David Drazin - Silent Film Pianist, jazz & ballet improvisation

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News & Events with David Drazin
David Drazin - PO Box 6442 - Evanston, IL 60204-6442 carseymour@aol.com

Here are some upcoming events where Dave is performing.
If you happen to attend, come on up and say hi. We'd love to meet you!

Upcoming Performance

Dave's latest CD is now available - visit the Recordings page

May

May 30 7:30 p.m., TRAMP, TRAMP, TRAMP (1926, dir. Harry Edwards, starring Harry Langdon, with Joan Crawford), Wilmette Theatre, 1122 Central Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, 847-251-7424, www.wilmettetheatre.com, piano accompaniment by David Drazin.

June

June 27-29, 11th annual Broncho Billy Silent Film Festival, Niles Film Museum (www.nilesfilmmuseum.org), 37417 Niles Boulevard 94536, Fremont, CA, 510-494-1411, www.nilesfilmmuseum.org. For the third year in a row, Dave will play piano accompaniment for the Festival in the historic district of Niles. The BBSFF will be the last weekend in June ( 27, 28 & 29). The theme this year is a look at the Motion Picture Patents Companies.

The Motion Picture Patents Company was formed on December 18, 1908, when members of ten companies signed contracts creating the organization. Seven of those companies Edison, Essanay, Vitagraph, Biograph, Lubin, Selig and Kalem were American companies in active production. To celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of this pioneering organization, which transformed the movie industry from a novelty into a major entertainment medium and a giant industry, the festival presents a program of the best films they could find from each of the producers, courtesy of Library of Congress, George Eastman House, British Film Institute, Film Preservation Associates and UCLA Film and Television Archive.
Saturday, June 28
3:30 ? 5:30 pm Kalem
David Drazin (piano)
- A Flyer in Flapjacks (1917) 35mm one reel with Ham and Bud preserved from the camera negative, and funny!
- The Girl From Frisco Episode 1: The Fighting Heiress (1916) 35mm two reels directed by James W. Horne with Marin Sais, True Boardman.
- The Fatal Opal (1914) 35mm two reels with Paul Hurst, Marin Sais
- The Vampire (1913) 35mm three reels directed by Robert G. Vignola with Harry Millarde, Marguerite Courtot, Alice Hollister. A woman seduces a naive young man.

July

July 12 (7:00 p.m.) and July 13 (11:00 a.m.) PETER PAN (1924, dir. Herbert Brenon, starring Betty Bronson), Wilmette Theatre, 1122 Central Avenue, h 60091, 847-251-7424, www.wilmettetheatre.com, piano accompaniment by David Drazin.

August

August 26 (7:30-9:00 p.m.) SHERLOCK JR. (1924, dir. Buster Keaton, starring Buster Keaton) and ONE WEEK (1920, dir. Buster Keaton, starring Buster Keaton), Dawes Park, Sheridan Road at Church St., Evanston, IL on the lakefront, http://www.cityofevanston.org/departments/parks/starlight.shtml, piano accompaniment by David Drazin.

September

September: Every Wednesday at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Northbrook Public Library auditorium, 1201 Cedar Lane, Northbrook, IL, 847-272-6224, http://www.northbrook.info/lib_programs_films.php, silent films with live piano accompaniment by David Drazin. Schedule to be announced.

October

October 31 (time to be announced) PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925, dir. Rupert Julian, starring Lon Chaney), Wilmette Theatre, 1122 Central Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, 847-251-7424, www.wilmettetheatre.com,, piano accompaniment by David Drazin.

Plus two not-so-live accompaniments:

Dave's DVD & TV releases:

Turner Classic Movies, THE BUSHER (1919, dir. Jerome Storm, starring Charles Ray, Colleen Moore, John Gilbert, piano accompaniment soundtrack by David Drazin, broadcast at 12:15 a.m. EDT Sunday, October 14, www.turnerclassicmovies.com for further info. One of four baseball silent films to be screened that evening from the Kino release "Reel Baseball."

VCI Entertainment, WEISS-O-RAMA, (silent-film comedies from Kit Parker Films, 1925, 1927, 1928), www.vcientertainment.com, 2-DVD set, piano accompaniment soundtracks by Philip Carli and David Drazin.

