Music
When I first heard the song “Every time we say goodbye” by Cole Porter it was sung by Nan Wynn. She was an American big-band singer, and a Broadway and film actress. She sang and recorded throughout the 1930s and 1940s with Teddy Wilson and Freddie Rich orchestras. I first came across her when she appeared in the movie “A shot on the dark when I was about ten years old. I fell in love the song and was desperate to play it. I must have driven my grandmother mad over the years I lived with her as I tried to capture the change down from major to minor on her beloved upright.
My wife Judy and myself will have been married for fifty seven years by June 2023. She has shared my dreams, my follies and my many extravagances. She has indulged my many interests and obsessions. Most of all she has been beside me every inch of the way. As a surprise for her sixtieth Birthday I made a film titled “The Path of Capricorn” which was all about this amazing woman. I had it shown at the Odeon Cinema for all our family and friends. I was inspired to compose this melody to capture the way I think of her….as my lucky princess!
I’m not sure what I would do without my baby grand piano. Research does show that time spent at the keyboard improves mental health and apparently people who make music experience less anxiety, loneliness and depression. Well I can tell you that I find playing really helps me focus, it gives me a feeling of comfort and takes me back to many times in my life as I play certain tunes. Playing piano brings our family together, it definitely strengthens our bonds and its interesting that while my two granddaughters play to level five (Associated Board) I play to level one and a half, the Les Dawson school of music!