May Newsletter: A Review of the Month’s Culture, Arts + Trends

MAY MAKES SWEET MUSIC

HAPPY 75^th BIRTHDAY, BOB DYLAN!

“He was completely different than anyone, I remember the first time I saw him at Gerde’s Folk City in New York City. I snuck in because I didn’t have the money to buy a ticket. I listened to him and I thought, ‘…I can sing better than that. What’s all the fuss about?’ Then I started listening to the words.” (David Crosby)

GOOD VIBRATIONS: PART ONE

Peacocks not only show their spectacular tails, or trains, they rattle them, and scientists are studying the physics of feather vibration. They have found that the tail feathers vibrate at their natural resonating frequency — like a guitar string. During their courtship, they display their feathers often, and they vibrate only when females are around.

BEAUTIFUL MUSIC

A flirtation, a courtship, a complex marriage, a productive working relationship, parenthood. Hmm, sounds like a modern day romance … In Robert and Clara (Master Performers), Robin Freund Epstein reveals the Schumanns’s remarkable music-making, despite a life together filled with secrets, sacrifice, loss, love, and illness. In Robin’s dynamic piano playing and enthusiasm for her subject, we are caught up in a world of romance and joy … Did you see HBO’s Mildred Pierce? Remember when Veda’s daughter played piano? Well, she was “performing” on a silent piano while the soundtrack was actually recorded by Robin. That was movie magic. Now you get to hear Robin’s real magic. Available at CDbaby and iTunes.

ANOTHER MOZART SUMMER!

The new exhibition, Mozart Forever at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts celebrates 50 years of the Mostly Mozart Festival. This fabulous annual New York summer tradition, takes place across Lincoln Center from July 22 to August 27 … The exhibit is special, too, with artwork, photos, memorabilia, interviews, and concert excerpts to discover. Check it out now through August 27.

REMEMBER MAX’S? CAN YOU REMEMBER?

Yvonne Sewall-Ruskin is the president and founder of Max’s Kansas City Project, providing emergency funding to artists in need. Her husband, Mickey Ruskin, founded Max’s Kansas City, where Bob Marley opened for Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith had their first New York show, Deborah Harry waitressed, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, and Led Zeppelin visited, and Iggy Pop, Andy Warhol, and Lou Reed were regulars. Max’s was the place to be – there was always new music to hear and interesting people to talk to. Yvonne’s mesmerizing compendium of rare photos and first-hand stories of legendary performances might as well be a textbook called Music History 101.

HEY, LOOSEN UP!

Maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen, Composer-in-Residence at the New York Philharmonic and curator of the second NYPhil Biennial, is interested in finding new approaches to appeal to younger, artistically inclined people who do not often listen to classical music. On the need for the music world to adapt:

“We should loosen up a bit, and accept the fact that there are so many experiences available that loftiness doesn’t get us anywhere. Self-improvement is not a reason to buy a ticket, which is not cheap. It has to operate on a totally different level. It has to be: O.K., here is an experience you won’t forget.”

GOOD VIBRATIONS: PART TWO

Is there a secret link between music and the structure of the universe? That’s the idea behind Stephon Alexander’s new book, The Jazz of Physics (and its subtitle). “If the structure of the universe is a result of a pattern of vibration, what causes the vibration?” Is the universe acting like an instrument? … Physicist and sax player, Alexander uncovered the connection between the fundamental waves that make up sound and the fundamental waves that make up everything else … The “reason music has the ability to move us so deeply is that it is an auditory allusion to our basic connection to the universe.” Whether musicians or fans, we can all relate to that.

FORGET THE COWBELL, MORE PIANO!

Steinway & Sons’s new flagship in New York is no ordinary piano store. An artistic and modern two-level retail and performance space, there’s a 74-seat recital hall, a state-of-the-art custom sound system, live-streaming capabilities for musicians and audiences from around the world to connect, rehearsal studios for artists and students, and a recording studio. And they sell their awesome pianos there, too.