DAVE DRAZIN AT CHICAGO BLUES FEST
June 9, 2007

from Journalist Robert Loerzel of the Underground Bee:

In the interest of full disclosure, I should say right off the bat that Dave Drazin is a friend of mine. But I can honestly say he's a terrific piano player, and plenty of others will tell you the same thing. Dave's best known for playing piano at showings of silent movies, but he's also an excellent player of old-time blues, jazz and ragtime, and all of those skills were on display during his superb set Saturday afternoon on one of the side stages at the Chicago Blues Festival.

See more photos of Dave Drazin at the Festival.

Source: ROBERT LOERZEL, Underground Bee

Hear Dave on YouTube!
Dave performed for a short silent movie made by Wisconsin Bioscopes (film students at the University of Wiconsin - Madison).
Don't miss "A Visit With Grandmother" on YouTube. See it now.
Visit Wisconsin Bioscopes for info on more of their fascinating film activities.
Check out this review article about Wisconsin Bioscape. (Yep, it mentions Dave's piano work, too)

Recordings: DVD & television

New DVD:
Dave's first soundtrack recording for Kino on Video, "Reel Baseball," was released April 3. He played piano accompaniment for the shorts HIS LAST GAME (1909) and THE BALLPLAYER AND THE BANDIT (1912, starring Harold Lockwood) plus the feature film THE BUSHER (1919, dir. Jerome Storm), starring three of the silent film world's greats: Colleen Moore, Charles Ray, and John Gilbert.

Laughsmith Entertainment, FORGOTTEN FILMS OF ROSCOE "FATTY" ARBUCKLE, DVD release May 24, premiering on Turner Classic Movies Monday, April 4.
1:00 p.m., FATTY JOINS THE FORCE;
1:15 p.m., A FLIRT'S MISTAKE;
2:15 p.m., LEADING LIZZIE ASTRAY.
(Dave also accompanied an Arbuckle-directed short, "CURSES," starring Al St. John.)
Further info: www.laughsmith.com

Milestone Films, LURE OF LABRADOR and SWILIN' RACKET, bonus shorts on WHITE THUNDER
documentary DVD released Dec. 7, 2004. Also on Milestone, CUT TO THE CHASE:
THE CHARLEY CHASE CLASSIC COMEDY COLLECTION, to be released on DVD later this year and
premiering on TCM Monday, April 4. Dave's soundtracks are on the following:
7:00 A.M., ISN'T LIFE TERRIBLE?,
7:30 A.M., CARETAKER'S DAUGHTER, AND
11:30 A.M., MAMA BEHAVE.

We're happy to announce that Dave has been chosen to be included in the 2006 60th diamond anniversary edition of Marquis "Who's Who in America." Who's Who profiles the careers of a select group of men and women from all significant fields of endeavor - from business and politics to healthcare and science to entertainment and the arts.

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Articles

Fayetteville, NC Observer newspaper features an article about Dave's performance at the Sunrise Theater, Southern Pines, North Carolina.: http://www.FayObserver.com/article?id=258519.

Adventures of a Pordenone Silent Film Fest Guest Pianist
Dave was asked to play for five film programs in Italy in late October. We had an event filled trip which Dave writes about here. Some pictures, too. Fayetteville, NC Observer newspaper article about Dave's performance at the Sunrise Theater, Southern Pines, North Carolina.: _www.FayObserver.com/article?id=258519_
(http://www.FayObserver.com/article?id=258519)

The Sounds of Silents - review of Dave's work in Evanston Review from Pioneer Press (August 5, 2004).

Cineblog March 29, 2003 Entry: David Drazin Interview with Greg Dunlap.

MilestonesFilms.com White Thunder - review of new film about early filmmaker Varick Frissell. Bonus mention of several films made by Frissell, two of them with music by David Drazin.

Movies Without Malls - review in Evanston Review from Pioneer Press (January 8, 2004) mentions Dave.

Lights, Keaton, 'Cameraman' - Evanston Review article (April 8, 2004) mentions Dave.

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