Blame It On The Movies, Part Two: Introducing Jimmy Moore
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| Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon on the set of Some Like It Hot |
[Last lines of Some Like It Hot]
Jerry: Oh no you don't! Osgood, I'm gonna level with you. We can't get married at all.
Osgood: Why not?
Jerry: Well, in the first place, I'm not a natural blonde.
Osgood: Doesn't matter.
Jerry: I smoke! I smoke all the time!
Osgood: I don't care.
Jerry: Well, I have a terrible past. For three years now, I've been living with a saxophone player.
Osgood: I forgive you.
Jerry: [tragically] I can never have children!
Osgood: We can adopt some.
Jerry: But you don't understand, Osgood! Ohh...
[Jerry finally gives up and pulls off his wig]
Jerry: [normal voice] I'm a man!
Osgood: [shrugs] Well, nobody's perfect!
[Jerry looks on with disbelief as Osgood continues smiling with indifference. Fade out]
Happy Wednesday, July 20th, 2016!
July 20 is the 202nd day of the yea in the Gregorian calendar. There are 164 days remaining until the end of the year.
As I sat down to begin my blog today, I was listening to Ralphie to the Rescue from the Broadway movie, A Christmas Story, which, of course, was based on the classic film of the same name.
Last week, I wrote a blog celebrating the upcoming show, Blame It On The Movies which will be performed at Molloy College on July 30th and starring Kathryn Crosby. I sat down last week and interviewed co-director and producer, Bruce Bider.
Today, I'm shedding a light on one of the artists in the show, Jimmy Moore.
What does this time in your life mean to you?
I have lived almost an entire lifetime as an artist. I have been married for more than half of my life to my Janis. Her feet are on the ground. My head is in the sky. She fell in love with an artist, oy vey!
I fell in love with a normal beautiful woman - who'd a thunk?! At this time in my life, as I have been since we met, I am one helluva lucky guy - believe me!
How did you first get into this profession?
My father, Edgar J. Moore was a composer and multi-instrumentalist. There was always live music in our house in Great Neck. When I was 14, my older brother Walter, was in a band. At one rehearsal in our basement, he had a sore throat and I was asked to fill in. With the mic in my hand, the feeling of singing intoxicated me. I knew then that for the rest of my life, I had to be a singer. By the way, Dean Bailin, the guitar soloist on the "Pina Coloda Song" was the guitarist in my brother's band.
What is your dream gig?
My dream gig is an intimate, acoustical performance with a pianist in a 200 maximum capacity theater. The songs are a variety of styles, jazz, classical, pop, musical theater, R & B (I really want to sing virtually every song ever written!) If my
daughter Michelle K. Moore is able to join me, that's a bonus both for me and the audience.
What interests you the most about your profession?
Everything about my profession interests me; the theory, the practicing, the rehearsing, playing music with other musicians, performing my one-man shows, working with my singing students, and discovering their voices with them.
What inspires you the most?
What inspires me the most is always the music that I am working on at that moment. That said, after all the practicing and rehearsing, when I'm finally in front of the audience, I feel as though my singing is a roller coaster ride and the audience is on the ride with me. There is no fourth wall at my performances.
Do you think there is a stigma against your profession? If so, why do you think the stigma is there?
I think the stigma has to do with the unrealistic burden of the push to fame. I happen to be a licensed electrician. When I tell people that, they believe me. The fact that I or anyone else is an artist requires more proof. The sub-text is that if we were any good, people would know who we are. I know and work with may excellent musicians. Each of them develops a unique, viable and valuable life as a musician. Parents have asked me to convince their children not to go into music. It's not reliable, you can't make a living. Well, I make a living and I love what I do. A life of music is a creative, individualized life. It is absolutely the right life for me and the musicians I know and work with. I have been fortunate to do far more music than electrical work as the years have gone by. Both are rewarding and make me who I am.
Finish this sentence: I always roll my eyes when...
...my mother-in-law, Chip, says "Jimmy, you should write a song about..." Like I don't have enough projects going on! You should know that she lives with my wife, my daughter and son-in-law, three cats and me. She's my biggest fan and the most generous person in the world. You know what? I think I'll write that song!
How important was your training?
My training was and is still crucial. I tell my students that the good singers (or anyone who is good at anything) aren't good because they no longer have to do the basics, but rather because they always do the basics. I am still training and learning each day.
What is your favorite thing to do to fuel your creativity?
My life and my art are one and the same. Each fuels the other. I've always felt like an artist in everything I did. I would look at my electrical work and see art. I think that each of our lives is our work of art.
What kind of career do you want?
I'm 63 years old (oops, my wife says: "no ages!") and I want to do what I've been doing. I still love to perform and am developing a lecture on singing as well as writing a book on singing.