DOG NEWS

Barkley was chosen as a finalist in Pottery Barn’s Dogs of New York Cutie Pageant contest … I’d say photographer Thomas Parker caught Barkley’s Mr. Big Shot Westie attitude. Do you agree?

WE CAN HELP

MusiCares provides help to music people who don’t have safety nets for emergencies. The legendary Smokey Robinson was honored this month for his dedication and support of the MusiCares MAP Fund, which provides members of the music community access to addiction recovery treatment regardless of their financial situation. There are free recovery support groups in LA, Nashville, Austin, New Orleans, New York, Seattle, and Fort Collins, CO that offer a safe environment to face the challenges of staying clean and sober in the music industry … Says Robinson, “I’m not ashamed to tell people because I want to be of help if I possibly can.”

Soundtrack to this Issue

Cream’s Sunshine Of Your Love

Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker. Cream is my all-time favorite band and this is my #1 favorite song. In honor of my May birthday, check out this live version … Oh yeah, Jack Bruce’s birthday? Same as mine. Meant to be.

C’mon, sing along, you know the words:

It’s getting near dawn,
When lights close their tired eyes
I’ll soon be with you my love,
To give you my dawn surprise
I’ll be with you darling soon,
I’ll be with you when the stars start falling

I’ve been waiting so long
To be where I’m going
In the sunshine of your love

I’m with you my love,
The light’s shining through on you
Yes, I’m with you my love,
|It’s the morning and just we two
I’ll stay with you darling now,
I’ll stay with you till my seas are dried up

I’ve been waiting so long
To be where I’m going
In the sunshine of your love

Who rescued whom?

So grateful for Barkley coming into my life.
Thanks to Westie Rescue of New England.

Buddha, stay. Good dog. z”l

“…live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
(Buddha)

 

Sources:
My Girl lyrics: Smokey Robinson and Ronald White ©Universal Music Publishing Group
David Crosby quote: Rolling Stone, May 24, 2016
Peacock tails: New York Times, May 3, 2016
Salonen pic: Los Angeles Philharmonic
Salonen quote: New York Times, April 26, 2016
Robinson quote: @MusiCares
Barkley pic: Thomas Parker
Soundtrack lyrics: Eric Patrick Clapton, Jack Bruce, Peter Constantine Brown, Peter Ronald Brown ©Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

October Newsletter: A Review of the Month’s Culture, Arts + Trends

OCTOBER IS FALL’S CROWNING GLORY

Part spoken word, part concert, Lennon: Through a Glass Onion celebrates his words and music. Happy birthday, John … On the eve of her new album release, Aretha Franklin talked with Clive Davis at the 92Y. “It really is an honor if I can be inspirational to a younger singer or person, it means I’ve done my job.” … Big-hearted Betty Buckley performed six concerts at Joe’s Pub, from her new T Bone Burnett-produced album, Ghostlight … Simon Rattle led the Berlin Philharmonic in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion at the Park Avenue Armory, part of Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival … Everly Brothers honored with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Music Masters award … Bravo, Maestro James Levine on your 2,500th performance with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra … Matisse’s colorful cut-paper collages at MOMA … Yeah, they went their own way, but now Fleetwood Mac is back and on tour … The Who: 50 Years Greatest Hits album, whoa, fifty years? No! … Also out with new albums: Yusuf, Neil Diamond, and Annie Lennox sings American standards … The 3rd annual CBGB Music and Film Festival featured Devo … Speaking of, Mark Mothersbaugh has a solo art exhibition, Myopia, traveling the US … The surprising, enterprising, never disappointing artist known as Prince released two albums at once, Art Official Age and PlectrumElectrum … Esa-Pekka Salonen and the NY Philharmonic play Stravinsky’s The Firebird, let’s see, do the prince and princess live happily ever after? …

