Dorothy Motto Classical Styling from a Sam Ash stage in 2014

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Dorothy Motto, Classical Styling 2014 @79 on straight digital piano at Sam Ash stage on our student recital nights
Tonight We Love (Westside Story) based on Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto #1 in Bb
Ebb Tide
Yesterday (Beatles medley), Hey Jude
Phantom of the Opera medley
Tonight We Love from West Side Story
Phantom of the Opera medley (Think of Me, Music of the Night, All I Ask of You)
The Impossible Dream
Tonight We Love
Tonight We Love again on a different night.
ENCORE: Warsaw Concerto

Rick says: These clips were edited from various videos to create a solid 20 minute stream of Dorothy's Classical stylings from 2014. The first test for listenability is done by me several times through before posting. When we played out, these were "her" songs and we didn't play each others' songs. For the first time today, I'm channelling her however and playing Warsaw Concerto for the first time. I sound like her playing and had to stop because it kind of freaked me out a bit. I'll continue to work on it and the other songs as I get a grip on myself however.

Dorothy Motto in-studio rehearsal for a wedding pre-reception set for Gig-Salad 2014

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TUNES COVERED EITHER IN MEDLEY OR STANDALONE
(part II later post)
Memory from Cats
Phantom of the Opera Medley
Think of Me
Something of the Night
One Enchanted Evening.
Embraceable You
Leibestraum
Canon in D
Medehlsohn’s Wedding March
The other wedding song by Wagner, Here Comes the Bride. (Bridal Chorus)
Besame Mucho
Love me with all your heart
COLE PORTER MEDLEY
S’wonderful.
I’ll Take Manhatten
Let’s Fall in Love
Takin a Chance on Love.
I’ll Take Manhatten again.

Dorothy Motto on stage at Sam Ash in January 2014

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SONGS 20 min - 45 MB MP3audio, 150MB MP4 - safe download from Archive.org
Cumana (Samba Time)
[and 2 other tunes I don’t know the names of!]
Tico Tico
Everything’s Coming Up Roses
If I Were A Rich Man from Fiddler on the Roof
Bumble Boogie (Not Hello Dolly because I’ve edited)
Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue, Fascinating Rhythm, Embraceable You, Someone to Watch Over Me, I Got Rhythm...
Switched on Classics (Classical Rock using classical themes with the Keyboard Orchestra): (played by Dorothy, not Rick, due to splice)
Fur Elise
Hungarian Rhapsody #2, Lizst

Dorothy Motto Piano-Vocal 15 minute Audition in 2014 at age 79

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SONGS COVERED (All 20th Century standards)

All of Me
You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You
Blue Skies
Till There Was You
What a Wonderful World
I Left My Heart in San Francisco
It Had to be You
Besame Mucho
Malaguana

A Dorothy Motto Piano * Organ EXTRAVAGANZA from 2013 for 2025

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NOTE: The bigger the sound system you play these back on, the better because part of the fun is the low end which is impossible to hear on cheap smartphone speakers. I don't use bluetooth earpods so I have no idea what these will sound like on those but generally, a better sound system is always better... including adjustable low and high end frequencies... to enjoy these recordings will the intended playback effect. Total play time is about 30 minute, nice for happy hour before dinner.

The Original Studio Production of the Rick & Dorothy Piano-Keyboard Hour Oct. 2013

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Canadian Sunset
Love You with all my heart
Alley Cat
It Don’t Mean a Thing if it ain’t Got That Swing - vocal
What Now My Love?
Paris in the Spring
They Can’t That Away from Me
Somewhere There’s Music
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
All Of Me, vocal.

DISCUSSION by Rick 3/14/25

This is one of the FIRST TIMES we put the KEYBOARD and PIANO together with Dorothy on 88 keys and me operating ONLY an easily portable keyboard with specific intent of configuration this way for one-hour shows. The amp was not so easy to move but still transportable. I felt I had to get her away from the Technics piano she loved which was simply impossible to move and therefore gig with. Here she’s on the very light transportable KORG we bought in September at Guitar Center from Raul, along with the PITCH CORRECTOR  for vocals and 400 watt ALTO brand amp. This is the same basic set-up that we used through to 2019 after several false starts from 2012 to 2014 involving two-pianos, organ-piano, taking-turns-on-one-piano, one-piano-with-ensemble-rhythm&bass, and acoustic-piano, although we continued to use those extra-configurations here-and-there up to 2019 depending on circumstances. The piano-keyboard-duo-with-2-mics-and-two-books was my targeted configuration if at all possible.