Who was the most influential person on your work
My father, Edgar J. Moore was an artist. Each day I am motivated by his example. Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, Luciano Pavarotti, Michelle K. Moore, every singer I hear influences me. I am always analyzing what they're doing.
If you could go back and change a choice you made along the way as an artist, which one might that have been?
My art today is the result of every choice I made good and bad and I probably learned more from the bad choices. Come to think of it, I don't believe in bad choices because each choice leads to the next.
If you could do or accomplish ANYTHING and money wasn’t an object, what would that be?
Money has never been an object. Just ask Janis, much to her dismay!
What is your favorite piece of art?
My marriage, my two daughters Michelle and Abby, my two sons-in-law, Grant and Robert, and my two grandsons, Arthur and Nathan.
How Far do you think your Dreams can Take You?
If dreams lead to action - to trying and failing and trying and failing and learning, and trying and failing some more; then those dreams become your life in a way that you may never have imagined. They will take you wherever you need to go.
I probably would put it differently though. I sang because I had to sing. I kept having to sing so I kept singing. Someone said that I sounded like Donald Duck, but I kept singing. As a teenager, I'd go to sleep picturing myself singing for an audience.
As I started to actually perform, it felt as if the stage was where I was meant to be. Gradually, my skills improved and my love for singing kept growing. I had times of lots of paid gigs and times of many fewer paid gigs. Regardless, I had to sing. I was motivated by songs, singers, musicians and the desire to sing for others with no holds barred.
What do you hope people will take away with them from Blame It On The Movies?
I hope the audience enjoys it!
If the project is my contribution to your blog, I hope the reader sees that this particular artist believes in the unique and precious value of the art of each piece of this amazing, difficult existence. Each voice has a song to sing.
Please join me at Molloy College on July 13th as I really celebrate Blame It On The Movies!
Thank you, to all of the artists mentioned in this blog for the gifts you have given to the world and continue to give!
With grateful XOXOXs ,
Check out my site celebrating the legacy of Dolly Gallagher Levi!
Keeping Entertainment LIVE!
Jerry: Oh no you don't! Osgood, I'm gonna level with you. We can't get married at all.
Osgood: Why not?
Jerry: Well, in the first place, I'm not a natural blonde.
Osgood: Doesn't matter.
Jerry: I smoke! I smoke all the time!
Osgood: I don't care.
Jerry: Well, I have a terrible past. For three years now, I've been living with a saxophone player.
Osgood: I forgive you.
Jerry: [tragically] I can never have children!
Osgood: We can adopt some.
Jerry: But you don't understand, Osgood! Ohh...
[Jerry finally gives up and pulls off his wig]
Jerry: [normal voice] I'm a man!
Osgood: [shrugs] Well, nobody's perfect!
[Jerry looks on with disbelief as Osgood continues smiling with indifference. Fade out]
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| A TRIP TO THE MOON(1902) |
July 20 is the 202nd day of the yea in the Gregorian calendar. There are 164 days remaining until the end of the year.
As I sat down to begin my blog today, I was listening to Ralphie to the Rescue from the Broadway movie, A Christmas Story, which, of course, was based on the classic film of the same name.
Last week, I wrote a blog celebrating the upcoming show, Blame It On The Movies which will be performed at Molloy College on July 30th and starring Kathryn Crosby. I sat down last week and interviewed co-director and producer, Bruce Bider.
Today, I'm shedding a light on one of the artists in the show, Jimmy Moore.
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| Add caption |
JIMMY MOORE — From debuting his father’s song “Tweet Tweet” with his younger brother Tommy, to the 8-Balls Blues Band at Great Neck North High School to the Dad and Daughter Duet Show with Michelle K., Moore has performed all over Long Island in his “themed” one-man concerts presented at libraries, park districts, clubs, and private parties. Jimmy’s patchwork career in music has included many genres. Jimmy loves songs - any type, any style. Today, he loves songs from movie musicals! This Boston Conservatory of Music magna cum laude graduate has discovered the fun and inspiration of teaching (and learning) as a private voice instructor in Sea Cliff. Those who can, do, and if they really know what they’re doing, they can teach too! Jimmy is thrilled to be back in Bruce Bider’s directorial hands (Sky, Guys and Dolls). He is also happy to be reunited with Jacki (he as Rooster, she as Miss Hannigan in Annie just a few years back). Jimmy is a proud, long-time member of Actors Equity.
I have lived almost an entire lifetime as an artist. I have been married for more than half of my life to my Janis. Her feet are on the ground. My head is in the sky. She fell in love with an artist, oy vey!
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| Academy Award winner Celeste Holm with husband Frank Basile (Frank co-stars in Blame It On The Movies) |
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| Kathryn Grant Crosby is also part of the cast! |
How did you first get into this profession?
