Thursday, October 09, 2003 2:33 PM
Subject: DePamphilis/Farchione
 

Well, Lindsey and Jared's "Fairy Tale" wedding was a success and, along with the special couple, Al was the hit of the evening.  EVERYONE was surprised and THRILLED.  He was PERFECT.  Don't tell Gene but, I think I have fallen in love with Al - ha ha.  He is FABULOUS and everyone thoroughly enjoyed listening and dancing to his music.  We would like to extend a thanks to Al but, do not have his address.  I know when Lindsey and Jared return from their honeymoon, they too would like to send a note.  Would you have his mailing address?  And, we'd love to have a schedule of his upcoming performances so we can listen to his sweet/smooth tunes!!!!!!!

Again, thanks for all your help and cooperation in making L & J's wedding an extra special one.  We will certainly be in contact with you again about Al performing at other functions we will be associated with.  He is a "special friend" we'd love to keep in contact with! 

Sincerely, Gene & Sherry Zvolensky and the "New" Lindsey and Jared Farchione 

Although the weather wasn't ideal, I can't imagine another performer being as flexible or high spirited.  Among the audience was my father, a bit of a musician himself with a critical ear, and Billy Sherrill, famous country music producer & writer of most recently named #1 song of all time, "Stand By Your Man". He is most noted as being the agent for Tammy Wynette & George
Jones.  I didn't tell All this before hand, of course & he doesn't like to be recognized but the reason I share this with you is that he truly was impressed with Al.  I wanted you to know (please pass this on to him as well) that everyone, including the "experts" was very complimentary.  If you could, please send me a business card, as I would like to have your contact info. as well as Al's name for future.  We will definitely keep you in mind for upcoming needs.

Thank you for fast-tracking this along & for your great recommendation.  I hope to keep in touch,

-Stephanie

KW Plastics Recycling
Sales/ Market Development
Pike County Lake Road
P.O. Drawer 707
Troy, AL 36081
334 / 566-1563

Charlotte Pops at Sunset was a real winner for Charlotte County 
 

Did you miss the Charlotte Pops concert Saturday night? If you weren't at Edison Community College , you missed one of the most exciting events in Charlotte County. 

For the past six years, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra has given us top flight entertainers from opera stars to a steel drum player.

This year, they picked a neighbor to perform -- Al Holland, who over the years, has performed with the Platters, the Drifters, the Supremes and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. All the groups I grew up with. When I was a teen-ager, I would play their songs on my 45 record player until they would skip and stutter. 

In my blue jeans, neck scarf and '50s hairdo, I was all set to jump up and down and scream just like we did back then. All of the big name singers and bands played theaters in New York, so I was always able to go, that is, if I had enough money for my ticket. Baby sitting didn't pay very much. 

Getting back to the present. Listening to Al Holland, with his big voice, took me back in time and I found myself swaying back and forth and singing along (I knew all the words to the songs, shows my age, doesn't it?). 

I stopped singing when I got embarrassed about people hearing me. I can't carry a tune and when I do sing at home, it hurts my cats' ears. 

But then I realized everyone was singing, not only the '50s generation, but the young people as well. Right next to me was 14-year-old Patty Tooker who even knew the words.

A night to remember -- a golden moon and a golden voice backed by a superb orchestra. A real plus for Charlotte County.

Area singer Al Holland is featured soloist at Charlotte Symphony pops concert
Musician toured with the Platters

This year's Pops at Sunset concert, the popular season opener by the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, will feature area singer and keyboard player Al Holland with a program devoted to Richard Rodgers and popular and patriotic music.

The concert will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Edison Community College Charlotte campus in Punta Gorda. The symphony will be led by conductor Janita Hauk.

Holland regularly performs Wednesday through Saturday at the Riviera Oyster Bar & Restaurant in Punta Gorda. He has also performed at the Best Western Waterfront lounge. Before that, he was a national and international performer with the Platters, some of whose songs he will sing at this year's concert. 

Before his years performing in night clubs, Holland played cello for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and other classical ensembles. 

A genial, laid-back and elegant man, Holland talks as easily about the music of Richard Rodgers as that of the Platters. The pops concert, he said, is called "A Salute to Richard Rodgers," and will include selections from "The Sound of Music," "State Fair" and "Victory at Sea." It will begin and end with patriotic songs. 

Holland said he planned to sing "My Prayer" and "Twilight Time," as well as a surprise selection and some songs he's never sung before. He waxed enthusiastic about being part of the orchestral concert.

"This was like a present to me," he exclaimed. "Really cool" and "fun" were some of the words he used to describe his role as featured soloist with the symphony.

Holland was born in Detroit and grew up during the heyday of the Motown era, he said. He attended high school and college in Detroit. His parents encouraged his interest in music. His mother was a school music teacher. When she brought home various instruments, starting with a French horn, Holland picked them up and learned to play them all. 

In 1970, as a teen-ager, Holland played cello for the youth orchestra of the Detroit Metropolitan Orchestra, Detroit's first black concert orchestra. He eventually worked his way to a permanent position as cellist with the Detroit Symphony. He held that position from 1976 through 1979. 

At the beginning of the 1980s, Holland moved to Tulsa, Okla., for a year and a half to manage several real estate properties he and his sister had inherited from his paternal grandmother. 

That move turned into a milestone in his career. Because Jim Crow was still strong in Oklahoma at the time, Holland said, he was turned down when he auditioned for the all-white Tulsa Symphony. 

