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Take a listen: "Razor of Love"
There's not many times I find a new (to me) artist I'm that excited about. Many of you have probably heard Sean Rowe (pronounced like "how"). A native of Troy, NY, I just love this guys music. His voice, writing, and performing are fantastic.
One more:
"Madman"
It has been a number of years since I was an usher at the Metropolitan Opera. Those years were wonderful, and I have so many good memories of music that shaped who I am, musically, today. So, it was with great delight that I had the chance to attend the Dallas Opera's production, and world premiere run, of Everest, by Joby Talbot. First of all, I must admit to never being enamored with modern opera. I heard a few over the years (Moses and Aron at the Met comes to mind), but none of the music or productions really grabbed me. When my father told me Dallas Opera was doing a new opera based on the events portrayed by John Krakauer in Into Thin Air, my immediate thought was one of, "Huh???"
Well, I must admit, you can take a compelling story, set it to digestible and effective music, and pair it with a simple but amazingly effective production and libretto, and the experience was stunning.
First, the music... Joby Talbot's score was very film-like to me in nature. There are lots of textures and effects, but also some beautiful melodies. I thought the scoring complemented the singers very well, never covering them in the important sections. The singers were not names I have heard, but then I am no aficionado when it comes to opera singers. Andrew Bidlack (Rob Hall) has a beautiful, lyric voice. He didn't sound particularly powerful to me, but the score complemented the beautiful, touching qualities of his voice very well. Sasha Cooke (Meg) and Kevin Burdette (Beck Weathers) were highlights for me as well.
Most people know my father is a member of the orchestra (principal trombone), and many other orchestra members have been mentors and colleagues from the time I was a high school musician. I can say, with no reservation, this orchestra is a fantastic ensemble. I have heard them perform the scores to both Lohengrin and Götterdämmerung, and they sound as great as ever with Everest. I truly enjoyed the percussion writing and playing in the performance, with both atmospheric effects and excellent percussion writing being an important part of the score.
The set was fantastic! I mean, when you have opera singers rappelling down the Hilary Step, while singing, it doesn't get much more riveting than that! The lighting design added a tremendous amount of dimension to the production, and was one of the highlights of the performance. The night sky and sub-zero temperatures the climbers endured on their bivouacs during their descent were portrayed in such a beautiful and tragic way, I couldn't help but be absolutely drawn in to the performance.
There are 2 more shows, Wednesday and Saturday. If you are nearby, go see it.
Years ago, if you had told me a rock musician had written a book, I probably wouldn't have thought too much about it. After all, rock musicians, to me, were mostly self-taught, less technically skilled, and possessed little versatility, only able to play a few tunes that they had written themselves. Well, thank goodness for enlightenment and the death of ignorance! I got over my self-important and arrogant view of other musicians' work and now I can appreciate the artistry and skill of anyone, provided it's there to begin with! It's always been funny to me when people want to ask me "what's your favorite type of music?" I just can't answer. I like too many different types! I always say, as long as it's good, I'll listen!
Upon the recommendation of one of my favorite authors, I picked up David Byrne's book, How Music Works. Part autobiography, part how-to, part manifesto on the creative process and music's place in our society, I am totally knocked out with this work. As the front man for the Talking Heads, this guy has done more different things in music than most people can ever dream of. As I really only (sadly) knew "Burning Down the House", I have remedied that and discovered how many great albums Talking Heads put out over their career.
Mr. Byrne discussed many different topics in his book. He gives an overview of his beginnings as a musician, as well as the rock music scene in the 70s. For those of us "children of the 80s" (you know who you are), he describes how and why the New Wave and other movements began.
There are great chapters on technology: Technology Shapes Music: Analog, Technology Shapes Music: Digital, and In the Studio. Mr. Byrne has been active throughout all eras of modern recorded music and offers interesting insight into how real (successful) bands make (and made) their music in the studio, then how they were able to recreate that music in live shows.
