I’ll add more examples in the future, but here’s a couple videos that I found quite impressive to get you started.

For many years I’ve been intrigued by the art and craft of celebrity caricatures. Whenever I seem to doodle or sketch, my subject of choice seems to always be cartoon-like faces. Maybe caricature’s the next step for me? There’s a certain allure in caricatures where key features are exaggerated to great lengths. I have never really tried my hand at this type of skilled illustration. Perhaps, someday soon.

Over a few years I’ve discovered many talented commercial artists that practice this art form – of special note, Anthony Geoffroy. Samples of his work are displayed below. Still want more after viewing Tony’s work and his website? Try http://www.caricature.org/.

I first knew Geoff as a music director that I drummed for. I learned valuable lessons on the inner workings of bands – playing with sensitivity, dynamics and passion. Through his leadership I took away perspectives on respect, humility and personal responsibility. He constantly encouraged me to hone my skills and try new things. I really appreciate that. It was so enjoyable, and natural, playing under his lead.

Since hearing demos and then getting his debut recording, The Unseen Child, I’ve always dug his work. His passionate heart is true and it really shines through his songs. I appreciate his vocal and chord voicings, song structures, harmonies, grooves and messages. Here are a few tracks that I have chosen to share:

1. The One Thing That I Need Geoff Thurman-Unseen Child-08-The One Thing I Need
2. Here We Are Geoff Thurman-The Songs–Here We Are
3. Reach Out To You Geoff Thurman-The Songs-05-Reach Out To You

Stemming from an era when the arts were a platform for revolution, Geoff frames his music with a raw, illustration of his trials, tribulations and triumphs as a man and musician.

Ask him how he feels about his many songs artists have recorded from the early 80s through the present age. He responds, “How long have I been at this? I’m old”. Ask him about his many accomplishments and the number of people he has affected over his thirty plus years in the ministry and business of Contemporary Christian music. His answer: “thank God, now what’s next”? The truth is clear about Geoff Thurman. Like other artists of his nature and background, he is a difficult man to decipher, even though he wears his heart on his sleeve.

He began writing songs in the mid 70s during his senior year in high school, although his parents heard him banging at the piano or guitar many years before that. He began singing at the ripe old age of six. Even then, there was a certain flare about his performance style. He listened and watched. “I was drawn to certain people because of how they communicated, not what they communicated”. While most of his contemporaries drew from wells filled with the likes of André Crouch, Bill Gaither and Chris Christian, Geoff’s musical roots began with The Beatles and James Brown. “I had a really cool family to whom I owe my musical influences”.

Reigning from his stomping grounds of Cincinnati, Ohio, Geoff juxtaposes layers of acoustic, Latin and Urban genres in creating his signature, soulful – spiritual sound. Stemming from an era when the arts were a platform for revolution, Geoff frames his music with a raw, illustration of his trials, tribulations and triumphs as a man and musician. Influenced by industry legends like Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix and The Staple Singers, Geoff began to contribute his wide range of artistic genius to the music industry. In 1983, Geoff had his first song, “Jehovah”, recorded by songstress, Amy Grant. The single climbed to the top of the Contemporary Christian Music Charts, solidifying Geoff as a promising, young talent. This experience provided Geoff with an opportunity to record a plethora of other songs, alongside an array of Contemporary Christian Music stars. From Point Of Grace, Cindy Morgan and Michael English to Glen Campbell and Ricky Skaggs, Geoff received accolades and industry recognition for his song contributions to the Christian circuit. In 1998, Geoff co-produced and released his debut, solo LP, “The Unseen Child”. Distributed by Fair Oaks Music, it spawned the commercial success of the smash-hit single, “How You’re Living”.

To promote his music to the masses, Geoff Thurman has performed before the presence of live audiences, overseas and across the nation since 1976. Geoff most recently has also taken center stage at The Bluebird Café in Nashville, TN. Garnering respect as one of the most prolific performers of his generation; Geoff has accompanied Ricky Skaggs at The Ryman Auditorium as well. The critical and commercial success of Geoff Thurman’s career has led him in the direction of creating music beds for daytime television, in association with his music contributions to HBO and Disney programming. Ultimately, Geoff aspires to reach a plateau in his career that allows him to continue writing and being innovative for many years to come.

This recommendation that I wrote for Geoff, on LinkedIn, is a good note to end this post on.

