Anya M. Wassenberg's Blog: Art & Culture Maven, page 36

Alt Rock Single: Red Skies Mourning - Signs From You (Independent /November 20, 2020)

Alt Rock Single:
Red Skies Mourning - Signs From You
(Independent /November 20, 2020)

Stream it on Bandcamp

Signs From You is the debut single from Red Skies Mourning, a one-man-band with a love of rock and roll and a message to send. Signs From You has a driving classic rock groove, with vocals that are rich and passionate. It's got the kind of feel-good arena rock vibe, a bit of a throwback to 90s rock. 

Interesting harmonies add texture over the fuzzy guitar and crashing cymbals. Lyrically, he's got a nice poetic touch.

Red Skies Mourning is the alter ego of Chris Aleshire, who explained the impetus for the song in a release.

"I work as an Engineer for a Major Cloud Software Company. One of my customers daughters went missing. They searched for her for 4 days until they found her body; she committed suicide. When I spoke to him about it, he made a blog about seeing signs from her from the day she went missing and continues to see them that she's okay.

Putting myself in his shoes and also having had close friends commit suicide, people tend to push things off, be more self absorbed, not seeing or noticing friends in need. So the lyrics directly describe continually both the What Could I have Done? and also knowing they are in a better place but yet the guilt will stay with you always. I am a US Marine Corps Veteran, so this is for suicide awareness and PTSD."

Personnel:
Chris Aleshire(Singer/Songwriter); Studio Musicians. JR Richards of Dishwalla assisted with Arrangement/Backing Vocals, Ryan Elwood(Drums), Andreas Landeck(Bass/Guitar)

Websites:

Official Website: www.redskiesmourning.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/redskiesmourningTwitter: www.twitter.com/skiesmourningInstagram: www.instagram.com/redskiesmourningRed Skies Mourning · Signs From You

Harlem Gospel Choir Live Stream from Sony Hall in New York City January 18 2021

From a media release:

The World Famous Harlem Gospel Choir
Live Stream from Sony Hall in New York City
Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.

Monday, January 18 at 3pm EST
Available On Demand thru January 25

Get Tickets

NEW YORK CITY - Performing contemporary gospel with a touch of jazz and blues, The World Famous Harlem Gospel Choir is synonymous with power vocals, glorious sound and infectious energy. For over two decades they have been America’s premier gospel choir and have toured the globe thrilling audiences with the inspirational power of black gospel music.

Deeply rooted in the history of the African-American slave trade, black gospel music can be traced back to the 1700s when African slaves brought their unique African musical heritage to America and combined it with their new faith – Christianity. Out of the hardship and the trials of slavery, this unique musical tradition came to be, and forever changed music as we know it. Blues, Soul, and Rock-and-Roll…they all have origins in black gospel music. Harlem Gospel Choir presents modern gospel classics as performed in the black churches of Harlem today.

Harlem Gospel Choir embodies the spirit of American Gospel. Every concert is infectiously enthusiastic; a roller coaster ride of singing and dancing; a gospel celebration! The Choir’s rich harmonies & dynamic sound are “UNFETTERED & JOYOUS”. Their harmonious songs of love and hope and inspiration will touch the depths of your soul, lift your spirit, and take your breath away!

Get ready to tap your feet, clap your hands, and even dance on stage to their high-energy, joyous and exuberant performance!

"You Are Good"
performed by Harlem Gospel Choir
Blue Note Milano 27 - 12 - 2019

Beach and Sacred Forest: Kenya's South Coast

Beach and Sacred Forest:
Kenya's South Coast

The south coast of Kenya is well known to travellers, a region that essentially starts at the white and blue city of Mombasa, extending south to the border with Tanzania.

Dhow on Diani Beach, Kenya by Herbert2512/Pixabay

Mombasa is the tourist centre of the region, a large port city on the Indian Ocean with an international airport. The city itself is located on an island just off the coast. It plays the role of the nation's second capital, with a state house. The city's characteristic blue and white colouring is the result of a 2018 government edict that saw the city painted white, with the Old Town in yellow. 

Mombasa is an ancient city, founded in the pre-Islamic era. Legend says it was founded by Mwana Mkisi, the ancestor of its oldest family. It was colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century, then later fell under British rule before independence in 1963.

Today, it is a busy tropical city with a long history as a prosperous port.

