Love Served on a Silver Platter

Hi Friend,

The performance at Raimondos was "magnifico," and only surpassed by the dinner that Raimondo, the owner, made for us. "Rai" is a small Italian man, 83 years young, He is 83 years young and sexy! I didn't realize before I met him that a person in their 80's could BE sexy! It gives me hope!

Rai is a masterful chef; like a little Italian Mother serving us, feeding us, doting on us. It was one of the first times in my life I truly "got" loving people through food. With all due respect to my amazing parents, in my household, you could "never be too rich or too thin." I found out you CAN be too thin because I had anorexia as a teenager, although back then they didn't have a name for it!

While my Mother was a great cook - we weren't supposed to eat much of it! HA! Raimondo made the best bruchetta appetizer I've ever had in my life with flavorful tomatoes with the skin off and seeds out and sliced thin and in a marvelous Italian dressing with fresh herbs served with little toastettes of fabulous bread. I wish I had the recipe! I wanted the Bow-tie pasta which was made simply with "rosa" sauce and mushrooms and olives - in addition, they have a marvelous full menu. Wait till you hear how their lasagna is made!

Raimondo's looks like a New York Bistro - with "art deco" posters on the walls, two mid-sized screen TV's that are on with sports, a "for real" bar, and a patronage that is clearly "regulars." I felt immediately comfortable - kids came in and out with their parents, with lots of familial joking, eating, and laughing going on. I felt like I was in someone's home with an "always pot" of something on the stove - welcoming, loving.

I have "resusitated" my repetoire from my professional music career and it is now "walking around and breathing." It's taken me about a year and a half - but now I'm booking engagements where I'm doing romantic "cover songs" of the 20's, 30's, and 40's as well as my own "cowgirl jazz" repetoire, and a few contemporary numbers. The repetoire made a living for me while I lived in San Francisco in the 80's, and each song is a plum picked for it's quality.

This repetoire is strickly background music for the romantic ambience it creates, it is a specialty of mine. I do lots of medleys so those dining do not have to be distracted by having to put down their knife and fork and applaud politely after each number. It is easy listening, romantic, and most all the songs have that classic "familiar quality" like the theme song from Casablanca's, "As Time Goes By." There are also rare songs from Bessie Smith, Louie Armstrong, Peggy Lee and a few Jobim and Gilberto gems. I, personally, love spending the evening with this music over and over again and I think you will too.

By the way, Lee Robert and Friends is going to do a live radio interview and show on:

Sunday, April 17th, 2011

Live Radio Performance

AZ Music Cafe Live Radio KKNT 960AM - 3:00 p.m.

Listen in!

I had so much fun doing the music at Raimondo's Saturday night that I'm going to do it again this Thursday night, March 24th from 6:30 - 9:00: the dinner hour. It is "low-key" background music so don't expect a "show." It is ambience to create a romantic and cozy dining experience. Raimondo's is at the Days Inn, 502 W. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85013. Phone number is: 602-277-9939 if you get lost. If you're lucky, Rai might be there, and you'll get to meet him, too. If you can't make it Thursday, no biggie: there's always another night of song and great food: "love served on a silver platter."

Lee Robert
"Cowgirl Jazz"

leeleemusic