Dorothy Motto 1935 - 2025... 90 Musical Years.... Extended with Rick's 30 Year Partnership from 1995

Here war at Golden Buddha Restaurant in 2011 where we took turns playing 7-nites-a-week!

Immediate HOTLINK to MP3 of 2016 CABARET by Dorothy in concert at a retirement center

from Rick on Sun. Jan. 26, 2025 - I'll be posting selected samples of our work over the past quarter century in coming weeks. They'll likely have some thematic purpose such as "concept rehearsals" or "live performances" or "the best of" or "the final shows", I haven't decided yet. All videos will be hosted at archive.org, likely the mp3's as well. Blogger can host photos but not music or video, at least given my own browser at this time.

Dorothy's left hand patterns for stride and some other work were unique to her and highly developed and provided the basis for the full sound she produced on 88 keys. The muscle-memory she trained herself to carry those patterns with are still ones I'm struggling with, although I have obviously have left hand patterns that work for me in the context of my own playing.  Her's were more mezmerizing & dazzling for sure. I often tried to get her to slow them down so I could "get" them but when she did, somehow it vanished. She refused to teach them to her students as I tried to notate them because, she said, they're her trademarked secrets. Only now might I have some time to recreate them.

I noticed too that when she played, she'd used the entire 88 key range in a fuller way, playing lower on the low end and higher on the high end whereas I was more playing in the middle between left and right extremes. Sure, I could definitely go low and high too but the effect of her continually hitting higher highs and lower lows simultaneously definitely brought favorable comments from customers and more tips too! I myself found it quite amazing to watch her do that. When customers would marvel at her playing while I monitered, I would freely admit "she plays more notes than I do!". I'll try to offer more commentary on the coming links to the Archive.org download pages as I find material I'd like to have up here.

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Cabaret, played by Dorothy in 2012 at the Golden Buddha Restaurant where Rick and Dorothy played from 2007 to 2012, 7 nights a week for 4 hours. Restaurant Owners Steven Wong & Stanley Ho. Golden Buddha was well attended for evening dinner during our playing as well as lunchtime for their city-famous wandering carts of Chinese deserts called Dim Sum. We stayed open during all holidays which meant city-wide, people gravitated to our restaurant since many others were closed. Here's Dorothy playing Cabaret. You'll have to take moment to download a usable file from Archive.org. I use Quicktime but there are several other formats there.

Archive.org Download Formats for Dorothy's Cabaret

Played at Golden Buddah Restaurant in 2012 at age 77

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Archive.org download in several formats inc. Quicktime

Recorded in 2013 Jul at age 78 with VOCALS at home.

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Link to Archive.org for different format downloads

Recorded in 2016 at age 81 at Madison Meadows... with Vocals, handling piano AND keyboard and with attentive audience present.

Dorothy lived for live audiences.... and applause and tips! No sooner would we finish one gig and she'd be on my case looking for the next gig. I was befuddled. Wait... no break? As the roadie who set up and tore down the gear, I liked stopping, reflecting, RECORDING & EDITING, thus this sample, and then waiting for another call out of the blue via ESP. Those DID occur!  On our best gigs, I felt a bit like Sonny and Cher, Dorothy being the diva, me being the comic. I facilitated what she wanted and it kinda worked out. I was still operating inside that bubble until just last week until it popped. What a bubble it's been. Here's Dorothy doing one of the most dangerous things a piano player can do... stand up while playing. I couldn't stop her. That's the Jerry Lee Lewis and vibraphone player in her. Yikes. I still hold my breath when I watch this 2016 recording. She always took it to the limit. Incredible woman I'm glad I met. Dorothy Motto. Actually a legend in Phoenix Arizona to some extent with everywhere she played, sold pianos, and hundreds she taught to play. I'm proud to have helped her manage that end-of-a-lifelong career. --Rick.

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What good is sitting alone in your room?
Come hear the music play
Life is a cabaret, old chum
Come to the cabaret

Put down the knitting, the book and the broom
It's time for a holiday
Life is a cabaret, old chum
Come to the cabaret

Come taste the wine
Come hear the band
Come blow your horn, start celebrating
Right this way, your table's waiting

What good's permitting some prophet of doom
To wipe every smile away?

Life is a cabaret, old chum
So come to the cabaret

I used to have this girlfriend known as Elsie
With whom I shared four sordid rooms in Chelsea
She wasn't what you'd call a blushing flower
As a matter of fact, she rented by the hour
The day she died the neighbors came to snicker:
"Well, that's what comes from too much pills and liquor"
But when I saw her laid out like a queen
She was the happiest corpse I'd ever seen

I think of Elsie to this very day
I remember how she'd turn to me and say:

"What good is sitting all alone in your room?
Come hear the music play
Life is a cabaret, old chum
Come to the cabaret!"

And as for me, ha, and as for me
I made my mind up back in Chelsea
When I go
I'm going like Elsie

Start by admitting from cradle to tomb
It isn't that long a stay

Life is a cabaret, old chum
It's only a cabaret, old chum
And I love a cabaret!