The glorious voices of Ladysmith Black Mambazo played Carnegie Hall’s South African music fest … Happy 30th birthday to Def Jam Records, influential and genre-defining … Masters of Hawaiian Music played SubCulture. Can you say ki ho’alu? That’s slack-key guitar to you … A Harlem block is officially renamed, George Carlin Way … Recovered, the Allman Brothers resumed their residency at The Beacon … They gave it away on iTunes then U2 released Songs of Innocence, their 13th album, featuring the single The Miracle (of Joey Ramone). You had me at Joey Ramone … The Beach Boys’ gorgeous classic, God Only Knows,  celebrates the launch of BBC Music with the likes of Pharrell Williams, Elton John, Chris Martin, Stevie Wonder, Chrissie Hynde, Sam Smith, and more, and oh yeah, the great Brian Wilson … Two new breeds in Westminster, Coton de Tulear and Wirehaired Viszla … New postage stamps celebrate Batman turning 75 … The Blood Moon, a total lunar eclipse, rose up bright red … And R.I.P. Jack Bruce, Cream’s singer and bassist, and co-writer of the best song there ever was and ever will be, Sunshine of Your Love.

COMPASSION IS THE SOLUTION

So says my favorite singer/songwriter, Matt Turk. Big congratulations on his latest album, Cold Revival, and his sold-out release party at The Bitter End …

“Opening with a lilting mandolin strum, Cracked Egg turns sharply into a powerhouse of explosive drums and heartfelt singing … When A Boy’s gentle, acoustic picking becomes a more upbeat track with the right amount of organ punched in … The album’s title track Cold Revival has a perfect country feel with restrained slide guitars, understated organ and strings … Say You’ll Live’s minor chords, mandolin and spoken word opening bursts into a dramatic, organ-driven piece.” …

“Matt Turk strikes a fine balance between rockers and introspective acoustic excursions.” … Oh, and Matt is Featured Artist in Guitar Player magazine … Don’t wait, buy Cold Revival at turktunes!

GOTTA READ IT, GOTTA SEE IT

Books on music: Bernstein Meets Broadway: Collaborative Art in a Time of War by Carol Oja, Griel Marcus’s The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll in Ten Songs, Mick Fleetwood’s Play On (timed with his band’s tour), Sheila E’s The Beat of My Own Drum, Neil Young’s Special Deluxe, Joe Perry’s Rocks, David Ritz’s Aretha Franklin bio (timed with her album release) Respect, and Tradition! The Highly Improbable, Ultimately Triumphant Broadway-to-Hollywood Story of Fiddler on the Roof, the World’s Most Beloved Music by Barbara Isenberg …

And new films about music: Andre Benjamin as Jimi Hendrix in Jimi: All Is by My Side, JK Simmons as a music teacher in Whiplash, and Ethan Hawk’s inspiring bio on the equally inspiring 87-year old piano teacher, Seymour Bernstein, Seymour: An Introduction.

FALL’S WELCOME AND FAREWELL

“Even if something is left undone,
everyone must take time
to sit still and watch the leaves turn.”
(Elizabeth Lawrence)

 

WE CAN HELP

Soundtrack to this Issue
Aretha’s Version of Adele’s Rolling in the Deep
(with a dash of Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, oh yeah!)
From the album, Aretha Franklin Sings The Great Diva Classics
©2014 RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment

C’mon, sing along:

The scars of your love remind me of us
It keeps me thinking that we almost had it all
The scars of your love keep me breathless
I can’t help thinking

We could have had it all
Rolling in the deep
You had my heart inside of your hand
But you played it to the beat

Buddha, stay. Good dog. z”l
“…live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
(Buddha)

 

Sources:
Lennon: Through a Glass Onion pic: Illustration by Aaron Smith
Matt Turk pic: Christina Torpie, October 2014
Matt Turk’s Cold Revival review quotes: Rob Ross/PopDose
Matt Turk’s Magnet Magazine review quote: Magnet October Issue #114
Fall Colors pic: Chris Meloni
Rolling in the Deep lyrics: Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, Paul Epworth © EMI Music Publishing Ltd., Melted Stone Publishing Ltd.