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David Drazin - PO Box 6442 - Evanston, IL 60204-6442  carseymour@aol.com

Dave Drazin
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 Performances

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

May

On Sunday, May 10, Dave will entertain residents of North Shore Retirement Hotel, 1611 Chicago Avenue, Evanston, with a short program of silent films: Edison's "The Butler" (1915) and Keaton's "The Boat" (1921).
 
The aforementioned "Ten Carrot" is a side project of the Prohibition Orchestra of Chicago. Dave often sits in with the band as guest pianist at Bill's Blues, 1029 Davis St., Evanston. Friday, May 15, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Dave will be the pianist for all three sets of Prohibition's regular monthly gig at Bill's (www.billsbluesbar.com).
 
From May 22-25, Dave will make his 11th annual appearance playing piano accompaniment for silent films at Cinevent Classic Film Fans Convention, Columbus, Ohio. www.cinevent.com.
 
Friday night, May 29, from 7-10 p.m. marks Dave's return to the stage of Joplin's Java, a charming coffeehouse in the Family Piano Company store in downtown Waukegan. Their restored 1905 Steinertone concert grand piano was featured in the Chicago Tribune last Friday. Dave will sing and play solo piano Harlem stride, blues and boogie numbers, and one set will feature a silent-film program, complete with popcorn! It's a wonderful entertainment venue, definitely worth the trip. A Metra stop is nearby. Check out www.joplinsjava.com.
 
The following night, Saturday, May 30, Dave joins the cast of sketch-comedy group "Famous in the Future" for an evening of original music performances at Peter Jones art gallery, 1806 West Cuyler, 2nd floor, Chicago. Also performing that night are Black Forest and Puppetbike. Dave's original composition, "The Photocopy Song," FIF's theme, is available for download on their website, www.famousinthefuture.com.

June
 
On Friday, June 5 from 9 p.m. to midnight, Dave will play keyboards with a 12-piece big band at Uncle Dan's Pizza, 27 South Northwest Highway, Park Ridge, IL 60068, (847) 698-9800.

Saturday, 13 June 2009 7:00 PM  Seven Chances (1925) directed by Buster Keaton with Buster Keaton and Ruth Dwyer with Sherlock Jr. (1924) directed by Buster Keaton with Buster Keaton and Kathryn McGuire
Both with live piano accompaniment by David Drazin.
Detroit Film Theatre, Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, Michigan 48202, 313-833-7900, 313-833-7530 www.dia.org/dft


Dave's solo concert at Family Piano Company's coffeehouse, Joplin's Java, on May 29 was a big success! He's returning to Joplin's in a couple of weeks to play piano with the Ten Carrot Ragtime Orchestra, led by Gus Friedlander.
Friday, June 26th, 2009 7 - 10 pm - Ten Carrot Ragtime Orchestra at Joplin's in Waukegan
Tickets: $10 for concert, tho if you're on Wine&Art, this can be prorated for partial evening, if space is available.

     Experience music that is almost never heard live anymore! The Ten Carrot Ragtime Orchestra is a unit out of the Prohibition Orchestra of Chicago. They are a ten piece group who play dance and jazz of the 1920's and 30's. They have performed all over the Chicago land area. The performance will consist of original published arrangements of ragtime songs, marches, and waltzes.  
www.joplinsjava.com
Address: 114 S. Genesee St., Suite 402 Waukegan IL 60085
Phone: 847-775-1988 or 847-336-7624


Plus some not-so-live accompaniments:

Jan 2009 - Idaho author Larry Telles recently published his new book/DVD "A Brief History of the Silent Screen and the World at that Time" (press release: http://www.bitterrootmountainllc.com/bitterroot/?page_id=27), and Dave played keyboard accompaniment on the soundtrack for the DVD that comes with each book. Larry's personal website is www.essanayfilmmfgco.com.
 
Jan 2009 - Dave's piano music is featured on one selection of Chicago singer-songwriter Kathryn Gauthier's new CD "Sunshiny Day: Songs for Children and Cats." It  is available on CD Baby and at Kathryn's website, www.gauthierarts.com.


Dave's DVD & TV releases:

On July 22, 2008 Chicago-area classic video company All Day Entertainment released the 3-disc DVD collection "American Slapstick, vol. 2." The feature presentation is "Charley's Aunt," starring Syd Chaplin, with improvised piano soundtrack by Dave. Check out http://www.alldayentertainment.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.100.exe/online-store/scstore/
allday/slapstick/p-slap2.html?L+scstore+qpth5274ff287928+1225475901

(July 23, 2008) Another company Dave recorded for is Unknown Video, based in the San Francisco Bay area. www.unknownvideo.com. Dave played the piano soundtrack for their soon-to-be released DVD of "The Sea Lion" (1922) starring Bessie Love and Hobart Bosworth. Ordering details will soon be available on their website.

(July 23, 2008) Watch a 15th-anniversary video of Famous in the Future, www.youtube.com/watch?v=c67tW8ihmmE, the sketch comedy troupe in which Dave has participated as musician, actor, write and director. the video is a montage that includes sketches that were videotaped live and include vintage performances by Dave (often wearing glasses and sometimes playing his cornet).

On July 29, 2008, Kino released a double feature of "A Man There Was"/"Ingeborg Holm." Dave provides the piano soundtrack for Ingeborg Holm, the first significant work by Swedish director Victor Sjostrom.
http://www.kino.com/video/item.php?film_id=924 

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

dave3.jpgfrom 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. Other Bioscape videos include "Rent Party" (Dave appears onscreen briefly) and "Cosmo's Magical Melt-aways."
Check out this review article about Wisconsin Bioscape. (Yep, it mentions Dave's piano work, too).

Dave's first "official" jazz festival appearance, at the Tribute to Bix in Racine, Wisconsin took place in March. Dave played a dynamic impromptu solo-piano set, followed by his appearance with the Ten Carrot Ragtime Orchestra. A brief video clip of Ten Carrot is at http://blip.tv/file/1899538/.

Dave has been playing regularly at the University of Chicago's First Friday jam session at the Quadrangle Club on campus. Watch a video of Dave in action at the Quad at Here is the page with Dave's video:
http://www.archive.org/details/JazzAtTheQuadrangleClub.


 

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.

On July 29, 2008, Kino released a double feature of "A Man There Was"/"Ingeborg Holm." Dave provides the piano soundtrack for Ingeborg Holm, the first significant work by Swedish director Victor Sjostrom.
http://www.kino.com/video/item.php?film_id=924 

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

February 2009 issue of Chicago Magazine, "Hollywood on the Lake: 29 Stars of the Movie Business Here," starting on page 58. Dave is featured on page 60 -- the page between Harold Ramis and Joan Cusack.  Here's the (pdf) piece on Dave.

The Sounds for Silence (newsobserver.com) Fri, Mar. 13, 2009 [PDF]

The Man Who Laughs (www.indyweek.com) 11 Mar. 2009 [PDF]

Northbrook Star, part of the Sun Times News Group, for September 19, 2008 features an interview with Dave.
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/northbrook/news/1168762,nb-qanda-091808-s1.article

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.

Jazz Hands - Dave was interviewed for "Better Magazine," July 2008 issue, a project of the students at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism].
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