Was introduced to music and singing very very early in life. I probably "began to sing before I could talk."
This blog puts music into every aspect of life - with a generous dose of nostalgia.
Check out my website at www.sunilpintoentertains.com
Just wrote a blogpost about a famous birthday... the birthday of a modern saint canonized as recently as 2014... maybe you know Giovanni Paolo... Read more about him at Walking With Jesus...
While Saint John Paul II spend over 26 years as head of the Catholic Church, another famous person who shares his birthday enjoyed a musical career spanning over 50 years. That's Perry Como. And my favorite song on his list is this one my dad used to sing... And I Love You So...
Perry Como would have been 105 today. He passed away just about a week before his 89th birthday in 2001. While they have gone ahead before here's a living legend of Country Music - George Strait at 65 today... right in the Heartland.
Nearly midnight in Mumbai... Stay tuned for more on #AMusicalTwistToLife
Was a pleasant Sunday afternoon and I had just been introduced to blogging at the Digital Marketing course I was attending at Don Bosco Centre of Learning. And an idea lit up... What does it take to create one? That's how it began... this blog, #AMusicalTwistToLife... with a quick chat on Music and Math. This blog has had quite a journey over the past twenty-four months finding the musical twist in almost everything in life. And of course it has been quite a journey for me. On this second anniversary, I thought I'd revisit some of the special moments I've cherished creating and writing this blog...
Less than a month after starting this blog, I was invited to go Back To School - not one but two - the first invitation was back at my basic school where I spent twelve precious years of learning - Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Chembur - where I was called on to help the Secondary Choir prepare for the school feast. The second invitation was to my Business School - Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS Mumbai) - where I took on the prestigious role of Guest Faculty teaching Digital Marketing. And almost at the same time, I took on another Guest Faculty assignment teaching CRM at Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communications (SIMC Pune) - Music, Digital Marketing, CRM ... all rolled in one.
Happy Friendship Dayin August connected me to friends from school, college, business school, work colleagues, and friends from absolutely everywhere. The warm response and the connections inspired me to pick up the pace on this blog. Besides Independence Day, Teachers Day, Mothers Day, etc... we celebrated many happy days, and paid tributes on some sad ones... 2015 was a year for new beginnings - this blog being only one of the new things that began for me. Things moved at a rapid pace through 2016 with more than a hundred posts for the year... 130 to be precise. Rewind 2016highlighted the special moments on the blog while celebrating the top posts of the year on diverse topics including films, travel and even animals - enough reason to do the TWIST. At this two-year mark, I've put up a total of 230 posts and nearing 20,000 pageviews on this blog. During this year like in others, we've celebrated Birthdays - of musicians famous and not so famous - my favorite birthday post being that of my son going eight a couple of weeks ago. He's Eight Today - This Musical Little Boy Weddings were memorable - and so were anniversaries especially those of loved ones. Bees Saal Baadbeing extremely special. Whether the music is nostalgic like the Ventures or contemporary and glamourous like Lady Gaga, I'm glad that you all have been enjoying the posts. Thanks again to one and all for reading and listening to #AMusicalTwistToLife
It's Summertime!!! And the schools are on vacation!!! Yes! Summertime.
Flashback to our summer holidays back in the 80's. We'd have a real fantastic time at the local summer camp... and when we were not playing, singing, dancing or acting... we'd devour books or better still comic books... my favorite being The Archies.
Did you know there was a real place called Riverdale in New York State... Passed the station when we were travelling by train from Toronto to Penn Station, NY. Back to The Archies, did you ever wonder why everytime they took the stage, they'd always sing Sugar Sugar? That's because this song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for a full four weeks. There was another band in from Riverdale High... comprising all girls and they had some fancy cat costumes... Remember Josie and The Pussycats... Stop, Look and Listen...
From the late 1960s and early 1970s, we go back in time a further 10 years to a song from 1959... that became popular in 2007 with the release of Alvin and The Chipmunks.
And from the big screen to the small screen with Phineas and Ferb - Gitchi Gitchi Goo (Means That I Love You).
And for those wondering why I pulled out this lot of music, there a very good reason... Today is World Cartoonist Day and I decided to celebrate these cartoon bands... Also celebrating all the cartoonists who've made us smile and laugh. Back in the 80s and 90s, we all woke up to a daily dose of satire in the Times of India with R.K. Laxman's You Said It. And nowadays I get my daily dose of cartoons and sports on a Facebook feed on Austin Coutinho's Cartoon Page. And finally, did you hear about a music group called Cartoons.
My eldest sister celebrated 25 years of marriage earlier this year. The first wedding in our family - it was a real union of families, especially considering that both the families had strong music roots. Our choice of music was mainstream pop, a little rock and some pop jazz, and a lot of oldies. But now, we had a new musical influence in our family... an introduction to the world of Country Music... and the country music has gone down (in two senses) really well. Down as in to the next generation... and also down geographically to New Zealand. Apparently there is a flourishing interest in Country Music in New Zealand, and it is a proud moment for our family that my nephew Keith Pereira is making waves in the Country Music scene there by being the overall winner at the Auckland Country Music Awards....
Keith has recently launched his YouTube channel - The Country Coffee Club where he posts some of his excellent covers for all to hear. And one of the artists that I've heard thanks to Keith's dad has been Randy Travis - who celebrates his 58th birthday today. While Randy Travis has many #1's on the Country Music charts, this song has been his highest scoring hit on the Billboard Hot 100 - Three Wooden Crosses.
