20th Century Trilogy
A Musical Memorial in Three Parts
September 30, 2023, 4pm
This recital was originally scheduled for March 2020, but we know what happened next. After three more delays and an evolution of the musical offerings, I performed this musical celebration in three parts, with each part dedicated to the people who have fundamentally influenced my life’s musical journey before they passed from this world. It is also the first time in my career where I have performed music entirely of my own choosing with no producers, bosses, or backers other than myself. It was an absolute thrill to share it!
My collaborator on this project is guitarist Sharon Wayne, who many of you already know and will remember from her collaborations with my wife Nicole Takesono in several of her own recitals.
“Viva Di Stefano!”
1. Sicialiana (from Pietro Mascagni’s “Cavaleria Rusticana”
2. Luna Nova
3. Vieni Sul Mar
4. Mattinata
5. Comme Facette Mammeta?
A set of Neapolitan and Sicilian songs that I first fell in love with when I heard them performed by Giuseppe Di Stefano, my favorite tenor.
These songs are dedicated to the memory of my mentor and champion, Irene Dalis (1925 – 2014)
VIVA DI STEFANO! cocktail
1oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
0.5oz Campari
0.5oz Aperol
Splash of Limoncello
Top with soda water
Served over ice in a stemmed spritz glass
Garnish with Sicilian Blood Orange wheel
“Chansons Pour Deux Vagabonds”
1. April In Paris
2. La Chapelle Au Claire De Lune/In The Chapel In the Moonlight
3. Que Reste-t’il De Nos Amours/I Wish You Love
4. La Mer/Beyond the Sea
5. I Love Paris
A musical tribute to mid-century Paris, first conceived of by myself and my late friend, pianist, and playwright Stuart Thomas (1969-2019)
Peggy’s Pastís Gazifiée cocktail
2oz Ricard Pastís
Serve in Collins glass
Top with chilled DRY™️ Lavender Soda
Garnish with lemon peel and one ice cube
“Sinatra/Jobim”
1. Girl From Ipanema
2. Insensatez
3. One-Note Samba
4. Corcovado
5. Agua De Beber
A presentation of the landmark 1967 album as a song cycle. These songs are dedicated to the memory of my father Mike Flowers (9/21/1947-6/1/2011), who instilled in me a passion for a variety of music, from Sinatra to Shostakovich to Stevie Wonder.
This concert is also dedicated to the memory of Mark Purves (3/14/77 – 9/18/23). Mark is the reason I first heard the album FRANCIS ALBERT SINATRA & ANTÔNIO CARLOS JOBIM. We met at Davis High School and were the only two kids there who were obsessed with Frank Sinatra. Sinatra’s career can simplistically be divided into the Columbia Years, the Capitol Years, and the Reprise Years. I was an ardent devotee of the Capitol recordings. Mark steadily convinced me over time that the Reprise years were more than just Strangers In The Night, My Way, and New York, New York, and was worthy of reconsideration. He told me about Frank’s collaboration with Jobim because Mark loved Bossa Nova. Knowing my dad also loved Bossa, I raided his LP collection and, sure enough, my dad had FRANCIS ALBERT SINATRA & ANTÔNIO CARLOS JOBIM. As a result, we are all here gathered together. These tenuous threads connect us all. Mark, this is for you, Pally.
Sinatra’s “3-2-1 Whiskey“
3 ice cubes in an Old Fashioned glass
2 fingers of Jack Daniels Bottled-In-Bond Tennessee Whiskey
1 splash of soda water
