Hans Leo Hassler, Composer, died at the age of 49
• 1722 ~ Jakob Friedrich Kleinknecht, Composer
• 1740 ~ Gabriele Mario Piozzi, Composer
• 1742 ~ Omobono Stradivari, Italian viol maker, son of Antonio, died at the age of 62
• 1753 ~ Nicolas-Marie Dalayrac, Composer
• 1783 ~ Joseph Lincke, Composer
• 1796 ~ Felice de Giardini, Composer, died at the age of 80
• 1805 ~ Luigi Ricci, Composer
• 1810 ~ Robert Schumann, German composer best known for his song cycles and piano music.
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• 1812 ~ Spyridon Xyndas, Composer
• 1814 ~ Friedrich Heinrich Himmel, Composer, died at the age of 48
• 1834 ~ George Garrett, Composer
• 1837 ~ Jan Kleczynski, Composer
• 1856 ~ Natalia Janotha, Composer
• 1858 ~ Antonio Nicolau, Spanish Composer and conductor
• 1876 ~ George Sand (Armandine-Aurore-Lucile Dupin), French author and romantic companion of the composer of Chopin, died at the age of 71
• 1881 ~ Prospero Bisquertt, Composer
• 1884 ~ Henry Clay Work, Composer, died at the age of 51
• 1888 ~ Poul Julius Ouscher Schierbeck, Composer
• 1906 ~ Christian Frederik Emil Horneman, Composer, died at the age of 65
• 1908 ~ Johan Lindegren, Composer, died at the age of 66
• 1913 ~ Janos Jagamas, Composer
• 1919 ~ Jacob Fabricius, Composer, died at the age of 78
• 1923 ~ Karel Goeyvaerts, Flemish Composer of Summer Games
• 1926 ~ Anatol Vieru, Composer
• 1927 ~ Paul Whiteman and his orchestra recorded When Day is Done on Victor Records.
• 1928 ~ Jiri Dvoracek, Composer
• 1930 ~ Yannis Ioannidis, Composer
• 1932 ~ Hans Gunter Helms, Composer
• 1936 ~ James Darren (Ercolani), Singer
• 1940 ~ Frederick Shepherd Converse, American Composer, died at the age of 69
• 1940 ~ Sherman Garnes, Rock vocalist with Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers
• 1926 ~ Dick Williams, Choral director of the Andy Williams Show
• 1926 ~ Henry Charles Tonking, Composer, died at the age of 63
• 1928 ~ Charles Strouse, American of popular music
• 1931 ~ Henry Weinberg, Composer
• 1932 ~ Emil Pauer, Composer, died at the age of 76
• 1934 ~ Phillip Entremont, Pianist
• 1934 ~ Samuel Lipman, Music critic
• 1934 ~ Wynn Stewart, Singer
• 1939 ~ Larry Clinton and his orchestra recorded In a Persian Market (by Ketelbey) on Victor Records.
• 1940 ~ Tom Jones, Grammy Award-winning singer
• 1941 ~ Jaime Laredo, Bolivian-born American violinist Clarence White (1944) Guitarist with the Byrds
• 1945 ~ Ruben Marcos Campos, Composer, died at the age of 69
• 1945 ~ The opera “Peter Grimes” by Benjamin Britten, premiered in London, at Sadler’s Wells Theater.
• 1948 ~ Georges Adolphe Hue, Composer, died at the age of 90
• 1949 ~ Due to an impending lawsuit that stemmed from Milton Berle’s TV show, comedienne Cathy Mastice held the first musical press conference. She sang her way into announcing the court action. Due to the publicity she received, Ms. Mastice became an overnight success.
• 1953 ~ Kukla, Fran (Allison) and Ollie, along with the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler, were featured on the first network telecast in ‘compatible color’. The program was broadcast from Boston, MA.
• 1958 ~ Prince (Prince Rogers Nelson), Singer
• 1963 ~ First Rolling Stones TV appearance (Thank Your Lucky Stars)
• 1965 ~ Pierre Cardevielle, French Composer/conductor, died at the age of 59
• 1993 ~ Prince celebrated his birthday by changing his name to a symbol and calling himself The Artist Previously Known as Prince. He went back to “Prince” in 2000
• 1955 ~ Bill Haley and Comets, Rock Around the Clock hit #1
• 1958 ~ Lily Theresa Strickland, Composer, died at the age of 71
• 1962 ~ The Beatles met their producer George Martin for first time. After listening to a playback of the audition tapes, Martin said, “They’re pretty awful.” He changed his mind after meeting the group, however.