That song also hit an emotional string of my heart for many reasons actually - one of them on the spiritual note. The song also fitted well with a post I wrote on a new blog I've created to share my experience of Walking With Jesus. While on the spiritual level, today is also the birthday of a Grammy winning Contemporary Christian music singer-songwriter and worship leader, Chris Tomlin. Over the past three years in Mumbai, I've been fortunate to have involved in the music ministry in our local Catholic Charismatic Renewal Group... and being called on to play music at some of the retreats they've organised. Also been called upon to share the Lord's Word through teaching Catechism to children and youth in the parish. Our God is good, he is great... Here's one of the songs of praise that I've sung and played to - How Great Is Our God.
And as I wind up, I must thank all you wonderful people for your support on this blog... I just had one of my best days yesterday... with more than 350 viewing my celebration of the music by my little son Kendall in the post - He's Eight Today... This Musical Little Boy. Thank God for him.
The first picture I saw this morning this one posted by my Mum on a family WhatsApp group.
That's my Grandfather - Mr. Joseph Marian Pinto. I never did see him, but what awesome stories I've heard about him. And among the cherished memories that my dad and his siblings have shared about their dad is the encouragement that he gave to music and singing. And I'm sure he would have been a really proud dad with every song his kids sang... and every dance they danced.
He was born on this day in 1904... but this grandfather song is even older... My Grandfather's Clock.
Grandpa was a man of strong values... and lots of advice. I'm sure this message would've been among the tips he gave his kids... Ac-cen-tuate The Positive.
Born exactly a year before my grandfather, was this very versatile singer who recorded well over 2500 songs comprising around 320 hits including some very memorable Christmas Carols and songs still played proudly today. Bing Crosby was born in 1903. Also born today in 1919 was a folk-singer who lived for 94 years and wrote some great songs including Turn Turn Turn for The Byrds and If I Had A Hammer for Peter Paul and Mary.
Swing, Folk... how about Soul? The godfather of Soul was also born today in 1933 - James BrownI Feel Good.
While those three singers have gone ahead of us... this next singer has completed 80 today. We all know him from his #1 hit and the title song of the 70s movie - Grease. This is Frankie Valli.
Born in 1944 was another Pete, Pete Staples of The Troggs - Wild Thing.
Need a break from all the male songs... Let's go back in time... Do you ever use this phrase... Those Were The Days sung by Mary Hopkin, born in 1950.
We started with musical birthdays for today from 1903 and gone down the years... Born 50 years after Bing Crosby is this power balladeer - Bruce Hall (REO Speedwagon) with Keep On Loving You.
Quite a diverse spread of music put together to remember my Grandfather's birthday... While I was researching music for this post, I chanced on this beautiful bluegrass rendition of My Grandfather's Clock.
It was a warm sunny Saturday morning exactly eight years ago. The three of us set out on what had become a routine for a checkup for my wife at the maternity hospital at Sharjah. But today was different - the tests were not showing and when the doctor probed further, there was a very good reason. One little boy was in a big hurry to see the light of day.
Kendall is still a boy in a hurry, as he sits and keeps track of everything anybody types at the computer, and instructs even me on the shortcuts to computing. He's a boy in a hurry to grow up and keep up with his elder brother, six years older than he.
Very different from Kaniel in most ways, there's more than one thing they love in common. Besides the games on the iPad that all kids enjoy, they have a common love for making music.
On one weekend, I introduced Kendall to his first finger exercise on the keyboard. And this is what it turned into.
The year has had more than its fair share of music for Kendall. Was a proud moment for all of us when he was one of of the few boys to be selected for a solo part for Annual Day - an experience that gave him tremendous confidence. The selection actually earned him the nickname of 'solo singer' especially by classmates who find his name difficult to pronounce.
What started in school went even further in Sunday School. On a day when I was tied up with professional commitments, Kendall stepped up on stage at 'A Fair To Remember', our parish fete to sing a song or two.
At the Sunday School Annual Day a couple of months ago, he was selected to play the role of Joseph (from the Old Testament) and sang this song about 'A Coat of Many Colours'
Just last week, our parish conducted the Vacation Bible Joy program, and once again Kendall was called on to lend his voice to this theme song written by some of the catechists there. Here's the song with a compilation of pictures from the camp.
If you ever pass outside my front door, you may hear our keyboard play either one of the following nursery rhymes - Mary Had a Little Lamb or London Bridge Is Falling Down. But what is different about these songs is the elaborate Intro and Outro across music genres from Rock to Jazz to Swing... that only Kendall can add.
During the week, he discovered a harmonica that had been gifted to him by my parents, and decided he wanted to learn to play it. He went online and searched for harmonica notes, and then went on to learn the same two songs on the harmonica. Give a little listen.
As the school year came to a close, students were handed over a copy of the school magazine that including this article from our champ.
As we celebrate the completion of another year in Kendall's life, I indeed need to Thank The Lord for this wonderful gift of love to our family. In this month of May (dedicated to Mother Mary), we entrust him in the arms of Our Blessed Mother for her care and protection... and most of all her intercession.
20 days since my last post on this blog... That's a long time... Been a busy month of April... new projects at work, tight deadlines... Been working beyond the 9 to 5...
Whatever your timings, we all need to be Working For a Livin'...
And there's the sometimes you get this feeling... to Bang On My Drum all day...
And those times when life seems to go haywire due to work schedules... I remember this song and try to rework the schedules...
Enjoyed a boys weekend at home... included sight-seeing, shopping, an event, and plenty of music... On this Worker's Day let's also remember all the people who help and support us in their work... from the domestic help, the rickshaw driver, the shopkeeper... everybody... That's what my last year's post paid tribute to...
So go ahead, enjoy your work... and if you're looking for a change... or even your first job... remember. Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. Confucius
Whatever work you do... just enjoy it... and Whistle While You Work.
