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San Francisco Chronicle
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Rob Reich, pianist and accordion player with a regular gig at S.F.'s Zuni Café, dies at 47
Weekend diners at Zuni Café in San Francisco walked in to the jazz stylings of Rob Reich either at the grand piano by the door or strolling with his accordion — a timeless presence with a timeless sound. Reich, a versatile composer, bandleader and solo performer who could cover a full century of jazz styles, was booked through Memorial Day weekend at Zuni. But the piano will be silent, with an arrangement of flowers on top, and there will be no accordion standing by on the floor. Reich died May 15, at Orr Hot Springs Resort in Ukiah (Mendocino County), where he was a regular visitor to its meditative waters in a redwood forest environment. Paramedics were summoned after he was found unresponsive by staff in one of the resort buildings, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 47. A final cause of death is pending a full autopsy by the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office coroner. Reich's parents, Richard and Linda Reich of Sarasota, Fla., declined to speculate, other than to say he had no known medical condition that would have caused their son's sudden death. 'Rob brought tremendous pleasure and joy to the restaurant,' said Gilbert Pilgram, owner of Zuni. 'Aside from being a talented musician, he was one of those people who everybody loved.' Reich had been in the midst of composing the annual summer performance of Circus Bella, a one-ring circus of acrobats and aerialists set to an original score by Reich. It is performed by the Circus Bella All Star Band, a six-piece ensemble with Reich conducting and playing piano, accordion, glockenspiel and about anything else that can produce sound in an orchestra. 'Rob's ability to create music in such a rainbow of styles was unparalleled,' said Abigail Munn, co-founder, executive director and ringmaster of Circus Bella. 'He was prolific in the range of .genres and quality of music that he was able to write.' Reich's music was superlative, his father said, noting that Rob had learned the piano at age 3 by sitting down of his own volition to play 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' — 'just out of the blue, with no sheet music because he could not read yet.' It soon became obvious that Reich was the rare child with the gift of perfect pitch. He was on his way to a life in music, a journey that reached a peak public moment in San Francisco when he was called on to play the accordion at the City Hall inauguration of Mayor Daniel Lurie in January. Accordion is the official city instrument, and Reich played the official city ballad, 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco.' Reich was equally at ease playing accordion on call with the San Francisco Symphony at 2,700-seat Davies Hall, and playing at 30-seat Bird & Beckett Books & Records. He would fill the Glen Park store for his regular gig, with a $20 admission fee. He also fronted his own band, Rob Reich Swings Left, and could put together a chamber music quartet upon request. In a good week, he played eight to 12 gigs. 'Rob was beyond category,' said Eric Whittington, owner of Bird & Beckett. 'He played original compositions that are Rob Reich-like — some are dreamy and atmospheric, and some are rambunctious. He was just a very charming and idiosyncratic guy.' When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down live performance, Reich kept playing, drawing his audience to online shows from the house he owned in East Oakland and shared with his daughter, June Price, 15. 'He didn't prefer doing one thing over another,' his father said. 'He loved having solo gigs. He loved having gigs with one or two people. He loved small venues and large venues. He had a great smile and a unique style.' Robert Erich Reich was born March 8, 1978, in Syosset, on New York's Long Island. His dad, Richard, was a manufacturing rep who commuted to New York City on the Long Island Railroad for 35 years. Once Rob's gift for music was discovered, he took lessons on the piano and guitar. At Syosset High School, he played piano and drums in the orchestra and guitar in the jazz band. In his junior year, he applied to Long Island High School for the Arts, a public school program that allowed him to go to Syosset High in the mornings and spend his afternoons studying music. He also hosted a classical music radio program at Syosset and played guitar in a hard rock band called Moonshine. After graduating in 1996, he was accepted to the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. He majored in composition and graduated in 2000. At the time, there was an Oberlin migration west, and Reich joined it, driving out in a 1997 Volkswagen Jetta. He settled in Oakland because it was cheaper than San Francisco and learned his way around the Bay Area by doing delivery for the Balloon Lady. He also delivered singing telegrams. 