Haled's Song About Love - Yazbek | Marco Motroni: Music I Like 4/22/25

With Arthur Gomes '28 on the sax!

This selection was my way of satisfying the constraints I inevitably had with this concert. The concert, named "Music I Like", did not actually feature all of the music genres that have had a profound impact on my life. One was missing: musical theatre. In an "ideal" world, I would have included a section of the concert (most likely in between the classical and traditional pop songs) in which I would have sung three musical theatre songs: probably "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables", "All I Ask of You" with Chelsea, and "Maria". But I started realizing that from a runtime and continuity perspective, it would not work. The audience would probably get bored, I would probably lose my voice, the tone shift would probably be a bit too "whiplash-y". Too many "probably"s. So those songs were cut. But I was still wondering: maybe there was a way for me to take a theatre song and make it more jazzy. My dad was / is SUCH a huge fan of David Yazbek's "The Band's Visit": a one-act musical that won the Tony for Best Musical. He has always wanted me to sing this song (especially after I sung "The Beat of Your Heart" my junior year), and so the opportunity was perfect. Some arranging later, and I had myself a song! I actually didn't tell my dad I was including it on the setlist, but instead waited for his reaction while reading the playbill pre-show. It was a great way to end this section, and I'm glad it worked out!

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This clip was taken from my senior independent study aptly titled "Music I Like": performed at Middlebury College's Robison Hall on 4/22/25.

Here are some general notes that were included in the concert program:
Traditional Pop:
Jazz music - specifically the “traditional pop” genre that has come to define artists such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, etc. - is pretty much the only genre of music that I love that is widely accepted among my friends. I have no problem playing a jazz tune being around teammates, and I think that speaks volumes about how the genre is perceived. It is associated with a classier vibe that I have always appreciated, and the songs I have chosen have come to reflect this. We start with a Sinatra tune that I would have “repeating in my eat” in the showers of our Milly 6 suite, moving then to a different take on a Nat King Cole standard, ending finally with a jazz tune from a musical called “The Band’s Visit”: a rare musical that my dad loves!