I’ve drummed for Geoff in many live events, and recorded (in-studio) with him once. He has such a deep understanding of music paired with ‘tasteful creativity’ that cause his work to be appreciated by musicians, and at the same time, palpable to the masses. Like a master chef, he blends musical ingredients into something that is always fresh – always from the heart. It’s been a great pleasure to call him a musical colleague, but more importantly… friend. I highly recommend Geoff for management, arrangement, writing, performance and recording.

Geoff’s Website »
Geoff on ReverbNation »
Geoff on MySpace »

Vinnie has been involved with so many studio and live projects that I won’t bother to list them all here. Here is a small sampling of the incredible variety of artists who have turned to Vinnie for his signature approach to music: Frank Zappa, Joni Mitchell, Lee Ritenour, Michael Sembello, Paul Anka, Sergio Mendes, The Commodores, The Temptations, Eric Marienthal, John Patitucci, David Sanborn, Everything But The Girl, Duran Duran, Chick Corea, Ron Kenoly, Quincy Jones, Marcus Miller, Chris Botti, Sting, Faith Hill, Michael McDonald, Joe Cocker, James Taylor, Boyz II Men, Jeff Beck and many others.

Vinnie Helps Develop Zildjian A Customs

Avedis Zildjian enlisted Vinnie to help design a flagship line of professional cymbals in 1990. The Zildjian A Custom cymbals were met with critical acclaim and adopted by drummers all over the world. They remain as some of the most popular cymbals ever created. Paired with a couple Zildjian K series cymbals, they are my personal favorite.

Vinnie’s great sound of mixing the K and A Custom cymbals was showcased on Sting’s Ten Summoner’s Tales. This is one of my all-time favorite albums by Sting and some of Vinnie’s best mainstream work. His musicality and odd-meter grooves are very inspiring.

I also really enjoy Vinnie’s work on Sting’s Soul Cages tour. I still own the VHS of an incredible show from that tour. Sting, Dominic Miller, David Sancious and Vinnie were really an incredible musical force during that tour. Very, very nice stuff there.

Here’s a great little story that illustrates the musical genius and proficiency of this legendary drummer. (Excerpt from Drum! Magazine, 2003, by Don Zulaica)

Steve Vai on Vinnie Colaiuta:

“I was just enamored with Vinnie. Back in the Frank days, his whole approach, when I heard Vinnie play, his phrasing – it satisfied something in my heart. It was easy to get certain rhythmic gratification from straight up-and-down-type players. Playing grooves, alternate grooves here and there. But Vinnie just came in and threw a wrench into the works. The guy is an alien. He was able to touch buttons with his sense of poly-rhythms that no one has ever done. Frank’s band was the perfect soundboard for that. I started transcribing his playing for The Frank Zappa Book. I mean, there’s five to six different notations for the hi-hat!” [laughs]

“I’ll tell you a really great Vinnie story. He’s one of the most amazing sight-readers that ever existed on the instrument. One day we were in a Frank rehearsal, this was early ’80s, and Frank brought in this piece of music called “Mo ‘N Herb’s Vacation.” Just unbelievably complex. All the drums were written out, just like “The Black Page” except even more complex. There were these runs of like 17 over 3 and every drum head is notated differently. And there were a whole bunch of people there, I think Bozzio was there.”

“Vinnie had this piece of music on the stand to his right. To his left he had another music stand with a plate of sushi on it, okay? Now the tempo of the piece was very slow, like “The Black Page.” And then the first riff came in, [mimics bizarre Zappa-esque drum rhythm patterns] with all these choking of cymbals, and hi-hat, ruffs, spinning of roto-toms and all this crazy stuff. And I saw Vinnie reading this thing. Now, Vinnie has this habit of pushing his glasses up with the middle finger of his right hand. Well I saw him look at this one bar of music, it was the last bar of music on the page. He started to play it as he was turning the page with one hand, and then once the page was turned he continued playing the riff with his right hand, as he reached over with his left hand, grabbed a piece of sushi and put it in his mouth, continued the riff with his left hand and feet, pushed his glasses up, and then played the remaining part of the bar.”

“It was the sickest thing I have ever seen. Frank threw his music up in the air. Bozzio turned around and walked away. I just started laughing.”

For numerous reasons, Vinnie Colaiuta is easily my favorite all-time drummer. I am continually impressed with his ability to play an incredible variety of styles while being true to the ‘Colaiuta sound’ and respecting the music. He is an American treasure; one-of-a-kind musical genius; drumming virtuoso. Vinnie, I salute you.