'He became part of numerous bands, different types of music, etcetera, etcetera,' his dad said. Reich's introduction to the local scene was on piano in jam sessions featuring graduate jazz students at Mills College in Oakland. After he heard Dan Cantrell play accordion, Reich picked up that instrument and taught himself, said Dave Ricketts, a bandmate in Gaucho, a traditional six-piece jazz band that ranges from the hot jazz of Louis Armstrong to the gypsy jazz of Django Reinhardt. For 18 years, Gaucho was the Wednesday band at Amnesia, a bar that had a painted portrait of Reich and his accordion above the entrance facing Valencia Street. But there were other bands on other nights — the klezmer band Kugelplex, the Trifles, the Amnesiacs, the Nice Guy Trio, the Nell and Jim Band, a bluegrass outfit, and Tin Hat, a chamber music quartet that toured internationally. At any given time, he was involved in as many as two dozen musical projects. When performing solo, Reich turned the accordion into an experimental instrument for ambient music played in the lobby or the galleries at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He released four albums under his own name, with a fifth to be released posthumously. He also recorded an album with Tin Hat, three albums with Circus Bella and eight with Gaucho. 'Rob knew so much about early jazz and could play all American improvised music — jazz, country blues, bebop, surf music, rockabilly, punk rock,' said Ricketts, who played with Reich and Gaucho just last month at Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant in Berkeley. 'He could make the mandolin sound like Thelonious Monk.' Once when they were unloading to play a wedding ceremony in coastal Marin, band members got word that they were supposed to play the second movement of Dvořák's Fifth Symphony, which they had never even rehearsed. Reich got on YouTube and found a version that he could learn instantly by ear. As the bride marched up the aisle, Reich whispered the complicated chord changes to Ricketts. It came off as if they had rehearsed for days. 'Listening to Rob on accordion is like looking at a painting,' Ricketts said. 'It makes each person feel differently, but we all know that we felt something.' In 2009, Reich was in a relationship with jazz singer Kally Price that resulted in the birth of their daughter. That relationship ended after several years, and Reich shared custody of June. In 2016, Reich was playing accordion at Brenda's French Soul Food in San Francisco when Steph Solis came in for dinner. Their eyes locked while she was eating fried chicken, and they stayed locked while he played. They were together after that for the rest of Reich's life. 'Our relationship had a duality of spiritual depth and whimsy,' said Solis, 39, a nutritionist and writer who lives in San Francisco. 'Our dynamic was nearly constantly playful, like romping around with one another's inner child.' Reich began playing at Zuni in the middle of the pandemic when it was open for takeout only, of the trademark chicken for two. There was always a wait, during which Reich was hired to stand outside with his accordion to smooth the passage of time. He has been there ever since. 'If customers came over after weddings at City Hall, he would play a wedding march,' said Pilgram, the Zuni owner. 'He knew how to play everything.' Pilgram's personal request was 'Man of La Mancha.' When Munn, of Circus Bella, would come into Zuni during lunch, he would segue into the music he'd play while she swung on the trapeze in the circus. For 17 years, Munn and Reich have worked together on Circus Bella, with an entirely new 60-minute show each summer. The music is continuous with Reich on an elevated bandstand, dressed in a bandleader's uniform with his conductor's hat cocked at a jaunty angle. The first preview performance of Circus Bella will be on June 4 at DeFremery Park in Oakland. Reich's score, which was mostly completed before his death, will be performed by the All Star Band, without the only music director the circus has ever known. Twenty-one shows are scheduled for open spaces around the Bay Area. 'I can't imagine creating the show without him, and I'm just one piece of all the different communities and musicians that Rob worked with,' Munn said. 'It's a huge loss for the Bay Area.'
