From the Piano Bench: Memorable Moments With Mobsters, Moguls, Movie Stars, and More

Book Description

This classic collection of true stories, as told through the eyes of a 'better than average' piano player, is sure to take the reader back in time with delight from 1957 to the present. It features humorous, sad, and enlightening stories (all unique and all true!) about Perry Como, Jack Nicklaus, Itzhak Perlman, Liberace, Joe Louis, Rocky Graziano, Jimmy Hoffa, Whitey Ford, Vic Damone, Melissa Manchester, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Robin Leach, Chuck Mangione, Johnny Mathis and many more. This book makes a wonderful gift.

Customer Reviews:

Super Style.......2002-04-22

This author really downplays how good a pianist and entertainer he is. I've read his book and he wants to sound like Joe Average piano pounder, but that's not true. He plays ANYTHING, yes ANYTHING. And he plays it well. I mean classics, jazz, cool, romantic, oldies, R & B, R & R, and country and whatever. And he plays them well. I've heard him play alone and with his cute wife Sal, and they are terrific.
But about his book---it's a rip! The guy has met, fallen on or over or into the lap of, about any sort of celeb you can name. He's done it graciously ( if occasionally clumsily) and the results have been hysterical. I mean this guy is as down to earth as they come, but he really has hobnobbed with the full range of celeb--Perlman to Dangerfield--and I mean up close and personal. He's writes a funny book chock full of cute stories and anecdotes.
I think this book makes a great gift. I got my copy from my Dad who lives in Florida, and I couldn't put it down after I cracked the first page. A must read--fun book!

Delightful Read.......2001-04-29

"From the Piano Bench" is a light, and easy read. What fun to confirm your suspicions about some stars, and gain new insights into others. I loved it. Marilyn Irr, author of "REVENGE", and "DISTANT COUSINS."

Critique of the Piano Bench.......2001-03-16

This is a new and refreshing book as told by a professional pianist. He describes his experiences meeting celebrities from the stage, screen, world of entertainers and absolutely blows away my prior images of loads of top name folks. Who would dream of meeting the likes of gangsters who are "nice guys"? Who would dream of literally running into (and running down) top drawer folks like Perry the Sleeping Prince Como, getting passes from Johny Mathis (another guy) and on and on. This is a very funny guy who tells one very funny story after another. What's new in the book writing scene? This author that's who. Roger Rossi.

Easy reading with lots of laughs........2000-12-27

"From the Piano Bench" was filled with funny stories from page one. The author gives us a good glimpse of life from his professional perch. The stories flow along effortlessly with his wry wit and quirky style providing laughs all the way through. I never thought playing the paino for a living would be so much fun and lead to so many encounters with famous people. A good book for anytime reading!

Fun And Funny.......2000-12-24

A very fun, easy read. Mr. Rossi's storytelling credentials equal that of his very impressive musical credentials. It's nice that Mr. Rossi had all these great experiences. It's a treat that he shared them with us. A delightful read for the musician and non-musician alike. We hope that he is considering a sequal.

Book Description

In Reggie White's own fast-paced, inspiring account of his colorful, sometimes controversial career, both in the pros and in the pulpit. Packed with insights, observations, and war stories of his twelve years in the NFL--including his championship season--"In the Trenches" delves into the heart of an amazing athlete who balances an array of extremes: he is both beloved and feared, tough and gentle, competitive and compassionate, fierce and generous.

