Michel was born into a musical family and as a young child showed great aptitude for the accordion that his parents gave him. Although he enjoyed the accordion, it was his grandparents' piano that sparked his interest the most, so at aged 9 he asked his parents to buy him one. Their response was to first send him to the Elementary Music School, part of the National Conservatory, and then a year later to grant his wish.
The formal system of the music school taught Michel to play in the classical style, and by aged 16 he was playing with the National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic. Michel comments on his first encounter with the sounds of jazz, in an interview with the All About Jazz website:
”The first time I heard jazz was when I was 14 and a half. I heard the great Art Tatum on the radio playing his solo piano rendition of 'Tea for Two.' That immediately caught my ear. I just wanted to soak it in, to learn to play that style. Then I found out it was jazz.”
Michel studied for 13 years at the National Conservatory, and whilst developing his strong classical abilities was also heavily influenced by the bop tradition, and by the contemporary jazz of Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea. His influences at this time also included Horace Silver, Erroll Garner, and the ragtime music of Scott Joplin.
When the Harvard University Jazz Band visited the Dominican Republic and heard Michel at a jam session, the bandleader encouraged him, 'You should be in the States', and so the idea was planted. In 1979 Michel moved to New York to study at Mannes College and at The Juilliard School, and broke onto the international stage in 1983 when Tito Puente's pianist was unable to make a concert at the Montreal Jazz Festival. On a recommendation, without hearing him, Tito asked Michel to play. Cuban reedman Paquito D'Rivera was in the audience, and immediately offered him a place in his band. For four years Michel toured internationally with Paquito, and recorded two albums with him.
Michel's emergence as a star in his own right began around 1985, the year he debuted with his trio at Carnegie Hall. In that same year he toured Europe with Paquito D’Rivera’s quintet, and recorded his first album, Why Not?, for Japan’s King label. In 1988 Michel debuted on a major record label, Sony, with the release of Michel Camilo. This became a bestseller and held the top jazz album spot for ten consecutive weeks. Other bestselling albums followed and so did the accolades, including a Grammy and an Emmy. Michel's collaborative 2000 album with flamenco guitarist Tomatito, Spain won Best Latin Jazz Album in the first Latin Grammy Awards.
As well as being an outstanding performer, Michel is a talented composer and has written scores for several Spanish language films including Los Peores Años de Nuestra Vida and the award-winning Amo Tu Cama Rica.
Michel tours extensively, and lectures in Europe, the US and in the Puerto Rico Conservatory. He holds several honorary degrees, a Visiting Professorship at Berklee College of Music, and has been honored in his home country by being named a Knight of the Heraldic Order of Christopher Columbus, and being awarded the Silver Cross of the Order of Duarte, Sanchez & Mella.
Source: Wikipedia®
Rhapsody In Blue
Michel Camilo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Miscellaneous
Angel In Blue
We met in a bar
Out on Chesapeake Bay
With her white patent boots
And her blouse red lame
A table top dancer
Oh those lips of an angel
Angel in blue
She'd been dancin for ages
Through cities of bars
She was kickin' the habit
Of scoring in cars
She'd been drained of her spirit
All caged up in this zoo
A wild cat angel
Angel in blue
And as she stared out into nowhere
I thought yes I thought she might break down and cry
Oh when I whispered I thought I could love her
She just said, "Baby don't even bother to try"
And I watched as she spoke
Her words chilled my bones
All her friends did her favors
That were really just loans
And she never had dreams
So they never came true
Oh the palest of angels
Angel in blue
And the bees they had stung her
The birds they had flown
There were guys she could number
But none had she known
And she never had dreams
So they never came true
Oh my fade away angel
Angel in blue
Angel in blue
Angel in blue
Angel in blue
In the J. Geils Band's song "Angel in Blue," the singer meets a woman in a bar on Chesapeake Bay. She wears white patent boots and a red lame blouse, and works as a table top dancer, flashing a smile on cue. She is introduced to the reader as an "angel in blue," referring to the sadness and misery that she carries within her. The woman has been working in cities and bars for a long time, and has managed to kick her habit of scoring in cars, but her wildness and spirit have been lost in the process. She has been drained of her energy and has been trapped in her lifestyle without any hope of achieving her dreams.
As the singer speaks to her, he realizes that the woman has been betrayed by her “friends," who have been doing her favors that were actually just loans. She never had the opportunity to pursue her dreams, and this has resulted in her being a "fade away angel." She has been stung by the bees, and the birds have flown away, leaving her alone and without any hope. She has made peace with living day by day, and the singer understands that there is no point in trying to convince her otherwise.
