Hello Sourcers!

Let’s see what we’ve got this week. The envelope, please.

🎬 Oscars!

☘️ St. Paddy’s!

🐝 BEES!

🎶 Vinyl!

The big deal this weekend (for me at least) is the Oscars. Last year was a great year for movies and while I’m not as all-in on the Oscars as some of our staff (Artpocalyse writer and WSKG Senior Creative Producer Alyssa Micha has spreadsheets, you guys), this is a rare year where I feel like I’ll be psyched with whoever wins. If you want the full red carpet experience for your Oscar viewing, Cinemapolis in Ithaca is holding its annual Oscar Gala, “And The Winner Is…” on Sunday night, with food, beverages, and folks in swanky clothes. Of course, if you’d rather watch in your PJs, that’s cool by me.

Next week is Saint Paddy’s Day (yes, in this house we spell it with d’s, as it should be). I learned today that Scranton, PA has one of the largest Saint Patrick’s Day Parades in the country, but there are plenty of smaller scale options, from Celtic Music with the Tannahill Weavers at the Opera House in Earlville, the Shamrock Shuffle in Horseheads, or scoring a personalized St. Paddy’s Day bat in Cooperstown. 

Last thing I’d like to mention: this Saturday is the Adult Spelling Bee at Liquid State Brewing in Ithaca, with proceeds going to the Ithaca Public Education Initiative. Teams compete for the spelling crown. I’ll be serving as a judge for the third year in a row, on account of my impeckable spelling (I will not be making my own bee costume out of a yellow tee shirt and electrical tape, because some mistakes you only have to make once).

Whether you’re walking the red carpet or sporting the green, I hope you have a lovely week, Sourcers.

Yours,

Bob Proehl

Locally Sourced editor

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Extra value is what you get when you buy Coronet at the bargain bin in Angry Mom Records.

Back in the early 90’s, I was working at WNYC. Harriet, also known as The Ticket Lady, offered me an opportunity to see Rosemary Clooney in concert. “Rosemary Who? Oh the lady who did the paper towel commercials!” I also recalled that my friend Rob had introduced me to the “Here Comes Suzy Snowflake” song. So I took the tickets, picked up Rob and we found ourselves at a concert venue in Brooklyn, awaiting Miss Clooney. Little did I know that night how my opinion of this “girl singer” would change so dramatically.

First things first, she must have changed her glamorous dresses about six times in the course of performing. But she was so much more than those sparkly gowns. That voice: velvety soft and emotional, but also so strong and commanding. In a concert hall where there were so many people, Rob and I being the youngest at that time, she was singing to me. Not many performers have that power.

After that live performance, I started to introduce myself to more of her music. Of course there was the fun, kitschy stuff like “Mambo Italiano" and "Come On-a-My House” (She wasn’t initially a fan of recording those novelty tunes) but there were the songs that also exuded emotion and authenticity, like “Tenderly" and “Hey There.” So, when I rounded the stairwell at Angry Mom Records and started hunting through the bargain boxes, I thought myself victorious when I scored four Rosemary Clooney albums!

All on the Concord Jazz label, here are my treasures with a highlight from each album:

Rosemary Clooney Sings the Lyrics of Ira Gershwin (1980)

• Gershwin himself approved of Clooney’s interpretations of his work. My favorite on this disc is “But Not for Me”

Rosemary Clooney Sings the Music of Harold Arlen (1983)

• It was fun to hear “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” in something other than Munchkin-ese. I loved Clooney’s swinging jazz version of this tune.

Rosemary Clooney Sings the Music of Irving Berlin (1984)

• Ethel Merman is closely associated with Berlin’s, “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” and why not, she belts it out like it's her own. Clooney’s more jazzified version is simple, clear and doesn’t feel like it's competing with the music to be heard. 

Rosemary Clooney Sings the Music of Jimmy Van Heusen (1986)

• Clooney recorded “Love Won’t Let You Get Away” with Bing Crosby in 1958. This is her solo interpretation of the song.



It was so worth thumbing through numerous boxes to be able to add to my Rosemary Clooney collection!