Customer Reviews:

REGGIE WAS A TRUE GENTLEMAN.......2006-06-25

THIS IS THE STORY OF REGGIE WHITE FORMER NFL GREAT. THIS IS A GOOD READ FOR EVERYONE, NOT JUST FOOTBALL FANS. REGGIE TELLS US OF HIS LIFE AND CAREER WITH THE EAGLES AND PACKERS, ALONG THE WAY HE HAS SOME GREAT STORIES ABOUT FORMER COACHES AND TEAMATES. BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE IN THIS BOOK IS HOW TO LIVE A CHRISTIAN LIFE. REGGIE WAS A DEVOUT CHRISTIAN AND SPREAD THE WORD. HE NOT ONLY TALKED THE TALK BUT WALKED THE WALK. THE LESSONS AND MESSAGES IN THIS BOOK ARE WELL WORTH READING AND USING IN EVERYDAY LIFE. I WAS VERY SHOCKED TO LEARN OF REGGIE'S DEATH. HE WAS A GREAT ROLE MODEL FOR EVERYONE. I RECOMMEND THIS ANYONE AND EVERYONE TO READ. THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH REGGIE WHITES IN THIS WORLD.

Great Book About Reggie White's Football Career and His Christian Witness!.......2006-06-08

"I've never seen any conflict between Christianity and football. I don't see football as a violent sport; I see it as aggressive. And I see Christianity as an aggressive faith." (pg. 189).

IN THE TRENCHES spends tons of time talking about what made Reggie White famous, FOOTBALL, and what he thinks is most important for him to do with his football success, use it to promote JESUS!

"...three words--IN THE TRENCHES--sum it all up for me. I live my life in the trenches. I do my work in the trenches. I serve my God in the trenches. I go to war against evil, poverty, racism, and injustice in the trenches." (pg. 22)

Reggie talks about how he grew up. He was the second son of a teenage mother, who seldom saw his father. He was always much larger than other kids his age, and they called him names like "Bigfoot" and "Land of the Giants." He got saved when he was 13, and he would point out what the Bible said to bad kids who were doing things like always telling lies.

He claims O.J. Simpson as his childhood inspiration and main reason that he wanted to play football, even though this book was written after the famous murders?

He toughened himself up for football, to prove wrong the folks who said he couldn't handle it because he's a Christian!

He talks about playing in the USFL and the NFL, for the Showboats, Eagles and Packers. This book was written before he won the Super Bowl with the Packers. He spends plenty of pages giving many details about many different games. Sometimes it gets a little too long for me, so if you are interested in hearing about his football career, then this is the book for you! "Sacks are fun, man. There's nothing like throwing a quarterback down for a big loss." (pg. 83). He also talks about being one of the first really big stars to go into Free Agency, which was not popular with the team owners of the time! "The owners who screamed the loudest about free agency were the owners of the notoriously tightwad teams--the Eagles, the Bengals, the Steelers." (pg. 127).

He details the times when God pulled off public miracles to heal him to play. He also discusses how God used his football fame to bring to the public eye the problem of church arsons in the South, by having Reggie's church get burned down, which brought national media attention, and plenty of extra love and support from Green Bay fans, and from across the nation.

There are many b/w photos in the middle of the book, so you get to see many of the family and friends discussed.

This book is better than Reggie White's later book, BROKEN PROMISES, BLINDED DREAMS, which is mostly about his thoughts concerning African-Americans in the USA. BROKEN PROMISES focuses mainly on what's wrong with the immoral US culture, these days, so you should read BROKEN PROMISES if you are interested in social activism and the African-American experience, from Reggie White's perspective.

He only briefly touches on the culture wars in this book, IN THE TRENCHES, "Nobody's preaching abstinence today because nobody's figured out how to get rich off of other people's abstinence--but there's plenty of money to be made from other people's sexual activity...[...]..sexually transmitted diseases...aborting unwanted babies...Much of the money spent on various aspects of people's sexual behavior is TAX money--money you and I shell out to the government, money that is spent without our say-so!" (pg. 217).

At the end of the book he give tips on how to be a good role model.

I am a Reggie White fan, because I like what he did with his football fame, using it to promote Christianity throughout his entire career, and way before and after his pro football days, as well!

I think this is the best Reggie White book that I have read, though I can also recommend BROKEN PROMISES for anybody who is intrigued by the activist aspect of Reggie White's life.

There is also a pretty decent book of photos called REGGIE WHITE: A CELEBRATION OF LIFE, 1961-2004. This is slim on text, but has many interesting photos of his pro football years.

