Playing 16 Of His Original Songs
Bob Ripberger
Playing 16 Of His Original Songs
BoMar Records
Rite Records - Cincinnati, Ohio
Sides #9681 & 9682
From the back cover: The affinity between this charming, companionable music and well-prepared, comfortably served coffee will be recognized with pleasure by all who know how well music and coffee can be matched up. For some listeners, the album might be named "Music That Coffee Goes With." For others, "Orchestral Concomitants for the Absorption of Coffee." However casually or profoundly you may characterize the relation between notation and potation, you may agree that there is involved what Mr. Gould suggests is a special mood; and Mr. Gould speaks as an authoritative and experienced connoisseur and brewer of coffee, as well as one of the ablest and most imaginative makers of music. This special mood is the coffee-house mood-even if the coffee is being served at home to a group consisting only of yourself. There is nothing pre- scribed about time, place or the details of the beverage. The music is richly melodious, delightfully flavored, "going with" (or "concomitant to") your coffee and your thoughts, or both.
The scholarly observer may inquire if there was perhaps some equivalent of this music in the early London coffee-houses. Did Oliver Goldsmith or David Garrick or Samuel Johnson leave his table long enough to put a tuppence in the musick box? This is speculation for other surroundings and possibly another album. What you hear herewith is decidedly, but not arrogantly, music of our own time: music that is handsome in itself, and which is handsomely done by by (both by's seem in order!) Mr. Gould and his orchestra.
There are many tempi and many emphases. The Mexican Hat Dance is brilliant local color, and there are virtuoso handlers of coffee cups who can stomp out the rhythm without spilling any coffee. This, however, is not an exercise recommended to the unpracticed. Serenade in the Night is eloquently expressive. "A sort of espresso retains it until he can play it for an arranger, who in turn puts it down on paper.
To take a closer look at the melodies to be heard on this recording, I think the listener will be pleasantly entertained by a variety of rhythm and musicality.
The intriguing touch of Oriental shuffles by like a shy geisha in the tunes, "Noriko" and "Machi." The gayety of a child's world of fantasia glows in "Suzanne's Silly Serenade," recently written for Bob's pretty little daughter. The sweet affections of romance join the deep currents of love to warm the heart in How Much I Miss You," "My Song Of Longing," and "No One."
The versatility of this composer is illuminated by the varied tempos and theories employed in his music. Examples of this "range" become alive in the up-tempo "I'm So Much In Love With You," a bouncy tune fit to dancing feet; the softness of tone in "A Rhapsody To Mary," written for Bob's charming wife; and the rhythmical hilarity of "Bob's Boogie," returning to the rinky-tink of yesteryear.
There are touches of restlessness and discontent in the ballad-like "Loving You Is Just a Heatrache" and "Just Remember."
Here is music for listening, for dancing, or just for sitting at a piano-bar and bending an elbow - music for any occasion, actually. truly believe you will be enchanted by the work of Bob Ripberger. You will enjoy sharing the music that is within this man.
For Bob, this album is a dream fulfilled, for he is an entertainer, above all else, and he will enjoy entertaining you through this recorded package, just as you will enjoy being entertained. – PAUL RITTER, CINCINNATI ENQUIRE
From the back cover: The affinity between this charming, companionable music and well-prepared, comfortably served coffee will be recognized with pleasure by all who know how well music and coffee can be matched up. For some listeners, the album might be named "Music That Coffee Goes With." For others, "Orchestral Concomitants for the Absorption of Coffee." However casually or profoundly you may characterize the relation between notation and potation, you may agree that there is involved what Mr. Gould suggests is a special mood; and Mr. Gould speaks as an authoritative and experienced connoisseur and brewer of coffee, as well as one of the ablest and most imaginative makers of music. This special mood is the coffee-house mood-even if the coffee is being served at home to a group consisting only of yourself. There is nothing pre- scribed about time, place or the details of the beverage. The music is richly melodious, delightfully flavored, "going with" (or "concomitant to") your coffee and your thoughts, or both.
The scholarly observer may inquire if there was perhaps some equivalent of this music in the early London coffee-houses. Did Oliver Goldsmith or David Garrick or Samuel Johnson leave his table long enough to put a tuppence in the musick box? This is speculation for other surroundings and possibly another album. What you hear herewith is decidedly, but not arrogantly, music of our own time: music that is handsome in itself, and which is handsomely done by by (both by's seem in order!) Mr. Gould and his orchestra.
There are many tempi and many emphases. The Mexican Hat Dance is brilliant local color, and there are virtuoso handlers of coffee cups who can stomp out the rhythm without spilling any coffee. This, however, is not an exercise recommended to the unpracticed. Serenade in the Night is eloquently expressive. "A sort of espresso retains it until he can play it for an arranger, who in turn puts it down on paper.