He turned to jobs in night clubs playing popular music. During that time, he was able to perform professionally only three times, with Roy Clark, Wayne Newton and Della Reese, he said. 

Holland said that when he moved back to Detroit, he sold refrigerators for J.C. Penney to tide him over. In 1982, a keyboard player friend asked Holland to substitute for him at a gig. Even though Holland had not played the keyboard as a regular instrument, he said he'd do it. 

The band he played with, Attraction, included Wilson Williams as leader and Verceal Whitaker. When Williams heard him play, he hired Holland as the regular keyboard player. That's how Holland became a keyboardist, which he continued during the 1980s. He later left Attraction and toured with his own band and other bands.

In 1990, Williams asked Holland to rejoin him as the keyboardist with Attraction, who played the show band circuit, and move to Florida. That's how Holland came to Florida. 

In 1993, the then Platters' manager invited Attraction to Las Vegas to perform for a showcase, Holland said. By coincidence, the Platters were looking for new members, and both Williams and Holland joined the famous group. 

They performed their first show as Platters in Louisville, Ky. Holland remained a regular with the group until January of this year, and still sings with them at special events. Williams is still with the group. Whitaker, who also joined the Platters, also sings with them occasionally.

Holland said he recently returned from a week in Las Vegas, where he performed with the Platters to open a new club called Seven. Holland, who is married and lives in Fort Myers, said he likes the energy and magic of Las Vegas.

But he also likes to be up close to his audience in Punta Gorda. He performs a variety of standards at the Riviera Oyster Bar & Restaurant, from a bluesy "Stormy Monday" to a romantic "You're Gonna Miss My Lovin' " He is booked at the Riviera for the remainder of the season, he said. 

"I am thankful for the support of the people in Charlotte County, and I hope that they support the Charlotte Symphony, in all its endeavors," he said.

You can e-mail Sandy Copperman at SanfordCop@aol.com
 

By SANDY COPPERMAN

Sun Music Writer
 

The eighth annual Charlotte Pops at Sunset concert, "Some Enchanted Evening," was performed under the stars, in front of an estimated crowd of 3,000 Saturday on the Punta Gorda campus of Edison Community College. 

The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, led by Maestra Janita Hauk -- combined with guests Al Holland (of The Platters fame) and award-winning cabaret artist Valerie Sneade -- gave the audience exactly what they wanted: a potpourri of show music from Rodgers and Hammerstein, radiant instrumentals, sing-alongs of familiar favorites, patriotic marches, country tunes, Motown sounds and romantic Platters hits. 

The weather could not have been more ideal. A sunlit sky with comfortable temperatures and humidity, progressed into a starlit evening over the campus green. 

The event's many details appeared to have been prepared and executed without a hitch. Students and employees of the college were helpful in directing traffic and driving those requiring golf cart rides from their cars. 

Given the inherent limitations of outdoor acoustics, the sound amplification system this year was the best ever. The orchestra shone brilliantly at times, their weak points kept to a minimum, and the soloists rose to the occasion. The audience responded with enthusiasm and appreciation. 

A medley from "South Pacific" opened the first set, including a duet by Jessica Bailey and Andrew Phung of Port Charlotte Middle School. Holland sang a couple of songs from "South Pacific." Sneade performed two other songs from the show.

Her performance was met by the audience's approval. Her crisp intonation and precise timing melded to form a beautiful musical instrument.

To end the first set, the orchestra played two pleasing arrangements, "Witchcraft," and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," a beautiful duet sung by Sneade and Holland which the audience found moving.

The second set was even more enjoyable. Sneade opened with "Bali Hai." A "moon" trilogy by the orchestra featured a haunting "Moon River." The crowd joined in to sing a nostalgic "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" and a jazzy "Blue Moon."

Al Holland, a masterful master of ceremonies, raised the audience to new heights of excitement with impromptu songs and performances not printed on the program notes.

Holland drew a strong response from his listeners by getting them to sing with him, "I've Got Friends in Low Places," a country song with a honky-tonk piano background. This drew "yippees" from the crowd.

He then changed the mood of the sing-a-long to the Temptations hit "My Girl." All the while Holland's patter and good-natured kidding around kept the audience increasingly involved. 

Holland invited about a dozen of the front-row professional and business dignitaries to get on stage with him, to perform the Temptations' famous 'two-step' dance. The surprise was that he taught them to do so perfectly and spontaneously. 

To mark the 25th anniversary of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, they played a bossa nova version of "Just the Way You Are," with a wonderful trumpet solo by Frank Galime, all done with style and grace. 

For the finale to a wonderful evening, Holland sang a sweet trilogy of Platters goldies, "Only You," "The Great Pretender" and "My Prayer." 

This year's concert proceeds will be used to support the nursing program on the Charlotte Campus. The Gold Sponsors were the Charlotte Sun, Bon Secours-St. Joseph Hospital, Fawcett Memorial Hospital, and Pat and Jerry Hayes of Five Star Realty. 

In summary, Holland and Sneade showed they were just as capable of performing successfully in front of an audience of several thousand, as they have done in their night club, cabaret and theater performances. Maestra Hauk and the orchestra portend good things to come, with their music now integrated, well-timed, strong and rich. It should sound even better in the brand new Charlotte Performing Arts Center. 

For information on season subscriptions to the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, call (941) 625-5996, or (941) 505-SHOW. 

You can e-mail Sandy Copperman at SanfordCop@aol.com.
 

By SANDY COPPERMAN

Music Columnist