After his humble beginnings, he formed UK punk band trio, The Police and developed a successful punk/rock/raggae sound which thrust the group to stardom. While front man, writer, bassist and singer for The Police, Gordon received his nickname, “Sting”, because of his hornet-like resemblance his signature striped rugby shirts created.

Sting left The Police after a decade and ventured out on his own solo career where he was pegged as a pop artist but was continually pushing boundaries and exploring a variety of musical genres. During his solo career, Sting’s writing matured and he found great success all over the world. He has received honorary doctorates in music from Northumbria and Berklee. Sting has worked with an impressive variety of musicians, writers, singers, filmmakers, actors and artists of all sorts.

I’ve always been a big fan of Sting’s music, both from The Police and his solo career. I admit, he’s had a few cheesy ballads along the way, but overall, his albums have been solid and at times, incredibly inspiring.

A few of my favorite seasons of Sting come from some of the videos I own:

Bring On The Night (1985)
Documentary film covering the preparation and rehearsals for Sting’s first solo concert, as well as his supporting band’s opinions on their leader and his controversial efforts.

The Soul Cages (1991)
Full concert video featuring Sting, Dominic Miller, David Sancious and Vinnie Colaiuta totally rocking out tunes from The Soul Cages and other Sting songs… even a cover of Purple Haze! [I'm well-aware that the audio for the clip below is out of sync. Sorry, best there was of this awesome version of Jeremiah Blues on YouTube.]

Ten Summoner’s Tales (1993)
Filmed during the recording of TST in Sing’s English castle, this intimate video shows the development of the album and musical prowess of the band.

Sting… All This Time (2001)
Great behind-the-scenes footage leading up to an intimate concert in Italy make up this great video, chronicling a bunch of Sting’s work (with a couple re-worked tunes). Also featuring a great addition to the band: bassist, Christian McBride.

Inside – The Songs of Sacred Love (2003)
This concert film was shot at Sting’s home in Malibu and at the Myan Theatre in Los Angeles. It’s very personal with various acoustic instruments (no traditional drum kit) and features some really fun jam sessions, interviews and great vocal moments.

After listening to his last three albums, I would love to hear Sting return to the unique sound of his work from The Soul Cages and Ten Summoner’s Tales. Even though the last few albums haven’t necessarily been my favorites, I still respect him for trying new things and expressing himself, artistically.

Sting is always relevant, always interesting. His talent seems limitless. I’ve found him to be in a special league with very few peers.

Did You Know?

• His favorite music is actually jazz.
• Album: Nothing Like the Sun,  is dedicated to his mother, Audrey.
• Sting takes in an average of $2,000 per day, in royalties for Every Breath You Take. The song is officially the most requested radio song of all time.
• Speaks fluent Portuguese.
• Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002.
• Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler, founded the Rainforest Foundation in 1988.
• The 2009 Sunday Times List estimated his net worth at $295 million.

Sting’ers

“The geniuses of music, like Bach (Johann Sebastian Bach) and Miles Davis, used silence beautifully; they were not about using as many notes as possible. They knew that playing almost nothing can be the most elegant and eloquent thing to do.”

“I’m so glad I have this way of expressing, in a veiled and artistic way, my most intimate feelings. A lot of people have the same feelings, but in others it must get bottled up. I’m proud of my being able to make it into artifacts that some people find beautiful or engaging.”

“You can scratch the surface of my songs pretty lightly and you’ll find someone who wanted to be James Taylor at the age of 14. He’s also a brilliant and ridiculously underrated guitar player and blessed with a voice that could melt ice caps.”

“Everybody in the business knows in his heart of hearts what it takes to be successful. Whether you’ve got the guts to go through with that or not is another matter.”