"When I face the final judgment, God isn't going to ask me how many Pro Bowls I played in or ask me to recite my stats. He's going to ask me if I knew Jesus, and if I helped to bind up the wounds of people." (pg. 195, IN THE TRENCHES).

In The Trenches by Reggie White.......2000-12-18

I found this book very interesting I learned a lot about Reggie White. I wish that he was still with the Green Bay Packers. I am a huge Green Bay Packer fan. This book had a lot of interesting stuff in it. For example I never knew that one of his favorite players growing up was O.J. Simpson. Reggie said in the book that O.J. Simpson was like a moving target for defensive linemen; he said, that was one of the reasons that he wanted to play defensive end. I also learned that he really liked his coach Buddy Ryan when he played with the Philadelphia Eagles ,and when Buddy Ryan got fired Reggie couldn't figure out why he got fired; he said Buddy Ryan was a good coach. Reggie also talked about his church getting burned. He also talked about his friend and teammate Jerome Brown who was killed a car accident and he thought he was a really great person and he said he misses him. I learned a lot from reading this book. This book is one of my favorite books that I read. I would recommend this book to every Green Bay Packer fan.

Exciting, well written book; could use some more chapters.......1999-10-29

This was a great book because it shared with me how profesesional athletes deal with the same things that us normal, every day Joe-Schmoes have to deal with. It was interesting how he dealed with his church getting burned down and how he was frustrated with the authorities, just as I am.

Great Book.......1999-05-27

really awesome book, cool pics in the middle!! exciting life to read about. im a big GB fan, ad was sad when he retired, but am constantly impressed by his faith. God bless Reggie!!

Customer Reviews:

The Truth About Reggie's Legacy.......2006-08-15

This book was an absolute joy to read. It really makes you think about hoe to better yourself. It also of course mentions the game of football and the truth about how football players actually want to use their wealth and fame to help the less fortunate. A must read in my book!!!!

Reggie White In the Trenches.......2002-10-16

Reggie White is a football player who shows his faith in God. In this book it teaches about God. And about the amazing life of Reggie White. I enjoyed reading it because I like football and it was exciting and fun.

Wasn't there supposed to be some football involved?.......2001-04-16

Hmmm... ever read one of those books that you THOUGHT was going to be about football, and instead it turned out to be a maudlin diatribe of religious proselytization? Oh, then you read this book ,too, huh?

This book was mostly a waste of time. If you like football, you'll be disapointed by the lack of the sport included in it's pages. If you like the Eagles, you'll be upset at the way Reggie verbally trashes them in this book.

I don't recommend it for anyone with a serious love of the game. If you're a Bible-thumping religion nut, then this book is right up your alley.

Book Description

An intriguing anthology... --FILM QUARTERLY

Book Description

This historical anthology shows the evolution of music journalism and its place in Western culture over the past three centuries and illustrates the richness, variety, and vitality of music criticism as both an intellectual enterprise and a literary genre. Because little music criticism in foreign languages is accessible to English- speaking readers, Harry Haskell has made a special point of exemplifying regional traditions of critical writing from throughout the Western world. Included in The Attentive Listener are articles not only from England, Western Europe, and the United States, but also from Russia, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Latin America, and Canada. Each of the one hundred articles here relates to one or more topics of central importance in music history, such as the nature of musical taste and criticism, operatic reform, cultural nationalism, the value of tradition, and the impact of modern technologies on composers, performers, and audiences. The Attentive Listener differs from previous anthologies of musical writings in its emphasis on journalistic criticism, its broadly international scope, and the thematic organization of the articles, most of which have not been translated or anthologized before. The writers represented include not only professional critics and scholars but also composers such as Debussy, Berlioz, Tchaikovsky, Janacek, and Virgil Thomson, and literary figures such as Heine, Boito, and Shaw.

