By Julia Beauregard
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
Seniors gathered together at the Needham Center at The Heights this past Wednesday, January 11, to enjoy some covered renditions of their favorite tunes from their younger years, performed by the Steve Rudolph Trio. The Trio’s repertoire consisted of popular tunes from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.
The Trio included lead singer and keyboard player Steve Rudolph; “The Titan of the Tom-Tom”, drummer Barry Lit; and “The Siren of the Saxophone”, Ririika Tokushige — though Tokushige is a multi-talented woodwind player who seamlessly switched to flute and clarinet as well.
Upon being asked what track they were most excited to play, Rudolph replied, with a smile: “whatever they’d like to hear!” Rudolph claimed that he could tell what people wanted to listen to by looking into their eyes. This claim held to be true as the atmosphere in the room changed as soon as the group began playing.
After their introduction, Rudolph invited all audience members to “please sing along, hum, or tap your foot! The dance floor is open today!” before kicking off their performance with a big band tune.
Seniors were surely delighted to hear some of their old favorites, including numbers from Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, and Bing Crosby, to name a few.
The first few tracks brought some life into the room as audience members clapped their hands and tapped their feet to the music. However, once the sounds of Elvis took hold, the seniors delighted in singing their hearts out to “Can’t Help Falling In Love” before finally bringing themselves up to the dance floor as the trio covered “Blue Suede Shoes.”
What started out as a slow shuffle into the community room to hear a band quickly turned rejuvenating; audience members smiled ear to ear while allowing the music of their youth to lift them.
The Steve Rudolph Trio created a fantastic atmosphere at the CATH. The Trio surely enjoys sharing its music talents with the world — and Needham’s seniors certainly enjoyed partaking in it.
To learn more about the Steve Rudolph Trio, visit http://steverudolphmusic.com/steves_trio