• 1966 ~ Claudette Orbison, wife of singer Roy, died in a motorcyle crash
• 1971 ~ Arnold Elston, Composer, died at the age of 63
• 1971 ~ John Lennon and Yoko Ono unannounced appearance at Fillmore East in NYC
• 1971 ~ For the last time, we saw Polish dancing bears, a little mouse named Topo Gigio, remembered The Beatles, The Dave Clark Five, the comedy of Jackie Mason, John Byner, Rich Little, Richard Pryor and so many more, as The Ed Sullivan Show left CBS-TV. Gladys Knight and The Pips and singer Jerry Vale appeared on the final show. The Ed Sullivan Show had been a showcase for more than 20 years for artists who ranged from Ethel Merman to Ella Fitzgerald, from Steve (Lawrence) andEydie (Gorme) to The Beatles. The Ed Sullivan Show was the longest running variety show on TV ~ a “rillly big sheeeew.”
• 1991 ~ Stan Getz, Jazz saxophonist (Girl from Impanima), died at the age of 64
• 1994 ~ Willie Humphrey, Jazz clarinetist, died at the age of 93
• 1995 ~ Imam Elissa, Singer, died at the age of 76
Now this is one flight delay we actually wish we were stuck in.
A video uploaded to YouTube captures every theater geek’s dream-come-true: a sing-off between Broadway cast members of “The Lion King” and “Aladdin.” Though it took place during a six-hour weather delay at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, the singing turned what could’ve been a dreary scene into an incredible one.
Watch as “The Lion King” cast starts off belting the iconic “Circle of Life,” but at the 3:06 mark, the camera cuts to the “Aladdin” cast fighting back, as James Inglehart, who plays the Genie, gives a seriously impressive freestyle rap. The battle continues and later on, at the 6:40 mark, the Aladdin cast performs a fantastic “Arabian Nights.”
For those who witnessed the sing-off, that awesome performance may have been more memorable than their trip.
• 1927 ~ Paul Lacombe, Composer, died at the age of 89
• 1932 ~ Pete Jolly (Cragioli), Pianist
• 1937 ~ Stanley Lunetta, Composer
• 1941 ~ Martha Argerich, Brazilian pianist
• 1941 ~ Floyd Butler, Singer with Fifth Dimension and Friends of Distinction
• 1941 ~ Roy Eldridge was featured on trumpet and vocal as drummer Gene Krupaand his band recorded After You’ve Gone for Okeh Records.
• 1942 ~ Sammy Kaye and his orchestra recorded the classic I Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen for Victor Records.
• 1942 ~ Charles Dodge, Composer
• 1943 ~ Bill Hopkins, Composer
• 1944 ~ Riccardo Zandonai, Composer, died at the age of 61
• 1945 ~ Don Reid, Singer, Grammy Award-winning group: The Statler Brothers and CMA Vocal Group of the Year from 1972 to 1980
• 1946 ~ Fred Stone, Singer with Sly and the Family Stone
• 1947 ~ Laurie Anderson, American composer and performance artist
• 1956 ~ Kenny G (Gorelick), Saxophonist
• 1956 ~ Elvis Presley made his second appearance on Milton Berle’s Texaco Star Theatre. Presley sang Heartbreak Hotel, his number one hit. The TV critics were not kind to Elvis’ appearance on the show. They panned him, saying his performance looked “like the mating dance of an aborigine.”
• 1959 ~ Bob Zimmerman graduated from high school in Hibbing, MN. Zimmerman was known as a greaser to classmates in the remote rural community, because of his long sideburns and leather jacket. Soon, Zimmerman would be performing at coffee houses at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and later, in Greenwich Village in New York City. He would also change his name to Bob Dylan (after poet Dylan Thomas, so the story goes).
• 1964 ~ David Jones and The King Bees had their first record, Liza Jane, released by Vocalion Records of Great Britain. Less than a decade later, we came to know Jones better as David Bowie.
• 1965 ~ “Wooly Bully” by Sam the Sham and Pharaohs hit #2
• 1971 ~ Marky Mark (Mark Wahlberg), Guitarist, singer with Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch
• 1972 ~ Maureen McGovern quit her job as a full-time secretary for a new career as a full-time singer. Maureen was part of a trio before recording as a solo artist in July, 1973. Her first song, The Morning After, from the movie, The Poseidon Adventure, was a million-seller. She also sang the theme, Different Worlds, from ABC-TV’s Angie, and Can You Read My Mind from the movie, Superman. Ms. McGovern starred in Pirates of Penzance for 14 months on Broadway.
• 1993 ~ Conway Twitty, Country star (Linda on My Mind), died at the age of 59 during surgery
• 1994 ~ Ish Kabbible (Merwyn A Bogue), Cornetist with Kay Kyser, died at the age of 86
We’ve previously featured the cellist Nicholas Canellakis and the pianist Michael Brown performing together as part of our Café Concert series on WQXR.org. But this week brings out a different side to the musicians’ collaboration, as the host and sometime sidekick of the online video series “Conversations with Nick Canellakis.”
Joined by the pianist Emanuel Ax – or “Yo-Yo Ma’s accompanist” – we hear about awards he didn’t win and the various “songs” that he performs. Watch:
MaryO'Studio 