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From the BBC: Sister Monica and Siervas are a Peruvian-based rock’n’roll band comprised entirely of nuns. With several of the members of their convent already able to play musical instruments, this group of nuns in Lima decided to form a band. The nuns were invited to play for Pope Francis in Juarez, Mexico. “We prepared a variety of songs to encourage people,” Sister Monica Nobl said, adding that “our rhythms are well motivated,” since they are a mix of pop, rock and Latin pop genres. Their songs started to gain traction, so they made a music video, which has led to viral success. The nuns even played for Pope Francis in February 2016, and a crowd of 250,000 people in Juarez. The biggest hit on the album is a song called “Confia en Dios,” or “Trust in God.” Since it was posted to YouTube in October, the music video for the song has been viewed over 365,000 times. Read more. And check out the video for “Confia en Dios” below. Over the last few weeks there have been some excellent historical items about music and World War II. The history of music has a very long tail, oftentimes in the face of adversity. See the below post on a Christmas carol written in the trenches during World War I. First off, check out the picture of Army Bandsmen during the Battle of the Bulge. Remember, no matter what "job" a soldier does, be it clerk or cook and everything in between, you're a rifleman first. Hence the need for every soldier to attend Basic, or Basic Combat Training. It's there every soldier learns the rudimentary skills of chain of command, unit cohesion, marksmanship, etc. These American soldiers from the 28th Division Band and Quartermaster Company, stayed and fought Germans in Wiltz, Luxembourg, until their ammunition was exhausted. Shown at Bastogne, Belgium. 12/20/44. During the Battle of the Bulge, the Band was placed on the line to defend the Division Headquarters at Wiltz, Luxembourg. In this action, for which the Band was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation and the Luxembourg Croix de Guerre, all but thirteen of the sixty members were killed or captured. Of the thirteen, eleven were wounded. Sergeant Emil Raab avoided capture and helped re-form a new band after the Ardennes campaign. He later became Professor of Violin at The University of Michigan. If you need an historical sense of fighting in the Ardennes and the Seige of Bastogne particularly, see the wonderful HBO series, "Band of Brothers," detailing the travails of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. It was a truly grueling endeavor. The Ardennes is a mountain range covered in thick forest. During the middle of winter it's hard to believe any advancing Army could believe they could maneuver under such conditions. The German Army could not, and their quest for Antwerp was never realized. There's something to be said for musicians that rise to their duty. Whether it's musicians playing hymns as the RMS Titanic sank, or here where the laid down their instruments to fight for the common good and too, made the ultimate sacrifice. It's an impressive legacy. On a brighter note, singer Vera Lynn, now Dame Vera Lynn, will release an album on the occasion of her 100th birthday. Who is Vera Lynn? Only the most popular singer in Britain during the war. Her song, "The White Cliffs of Dover" still made my mum (a Liverpudlian) cry up to the time of her death, some fifty years after the end of the war. Here's a wonderful biography on Ms. Lynn made a few years ago with interviewer David Frost. It's worth a look to learn of her background and impact on the war effort, and the incredible journey from East End Girl to national treasure. My favorite moment is when her father puts his foot down and says she will be a singer because she can make more money doing that than as a seamstress. That sir, was a wonderful decision that led to not only a great career but inspiration on the home front. Two disparate musicians. One, a soldier/bandsman who did his duty to fight for the betterment of Europe and freedom from the oppression of German imperialism. The other, a woman who lifted spirits of those civilians and soldiers facing such incredible adversity. Musicians on different sides of the aisle. Both doing their part for a larger cause. It doesn't get more meaningful than that. "Body and Soul" so to speak. Can everybody stop trying to politicize music along the lines of which candidate the voted for? Enough already. One of the bastions of pleasure should not be pigeon-holed into politics, where it's not politically correct to like one artist over another because of who they support, where their music is played, or for merely remaining silent. That's a bad path to go down. Music is supposed to soothe or rile the soul of the listener. Let the music do that on it's own, free from political overtones. Artists deserve to have their music heard and judged on it's merits, not on political leanings, nor lack of the same. To have accomplished artists threatened or berated because they deign to think they could perform anywhere they please is frankly disgusting. There's no good end to that line of thought. So please, let's just breathe deeply and step back. Support who you want, but let's not eat our own because of politics. Celebrate the music, not ideology.
Saw The Don Kelley Band at Robert’s Western World in Nashville. http://robertswesternworld.com/ And others, such as Rachael Hester and The Tennessee Walkers. http://rachaelhester.com/ She sings originals and covers, and you can swear that Patsy Cline is singing in front of you. Search for her videos on You Tube. Plenty of other bands, too. All great.