Customer Reviews:

Serious, Intelligent, Difficult but Worth It!.......1999-10-28

The Attentive Listener by Harry Haskell isn't for the faint-hearted, nor is it for them looking for an easy read. It is a complicated, highly evolved kind of a book, the sort that could only have been written by someone with an incredible depth to his understanding of music. Not for everyone by any means, but Haskell's book is a must for any music critic or anyone heavily interested in the history of music. I recommend it!

Essays on music: an anthology from 'The Listener'

Average customer rating:

Essays on music: an anthology from 'The Listener'
Felix Aprahamian
Manufacturer: Cassell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0000CNGX9

A Listener's Anthology of Music (The Musician as Poet, Painter, and Dramatist, Volume II)

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A Listener's Anthology of Music (The Musician as Poet, Painter, and Dramatist, Volume II)

Manufacturer: Silver Burdett Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000BQ2EKM

A Listener's Anthology of Music, Volume I

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A Listener's Anthology of Music, Volume I
Lillian Baldwin
Manufacturer: Silver Burdett Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

A Listener's Anthology of Music. Volume II (2): The Musician as Poet, Painter, and Dramatist

Average customer rating:

A Listener's Anthology of Music. Volume II (2): The Musician as Poet, Painter, and Dramatist
Lillian Baldwin
Manufacturer: Silver Burdett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000Q9R64S

A Listeners Anthology of Music Vol. The Master Builders of Music

Average customer rating:

A Listeners Anthology of Music Vol. The Master Builders of Music

Manufacturer: Silver Burdett Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HB2RNU

A Listeners Anthology of Music Volume II

Average customer rating:

A Listeners Anthology of Music Volume II

Manufacturer: Silver Burdett Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HB2P8W

A Listeners Anthology of Music : Volume II : The Musician as Poet, Painter, and Dramatist

Average customer rating:

A Listeners Anthology of Music : Volume II : The Musician as Poet, Painter, and Dramatist
Lillian. Baldwin
Manufacturer: Silver Burdett Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IXNX8K

Average customer rating:

A Listener's Anthology of Music, Volume II: The Musician as Poet, Painter, and Dramatist
Lillian Baldwin
Manufacturer: New York: Silver Burdett Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O6E8NA

Average customer rating:

Disappointing

It was fun

The World's Biggest Book of Brainteasers & Logic Puzzles
Norman D. Willis , Paul Sloane , Des MacHale , Michael A. DiSpezio , Kurt Smith , Martin Gardener , Tim Sole , and Rod Marshall
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Logic & Brain Teasers | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Brain Busters! Mind-Stretching Puzzles in Math and Logic

My Best Mathematical and Logic Puzzles (Math & Logic Puzzles)

200 Word Puzzles (Boost Your Brainpower)

The Mammoth Book of IQ Puzzles: Stretch Your Puzzle-Solving Abilities to the Limit with 500 New Math, Logic and Word Brainteasers

The Amazing 1000 Puzzle Challenge: A Fantastic Treasury of Mind Bending Puzzles, Games, and Experiments for All the Family

ASIN: 1402733720

Book Description

What a bargain! At more than 700 puzzle-packed pages, this huge, value-priced collection should keep any solver happy...and busy for a very long time. It contains brain-busting challenges of almost every type: math logic problems for the numerically inclined; absolutely amazing lateral thinking conundrums; really great critical thinking bafflers; and mind-boggling word puzzles.

Here’s just a small sample of what’s inside: The 22nd and 24th presidents of the United States had the same mother and the same father, but were not brothers. How could this be so? Stumped? That’s because it’s one man—Grover Cleveland—who was reelected after skipping a term. And that’s just an easy warm-up!

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2007-08-28

"The World's Biggest Book of Brainteaser and Logic Puzzles" has almost 600 pages of puzzles. The puzzle sections include: "The World's Most Amazing Logic Puzzles"; "The World's Most Challenging Lateral Thinking Puzzles"; "The Word's Most Nearly Impossible Brain Bafflers"; "The World's Most Intense False Logic Puzzles"; "The World's Most Taxing False Logic Puzzles"; "The World's Most Mystifying Logic Puzzles"; "The World's Most Daunting Math Puzzles"; "The World's Greatest Critical Thinking Puzzles"; and "The World's Most Mind-Boggling Word Puzzles". The solutions are in the back of the book directly after the puzzles.