The Joker’s Wild

Chain Reaction

Bullseye

Body Language

The $100,000 Pyramid

Family Double Dare

Remote Control

Let’s Make A Deal

Super Password

Press Your Luck

Scrabble

Hollywood Squares

High Rollers

Tic Tac Dough

Name That Tune

Truth Or Consequences

Trivial Pursuit

Top Card

Supermarket Sweep

Split Second

Sale Of The Century

Album Cover

Song: You Give Good Love
Album: Whitney Houston
Released: 1985
 
 
 
 
 
 

I found out what I’ve been missing
Always on the run
I’ve been looking for someone

Now you’re here like you’ve been before
And you know just what I need
It took some time for me to see
That you give good love to me baby
So good, take this heart mine into your hands
You give good love to me
Never too much
Baby you give good love

Never stopping, I was always searching
For that perfect love
The kind that girls like me dream of

Now I, I can’t stop looking around
It’s not, what this loves all about
Our love is here to stay, stay

Album Cover

Song: Just The Lonely Talking Again
Album: Whitney
Released: 1987
 
 
 
 
 
 

It’s the second time around
For you and I, boy
And believe me it’s confusing me
I’m afraid to say “let’s make up” and, “all’s forgiven,”
But somethin’ tells me I’m headed for heartbreak
So darlin’, please, I’m prayin’ that
This time it will be different
That you and I can share this dream that I visualize

Tell me are you really ready for love, boy
Or is it just the lonely talking again
Are you really ready for love, boy
Or is it the lonely talking again

Now, the time before
When we got together
You promised you’d be forever true to me
But all I got from you
Was lots and lots of talking
Lonely nights filled with misery

So baby, please, please tell me now
That when I fulfill your needs
You won’t up and leave me,
Even though you know I’ll let you come back
Tell me

Album Cover

Song: All The Man That I Need
Album: I’m Your Baby Tonight
Released: 1990
 
 
 
 
 
 

I used to cry myself to sleep at night
But that was all before he came
I thought love had to hurt to turn out right
But now he’s here
It’s not the same, it’s not the same

He fills me up
He gives me love
More love than I’ve ever seen
Hes all I’ve got,
Hes all I’ve got in this world
But he’s all the man that I need

And in the morning when I kiss his eyes
He takes me down and rocks me slow
And in the evening when the moon is high
He holds me close and won’t let go
He won’t let go

Album Cover

Song: You’ll Never Stand Alone
Album: My Love Is Your Love
Released: 1998
 
 
 
 
 
 

If there’s a time when the tears should fill your eyes
And you can’t see past the shadows
To the sun on the other side
Don’t despair, because there always will be someone there
Don’t lose faith, love won’t let you lose your way because

You, you’ll never stand alone
I’ll be standing by
I’ll keep you from the cold
I’ll hold you when you cry
I’ll be there to be strong
When you can’t find the strength inside
And you, you’ll always have a home
In these arms of mine
You’ll never stand alone
Love is standing by

If there’s a day when the rain should find your heart
And you’re cold and tired and lonely
And this world has you in the dark
Don’t be scared, you can just reach for me and I’ll be there
Don’t lose hope, love will see you through you know because

You, you’ll never stand alone
I’ll be standing by
I’ll keep you from the cold
I’ll hold you when you cry
I’ll be there to be strong
When you can’t find the strength inside
And you, you’ll always have a home
In these arms of mine
You’ll never stand alone
Love is standing by

Standing by to lift you above all the hurt and pain
Standing by to carry you through all the tears and rain
Reach for me, I’ll be with you
Reach for me, I’ll see you through

I’ll be the one to hold you
The one to show you that
You, you’ll never stand alone
I’ll be standing by

I’ll keep you from the cold
I’ll hold you when you cry
I’ll be there to be strong
When you can’t find the strength inside
And you, you’ll always have a home
In these arms of mine
You’ll never stand alone
Love is standing by

Album Cover

Song: One Of Those Days
Album: Just Whitney
Released: 2002
 
 
 
 
 
 

Kick off my shoes and relax my feet
Hit the kitchen grab a bite to eat
It’s been one of those crazy weeks
And I gotta do something special for me

See, hit the salon get a mani and a pedi
Have a massage, get a sip and then I’m ready
Gotta take time out
And my real ladies know what I’m talking about

Sing. Oooooooh, baby baby
You don’t know what I’ve been going through
Sing it again now. Oooooooh, baby baby
It’s obvious to see exactly what I need

One of those days
When the sun is shining bright
And my life is going right
And the simple things are not wasted

One of those days
When you’re cruising in your car
And you’re out to see the stars
And it’s warm outside and beautiful

Tonight, it’s all about me
Just wanna set my body free
Never mind the TV
Tonight I’ll just let a little TV watch me
Light the candles, aroma therapy
Hot tub bubbles surrounding me
Mr. BIG is in the background
The Isley brothers gonna hold it down… sing

Singing hello… hello…
I need one of those days
You don’t know what
Warm and beautiful