To take a closer look at the melodies to be heard on this recording, I think the listener will be pleasantly entertained by a variety of rhythm and musicality.
The intriguing touch of Oriental shuffles by like a shy geisha in the tunes, "Noriko" and "Machi." The gayety of a child's world of fantasia glows in "Suzanne's Silly Serenade," recently written for Bob's pretty little daughter. The sweet affections of romance join the deep currents of love to warm the heart in How Much I Miss You," "My Song Of Longing," and "No One."
The versatility of this composer is illuminated by the varied tempos and theories employed in his music. Examples of this "range" become alive in the up-tempo "I'm So Much In Love With You," a bouncy tune fit to dancing feet; the softness of tone in "A Rhapsody To Mary," written for Bob's charming wife; and the rhythmical hilarity of "Bob's Boogie," returning to the rinky-tink of yesteryear.
There are touches of restlessness and discontent in the ballad-like "Loving You Is Just a Heatrache" and "Just Remember."
Here is music for listening, for dancing, or just for sitting at a piano-bar and bending an elbow - music for any occasion, actually. truly believe you will be enchanted by the work of Bob Ripberger. You will enjoy sharing the music that is within this man.
For Bob, this album is a dream fulfilled, for he is an entertainer, above all else, and he will enjoy entertaining you through this recorded package, just as you will enjoy being entertained. – PAUL RITTER, CINCINNATI ENQUIRE
My Greatest Blessing
Just Remember
Kim
I Wish I Could Go To Sleep
Suzanne's Silly Serenade
My Song Of Longing
No One
Noriko
A Rhapsody To Many
Melinda Sue
Loving You Is Just A Heartache
Machi
Bob's Boogie
How Much I Miss You
I'm So Much In Love With You
October Dream
Just bought this album at N. Kentucky Goodwill for $0.60... I so wish it was in better shape but I really enjoyed listening to it...
ReplyDeleteThis is my grandpa (dads side) I never got to meet. But ive heard thousands of stories. Its 2020 and im introducing my 8mo old son to the music of his great grandpa.
DeleteThis is my husbands grandfather as well as well dads side, we would love to know connect to know more about him please replay back if you see this
DeleteMy 83 year old mother tells a tale of meeting bob and him falling in love with her, he was older than her, bought he bought her lavish gifts and said he wrote a song for her. They parted ways, but she still tells me I coulda been a ripberger..
DeleteThis is my grandma's brother. I never got to meet him, he was gone before I was born. My grandma (Mary jo) always talks to me about Bob
ReplyDeleteMark Betcher……thanks for the memories! I’m offended (tongue-in-cheek) that you refer to my friend Bob Ripberger as “obscure”. He was best man at my wedding in 1959. I was a disc jockey at WCKY starting in August of 1957. These dates are important to the Bob Ripberger story as you’ll see in a moment. I didn’t have a car (too young to finance and nobody to co-sign) ….got off the air at 7pm (Daily Hit Parade) and had to wait until 8:20pm to catch a bus to my apartment in Mariemont. I spent most of that wait time listening to Bob on the piano at LaNormandie. Moving the pedals with his right and beating his rhythm with a very heavy left foot. On Saturday night 8/15/59 Bob’s friend Noriko invited him to dinner at her apartment in Clifton; she told Bob to bring a friend and he invited me. Nori worked at Jenny’s Boutique on west 4th Street. When we got there for dinner a friend of Noriko’s was also invited: she was a model who also worked at Jenny’s. On Saturday night 9/5/59 Jeanne Turner (that person) and I got married. Yes, you read that right: 3 weeks after our 1st date (dinner at Nori’s) we got married and that was 64 years ago. Our wedding time was all planned around Bob’s schedule at the club. He played for the dinner hours and took a break from 7-9pm before coming back ‘til midnight. I picked him up at LaNormandie at 7pm and we drove to Calvary Episcopal Church (the one with the red doors) in Clifton for the 7:45pm wedding. Following the wedding we all returned to LaNormandie for the reception. Remember, Bob had to be back at 9pm. We left Cincinnati in 1987. I think the last time I saw Bob perform was 1982 on the Cincinnati paddle wheeler…. Delta Queen?
ReplyDeleteMy daughter was attending University of Cincinnati and she’s 62 today. Again, Mark, that’s my Bob Ripberger story and I’m sticking to it. I couldn’t find his obituary; I’m 85 and I know Bob was older than me.
Thanks Steve, for the terrific memories and adding detail to this post! I moved into the area just before you left (1986) so I am familiar with the landmarks you mention in your story. Cheers!
ReplyDelete