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News & Events with David Drazin
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


August 

Here are two new articles for summer 2010



Wilmette Theatre
, 1122 Central Avenue, Wilmette, IL, 847-251-7424, www.wilmettetheatre.com
Silent Sundays Series: Three classic silent films with live piano accompaniment by David Drazin,
all at 2:00 p.m. Central Time.
  • AUGUST 22: THE GENERAL (1927, dir. and starring Buster Keaton)

Dave plays hot jazz piano with Gus Friedlander's Prohibition Orchestra at Fitzgerald's, Sunday, August 15, 6:00 - 9:00 PM.  6615 Roosevelt Road, Berwyn, IL 60402-1010, (708) 788-2118
www.fitzgeraldsnightclub.com
 
On Wednesday, August 25, from 7:30-10:30 p.m., Dave plays keyboards with Dick Elliott's orchestra for ballroom dancers in the Grand Ballroom of Chevy Chase Country Club. 1000 N. Milwaukee Ave. Wheeling, IL 60090. www.chevychasecountryclub.com
 
On Friday night, August 27, Dave plays hot jazz piano for swing dancing with Gus Friedlander's Prohibition Orchestra for "Speakeazy with Prohibition Orchestra of Chicago & Swing Hakim" at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 West Division, Chicago. The program will run from 8-11:45 p.m. Details are at
http://globalgroove.ning.com/events/speakeazy-with-prohibition
 
Dave returns to the Skokie Theatre for another set of silent movies with live piano accompaniment during the annual Skokie, IL "Backlot Bash" festival. The streets of Skokie (formerly "Niles Center") were used by early movie companies as their backlot for filming Westerns, etc. Dave will play for silent comedies and dramas from 2-5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28 and Sun., Aug. 29.
 

September


Northbrook Public Library
, 1201 Cedar Lane, Northbrook, IL, 847-272-6224, http://www.northbrook.info/events/film Dave accompanies both screenings of silent films in the auditorium of Northbrook Public Library. All are on Wednesdays, two screenings - 1:00 and 7:30 p.m. "The First Oscar Winners"
Sept. 1: Sadie Thompson (1927, dir. by Raoul Walsh), starring Gloria Swanson
Sept. 8: The Circus (1928, dir. Charles Chaplin), starring Charles Chaplin
Sept. 15: The Last Command (1928, dir. Josef von Sternberg), starring Emil Jannings
Sept. 22: Sunrise (1927, dir. F.W. Murnau), starring Janet Gaynor
Sept. 29: Wings (1927, dir. William Wellman), starring Clara Bow, Buddy Rogers, Richard Arlen

October

October 16: Dave accompanies home movies at the annual Home Movie Day, sponsored by Chicago Film Archives at Chicago Cultural Center
78 East Washington Street
773-478-3799, www.homemovieday.com, www.chicagofilmarchives.org.


October 17: From 2:00 to 5:30 p.m. at Glendora House ballroom, 102nd & Harlem, Chicago Ridge, IL, Dave plays hot jazz piano with the Bob Schulz Band at the monthly meeting and public jazz program of the Illiana Club of Traditional Jazz, 708-425-4596 or 219-923-6775.

October 24: 2:00 p.m., Deerfield Library, 920 Waukegan Road, Deerfield, IL, 847-945-3311. Dave accompanies a free public screening of the Halloween classic "Phantom of the Opera" starring Lon Chaney.

November

Live Radio Theater group



The Live Radio Theater shows at Joplin's Java in Waukegan on June 11 were a big hit for all who attended. Dave even played a few licks on the violin as Jack Benny! If you'd like to hear recordings of these live shows (and if you missed the Halloween program, those shows as well), please visit http://www.joplinsjava.com/
videos/audio1.php .

Dave will be back at Joplin's to give a solo piano concert on November 19
.









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 DVD of "The Sea Lion" (1922) starring Bessie Love and Hobart Bosworth. The DVD also includes a co-feature, Pauline Garon in "The Average Woman." Ordering details available on their website.

Another of Dave's soundtracks for Unknown Video has been released: "Whiz-Bang No. 1: Action Americana" http://www.unknownvideo.com/whizbang.htm

(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?, 
file:///Users/admin/Desktop/arsc123jeroldfrederic.pdf 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

Summer 2010. "Pianist Jerold Frederic Reunited with Unique Recordings" by David Drazin in Asociation for Recorded Sound Collections issue 123.

July 15, 2010. "Pianist gives expression to silent film" by Dorothy Andries reporting in the Evanston Review is a really cool article telling how Dave got into playing for silent films.

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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