All the venues on Broadway have no cover but pass the bucket for tips for the band, and remember...tip the band! Anyway, Robert’s is the best joint on the strip. And to add to the ambiance, I had a great fried baloney sandwich on white toast. Mmmmm. Mmmmm! Roly Poly from Don Kelley is attached. Wow. Just listen to that pickin’, or as teacher Mike says, "Some pretty snappy git tar pickin' thar." Absolutely awesome. This song is from the 40’s, but it’s a staple for Western Swing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roly_Poly_(song) If you go to Nashville, you’ve got to go to Robert's. Nicest, friendliest folks, and there’s usually a couple in their 70’s from Texas doin’ some buckle polishing on the dance floor. What a great place. The end of the year and the end of some wonderful musical talent. Representing a broad array of musical styles and tastes, the following left us in 2016 to make music in a better place. If you're unfamiliar with any of the artists, take the time to research their contribution to popular culture and tastes. In no particular order, and with deepest respect to those sung and un-sung....
I love Christmas carols. Nothing puts me in the mood more than a good rendition of, "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing." Add a choir and a pipe organ and I am humbled. Modern artists have a whole array of "modern" music, and Mariah Carey has made a career out of redefining pop Christmas, and is now unofficially the "Queen of Christmas." http://www.mtv.com/news/2958778/mariah-carey-is-the-queen-of-christmas/
And we have to admit, "All I Want for Christmas is You" is a pretty catchy tune. From history we get a new Christmas carol with an interesting back story. George Butterworth composed "Crown Winter With Green" prior to his deployment with the British Army to The Battle of the Somme, on the Western Front in World War I. He was killed in action, and as a commander said of him, "A brilliant musician in times of peace, and an equally brilliant soldier in times of stress." This new carol was recently discovered, and we finally have a song that has not been played a million times. You can read more about Mr. Butterworth here, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Butterworth and the recent discovery here, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-found-long-lost-christmas-song-180961465/ You can hear the carol in the latter link. Mr. Butterworth, We thank you for your service and your musicianship. I'm reading a fascinating book entitled "The Practice of Practice" by Jonathan Harnum. It's published by Sol Ut Press. There's a lot of material to digest a chapter or two at a time. Essentially, Mr. Harnum consolidates current schools of thought on practicing from musicians to psychologists to neuro-scientists. There's a lot of material on how we process practice and doom ourselves to falling short in performance instead of taking the time to reinforce good practice behavior while eliminating self-defeating techniques. And yes, you guessed it, much involves slowing down. As my teachers always said, "If you can't play it slow, you'll never play it fast." But there is science behind it, not just some musings by an experienced teacher. I'm a big believer in the power of the metronome. It's what my private students know as "my personal torture device." It took me years to understand it's benefit and now I strive to incorporate it as the most important training tool for young students. They've not developed an internal meter and it is frustrating to them, and me, to hear leaps of tempo within a piece. The music and fingerings that flow easily race away, while the difficult drags. I'm reminded of that old joke... "How do you make a guitar player play quietly? Give him music to read." In fairness to guitar players, there's a greater truth in the statement. We're proud of what we can play, and fear in what we cannot. The problem arises when we don't fix what we cannot play. This book offers some great advice on how to tackle that. Not so much from a technique perspective, but from a mental perspective. We are our own worst enemies. Failure is to be embraced. Slowness is to be embraced. Determination is to be embraced. And sadly, we tend to ignore all of the above and fall forward into a half-baked approximation of what it should be. There's a lot to learn here. I'd highly suggest this. Read it in bits. Digest it, and read a chapter again. There's also online content that is linked, via a smart phone scan, or typing the links, to reinforce the concepts. It's worth every penny and long overdue. Check out the website, too. https://thepracticeofpractice.com/ Patrons of The Music Shop played for the 69th annual opening of Christmas Village in Torrington this past Sunday. We had a wonderful brass choir composed of trumpets, trombones, flugelhorns, baritone horn, and tuba. We played traditional Christmas carols while awaiting the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus. They went upscale this year and arrived downtown via helicopter! The parade then proceeded to the Village and we entertained the thousand folks waiting in line. This is a fantastic opportunity to give back to the community and support the great Torrington Parks and Recreation Department. We're proud to be a part of it. Thank you, musicians.
http://gonewengland.about.com/od/ctforfamilies/ss/christmas-village-torrington.htm http://media.registercitizen.com/2016/12/11/photos-od-christmas-village-parade-in-torrington-2016/#14 A few years ago, I had the pleasure of spending some time in Kentucky. It's a beautiful state. And a stone's throw away is Tennessee. And I was lucky enough to spend some time in Nashville. Nashville is probably the most important city in America for the development of songwriters and musicians. By some sources, there are in excess of 350 studios in metro Nashville. More happens here than in New York or Los Angeles.
The music scene is non-stop. Almost every venue (read...bar) has live music from 11:00 am until closing. Non-stop. And there are a hundred venues that do this. The city is gorgeous, user friendly, and has the nicest, most accomodating folks you ever could meet. The entire area exudes music, from country, to rock, to blues, to bluegrass, to jazz, to indie, and everything in-between. You'd be surprised what's bubbling on the streets and in the studios. Nashville celebrates music and you should celebrate Nashville. The best pleasure while there was attending the Grand Ole Opry. It is the classiest and most accoustically correct venue I have ever attended. And the music is... fun! I was lucky enough to see Allison Kraus that evening. Absolutely wonderful. And fortunate to see Little Jimmy Dickens host. Check out his history and legacy here... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Jimmy_Dickens Best of all, you can listen to all the shows live at WSM 650 AM. Here's a link to listen live. http://wsmonline.com/listen-live/ Long haul truckers enjoyed this for years, thanks to open plains and a strong AM signal. Thankfully, we can now do the same. Check the Grand Ole Opry schedule at http://www.opry.com/ and then listen live. It really doesn't get much better than that. The Rolling Stones dropped their new album Blue and Lonesome today. It's their first album in a decade, 25th overall, and consists of blues covers. Producer Don Was (of Was, Not Was fame) was at the helm.
