January 12, 2011

Community Concert featuring Frank D’Ambrosio –

Beverley Park, Reviewer

For anyone who was alive and able to remember the 1940’s war times and the joy that music brought to the hearts of Americans at home and those abroad fighting for our freedom, Wednesday nights Community Concert with Frank D’Ambrosio rekindled that spirit. The evening, billed as “A Bronx Boys Musical Perspective of WW II” opened with a piano Overture leading into Frank’s exuberant rendition of Captain of the Clouds. The audience was quickly welcomed into the D’Ambrosio family life with the memory vision of Frank’s Aunt and Uncle Joey. He lead us through life as an immigrant family living in the Bronx in a multistory apartment building, with large families sharing small spaces and feeling a freedom they had not had before. The family gathered around the one small radio as they listened eagerly to news and the happy songs and stories of the Lucky Strike Radio Hour. Mr. D’Ambrosio filled the auditorium with rich golden sounds of times gone-by; That Old Black Magic, Don’t get around much anymore, Long Ago and Far Away. We visited in our memory the USO’s where many romances began to the words of Speak Softly Love and the piano solo of La Vin En Rose. When the work force at home began to dwindle in size as the men were drafted to protect our country, the women stepped up to the task and Rosie the Riveter became one popular lady! Mixed into each day for every family was the uncertainty of which family member would be “called up” next and then the anxiety of when and if they would come home. This gave new meaning to songs as “Danny Boy”, a short ballad from much earlier times lamenting the leaving home of a son.

Entering into the second half of the evening with a piano solo by accompanist Michael Tilly, which flowed directly into vocal accompaniment of Frank as he invited the audience to join him in America the Beautiful we were quickly moved to camps of the service men and women and the songs that so poignantly roused memories of those who lived in those times and years. Songs of farewell; Anchors Away, Caissons Go Rolling Along, On the Banks of the Wabash, and laments of memories of home filled the air. We were reminded again of How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning, yearning for a Kiss Me Goodnight, and Ma,I Miss Your Apple Pie. No one singer had a more profound effect on those days or a more lasting memory than Bing Crosby (to this day this reviewers all time favorite singer, and actor) who not only sang about the war times but spent many hours with the troops in personal appearances. Remembering Bing’s crooning, Frank D’Ambrosio certainly filled his shoes and thrilled us with many of Bings unforgettable tunes; Accentuate the Positive, You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby, Pennies From Heaven, and White Christmas.

Mr. D’Ambrosio is perhaps best known as having played the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera. The audience enthusiastically welcomed the time he spent in serenading with music from that Broadway production. For the entire concert Mr. Michael Tilly enhanced the music accompaniment with his piano renditions and here again playing the scores for Phantom his wonderful and unique entertainment abilities gave the concert a complete five star rating.

Bringing the audience back into his family home and life in the Bronx “Uncle Joey” arrived home from the war and reinforced the family belief of That’s America for Me and again ask that God Bless America. So many other stories and songs were shared than there is room to write about here. A fantastic evening closed with The Music of the Night.