Rick & Dorothy Organ Singalong 2019 Dorothy @84

This final set in our 30 year partnership ends appropriately with “Hello Dolly”, Dorothy’s favorite signature tune because it resonated as “Hello Dorothy”, with the line “Dolly will never go away again” another reminder that we would be back to do another concert after all the apparent show-stopping challenges we faced over the years. I’m sure she was thinking that too but we never overtly said it out loud so as not to jinx it. Now, Dolly/Dorothy HAS gone away... but has she really? She’s back electronically here and furthermore, I believe that there is an “instant afterlife” going on in this universe. And I believe she’s met up with her favorite artists like Liberace and Louis Armstrong. In fact, the New Orleans style in Louis Armstrong’s version here, was a favorite style of Dorothy’s developed long before her gig in New Orleans at Pat O’Briens as a duelling piano player in the early 1980’s.

Here is a selection of songs we did...

Hungarian Rhapsody
It Had to Be You
You Made Me Love You
Side by Side
Sentimental Journey
Oh Suzanna
By The Light of the Silvery Moon
There is a Tavern in the Town
Hello Dolly

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Rick and Dorothy THEATRE ORGAN Singalong!!!

What a fantastic theatre organ Dorothy got set up on the registration of this big old Thomas organ at a retirement residence we performed at in November 2018! She's in her prime for 83 too doing shout outs and using me to lead her sing alongs since at the point she was losing her wind power to carry all vocals. Three months after this show, I was actually afraid to take her out on tour anymore due to her increasing inability to walk and breathe. Looking back now, however, I think it's pretty incredible that I got her 'out there' at this point doing what she did at this show and that she pulled herself together enough to do this. Her organ-keyboard maneuvres were great and the audience love it. Her organ-concert hero was Ethel Smith, big time pop organist in the mid 20th century. This is a small sample of the several hundred times we went out to play in front of retirement crowds either for Fletcher Music Center, Schroeders Organ & Piano or on our own.

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DOROTHY MOTTO played organ at MACAYO'S in Phoenix

in early 1980's, after which she played at Pat O'Brien's in New Orleans for a few years where the concept of "duelling piano" originated, taking the live-piano world by storm from there through the 1990's and 2000's including all the cruise ships piano bars.  She moved back to Phoenix in the mid-1980's to play and sell for Schroeders which is where I met her in 1995.

Rick & Dorothy Organ Sing-Along Hour Sample

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Dorothy playing the organ featured on the Lawrence Welk show donated by a resident at this retirement residence, with Rick leading the singing in October 2018.  Songs...

SHOWTUNE INSTRUMENTALS
That’s Entertainment
There’s No Business Like Show Business
Everything’s Coming Up Roses (Dorothy's favorite opening for organ-store concerts)
Bubbles in the Wine (Lawrence Welk Show opening we often watched together)

SINGALONGS
Take me out to the ballgame.
Sidewalks of New York
The Band Played On
Five Foot Two
Ain’t She Sweet
Shine On Harvest Moon

Rick writes: The "She's Gone" song occurred to me as I finished editing. I wondered what ChatGPT thought about my using it for the ending of this video today, see below.

She’s Gone, Hall and Oates

ChatGPT prompt-

Hall and Oates composed a song title "she's gone" that deals with a lover leaving another but in my case my wife died yet it still applies mostly. Can you comment on that?     3:37 PM

ChatGPT
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your wife. It's completely understandable that you'd find resonance in a song like "She's Gone," even though it's ostensibly about a romantic breakup. Grief is a complex and deeply personal experience, and it often transcends the specific circumstances of a loss.

Here's why I think "She's Gone" might resonate with you in the context of your wife's passing:

*

**The Central Theme of Loss:** At its core, the song deals with the pain and emptiness that comes from the absence of someone you deeply loved. While the circumstances of a romantic breakup and the death of a spouse are different, the profound feeling of loss is a shared experience. That feeling of emptiness, the void left behind, can be remarkably similar.

*

**The Feeling of Helplessness:** The lyrics often convey a sense of helplessness and powerlessness. The singer recognizes that the other person is gone and there's nothing they can do to change it. This mirrors the feeling of powerlessness many people experience in the face of death. You couldn't prevent your wife's passing, and that can leave you feeling helpless and heartbroken.