"The World's Biggest Book of Brainteasers and Logic Puzzles" is a mixed bag. For starters, I didn't realize when I ordered it that the book didn't have new puzzles but instead consists of puzzles from previously published books, which was a huge disappointment, especially since I already owned some of the books included. This is also problematic since some of the puzzle sections, like the Lateral Thinking ones, have no explanation on how to solve the puzzles which might confuses solvers not familiar with that type of puzzle. The book contains logic, math, and word puzzles with a heavy emphasis on the logic puzzles. Many of the logic puzzles are the type where you have to decide who is telling the truth and who is lying. My favorite puzzles in the book are the word puzzles, several of which are difficult but far too many of them give away the answer in either the name of the puzzle or the description of the puzzle. While the solution selection gives detailed answers to each puzzle, I found it extremely frustrating that the answers did not list the number of the page the puzzle was on which made it difficult to find the answer if you skip from puzzle to puzzle.

While "The World's Biggest Book of Brainteasers and Logic Puzzles" had some challenging puzzles, I was ultimately disappointed in it.

It was fun.......2007-02-07

Although I just a fan of the critical thinking problems, all of the others were quite interesting. All I know is that I suck at lateral thinking problems.

Average customer rating:

The World's Biggest Puzzle Book
Charles Barry Townsend , and Charles Townsend
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Puzzles | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1402702469

Book Description

They'll amaze, baffle, and challenge you! These puzzles aren't for the faint of heart, or the wimp who wants it easy. And there are hundreds of these devious dilemmas to drive your mind to its limits. Some use numbers, others logic, and still more are word games. And, each comes with an amusing drawing, too. Ready to have your brain teased? Then try this: arrange 15 matchsticks on the table so they form 8 complete squares, all the same size. No matches may be overlapped or broken, and no square may be formed inside another. Or, give this a shot: It's high noon in Dodge City and two gunslingers are ready to draw. Here's the highfalutin' language they use:
"Draw, O Coward!"
"Live not on evil."

Can you figure out what's strange about those lines? If you guessed they're palindromes (phrases that spell the same thing forwards and backwards), you're the winner!

The Biggest Maze Book in the World (Biggest Book in the World)

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The Biggest Maze Book in the World (Biggest Book in the World)
Sandy Ransford
Manufacturer: Constable and Robinson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

The Biggest Puzzle Book in the World (Biggest Book in the World)

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The Biggest Puzzle Book in the World (Biggest Book in the World)
David Bodycombe
Manufacturer: Constable and Robinson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Average customer rating:

Excellent content reinforced with real life examples

Harvard Business Review on Teams That Succeed (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series)
Jon R. Katzenbach , David A. Garvin , and Etienne C. Wenger
Manufacturer: Harvard Business School Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Strategy & Competition | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Decision-Making & Problem Solving | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Workplace | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Harvard Business School Press | By Publisher | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Harvard Business Review on Motivating People (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series)

Harvard Business Review on Becoming a High-Performance Manager

Harvard Business Review on Leadership (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series)

Harvard Business Review on Effective Communication (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series)

Harvard Business Review on Managing People (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series)

ASIN: 159139502X

Book Description

Managers at all levels strive to develop effective teams while avoiding the pitfalls so common in team management. This invaluable collection of articles explores teamwork from a variety of angles, including emotional intelligence, creativity, and decision making. Every reader will gain insight on how to create and manage teams that work efficiently, effectively, and collaboratively.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent content reinforced with real life examples.......2007-01-11

I read this book as part of an organization leadership class for a master's degree program. I found it to be a engaging read packed with solid recommendations and real-life examples to illustrate the point. Cover to cover, this compilation of authors on team related topics is a great read at a bargain price. I highly recommend it.

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