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First Post
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- First Post
History Today: When New York's iconic Brooklyn Bridge was inaugurated
One of the most iconic bridges, the Brooklyn Bridge, was opened to the public on May 24, 1844, thus connecting the cities of New York and Brooklyn for the first time in history. At the time, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. The bridge has grabbed headlines recently after a Mexican navy ship collided with it, killing two cadets and injuring 22 others read more Pedestrians stroll along the promenade of the Brooklyn Bridge connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn in New York, 1891. File image/AP Remember Shah Rukh Khan's Aman running on the Brooklyn Bridge in the movie 'Kal Ho Naa Ho'? Well, one of New York's most famous architectures, the Brooklyn Bridge opened on May 24, 1883. The bridge is important as it connected the cities of New York and Brooklyn for the first time in history. If you are a history geek who loves to learn about important events from the past, Firstpost Explainers' ongoing series, History Today will be your one-stop destination to explore key events. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On this day in 1844, Samuel FB Morse transmitted the first official telegraph message, marking a pivotal moment in communication history. In 1830, the poem 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' was first published in Poems for Our Children by Sarah Josepha Hale. Here is all that took place on this day across the world on May 24. Inauguration of Brooklyn Bridge Visible in many TV shows and movies, the Brooklyn Bridge is a part of New York's identity. It officially opened on May 24, 1883, over the East River, uniting the cities of New York and Brooklyn for the first time. At the time of its inauguration, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world, spanning 1,595.5 feet. The dedication ceremony drew thousands of residents from both Brooklyn and Manhattan Island along with President Chester A Arthur and New York Governor Grover Cleveland presiding over the event. The construction of the bridge, a monumental engineering achievement, began under John A Roebling. Following his untimely accidental death, his son Washington Roebling, assumed the role of chief engineer. Washington later suffered from decompression sickness, which confined him to bed. His wife, Emily Warren Roebling, then took charge, overseeing the day-to-day operations and serving as the crucial link between her husband and the construction crew. Her unwavering dedication was vital to the project's successful completion. Officers of the New York and Brooklyn Corporation along with workmen, inspect the cable anchorage on the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge during construction, October 1878. File image/AP And so, on the day of the inauguration, she was honoured with the first carriage ride across the bridge with a rooster in her lap, symbolising victory. An estimated 250,000 people crossed the Brooklyn Bridge within 24 hours since opening, taking advantage of the broad promenade situated above the roadway, a feature specifically designed by John Roebling for pedestrian enjoyment. The bridge's completion was met with widespread acclaim. Dubbed the 'eighth wonder of the world,' it quickly became an iconic symbol of New York City . Its innovative design and impressive scale inspired artists, poets, and engineers alike. The first telegraph message sent Now extinct, telegraphs were an important part of communication in the 19th and 20th centuries. They played a crucial role in the history of communication. 'What hath God wrought,' this was the first message transmitted via a telegraph, by Samuel FB Morse from the US Capitol in Washington, DC, to his associate Alfred Vail at the B&O Railroad's Mount Clare Station in Baltimore, Maryland in 1844. The successful transmission demonstrated the practicality of long-distance electronic communication, leading to the rapid expansion of telegraph lines across the United States and eventually the world. This innovation laid the groundwork for future advancements in communication technologies, including the telephone and the Internet. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Morse's achievement was the culmination of years of experimentation and advocacy. In 1843, he secured $30,000 in federal funding to construct the 38-mile telegraph line between Washington and Baltimore. The project's success not only validated Morse's invention but also showcased the potential of government-supported technological innovation. 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' rhyme was published One Of the most popular English rhymes, 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' was published on this day in 1830. The rhyme first appeared in the 'Poems for Our Children' written by American writer and editor Sarah Josepha Hale. The poem was inspired by an actual incident involving a young girl named Mary Sawyer from Sterling, Massachusetts. In 1815, at the age of nine, Mary rescued a sickly lamb rejected by its mother and raised it as a pet. One day, the lamb followed her to school, causing a commotion among her classmates. This event left a lasting impression on Mary and those around her. The poem gained popularity and became one of the most enduring nursery rhymes in American culture. In 1877, Thomas Edison used 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' as the first audio recording on his newly invented phonograph, further cementing its place in history. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Today, it remains a beloved nursery rhyme, symbolising the innocence of childhood and the bond between humans and animals. This Day, That Year On this day in 2000, Israel ended its 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon. Carl Magee of Oklahoma was granted a US patent for the first coin-controlled parking meter in 1938. With inputs from agencies