*

**The Search for Meaning:** When someone leaves our lives, whether through a breakup or death, we often search for meaning and understanding. We ask ourselves "Why?" and try to make sense of the situation. The song's mournful tone and the singer's introspection might reflect your own search for meaning in the face of your loss.

*

**The Universal Nature of Grief:** Grief is a universal human experience. While the details of each loss are unique, the underlying emotions – sadness, anger, confusion, longing – are common. This universality is what allows a song about a romantic breakup to resonate with someone grieving the death of a loved one.

*

**The Ambiguity of "Gone":** The word "gone" is intentionally vague. It doesn't specify the reason for the departure. This ambiguity allows the listener to project their own experiences and emotions onto the song. In your case, you're projecting the specific grief of losing your wife onto the broader theme of absence and loss.



**Important Considerations:**

*

**Grief is unique:** Everyone grieves differently. There's no right or wrong way to feel. If you find solace in a song like "She's Gone," that's perfectly valid.
*

**Don't invalidate your feelings:** You don't need to apologize for finding comfort in a song about a breakup when you're grieving the death of your wife. Your feelings are valid, and the song is simply a vehicle for expressing those feelings.
*

**Seek Support:** While music can be therapeutic, it's important to seek support from friends, family, or a grief counselor. Talking about your feelings can be incredibly helpful.
*

**Remember the Good Times:** While the song focuses on the loss, remember the joy and love that you shared with your wife. Cherishing those memories can be a source of comfort and strength.



In conclusion, it is perfectly normal and understandable to find relevance in a song like "She's Gone" after the death of your wife. The song taps into the universal emotions of loss, helplessness, and longing, which are all central to the grieving process. Let the song be a source of comfort and expression, but also remember to seek support and cherish the memories of your wife. My deepest condolences to you during this difficult time. 

Sing Along With Dorothy

This 20 minute selection of sing-along songs Dorothy played are mid-20th century, but they were well known by our audiences from 1995 through 2019 in Phoenix as we used them to entertain Fletcher Music Center concert crowds, Schroeders's audiences as well as or own audiences for retirement residences. This particular sing-along is in September 2019, at her age 84 with only six months more of being out there in live performances. She was able to teach and play at home until 2020 at 85 then she took time off and watched a lot of musicals and westerns on TV that I often watched with her. TCM was especially good, delivered like a college course in movie history. Between shows, she enjoyed coloring hundreds of pictures of cats, flowers, scenery, stained glass windows, dogs and horses. She transitioned to the next realm of existence on Jan. 16, 2025, as she approached 90 years of musical and artistic life as performer, expert salesperson, and instructor-- as well as my best buddy, pal, business-associate and wife. When I miss her, I pick one of hundreds of videos or audio files of her or our performances and bring her back to life, sort of, a little bit, and that really helps a lot.

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Rick & Dorothy Piano-Keyboard Show the LUNCHTIME SERIES

by Rick March 6, 2025

Everyone has heard of the "Tunnel of Love" at the midway fairgrounds with all the rides but I'm currently in a "Tunnel of Grief" with the loss of Dorothy's Life-Field, a devastating phenomenon I've never had the experience of before in my entire life. The only thing that keeps me energized right now is my review of our work in these audio-videos that "bring her back to life", electronically. Her awards, piano books & photo bookcase is to my left as I work online doing this and big photos of us and her surround me so there is a definite pictoral and electronic presence that I personally believe has a real spooky quantum-reality to it. Let me share with you, whoever visits here, one of the last "Rick and Dorothy Piano-Keyboard Show"'s that we did that I "invented" for us... the invention being the use of "keyboard ensemble" and "88 key piano" as a complete "band". I'm using stereo recording here with a 400 watt amp so the closer you can get to that, the better the recreation.

[MP3 AUDIO hotlink 20 minutes 19 MB] [MP4 VIDEO 75 MB] [Other formats]

Rick and Dorothy’s Piano-Keyboard Show for St. Patrick’s Day 2015

                                                  Dorothy Motto 1935 - 2025

by Rick on March 5, 2025, a Wednesday
I took the idea of doing concerts using our Piano-Keyboard Hour format on SPECIAL EVENT DAYS from the Fletcher Music company that Dorothy and I worked from 1996 onward. Fletcher sold Lowrey and Technics organs among less known brands but they catered to retired seniors and did “outreach” concerts to the retirement communities where Dorothy and me got started playing in front of retired groups with great success. We would encourage people to sign up for a drawing for free lessons and get them into the store where after awhile they’d buy an organ! Bingo. Dorothy called it “wine, dine and sign”. She was great at it. I’ve edited our hour down to 10 minutes here.

