After hit single “Russian Roulette,” Rihanna plans to reload this Monday with the celebration of her CD release in Union Square. The Barbadian pop sensation will be signing copies of “Rated R” at the Best Buy Superstore this Monday at 5 p.m.
Students should stop by to purchase an old fashioned CD and get it signed by the good-girl-gone-bad herself. But be warned: rain is forecasted, so no one should forget his or her umbrella-ella-ella-eh-eh-eh. (more…)
From wondering, “Where is My Mind?” to speculating “Is She Weird?” the Pixies asked all the right questions to a whole generation of adolescents.
And as this generation grew up to be debasers, the Pixies faded away, leaving only their legacy of experimental punk, screeching, and chaotic guitar riffs and random Spanish phrases.
Now, the band is regrouping to play the entirety of “Doolittle” in honor of the 20th anniversary of the album’s release in four shows at Hammerstein Ballroom next week. The show promises visuals to accompany the band’s already colorful songs. (more…)
A woman accosted me in the bathroom of Carnegie Hall on Friday night at the Punch Brothers’ show. She asked me what I thought was better about Chris Thile, that he is “the best mandolin player in the world,” or that he is “super hot.”
Indeed, Thile, the band’s well-coiffed lead singer and songwriter is incredibly confident on stage, bantering constantly with the crowd, and exuding an almost old-fashioned air of showmanship, throwing his whole body into the music, and playing the role of bandleader convincingly. This is often disconcerting in a small venue, but his stage persona seemed right in Carnegie Hall, where the five piece band, all in suits, played on a bare stage with only two microphones providing flawless amplification.
The set was also flawless, in many ways. The Punch Brothers are more Carnegie Hall than back room brawl, and their classical and conservatory pedigrees form the backbone of the pitch perfect pop bluegrass they play. (more…)
The King of Swing is finally getting the spotlight he deserves—not in jazz, but in classical music.
This Saturday in Carnegie Hall, the Yale in New York series presents a night of music inspired and commissioned by Benny Goodman entitled “The Classical Legacy of Benny Goodman,” part of his centennial celebration at the Yale School of Music.
Benny Goodman, the predominantly jazz clarinetist who also covered new grounds as a bandleader and master of swing, had close connections with the Yale School of Music and its faculty. He worked with Mel Powell, jazz pianist and composer who came to Yale to study with Paul Hindemith, Keith Wilson, Yale’s clarinet professor from 1946-87, and Frank Tirro, the School’s dean and clarinetist, also a leading authority on jazz history.
As a result of his close ties to the School, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music in 1982 and in 1986, his recording masters and arrangements were given to the Yale University Music Library. The School subsequently is giving homage to this great figure of music through a celebration that is meant to highlight Goodman’s innovations in the classical music world, since there is a popular misconception that he was simply a leader in jazz and swing.
Among the pieces on the program are Aaron Copland’s famous Clarinet Concerto, Francis Poulenc’s Clarinet Sonata, and Béla Bartok’s piece Contrasts. As David Shifrin, the current professor of clarinet at Yale and the artistic director of the celebration says in an interview, “He was about as big a celebrity in popular music as there could be in the mid-twentieth century, and he used that celebrity not only to further his own career, but because he was interested in new music.” Goodman approached almost every major composer at the time to write for clarinet, which resulted in the creation of staples of the repertoire.
Benny Goodman was the right person to influence the classical music in the way he did, because he was a virtuoso in his instrument and he “had a good sense of timing and a good sense of business,” says Shifrin. “He was really quite insistent and relentless in convincing the great talents to write for him,” and while some arrangements never worked out, the ones that did proved to be long-lasting.
The music itself which he inspired was progressive in the sense that Goodman pushed the limits of the instrument and allowed composers more freedom. “Nothing seemed difficult for him…he was an incredible display of what the clarinet can do,” says Shifrin of Goodman’s virtuosity.
The rest of the program includes Morton Gould’s Benny’s Gig, which was a gift from the composer to Goodman when Goodman was recovering from a heart ailment in the early 1980’s, and Alan Shulman’s Rendezvous.
Other events associated with the Benny Goodman Centennial Celebration at Yale include items from the Benny Goodman archives on display at the Gilmore Music Library, the Don Byron Quartet having performed music associated with Benny Goodman on September 24th, and the Yale Jazz Ensemble performing big band arrangements from the Benny Goodman Archives on September 29th.
Hopefully through this comprehensive celebration, the image of Benny Goodman in the world of music will encompass even more than it already does, establishing Goodman as not only influential in the jazz and swing spheres, but also in the mainstream classical music sphere. And besides this motive, perhaps the concert will simply commemorate the unmatched talent that defined this clarinetist and his connections with other influential people in the music world.
The Classical Legacy of Benny Goodman will take place in Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall on Saturday, September 26th at 8pm, featuring musicians of the Yale School of Music led by artistic director David Shifrin. Tickets start at $15.
With midterms wrapping up, starting a new book seems like the last thing on mind. Fortunately, there is one book you will want to independently pick up. The critically acclaimed band, The Books, are on tour and scheduled to perform at Columbia’s own Miller Theater next Thursday, April 9th at 8 PM. Tickets are a fair $7 with a Columbia Student ID, $20 without.
While the duo recently collaborated with Jose Gonzalez on a cover of Nick Drake’s “Cello Song” for the AIDS benefit album, Dark was the Night, the duo have kept mum about their recent work and have not toured since Summer 2007 . With upcoming limited performances in the New England area, grab some tickets while you can, for these books are in high demand and are on limited view.
As post-Spring Break fever sets in, most Columbians are looking for new and exciting ways to put off studying and enjoy the ever-warming weather. Just when we’d enough of the YouTube video of the kid coming home from the dentist, we heard that preppy-chic alums Vampire Weekend and rapper-with-a-mes
Columbia alums Vampire Weekend are slated to perform with rapper Talib Kweli at this year's Spring Concert.
sage Talib Kweli are slated to perform at this April’s Spring Concert. The concert, scheduled for April 18th in Low Plaza, promises to be a great improvement over the usual pre-finals procrastination fare.
Though Bacchanal, under orders from the artists, had kept the concert details under wraps, Kweli’s website now lists the concert. Good thing for us, though, since , despite the information on Talib Kweli’s site, only those with CUIDs will be able to join in on the fun. Last year’s Grizzly Bear and the National week night affair which took place inside Lerner and frustrated attendees with bizarre ticketing rules was a bit of a downer. Fortunately, this year’s concert will take place on a Saturday, outdoors and with better-known artists. Looks like for at least one day, Columbia might actually be the place to be in New York.