Just a thought on professional longevity for those that think making music cannot be a life-long goal or career... Active Years - 54 (1962-present) Combined Age - 289 (Charlie Watts - 75, Keith Richards - 72, Mick Jagger - 73, Ron Wood - 69) Net Worth - $950 million (Watts - $160 million, Richards - $340 million, Jagger - $360 million, Wood - $90 million) I'd bet a tour is in the making. Not bad for some lads from London. A tremendous loss to the R&B, Soul, and Funk community. Sharon was a great singer and performer, with a rich history that colored her interpretation of her music. There's a good article courtesy of Rolling Stone about her background. You can find it here... http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/sharon-jones-soul-singer-with-dap-kings-dead-at-60-w451517 "In venues filled with people half her age, Jones was the most dynamic person in the room, bolting onstage and commanding the crowd like her idol James Brown. It was homage without mimicry; respecting the soul and funk elders that defined the genres while displaying seemingly boundless vitality. Jones' power was the ability to straddle the line between thankful humility, born out of late-in-life success, and boastful performer." There's some good video embedded in the article, including a surprise visit by Prince. I don't have this in my collection yet, but something tells me it will be soon. As much as we're tied to our computers, when they die we're often at a loss. And that's exactly what happened. Motherboard fried itself and three weeks later, it's back. You can't do some things on a tablet, as I've learned. So we're back. Thanks for the patience.
You'll usually hear our go-to radio station playing in the store. Thanks to web radio and Bluetooth, we feed the outstanding jazz station WBGO through some Bluetooth speakers. WBGO is located in Newark, New Jersey. So while you'll get local news, weather, and traffic reports, you'll also get the best eclectic mix of jazz, blues, rhythm and blues, funk, fusion, be-bop, etc. There are themed programs throughout the day and week, interviews with jazz greats, and concert updates (although with a NYC bent.) Some of the best new music I've found is thanks to this station. You can listen on-line or download the app. Check 'em out.
https://www.wbgo.org/ https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wbgo-the-jazz-source/id354679755?mt=8 It's very easy to go down the rabbit hole on the internet. While searching for the latest music news I came across two bands that I was unaware of, but happy to find. Both are funk bands, with one from Brooklyn and the other from the UK. And lucky for us, they're both playing in New Haven at the College Street Music Hall on December 3rd. Tix are only $23 - $25. Both have videos available on their websites if you'd like a flavor of their sound. I like them both for different reasons... obviously the horns and vocals of Turquaz, and the minimalism of The New Mastersounds. I strongly suggest you check them both out. Maybe I'll see you on December 3rd!
Turquaz self describes as, "... a 9-piece “Powerfunk” outfit from Brooklyn, NY, whose modern take on the classic funk sound has established them as leaders in the funk revolution that’s currently taking place in the genre. Blending elements of Pop, R&B, and Soul with their distinct aggressive funk core, Turkuaz sounds like the musical love child of Sly & the Family Stone and Talking Heads." http://www.turkuazband.com/ The New Mastersounds is a straight shooting quartet who occasionally use horns. They're from Leeds in the UK. "As an example of the respect this band commands, Peter Wermelinger - DJ, collector, and author of the crate-diggers’ bible The Funky & Groovy Music Lexicon - places the 2001 NMS track ‘Turn This Thing Around’ in his all-time top-ten tunes, along with the likes of Eddie Harris, Funkadelic, and Herbie Hancock. The New Mastersounds are at the very top of an elite selection of acts that bring the true soul out of funk." http://www.newmastersounds.com/about Good article from Pitchfork.com regarding the nominees for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's a deep bench and there's some history of each nominated artist. The ceremony is scheduled for April 2017. Take a look at the artists and check out the videos of their signature songs that accompany the article. Me? I'm a big fan of The Zombies and I think they're overdue. Electric Light Orchestra is a little too bombastic for me, but I admit they did contribute to the rock genre. (But I have to tell ya... Livin' Thing drives me insane.!!!!) Check out Joe Tex, one smoking soul singer that died of a heart attack at a too young age 47. Steve Perry and Journey to me are iconic in the field of big venue AOR. I agree with the author that The Soprano's finale boosted their stature. Perry's suffered health problems for years and I was happy to see them reintroduced to new listeners, even if it was in the context of Tony Soprano's mystery ending.
Anyway, check out the nominees and opinions at: http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1329-a-rock-hall-voter-breaks-down-the-most-epic-nomination-class-in-decades/ Don't forget to check out the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website for past nominees and winners. https://www.rockhall.com/ |