Overall, the song "Angel in Blue" conveys a sense of melancholy, despair and hopelessness. The angel in blue is a symbol of beauty that has been tarnished by hardship and sadness, and whose wings have been clipped by circumstance.
Line by Line Meaning
We met in a bar
Our first encounter was in a bar
Out on Chesapeake Bay
The location of the bar was near the Chesapeake Bay
With her white patent boots
She was wearing white patent boots
And her blouse red lame
She was also wearing a blouse made of red lame material
A table top dancer
She was a performer who danced on tables
She would smile on cue
She had a smile that she would pull out when appropriate
Oh those lips of an angel
Her lips were attractive and resembled that of an angel's
Angel in blue
She was referred to as an angel despite her blue appearance
She'd been dancing for ages
She had been a dancer for a long time
Through cities of bars
Her dancing job had taken her through different cities and bars
She was kicking the habit
Of scoring in cars
She was trying to quit a habit of engaging in sexual activity with people she met in cars
She'd been drained of her spirit
Her constant dancing left her without energy or enthusiasm
All caged up in this zoo
She felt trapped and confined like an animal in a zoo
A wildcat angel
She was viewed as an angel, but had a fierce or wild side to her personality
And as she stared out into nowhere
She was lost in thought and staring aimlessly
I thought, yes, I thought she might break down and cry
The artist believed she might become emotional and cry
Oh when I whispered I thought I could love her
The artist expressed their feeling of love towards her quietly
She just said, "Baby don't even bother to try"
She rejected his love and told him not to attempt to pursue her
And I watched as she spoke
The singer observed her as she spoke
Her words chilled my bones
Her response left the artist feeling uncomfortable and uneasy
All her friends did her favors
That were really just loans
People she considered friends provided her with favors that were not genuine and felt more like debts
And she never had dreams
So they never came true
She never had any goals or aspirations in life, therefore, they never became a reality for her
Oh the palest of angels
She is still referred to as an angel despite her paleness as a result of her struggles
Angel in blue
A reminder that despite everything, she is still an angel in the eyes of those around her
Contributed by Olivia O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dennis Polifroni
I haven't a clue why the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, it's board members, and a conductor as brilliant as Andres Orozco-Estrada, would waste their time on a jazz show piece like Rhapsody In Blue. They have dedicated themselves to bringing the world some of the finest performances of the greatest works of the Classical and Romantic periods today.
Don't get me wrong... I love Jazz. However, this is hardly the "soft" venue to present such a lightweight piece (and compared to the likes of Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Mozart, Shubert and, most of all, Beethoven, all of whom are at home with this orchestra and venue, Gershwin is lightweight). The musicians all look bored with the piece, there are far too many brushings on certain chords and flourishes, and the entire orchestra seems to be struggling with a form of music that is NOT what they are truly here for. The whole thing sounds slow and uninspired.
Please, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, NO MORE JAZZ.
This performance was a trainwreck.
The music not worthy of an orchestra of this caliber.
Néstor Olmedo
Michel Camilo.Es un pianista.Lo que ejecuta es maravilloso.Solo hay que escucharlo,dejarse llevar y nuestro espíritu recibirá un mimo.Placer de los Dioses.Un abrazo desde Uruguay.
Dylonely
I’m addicted to Gershwin’s music. Can’t sleep early enough.
Pedro Castillo
A mi entender Michel Camilo es un pianista único en su destreza estilo y forma. qué ha demostrado Qué puede ejecutar dominar todos los estándares modo y colores de una forma indescriptible en ese mundo infinito.. de conocimiento Cómo es la música. felicidades hermano desde la República Dominicana.
htmex77
Bravo maestro Orozco ...mis respetos y admiration desde Mexico
vladimir karell
mejor interpretacioon que he escuchado ,por primera vez escucho jazz ,sentimiento y virtuosismo reunidos
Maria Angeles Incera
Es una delicia escuchar esta música y gran composiciones
Matias Azpurua
La cadenza está genial 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Billace 90
Bravo Michel, bravo!
Como de costumbre, tu técnica impecable, fina interpretación de un bello clásico.
Exito total!
R6 Sundays
pero si falla más que una escopeta de feria...
Luis Eduardo Fraire
Michel camilo no es pianista clásco ni de jazz ..pero lo curioso y que no entienden los puristas de la musica que a pesar de no estar en esa corriente musical hace un esfuerzo y la interpreta muy a su estilo ...gracias michel eres un gran pianista ...