I just saw this morning that (Chicago native) Gil Scott-Heron has passed away at the age of 62 in New York (obits here, here, here and here). What a loss. I'll write something more substantive soon, but for now, enjoy two selections:
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Saturday, May 28, 2011
R.I.P. Gil Scott-Heron
Sunday, October 10, 2010
John Lennon interview with Tarqi Ali and Robin Blackburn (1971)
Here.
Excerpt:
John Lennon: I've always been politically minded, you know, and against the status quo. It's pretty basic when you're brought up, like I was, to hate and fear the police as a natural enemy and to despise the army as something that takes everybody away and leaves them dead somewhere.I mean, it's just a basic working class thing, though it begins to wear off when you get older, get a family and get swallowed up in the system.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, December 1, 2008
A totally underrated Whitney Houston song
Just because. I'm in a loving mood lately and this song is sweet and I think you should like it too.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
We interrupt this radical blog to bring you some dead white guy stuff.
Last night the German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter performed in Chicago with the Camerata Salzburg. Mutter hit the international music scene when she was very young, and has been a sought-after soloist for thirty years. She is one of the most respected virtuoso violinists alive today. She's performed in every major venue, and collaborated with the greatest living conductors and composers. As with every classical music superstar, there are those who adore her playing, and those who think it's overrated, but it's without question that she is one of the greats.
Mutter is no musical conservative, either. In the second half of her career, with her wunderkind past behind her, she has become a passionate advocate of contemporary music. Many great living composers have dedicated works to her, and Mutter has played these pieces for audiences around the world, challenging their ideas of what the violin can and should do. She speaks about the composer Lutoslawski, whose eerie, ear-stretching soundscapes are far outside the canon, with warmth and enthusiasm.
As a young violinist growing up, I listened over and over to her recordings of the Brahms sonatas and the Mozart concertos. For me, her sound is shimmering, electric, alive, and full of ever-changing color and texture. She's a serious, intellectual, brilliant performer whose interviews reflect a warm spirit and a deep knowledge of her craft.
This morning, in an excited post-concert Google search, I was reminded that because Mutter is also a beautiful woman, there are all kinds of swipes directed at her. She is called "classical music's attempt to attract the 18-34 male demographic." One columnist recalls that her "gravity-defying strapless gown ... caused outbreaks of fast breathing in elderly subscribers." She has been said to mix "virtuosity and va-va voom."
Other beautiful women performing in classical music are sometimes subjected to claims that it's their appearance that has allowed them to succeed. But the intense leadership and energy that Mutter radiated last night -- which her collaborators and audience alike responded to so keenly -- wasn't the sheen of her Dior gown, but the powerful energy of a great artist.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Cool Things: Harlem String Quartet
I'm lucky enough to be a teacher at a program that offers high-quality string instrument and general music education to a 100% low-income, 90+% African-American community.
Today the kids got to watch a presentation and performance by the Harlem String Quartet, an ensemble that's managed in part by the Sphinx Organization. The mission of Sphinx is to advance racial diversity in classical music audience and performance, and it focuses on young Black and Latino musicians. (According to Sphinx, these groups account for only 4% of membership in American orchestras.)
The quartet gave a lively presentation to the children. They're great players in their own right, who have attended some of the most prestigious schools of music in the world. They're a cool group with a cool mission. Thanks for the treat, Harlem!
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