Album Cover

Song: Call You Tonight
Album: I Look To You
Released: 2009
 
 
 
 
 
 

The stars must be aligned tonight
I believe this has to have a meaning
Lightening had to strike tonight
‘Cause the two of us are finally meeting

In this place at this time
I feel safe when I look in your eyes
I feel like I know you from another life
And it makes me wish I wasn’t so pressed for time

I can’t catch my breath ’cause you take it away
The best writer in town could not find words to say
How there’s so many things I wanna get to know
I wish that I could stay but I gotta go

So I’mma call you tonight
I will baby, just as soon as I get time alone
I’mma call you tonight
I will baby, just as soon as I get home

That’s the way it goes in life
You get busy when you just don’t wanna
There’s never enough time day or night
You have to make it so baby,

I’m gonna make a way to connect
‘Cause your face is one I can’t forget
I feel like I know you from another life
And it makes me wish I wasn’t so pressed for time

I can’t catch my breath ’cause you take it away
The best writer in town could not find words to say
How there’s so many things I wanna get to know
I wish that I could stay but I gotta go

So I’mma call you tonight
I will baby, just as soon as I get time alone
I’mma call you tonight
I will baby, just as soon as I get home

Destiny, I believe in it
Meant to be, don’t you see it’s possible
That with this kind of magic anything can happen
And if you wanna know then stay by the phone
You’ll stay by the phone

I can’t catch my breath ’cause you take it away
The best writer in town could not find words to say
How there’s so many things I wanna get to know
I wish that I could stay but I gotta go

So I’mma call you tonight
I will baby, just as soon as I get time alone
I’mma call you tonight
I will baby, just as soon as I get home

Discography:

• 1993:  Laura Pausini
• 1994:  Laura
• 1994:  Laura Pausini (Spanish)
• 1996:  Le cose che vivi / Las cosas que vives
• 1998:  La mia risposta / Mi respuesta
• 2000:  Tra te e il mare / Entre tú y mil mares
• 2001:  From the Inside
• 2004:  Resta in ascolto / Escucha
• 2006:  Io Canto / Yo Canto
• 2008:  Primavera in anticipo / Primavera anticipada

[credit: Wikipedia.org]

A few years ago, I started looking for good ‘world music’. Well, in many record stores foreign language music was categorized under ‘world music’. So in that category, you’d find new age, experimental, instrumental, and other oddities that didn’t contain the English language. I’d actually consider ‘world music’ to be very thick with ethnicity and cultural traditions/trends, not necessarily just non-English language music. Anyhow…

As I started to listen to more and more (let’s say) ‘foreign’ music, by contrast, I grew to recognize more and more of America’s musical conventions and really appreciated this new audio frontier. I was starting to listen to music from Japan, South America, Africa and Italy.

Speaking of Italian music… I appreciate the language and how it sounds so nice with all those vowels when sung. I was looking for some really strong, contemporary vocalists and discovered Lara Fabian. She’s actually from Belgium but sings mostly in Italian and English. She is well-known for her wide vocal range which is over three octaves. She has released twelve albums an is popular in many countries.

In learning more about Lara Fabian, I discovered a similar vocalist that I enjoyed even more: Laura Pausini. Even though both of these singer’s music is very pop-oriented, I enjoy them mostly for their vocal stylings and Italian language. Laura has a distinct quality to her voice that I keep returning to. I appreciate a lot of what her band does as well.

If you haven’t heard these two accomplished singers, give them a listen. Even if you don’t understand all of their lyrics.

Bravo!

My love affair with the B3 began with baseball stadium music. I’m not much of a baseball fan, but going to games was enhanced with the happy, bouncy, jazzy-blues of the stadium organist. It added so much to the experience, plus for me, it was a sound that I wasn’t used to hearing on a regular basis. I hadn’t been in urban gospel churches or frequented old, smokey jazz clubs or blues bars. I totally fell in love with the sound and the skill required to play such an instrument. I mean, the bass lines played with the feet, the double stack of keys and all the knobs, switches and pulls – so cool!

Several years ago, I started collecting any B3 music that I could get my hands on. Some of my absolute favorite organists are: Joey DeFrancesco, Jimmy McGriff, Paul Shaffer, Jimmy Smith and Dr. Lonnie Smith.