NZ Herald
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
On the Up: Hawke's Bay bus driver's shelter project keeps kids warm and dry
Somervell's bus is known as the 'music bus' to his young passengers – he has loaded it up with instruments for daily singalongs of Wheels on the Bus and Mary Had a Little Lam b, among other children's favourites, and plays games of I Spy with the children. Father of two of his passengers and Esk Valley farmer Mark Mitchell said the kids love the bus so much that when their parents can collect them from school the kids would still prefer to ride the school bus with Somervell. 'They want to catch the bus because Lee's awesome,' Mitchell said. 'He gives them a present or a bit of birthday cake on their birthdays and all sorts. He's a hell of a bloke.' One wet morning, Somervell saw his young passengers standing in the rain at the end of Mitchell's driveway when he decided 'this is not good enough'. 'It's pretty cold up that Esk Valley,' Somervell said. He and Mitchell discussed building a mai mai to keep the kids dry, but Somervell thought he'd 'go to the top'. 'So I came to Mitre 10,' he said. At Mitre 10 Hastings, Somervell met with advertising, events and sponsorship co-ordinator Pip George, who couldn't help but catch Somervell's enthusiasm. 'We were like, how can we not get behind this project,' she said. 'We receive a lot of requests for good and gift card, but obviously projects like this one inspire us. It's more what we do around the DIY and building and it aligns with our values here at the store.' George sent an email to EIT's School of Trades and Technology carpentry tutor Campbell Johnson, better known as CJ, asking if he and his students would be keen to help build the shelter if Mitre 10 provided the materials, to which he replied 'absolutely'. 'EIT were crucial to this project,' George said. 'Something about students helping younger students, that full circle really means something.' Six weeks later, a bright-orange bus shelter was placed at the end of Mitchell's driveway so his children and their fellow pupils could stay dry during the colder and wetter months. 'It's a hell of a lot better than my garage at home,' laughed Somervell. 'It can be seen from [State Highway 5] and that's a great thing because what we need is giving credit to Mitre 10 Hastings. 'But to have this bus shelter now to unite us all is really good and wonderful teamwork.'
NDTV
10-05-2025
- General
- NDTV
Mother's Day 2025: Wishes, Quotes And Messages To Share With Your Mom
Mother's Day, as the name suggests, is a special occasion to honour mothers and maternal figures for their love, sacrifice and contributions to family and society. It's a day to acknowledge the unquantifiable and selfless contributions every mother makes to help her child succeed. Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May each year. This year, it falls on May 11. On this day, family members try to make sure that their mother is happy and enjoys her life. They surprise her with gifts, take her out for dinner, or even cook for her at home. It is the perfect opportunity to tell your mom how much she means to you. As Mother's Day is just around the corner, here are some Mother's Day wishes, greetings, quotes and messages that you can share with your mother to make her feel special: Mother's Day wishes and greetings Happy Mother's Day to the best mother in the world! Happy Mother's Day to the woman who made me who I am today. I owe everything to you! Dear mom, words can't express how much you mean to me, but I will still try. Thank you for being a guide, an inspiration, a shoulder to lean on and the rock of our family. Happy Mother's Day! Happy Mother's Day! May this year be full of good luck and great things for you, mom. We love you! Wishing you a Mother's Day that's filled with all your favourite things. You deserve endless pampering. Thank you for putting up with my childhood antics and teenage angst. It couldn't have been easy, but you did it all with a smile. Love you, mom! Mom, you're not just my mother, you're also my best friend. Thank you for your unwavering presence in my life. Happy Mother's Day! To the most amazing mom, happy Mother's Day! Your kindness, strength, and guidance have made me who I am today. I love you more than words can say. Happy Mother's Day! Your strength, patience, and unconditional love inspire me daily. Thank you for everything, Mom. Thank you for believing in me even when I didn't believe in myself. Your faith in me has been my guiding light. Happy Mother's Day! Mother's Day quotes "In a child's eyes, a mother is a goddess. She can be glorious or terrible, benevolent or filled with wrath, but she commands love either way. I am convinced that this is the greatest power in the universe." - NK Jemisin, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms "No man is poor who has a godly mother." - Abraham Lincoln "There is no influence so powerful as that of the mother, but next in rank in efficacy is that of the schoolmaster," is a quote by Sarah Josepha Hale, author of Mary Had a Little Lamb. "A mother's love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible," is a quote by Marion C Garretty.