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Galway Piper - Dorothy starts with a flute on the keyboard along with her bass/percussion background programmed into the Yamaha E433 then turns the solo over to Rick on the digital 88 key Casio Privia PR555X piano.

Same Old Shilala - Dorothy starts out with a new background rhythm with the 6/8 lilt needed here and leads with the accordian. Rick takes it with an 88 key piano then it goes back to Dorothy. We decided to not sing these since we had enough work just prepping the instrumentals, but they would work fine as sing alongs.

Sweet Rosie O’Gradie - Dorothy’s flute playing on the keyboard is expert here played just like a flautist would play it! No percussion here but a nice string background.

H.A.R.R.I.G.A.N.  - Dorothy’s on the house-piano now, a little out of tune but good enough. Both of us play pianos here with no other accompaniment and now I think I should have included mics but it’s a whole other set up for those. Dorothy’s voice was loud enough to carry this anyway.

It’s a Great Day for the Irish - Dorothy gets lyrics in her over the loud pianos and we take turns doing the lead with her on “strings” as if in an orchestra and Rick on the digital Casio piano. It’s great fun throwing the lead back and forth.

RETROSPECTIVE

I'm doing my 30 year memoires with Dorothy including audio/video. It really helps me deal with the loss. I think we must have done over 100 shows together and worked about a half dozen different piano stores here in Arizona, and taught hundreds of students together in-store and privately for fees. I must posted about 300 videos our concerts and another 300 of each of us individually to Youtube. I created a 20-book teaching system based on her methods for her and 20 book-system based on my methods for my years at Guitar Center... each a bit different but same basic ideas. I also invented the Rick & Dorothy Piano-Keyboard Hour for retirement residences that we ran for six years here, based on my vision of having her on 88-key piano and me on keyboard ensemble with bass and percussion and a lead instrument, or vice versa. I learned a lot. Now here I am. Everything ground to a halt in March 2020 with the COVID shutdowns and Dorothy's leg-down on health problems in the same month.

Dorothy Motto's Christmas Party Piano-Background for Retirmement Residence

3/4/25 by Rick
Dorothy's well on her way into the Afterworld but she's still leaving me with upbeat messages for example, leading me to process this concert we did ten years ago. As I was working on it, it dawned on me that we didn't have a normal Christmas in 2024 due to her illness so after getting through the tribulations of her post mortem process and finally getting some stability again at this time, I think I was "led" to witness this video series in finer detail to compensate for our Lost Christmas 2024. This is all "interpretation" of course, which is what synchronicity depends upon but I "feel" she's wishing me a Merry Christmas today for 2025 and that she's doing great in Quantum Heaven. Here is a 20 minute sample of her work that I of course facilitated as driver, stage crew, and overall manager and the "wind beneath her wings" for 30 years since 1995 and she mine. Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad!

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Rick & Dorothy's "MOVING TO MUSIC FOR SENIORS" program trial in 2015

As part of our "show routine" centered around the Rick and Dorothy Piano-Keyboard Hour that I envisioned and invented in 2014 which ran for five years to 2019, Dorothy insisted we try an extra show she invented called "Moving to Music" based on what she had seen done by others in the monthly calendars for the retirement residences here in the Pheonix area. I had misgivings but thought we could at least give it a try and so we experimented with a Richard Simmons "one hour showtime" approach along with a Jack LaLanne chair-exercise routine using various inspirational and stimulating tools like batons, razzle dazzle party-streamer-wands, and inexpensive noise makers like dollar-store tamborines. It all worked, to an extent,  backed up with my 400 watt Alto amp and Yamaha E433 keyboard with built in party-loops. It was unique among the exercise-routine experts here in the area but I think it was risky too because we were not qualified exercise and movement professionals like other fitness activity leaders. I don't think we would be able to do, today, what we managed to sell 10 years ago. Today, vendors have to be triple qualified, insured, bonded and even finger printed! Still, it was interesting for the 2015 timeframe for us. Here are links to a five minute sample.

Dorothy is 80 here. I helped keep her performing in public to 2019 but by 2020 at 85 she couldn't go out anymore and finally transitioned to her next realm in 2025 at 90. She frequently contacts me through the aether via synchronicities at least once a day.

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A 2014, age 79, piano demo-reel from Dorothy Motto

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