Pat DeRosa Plays The Paramount
When The Star wrote about Pat DeRosa last year as he was approaching his 93rd birthday, the musician said that just one item remained on his bucket list: “to perform with Long Island’s most popular piano player, Billy Joel.”
As Mr. DeRosa’s 94th approaches — Dec. 6 is the big day — he is about to take a step closer to that goal. Tomorrow night, he will perform with Michael DelGuidice and Big Shot at the Paramount Theater in Huntington. Mr. DelGuidice, who has long fronted tribute bands celebrating the music of Mr. Joel, himself achieved a milestone in 2013, becoming a guitarist and background vocalist for the Piano Man.
A fortuitous event set the stage for tomorrow’s show. Last summer, Mr. DeRosa, who lives in Montauk, and members of his musical family including his daughter Patricia DeRosa Padden, a pianist and vocalist, and his son-in-law Michael Padden, a guitarist, attended a concert by Randy Jackson at Gosman’s Dock in Montauk. Mr. Padden engaged Mr. Jackson in a conversation about guitars. As it turned out, the father of a friend of Mr. Jackson’s, who was also a musician, had played with Mr. DeRosa.
The family told Mr. Jackson about Mr. DeRosa’s goal and forwarded a copy of The Star’s write-up to him. Mr. Jackson called Mr. DelGuidice, who asked to speak with Ms. DeRosa Padden, and it was agreed that Mr. DeRosa would perform two songs with Big Shot at the Paramount: Mr. Joel’s “New York State of Mind” and “Just the Way You Are.” Big Shot is more than a tribute to Mr. Joel and his music. In addition to Mr. DelGuidice, members including Tommy Byrnes, John Scarpulla, and Chuck Burgi are present or past members of Mr. Joel’s touring band. Many members also performed in “Movin’ Out,” a Tony Award-winning collaboration between Mr. Joel and the dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharp.
In another bit of synchronicity, tomorrow’s concert is a benefit for veterans, like Mr. DeRosa. While working for the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation in Bethpage, where he built aircraft parts, he was drafted into the Army Air Forces. After basic training, “I joined the concert band and the 20-piece dance band,” he told The Star last year. In 1945, with a deployment to the Pacific Theater looming, the Japanese surrendered and Mr. DeRosa remained stateside.
The setting of tomorrow’s concert is apt for yet another reason: Mr. DeRosa, who was born in Brooklyn, attended the Paramount as a child, his daughter said. The musician also taught in South Huntington schools from 1954 to 1978 while continuing a professional career.
“He’s been working on those tunes, preparing for the show,” Mr. DeRosa’s daughter said last week. “He’s getting ready, and is very excited.” A Facebook page has been created to publicize the concert, and Ms. DeRosa Padden said there was tremendous interest in the concert. Relatives are coming from Washington State, she said.
Mr. Joel, who set a record last summer when he delivered a 65th performance at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, does not have a concert scheduled tomorrow. Will he make an appearance with members of his band and a saxophonist who yearns to play with him? “I would say we’re halfway there,” Ms. DeRosa Padden said.