Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    A Legacy of Love: The Soundtrack of My Mind
    A Legacy of Love: The Soundtrack of My Mind
    A Legacy of Love: The Soundtrack of My Mind
    Ebook150 pages1 hour

    A Legacy of Love: The Soundtrack of My Mind

    By Susan Berk and Tania Katan

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    “This wonderful memoir that was written for her family is a life story for everyone to read. Each chapter is like the changing songs on a record. Susan’s beliefs and high energy to achieve, even through adverse health challenges, enlightens the reader to admire her gusto for life. Music has been the beat she walks to. Always a song in her heart. What a treasure for all to read” (Brenda J. Hawnylkin, writer).
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAuthorHouse
    Release dateAug 17, 2018
    ISBN9781546238287
    A Legacy of Love: The Soundtrack of My Mind

    Related to A Legacy of Love

    Related ebooks

    Biography & Memoir For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      An Ode To The Oud

      Jul 7, 2021

      An Ode To The Oud
      2 min read

    • Article

      Five Minutes With Cammie Gilbert

      Apr 28, 2022

      You talked about opening a capybara sanctuary during the pandemic. Did you get anywhere with that? “Ha ha ha! It didn’t work out. We were moving and there was a house on stilts. I was like, ‘This would be perfect! Old capybaras could live underneath!

      2 min read

    • Article

      Kate Nv

      Jan 10, 2023

      Kate Nv
      9 min read

    • Article

      My Country Childhood

      Apr 26, 2023

      My Country Childhood
      6 min read

    • Article

      Passing The Torch

      Jul 14, 2020

      Passing The Torch
      6 min read

    • Article

      Nu World Burdens

      May 19, 2021

      Nu World Burdens
      6 min read

    • Article

      Chandni

      Oct 25, 2021

      Chandni
      4 min read

    • Article

      Grandmother Mind

      Jun 7, 2022

      Grandmother Mind
      9 min read

    • Article

      April Kae

      Jul 13, 2021

      April Kae
      10 min read

    • Article

      Play It Again, Cyrill

      Jun 9, 2022

      Play It Again, Cyrill
      2 min read

    • Article

      Ricky Ross

      Jun 28, 2021

      Ricky Ross
      5 min read

    • Article

      Ruban Nielson

      Sep 16, 2021

      Ruban Nielson
      3 min read

    • Article

      Alone With My Faith

      Jul 30, 2021

      Alone With My Faith
      7 min read

    • Article

      Editorial

      Jul 7, 2021

      Editorial
      3 min read

    • Article

      Dave Grohl

      Feb 1, 2021

      Dave Grohl
      8 min read

    • Article

      Raveena.

      Mar 27, 2020

      Raveena.
      5 min read

    • Article

      Poppygalactic And The Beat

      Nov 1, 2017

      Poppygalactic And The Beat
      5 min read

    • Article

      Music, Lyrics . . . and Prose

      Feb 7, 2024

      Music, Lyrics . . . and Prose
      3 min read

    • Article

      Shut Up!

      Sep 22, 2020

      Away from the stage though, singer and band leader Millie has a different side. Coming across on stage as confident and sassy, this image hides a history of mental health issues, ones that she’s more than happy to discuss, and even make generally pos

      3 min read

    • Article

      Alma

      Mar 27, 2020

      Alma
      8 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for A Legacy of Love

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      A Legacy of Love - Susan Berk

      © 2018 Susan Berk with Tania Katan. All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,

      or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

      Published by AuthorHouse 08/17/2018

      ISBN: 978-1-5462-3827-0 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-5462-3828-7 (e)

      ISBN: 978-1-5462-3829-4 (hc)

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2018904717

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

      and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      23499.png

      CONTENTS

      Dedication

      Introduction

      Chapter 1 September In The Rain

      Chapter 2 If You Knew Susie

      Chapter 3 Noni’s Jazz Improvisation

      Chapter 4 Soundtrack of My Mind

      Chapter 5 Jelly Roll and Ice Cream, Please

      Chapter 6 Hair

      Chapter 7 Musical Notes: 1

      Chapter 8 Lead Sheet

      Chapter 9 Noni’s B-sides

      Chapter 10 All That Jazz

      Chapter 11 Jazz Splits

      Chapter 12 Jazz Hands

      Chapter 13 Cool Cats

      Chapter 14 Magical Musical Journey

      Chapter 15 Musical Couples

      Chapter 16 Lee Berk, Berk Lee…What’s in a Name

      Chapter 17 International Jazz Day

      Chapter 18 A Family of Presidents

      Chapter 19 Home

      Chapter 20 The S Word

      Chapter 21 Little Known Music Trivia

      Chapter 22 Birthdays

      Chapter 23 Judaism

      Chapter 24 Lee is More Than Fine

      Chapter 25 Life’s Rhythms

      Chapter 26 Got to Give It Up

      Chapter 27 Beauty

      Chapter 28 The Way We Are

      Chapter 29 But Not The End

      Photo Album I: Darling Husband Lee, Born February 17, 1942

      Photo Album II: Daughter Nancy, Born August 15, 1976

      Photo Album III: Daughter Lucy, Born October 7, 1979

      Photo Album IV: The Family

      Photo Album V: Susan, Born September 12, 1947

      Photo Album VI: Susan Miller Ginsberg & Lee Eliot Berk, Married October 4, 1975

      DEDICATION

      To my loving husband, Lee Eliot Berk who, with his patience, deep listening, support and understanding, has guided us through years of courtship, friendship and marriage. Because our marriage is made up of music, musicians and life’s sweetest melodies, I’d like to dedicate these 3 songs to Lee:

      1. Thank You for The Music lyrics by Benny Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA

      2. Two for the Road" by Henry Mancini (Henry and his wife Ginny’s favorite song)

      3. Our Love Is Here to Stay by George Gershwin

      There’s a little Gershwin story that relates to Lee’s life. Lee’s father, Lawrence Berk, who founded Berklee College of Music, was a student of Joseph Schillinger’s (1895 – 1943) in New York City as was George Gershwin. Also, our family has a portrait of George Gershwin by Andy Warhol, which was part of Warhol’s series, Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century.

      This is for you, Lee, for a wonderful life that has literally brought music to my ears.

      INTRODUCTION

      Chapter%20Introduction.jpg

      "For many, pop songs that are deeply embedded in our consciousness become part of the soundtrack of our lives. An unforgettable melody or a lyric that expresses exactly what we’ve felt has the power to flood our mind with impressions of joyful moments long past, or to help us get through a rough patch in our lives. People all across the world feel the power of songs that make us want to dance, sing, or lean on them during hard times.

      –Mark Small, Editor in Chief of Berklee Today

      Influences at home, including classical music, were not all specifically jazz, but the family radio was always on…

      —Anat Cohen

      Music has the power to do many things. For me, music has been there when I needed to escape, to be present, to be loved, and to understand my purpose in life. Music saved my life—many times—and made it more meaningful. Music helped me to find the love of my life, gave me hope, and led me to you, my grandchildren.

      I’d like to share this legacy of music with you while I’m still here, while we’re still sharing this earth together, in hopes that when I’m no longer here in body, the aura of music and musical memories I leave to you resonates beyond this lifetime. Music is your inheritance.

      Even the process of creating this book is like a real-time Jazz improvisation! I meet with Tania (or send her recordings) and share stories about meeting your grandfather for the first time, meeting your parents for the first time, and meeting you for the first time. I share songs like, If You Knew Susie and others that made me question my name and find my voice. We try to find the threads that weave in and out of the life I’ve created with your grandfather, your parents, you, and with music. My inheritance has been one of frizzy hair, bipolar disorder, deep love of music and you. There have been times in my life when I’ve been faced with the stigma of mental illness, times when I fought to stay afloat, putting on a brave face until my mind caught up with the plan. There have been times when I felt like the queen of jazz, meeting some of my favorite musicians in the world. Whether you’re feeling like the queen or king of something, or donning a mask until you feel comfortable enough to take it off, I want you to know that being different is what it means to be human. Being different is what makes a great jazz musician, great.

      I have always been great at orchestrating events. All the pieces of an event, all the pieces in an orchestra are equally important; you have to know what they’ll sound like individually and together in order to create harmony. That’s why this book feels important to me; it’s my half of a conversation with you. Half of a dialogue. Me talking, you listening, and then we’ll switch. The talking and the listening are equally important. The listening allows us to be moved by the music and the music moves us through the stories that make up our lives.

      I’ve set out to write a memoir that is like an album because music has created the foundation for my entire life. More specifically, jazz music. But you know this. You know that the home Papa and I have created is really the house that jazz built. You know this because you are our children and grandchildren. You know this because you grew up listening to Arturo, Chick and Herb. You know this because from the time you could walk you wandered the hallways of a school filled with music, a school named after Lee, Berklee.

      This book uses grammar expansively. It’s less of a literary piece and more of a colloquial expression. So, if you see inconsistencies in punctuation, capitalization, proper names, or any other disruption in the structure of language…good! Sometimes it’s good to disrupt structures in order to create a space for everyone to speak their minds or to sing their truths.

      This book is a gift to you, my children and grandchildren, so that you might learn a little more about Lee and me and maybe, in turn, learn a little more about you. This book is a gift to myself, too. Usually people give gifts like earrings or watches or flowers, but you’ll find that most of the gifts that Papa and I give are of a different nature. We give gifts that nurture people and places. We give gifts of art, education, music and stories.

      Now, before we go any further I want to introduce you to Tania Katan, who has been working with me to extract and develop the stories in this book. Tania… take it away!

      Hello, Rachel, Julia, Louisa and Ethan! Nice to meet all of you. And, if you don’t mind, I’ll be talking in italics under the heading Musical Notes so you know that it’s me and not your Noni, ok? Great. It is such a treat to meet with your Noni once a month as well as listening to the stories she has recorded on her phone. We meet in the library at Sagewood. Sagewood is the name of the life care services senior complex where your grandparents live. The library has tall ceilings and in the center of the space is a strong, dark wood table. The table is surrounded by bookshelves with books that have been donated by

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1