My father, Edgar J. Moore was a composer and multi-instrumentalist. There was always live music in our house in Great Neck. When I was 14, my older brother Walter, was in a band. At one rehearsal in our basement, he had a sore throat and I was asked to fill in. With the mic in my hand, the feeling of singing intoxicated me. I knew then that for the rest of my life, I had to be a singer. By the way, Dean Bailin, the guitar soloist on the "Pina Coloda Song" was the guitarist in my brother's band.
 |
 |
My dream gig is an intimate, acoustical performance with a pianist in a 200 maximum capacity theater. The songs are a variety of styles, jazz, classical, pop, musical theater, R & B (I really want to sing virtually every song ever written!) If my
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| Jimmy Moore |
What interests you the most about your profession?
Everything about my profession interests me; the theory, the practicing, the rehearsing, playing music with other musicians, performing my one-man shows, working with my singing students, and discovering their voices with them.
What inspires you the most?
What inspires me the most is always the music that I am working on at that moment. That said, after all the practicing and rehearsing, when I'm finally in front of the audience, I feel as though my singing is a roller coaster ride and the audience is on the ride with me. There is no fourth wall at my performances.
Do you think there is a stigma against your profession? If so, why do you think the stigma is there?
I think the stigma has to do with the unrealistic burden of the push to fame. I happen to be a licensed electrician. When I tell people that, they believe me. The fact that I or anyone else is an artist requires more proof. The sub-text is that if we were any good, people would know who we are. I know and work with may excellent musicians. Each of them develops a unique, viable and valuable life as a musician. Parents have asked me to convince their children not to go into music. It's not reliable, you can't make a living. Well, I make a living and I love what I do. A life of music is a creative, individualized life. It is absolutely the right life for me and the musicians I know and work with. I have been fortunate to do far more music than electrical work as the years have gone by. Both are rewarding and make me who I am.
Finish this sentence: I always roll my eyes when...
...my mother-in-law, Chip, says "Jimmy, you should write a song about..." Like I don't have enough projects going on! You should know that she lives with my wife, my daughter and son-in-law, three cats and me. She's my biggest fan and the most generous person in the world. You know what? I think I'll write that song!
How important was your training?
My training was and is still crucial. I tell my students that the good singers (or anyone who is good at anything) aren't good because they no longer have to do the basics, but rather because they always do the basics. I am still training and learning each day.
What is your favorite thing to do to fuel your creativity?
My life and my art are one and the same. Each fuels the other. I've always felt like an artist in everything I did. I would look at my electrical work and see art. I think that each of our lives is our work of art.
What kind of career do you want?
I'm 63 years old (oops, my wife says: "no ages!") and I want to do what I've been doing. I still love to perform and am developing a lecture on singing as well as writing a book on singing.
Who was the most influential person on your work
My father, Edgar J. Moore was an artist. Each day I am motivated by his example. Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, Luciano Pavarotti, Michelle K. Moore, every singer I hear influences me. I am always analyzing what they're doing.
If you could go back and change a choice you made along the way as an artist, which one might that have been?
My art today is the result of every choice I made good and bad and I probably learned more from the bad choices. Come to think of it, I don't believe in bad choices because each choice leads to the next.
If you could do or accomplish ANYTHING and money wasn’t an object, what would that be?
Money has never been an object. Just ask Janis, much to her dismay!
What is your favorite piece of art?
My marriage, my two daughters Michelle and Abby, my two sons-in-law, Grant and Robert, and my two grandsons, Arthur and Nathan.
How Far do you think your Dreams can Take You?
If dreams lead to action - to trying and failing and trying and failing and learning, and trying and failing some more; then those dreams become your life in a way that you may never have imagined. They will take you wherever you need to go.
I probably would put it differently though. I sang because I had to sing. I kept having to sing so I kept singing. Someone said that I sounded like Donald Duck, but I kept singing. As a teenager, I'd go to sleep picturing myself singing for an audience.
As I started to actually perform, it felt as if the stage was where I was meant to be. Gradually, my skills improved and my love for singing kept growing. I had times of lots of paid gigs and times of many fewer paid gigs. Regardless, I had to sing. I was motivated by songs, singers, musicians and the desire to sing for others with no holds barred.
What do you hope people will take away with them from Blame It On The Movies?
I hope the audience enjoys it!
If the project is my contribution to your blog, I hope the reader sees that this particular artist believes in the unique and precious value of the art of each piece of this amazing, difficult existence. Each voice has a song to sing.
Please join me at Molloy College on July 13th as I really celebrate Blame It On The Movies!
Thank you, to all of the artists mentioned in this blog for the gifts you have given to the world and continue to give!
With grateful XOXOXs ,
Check out my site celebrating the legacy of Dolly Gallagher Levi!
NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY!
Please do what YOU can to be more aware that words and actions DO HURT...but they can also heal and help!
Here's to an INCREDIBLE tomorrow for ALL...with NO challenges!
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Keeping Entertainment LIVE!
TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED DAY
Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com
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