Library Concert Pays Tribute to Paramount Theater

Sayville residents took a stroll down memory lane, back to the music of the Paramount Theater with a performance by the Pat De Rosa Trio recently at the .

The Paramount Theater was one of the first great show palaces in the world, a place where legends were made and stars were born. The trio, which was actually a quartet for this performance, consisted of Pat De Rosa on vocals, saxophone, flute and clarinet; Alan Woods on vocals and drums; Pat’s daughter Patricia on vocals and keyboard; and Pat’s granddaughter Nicole on vocals and flute. Three generations of talented musicians took the audience on a trip back in musical time on a Sunday afternoon.

The performance began with “Moonlight Serenade,” the Glen Miller Band’s theme song. Next up was “In the Mood,” the No. 1 song from 1940. As a tribute to Benny Goodman, the King of Swing, they performed “Let’s Dance,” commonly known as Benny’s theme song.

Pat’s granddaughter Nicole took center stage next with Van Morrison’s hit from 1967, “Brown Eyed Girl.” She also performed “Kansas City,” from 1952. Drummer Alan Woods delivered a lively version of “Sing, Sing, Sing,” from 1938. Benny Goodman performed that song at Carnegie Hall and he was the first swing band to ever play there.

“My Way,” which was written by Paul Anka for Frank Sinatra, was the song that was most identified with Sinatra than any other song over seven decades, De Rosa said. Patricia performed the song along with “It Had to be You.”

Nicole took to the microphone again with a little audience participation in “Alright, OK, You Win.” Next she performed “Route 66,” made famous by Nat King Cole in 1946. Seguing from Nat to his daughter Natalie, Patricia sung “Unforgettable,” a song resurrected by Natalie Cole in the ’90s. Some of the more notable arrangements that followed included: “The Lady is a Tramp,” “Bye Bye Blackbird,” “Mac the Knife,” and “I Ain’t Got Nobody.”

The Pat De Rosa Trio performs all over Long Island, but it was their first appearance at Sayville Library. Pat is a former full-time musician who went on to become a music teacher in South Huntington. His daughter is also a music teacher and his granddaughter plans to take the same career path. Pat met drummer Alan Woods when Alan was his student in junior high and they have been playing together for the last 45 years.

To finish up the performance, there were a few medley songs. First up was Elvis Presley, sung by Alan and Patricia which included “I Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “Love Me Tender,” “It’s Now or Never” and “Hound Dog.” The Beatles medley featured “Yesterday,” “Michelle” and “Something.” Two Michael Jackson’s tunes included “Ease on Down the Road” and the trio’s version of “Beat It.” They finished off the afternoon by asking the audience to join in singing “God Bless America.”