Joey DeFrancesco

Joey DeFrancesco is an American jazz organist, trumpeter, and vocalist. Down Beat’s Critics and Readers Poll selected him as the top jazz organist every year since 2003. Today, Joey DeFrancesco plays an average of 200 nights a year on the road with various musicians. His core bands include Byron Landham (drums), Paul Bollenback (guitar) or Pat Bianchi (keyboards)and Colleen McNabb (vocals). When not on the road, he resides in Arizona with his family and daughter.

Jimmy McGriff

James McGriff was a hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who developed a distinctive style of playing the Hammond B-3 organ. However, it should be noted that Jimmy was one of the first B3 players to add MIDI to the upper keyboard his personal B3 to add and extend “his sound” beyond just the drawbar sound of the B3. He incorporated synthesizers in his live performances as he liked Vibes, Piano, String, Brass and other sounds that could only be created by a synthesizer as the classic B3 can not. Jimmy purchased the XB-3 as he had more control over the MIDI functions and the XB-3 weighs about half of the classic B3 which made it easier to move. Jimmy, as well as Groove Holmes, spent a great deal of time experimenting and modifying their B3’s and Leslie Speakers over the years. Some of these modifications made their way into products manufactured by both Hammond and Leslie, which they didn’t always get credit for.

Paul Shaffer

Paul Shaffer is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer. Currently, he is the bandleader and sidekick on the Late Show with David Letterman. Shaffer has released two solo albums, 1989’s Grammy nominated Coast to Coast, and 1993’s The World’s Most Dangerous Party. Shaffer has also recorded with a wide range of artists, including Donald Fagen, Ronnie Wood, Grand Funk Railroad, Diana Ross, B.B. King, Cyndi Lauper, Carl Perkins, Yoko Ono, Blues Traveler, Cher, Chicago, Robert Burns, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Nina Hagen, Robert Plant, Scandal, Late Show regular Warren Zevon, jazz trumpeter Lew Soloff and jazz saxophonist Lou Marini.

Jimmy Smith

Jimmy Smith was a jazz musician whose performances on the Hammond B3 electric organ helped to popularize this instrument. In 2005, Smith was awarded the NEA Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, the highest honors that the United States bestows upon jazz musicians. While the electric organ was used in jazz by Fats Waller and Count Basie, Smith’s virtuoso improvisation technique on the Hammond helped to popularize the electric organ as a jazz and blues instrument. For ballads, he played walking bass lines on the bass pedals. For uptempo tunes, he would play the bass line on the lower manual and use the pedals for emphasis on the attack of certain notes.

Dr. Lonnie Smith

Dr. Lonnie Smith is a jazz musician, recognized as an exceptional player of both the Hammond B3 organ and piano. Smith has performed at several prominent jazz festivals with artists including Grover Washington, Jr., Ron Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, Lou Donaldson and Ron Holloway. He has also played with musicians outside of jazz, such as Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Etta James, Joan Cartwright, and Esther Phillips. He was named the “Organ Keyboardist of the Year” in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2009 by the Jazz Journalist Association.

[credit: wikepedia.org]

[credit: Chris Swingle | Staff writer | Rochester Democrat & Chronicle | July 6, 2009]

Irma Jean Chambers’ dementia has stolen her memory of her birth date, what she did earlier in the day and which of the 12 private bedrooms is hers. But she knows that she likes the unusual new assisted living home in Chili where she now lives.

“It’s very important to keep yourself young, to make you feel you’re still going,” said Chambers, 84.

Staff member Andrea D’Angelo, a music therapist by training, tucks an arm around Chambers and helps her locate the small hair salon in the home that opened in May.

“Oh, I love Andrea,” said Chambers. “She’s a buddy of mine.”

Her home and three others adjacent to it constitute Rochester Presbyterian Home’s Memory Care Residences at Cottage Grove. Located within a complex of single-story townhouses off Buffalo Road, the homes are part of a movement across the country toward smaller, less-institutional settings and more individualized care for seniors who need assistance. Elder care is following the more established trend toward smaller group homes for people with developmental disabilities.

Locally, several other elder care providers also are pursuing this strategy. St. John’s Home expects to be the first in this region to open small nursing homes in a style called “green houses” that, like the assisted living homes at Cottage Grove, take a new approach. Private bedrooms and bathrooms are part of it, but most importantly, residents have more control. They can get up and eat when they choose, instead of getting dressed or receiving a food tray at the convenience of the staff.

Kirkhaven is looking for about 10 acres in the city to build four one-story “cottage” nursing homes divided into 12-bedroom households, to replace its 147-bed building on Alexander Street within the next couple of years.