Included as well is a deep discussion about the importance society places on different forms of music. The idea that classical music is somehow superior to other forms, he maintains, is one that has clearly been perpetuated by society, namely the wealthy patrons who might want to attach their name (and reputation) to something deemed worthwhile and prestigious. This is certainly not a new idea, but Byrne's further relation to the importance placed on rock and pop music by our society and education systems really made me think hard about my own biases and the musical world in which I have often been a participant.
Mr. Byrne's book contains a fantastic chapter, entitled "Amateurs". He discusses the importance of amateurs in the arts, and the contributions to be made by those who don't depend upon their passions to make a living. He discusses a 1906 essay by John Philip Sousa ("The Menace of Mechanical Music") where Sousa opined that "automatic music devices" will usurp the place of town bands, choruses, and listening to live music for socializing and enjoyment. Interestingly, Sousa also foresaw a time where we wouldn't have "not music", or rest between performances. He maintained that those times are critical as they allow for the formation of social bonds. I can only imagine Maestro Sousa rolling over in his grave at Congressional Cemetery over "advances" such as iPhones and Spotify.
Really, I could go on at length about this interesting and thoughtful work. Do yourself a favor and give it a read. Oh, and download something other than "Burning Down the House".
Cheers, The Virtual Trombonist
First of all, to everyone who has been reading this week, thank you. I have been participating in the Your Turn Challenge - posting daily for 7 days. It's been great and has forced me to just out thoughts to paper daily. To those of you who have generated discussion, my sincere appreciation. That is what my blog is about. Now, on to today's post!
It has been on my mind quite a lot lately just how hard it is to fit in all the listening I want to do. I find myself limited both time wise and from sheer ear fatigue! It sure is fun though!
As life has taken me back towards a music-heavy period, my listening wishes have increased exponentially. I have spent many nights lately after the kids have gone to bed catching up on some things. In no particular order, here's some of the things occupying me:
1. The Black Keys - I saw a couple of their albums on vinyl today at a bookstore...which just increases my wish for a turntable!
2. Ewald Brass Quintet No. 2 - performing it in a couple of weeks, so I've been reviewing it a bit as it's been a while since I've played it!
3. Dirty Loops - I just can't get over the bass player. And the Jerry Hey Horns on a few of the tracks. And the drummer. Dang.
4. Esquivel - both Merry Christmas from the Space Age Bachelor Pad and Cabaret Mañana. Fantastic playing on these albums and some pretty amazing arrangements too. Thanks to Chris Tiedeman for these. I would love to find those on vinyl. If I can, I might have to combine listening to them with a vintage barware set from The Hour. This is one of the most awesome antique places I've ever seen.
5. Jack Johnson - From Here to Now to You. Very relaxing...
6. Valor Brass CD edits. For those of you who have asked lately, Matt has finished the 2nd round of editing! We are getting closer! Probably one more round of minor edits, then we head back to Ed Kelly for mix and mastering.
7. Top secret trombone related project of which I am sworn to secrecy. More later when I can talk about it - I will just say it's a LOT of listening.
8. Results of a late night mouthpiece/trombone testing session conducted with my friends Tim Dugan and Chris Tiedeman.
9. I had the good fortune to sit in the control room on a recording project at work this week. 3 days of Sousa! Our band records fairly regularly and our directors/producers and audio engineers have a great system down to get the recordings produced. Be on the lookout for some very cool stuff on the Marine Band's website later this spring!
10. The Kyle Clark Band - yep, I have a budding song-writer/rocker in my house. As I have been working on learning Logic Pro X, I helped Kyle record a couple of "songs" he came up with on the fly. We cut an "album" and are listening to it in the car, at school, etc. a copy of the CD (entitled Debut) goes everywhere with him!
11. Wheels on the Bus - I have a 2-year-old, enough said.
12. Talking Heads - I can't believe all I really ever heard was Burning Down the House! In reading David Byrne's book, How Music Works (future blog post) and I'm totally blown away. I especially like the album Naked.
Phew! Alright. Time to go find a quiet place to hang out!
If you have something awesome you would like to share, leave it in the comments!
Always Listening, The Virtual Trombonist