Скачать или смотреть Dennis Lichtman & Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton at Louis Armstrong's House

Filmed on the steps of the LOUIS ARMSTRONG HOUSE MUSEUM in Queens, NY

Dennis Lichtman's new album, "Just Cross the River" is a celebration of jazz legends who lived and worked in Queens, NY - a borough less glamorous than neighboring Manhattan and Brooklyn.
www.dennislichtman.com/albums
In 1923, pianist/bandleader/publisher Clarence Williams and his wife, vocalist Eva Taylor, bought a house and eight lots in Queens with the intention of starting a jazz community there. Soon to follow were Bix Beiderbecke (who died there at the age of 28), Fats Waller, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Lester Young, Benny Goodman, Lena Horne, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, and dozens more. Most famously, Louis Armstrong lived in Queens for nearly the last 30 years of his life, and his house is now a wonderful museum - www.louisarmstronghouse.org.
The song "Just Cross the River from Queens" is thought to be the only song from the early decades of jazz that references Queens. It was written by Albert von Tilzer (composer of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame") and Neville Fleeson for a musical, Bye Bye Bonnie, which was a major flop in 1927. None other than the great Vince Giordano is to thank for the unearthing of the original sheet music for this tune. (The lyrics seem to pertain to Welfare Island, now known as Roosevelt Island, which had a large mental institution built in the mid-1920's and is nestled in the East River between Queens and Manhattan.)

We're aware that technical limitations of the audio recording cause Jerron's vocals to be quieter that we would have wanted, but we hope you enjoy this as much as we enjoyed making it!

Here are the original lyrics:

There's a quiet spot just up the river,
And this little spot is quite well known.
Very near the isle of Manhattan,
So near Manhattan, you talk by phone.
When you go you know how long you'll stay there,
A day, a week, a month, a year, or more.
For your welfare they plan every day there,
The moment that you put your foot up on the shore.

Warmed by the sunshine and kissed by the dew,
Just cross the river from Queens.
Oh what a welcome is waiting for your,
Just cross the river from Queens.
Oh what a view of the river and sky,
Tugboats and scows whistle as they go by.
Live like a king, not a cent in your jeans,
Just cross the river from Queens.


Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton: guitar & vocals
Dennis Lichtman: clarinet

filmed by Sergio Carrasco
edited by Cenna Wilkerson
produced by Triple Treble Music

Special thanks to the Louis Armstrong House Museum, Michael Cogswell, Ricky Riccardi, Vince Giordano, and Mark Moskowitz

©2017 Triple Treble Music, all rights reserved