Forbes
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
20 Years Later, Another 'Zoo' Video On YouTube Has A Very Different Message
Video sharing service YouTube marked its 20th anniversary on Wednesday (Photo by Olly Curtis/Future ... More via Getty Images) Video sharing service YouTube marked its 20th anniversary on Wednesday, marking the literal billions of videos that have been uploaded to the service. It all began with a simple 19-second clip of co-founder Jawed Karim at the San Diego Zoo titled "Me at the zoo." "Alright, so here we are in front of the, uh, elephants, and the cool thing about these guys is that, is that they have really, really, really long, um, trunks, and that's, that's cool. And that's pretty much all there is to say," Karim says in the narration. "Me at the Zoo" may not have the lasting impact, perhaps of Neil Armstrong's "One small step for man," moon landing, but as narration goes, it was arguably better than Thomas Edison's first recording on a phonograph, in which he simply recited the "Mary Had a Little Lamb" nursery rhyme. "YouTube's twentieth anniversary is a notable milestone in the evolution of the internet and video-based social media. This anniversary also shows that these impactful technologies are still very young. Though our knowledge increases as more research is published, we still do not have the full scope of YouTube's influence yet," said Dr. Julianna Kirschner, lecturer in the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. Now, two decades after Karim's day out at the zoo, animal rights supporters released another video, this time called "Us Still At the Zoo." It presented a more carefully considered message that didn't just note the "really long" trunks, but was meant to put a focus on the plight of animals in captivity. "The 20th anniversary of the first YouTube video is a great way to raise this topic," explained Diederik Jeangout, the creative head of Make it Happener, which produced the recent video for World Animal Protection USA. He explained in an email that combining footage of the very first clip, help show that over the past two decades the issue of the treatment of animals hasn't changed much. "As it's a seemingly meaningless clip of someone enjoying a visit to the zoo, it's much more than that. It's a portal to two decades ago, showing how we treated animals back then and how essentially nothing really changed," added Jeangout. "Yes, we've put these magnificent creatures in slightly larger enclosures and we've dressed these confinements with faux rocks and bamboo walls, but we're still holding them in 700,000 times smaller cages compared to their natural habitat." There is no shortage of activist videos on YouTube today, but what might make "Us Still At the Zoo" stand out is that it could be linked going forward with the historic first video. "From such a simple video — a man standing in front of elephants at the zoo talking about how cool are their trunks — we got the incredible platform that is YouTube. And this is an interesting idea, using YouTube's first video as a springboard for something that carries a deeper message," said Susan Campbell, distinguished lecturer in the Communication, Film and Media Studies Department at New Haven University's College of Arts & Sciences. "Given the resurgence of the 2005 video, it is a smart marketing move to create 'Us Still at the Zoom.' The audience analysis strategy is effective for activists to use while communicating their intended messages," added Kirschner. "However, whether they convince audiences not already primed to accept or consider their message is unlikely. Audiences would need to be considering the activists' stance already or firmly in their camp for the messaging to be effective." The message could fall on deaf ears or worse. "As with so many messages meant to sway the public, the people who create such things walk a fine line between earnest education and, well, being maudlin, as in having a person deliver the voiceover as a dead elephant," warned Campbell. "The message can get lost in the method, and it's unfortunate, because this is an important message from World Animal Protection. It's sad to think we're still caging these beautiful beasts." Then there is also the danger that engagement can also come in the opposite direction. Instead of bringing users to their cause, it may have the opposite effect. "Users with different stances might respond to these posts as they would with rage bait," said Kirschner. "Activists should expect these distinctly polarizing perspectives in their video comments. The effectiveness tends to remain with those already primed for the message, while the rage-bait commenters might unintentionally amplify these messages to more users. The latter case is key for activists: Accept rage bait as the cost of doing business, so the message can be amplified and potentially reach those that might be convinced."