Similarly, Unity Health System is now replacing its nursing home with four duplex-style, one-story “cottages,” each for 20 elders, plus a fifth one-story building for short-term, transitional care.

The smaller homes have a better caregiver-resident ratio. Instead of separate licensed practical nurses, housekeeping staff and food service workers, universal workers do it all. D’Angelo is one such “shahbaz.” She cooks, cleans, sings and tries to encourage interests and skills of each of the five residents who’ve moved in so far.

“It’s like this is a family,” said D’Angelo, 27, of Irondequoit.

As the public discovers and demands these settings and lifestyles, they’ll likely spur the construction trend. Baby boomers are now selecting or looking into care settings for their aging parents and are less likely to tolerate shared bedrooms and showers down the hall.

The movement is also prodded by recognition that people treated like parts on an assembly line fail to thrive.

“People have those needs — feeling they belong, theyare connected to people, they are loved,” said Nancy Smyth, executive director of Rochester Presbyterian Home.

But not everyone who could benefit from assisted living can afford the price — $4,500 a month at Cottage Grove — and assisted living care isn’t covered by health insurance. Cottage Grove is pricier than assisted living care at the 102-bed Rochester Presbyterian Home on Thurston Road, but about half the cost of a month’s nursing home stay.

By contrast, the rates at small nursing homes tend to be the same as at larger nursing homes. Most nursing home residents end up on taxpayer-funded
Medicaid — which won’t pay more for a smaller setting with private bedrooms.

Rochester became a national center of nursing home reform ideas in 1997 when people from around the country met here to talk about transforming elder care. The Pioneer Network was formed to promote person-directed, less-institutional care. Fairport Baptist Homes led the way in the mid-1990s, said Rose Marie Fagan, a co-founder of the network. But progress since then has been slow in this region.

Rochester Presbyterian Home and St. John’s Home, which has a 475-bed nursing home on Highland Avenue, are registered with the Texas-based Eden Alternative nursing home reform effort. Each has made improvements to care within its multistory buildings but also decided to branch out and build smaller homes where care can be more individualized.

St. John’s plans to build 20 green house homes, each for 10 seniors, across the area over the next five to seven years. Once people move out to the new homes, St. John’s plans to renovate its existing campus into 20-some multistory green house homes.

The state and Henrietta have approved St. John’s first two green houses, to be built side by side on Jefferson Road at Edgewood Avenue. St. John’s officials are still meeting with the federal Centers for Medicaid & Medicare for approval, and then can seek federal Housing and Urban Development financing.

Spreading the green houses among single-family homes is unusual, which is prompting extra scrutiny, but could well become a national model, said Charlie Runyon, president of St. John’s.

The reason there aren’t more small elder care homes yet is due both to construction costs and to the ordeal of changing the internal culture so that the new model works.

Unity Health System first planned to build eight green houses, each with 10 private bedrooms, to replace the 1972 nursing home attached to Unity Hospital in Greece. But leaders doubled the size of each building plan, eliminating extra kitchens and saving several million dollars, to afford the mortgage, said Sandra MacWilliam, Unity’s executive vice president of aging and rehabilitation services. The $23
million project is expected to open in March.

Culture change takes time. Runyon provided three-day Eden training to more than 170 of St. John’s roughly 900 employees over the past six years and added amenities to retain staff.

“How you treat your staff is how they treat your elders,” said Runyon, quoting the golden rule of Eden.

Cottage Grove administrator Cathy Allen, a registered nurse who lives in Honeoye Falls, appreciates the close relationships that can form between staff and residents. Allen recently took Chambers to buy prizes for games. On the short trip, Chambers repeatedly asked Allen how she had slept and how her day had been, and Allen said she answered cheerfully, again and again. Then at one point Chambers said,

“I like being with you.”

Nancy Tonucci, 63, of Pittsford, one of Chambers’ daughters, appreciates the respectful care.

“There is such a feeling of dignity,” she said. “We have just been thrilled.”

Her mother, a widow since 2003, suffered ministrokes and first moved to the four-story Rochester Presbyterian Home. That setting was fine, said Tonucci, but the smaller Cottage Grove home suits her mother better.

During a recent Name That Tune game, D’Angelo brought out smiles as she moved around the room, singing along to Fred Astaire.

Her words captured the goal of providing dignity and love even as aging causes losses: “Oh no, they can’t take that away from me.”