From the CBS YouTube site:
Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, perform Rent’s “Seasons Of Love” in honor of their theatre teacher, Melody Herzfeld, who was named the recipient of the 2018 Excellence in Theatre Education Award, presented by Carnegie Mellon.
For anyone out there who while listening to Rage Against the Machine’s Wake Up has wondered “What would this sound like with heavy brass?”— this is for you. This cover by Brass Against the Machine features Sophia Urista as vocalist. [Read more…]
Last night was movie night. I soaked in a film by Paolo Sorrentino—Youth—that deals with all the big issues: life, death, family, friendship, love … I’m still not sure I’ve entirely absorbed it. The cast includes Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano and Jane Fonda. The cinematography by Luca Bigazzi was exquisite, in fact painterly, in several scenes. There were several surreal passages that still have my mind swirling. The music, by David Lang, was tender, captivating and compelling. Here’s “Simple Song #3” from the closing scene. [Read more…]
The kind of music that you’ll hear from Penguin Cafe, one might not expect from a group whose roots were the fever dreams of musician Simon Jeffes induced by food poisoning back in the 70s. Even though some of his visions were bleak and isolating, they also included dreams of a place where people could gather for music, cheer and pleasure, the Penguin Cafe. Since Simon’s death in 1997, his son Arthur has carried on his vision and sensibility in the guise of The Penguin Cafe. [Read more…]
The San Diego Repertory Theatre production of FLYING SOLO, a collaboration of Nathan Gunn and Hershey Felder, chronicles Nathan Gunn’s life and career. The show captivates the audience not only with musical selections from the operas and musicals that he has performed but with its genuine portrayal of Gunn’s life and his relationship with those who have influenced him.
In addition to numerous operas and operettas at major venues around the world, Gunn has starred in a number of musicals including Sweeny Todd (The Houston Grand Opera), Camelot and Carousel (both with the New York Philharmonic) and Show Boat (Carnegie Hall and the Lyric Opera of Chicago). He will be seen in the revival production of The Magic Flute (directed and designed by Julie Taymor) at the Metropolitan Opera in December 2018. [Read more…]
For the Memorial Day observation here’s Bill Withers’ plaintive and matter-of-fact “I Can’t Write Left-Handed”. [Read more…]
Maybe because I made Old Bay steamed shrimp for dinner tonight, but something resonated when I saw the title “Prawn Song”. And then discovering the whimsical and inventive musical instrumentation had me hooked. In an email to the NPR crew the group requested “7 x Crunchy apples, 7 x cans of Coca Cola (or similar, as long as they are 330mls/12oz cans it doesn’t matter)” and added, “PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT A RIDER BUT PART OF THE PERFORMANCE.” And there’s more! Even whistling! Hope you’re as tickled as I was. [Read more…]
Watched a comedy special on Netflix the other night featuring Tig Notaro: “Happy to Be Here”. The routine ends with a bit of a tease based on whether or not the Indigo Girls are there off-stage to perform at the end of the show. And that’s why today I’m featuring a version of their Shame On You. [Read more…]
For Donald Glover – “This is America”. This may not be the America that you or I experience, but I believe it’s an authentic, albeit terrifying, vision by Glover interpreted in his musical persona Childish Gambino.
What does it all mean? The lyrics suggest a theme, but don’t truly explicate. Images and poses suggesting Jim Crow iconography abound. Many have commented on the significance of Glover choosing Daniel Kaluuya, the star of Jordan Peele’s movie Get Out, with its “Sunken Place”, to introduce Glover’s performance of the work on Saturday Night Live. The immense popularity of the video (posted on May 5th it had 83 million views as of May 12th) has spawned a plethora of videos attempting to interpret the work, but to my knowledge Glover hasn’t weighed in on any of them. There’s also commentary online, and the curious may want to check out The Daily Beast’s Ira Madison, III, The HuffPost’s Hayley Miller, The Rolling Stone’s Tre Johnson or Brittany Spanos. [Read more…]
Time for a change up. After yesterday’s somewhat lugubrious, even if bluesy selection, here’s an up-tempo toe-tapping electro-swing rhythm that JustSomeMotion demonstrates is not just for the dance floor or the hallway; he takes it to the street. [Read more…]
This is a very different version than the ones that I’m most familiar with: the spare unaccompanied vocal delivery of Ralph Stanley as featured in the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? or the Gullah version of Bessie Jones re-imagined by TangleEye. This version, by the group Ranky Tanky, also has roots in the Gullah tradition, but it’s taken in a different direction. The trumpet (Charlton Singleton) just melts my heart! [Read more…]
For some reason the weather for the last few days has me thinking of summer. Maybe that’s why this tune from a lens ad has gotten stuck in my head … [Read more…]