Mombasa, Kenya by Nina Stock/PixabayThe South Coast Beaches

The Diani Beach resort area begins about 35km (just over 20 miles) south of Mombasa Island. Where it ends, the Galu Beach region begins. This is an area of white sands and palm trees.

Kitesurfing, paddelboarding and other water sports are popular, and the beach is lined with bars and restaurants with an ocean view and a sea breeze to keep you comfortable.

One of the most popular things to do in the Mombasa area is scuba diving, where conditions are generally considered good all year round. Mombasa Island itself is a coral reef. There are just under 240 square miles of coral reefs along the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya.

A Bird's view of the south coastal white beaches of Diani, Kenya (December 4, 2016 - Eric Moiro under a CCOC 4.0 license)

The beaches are framed by forests. Wildlife adventures are plentiful in the area, from seahorse encounters in the coral reefs to nearby nature and wildlife preserves where you can see primates like colobus monkeys and vervets, or elephants at their watering holes. 

Trans-Africa Highway Map by Rexparry Sydney

Accommodations choices range from cheap hostels to luxury resorts, with lots of options. Spacious BnB and AirBnB accommodation is another alternative, like the sunny Stella Maris. Ditto when it comes to dining - with an emphasis on seafood, of course. 

Diani Beach by drone:

Kaya Kinondo - The Sacred Forest

There are many kaya, or sacred forests, in this region, but few are open to the public. The Kaya Kinondo, sacred to the Digo people, is one of the few exceptions. Near the Diani Beach, it is about 30 hectares, and contains about 187 species of plants.

Mijikenda Kaya Forest (Victor Ochieng from London, UK in 2008 - under a CC0C 2.0 license)

Guided tours are available, with several rules that ensure the requisite respect for the Digo people's beliefs. It's not your average nature hike, in other words. The trails are broken by huge roots and even ancient bits of coral that have worked their way to the surface from the coast. 

Your guide will explain some of the native plants and their uses in traditional medicines. You can even participate in an old tradition by hugging an ancient tree to let go of your fears and anxieties. Many of the trees are more than 600 years old, and one palm tre is believed to be more than 1,050 years old. Interestingly, it is about 600 years ago that the Mijikenda, the loose confederation of tribes to which the Digo belong, arrived in the area from Somalia. 

Kaya Kinondo:

The Public Theater's Under The Radar Festival Goes Digital - FREE - January 6 - 17 2021

From a media release:

The Public Theater's Acclaimed
Under The Radar Festival Goes Digital
FREE - January 6 - 17, 2021

Check out the full program & get tickets

Over the last 17 years, The Public’s UNDER THE RADAR FESTIVAL has grown into a landmark of the New York City theater season and is a vital part of The Public's mission, providing a high-visibility platform to support artists from diverse backgrounds who are redefining the act of making theater. 

Widely recognized as a premier launching pad for new and cutting-edge performance from the U.S. and abroad, UTR has presented works by such respected artists as Elevator Repair Service, Nature Theater of Oklahoma, Tania El Khoury, Belarus Free Theatre, Guillermo Calderón, Toshi Reagon, Taylor Mac, and Daniel Fish. 

With theaters closed and in-person programming on pause, The Public Theater continues to navigate the immense challenges created by the pandemic, including an operating budget that has contracted significantly, substantial furloughs among full-time staff, and a lack of employment opportunities to offer the freelance artistic community. 

From Artistic Director Mark Russell:

This year’s festival is different. Most of it exists online in the virtual world (though there is that phone call….). It starts early, and it ends as late as you wish. Best of all, it’s free.

At its core, Under the Radar has always been about presence, shared moments, and connections between strangers. 

There are four shows in which the audience must show up on time – even though the theater is now your computer or your phone. Four shows can be streamed on-demand, but these too ask for your attention. They are not works to be played while answering email. See them with friends (Under the Radar virtual viewing party?) and take part in the many talk-back moments woven into this year’s Festival.

Under the Radar is always about constant reinvention, and now everyone has been forced to reinvent what they do in order to adjust to the challenges at hand. For theater-makers, suddenly without a stage or an audience, this time asks a very existential question – how does something so analog as theater fit into this new world? The artists in Under the Radar ‘21 drilled down into what makes their work unique and necessary and then translated it to new platforms. They made works ringing with immediacy, shaped by what we are all going through now. 

We worked hard to keep Under the Radar ‘21 an international festival, and I am thankful that our artists in Chile and England are with us, at least online. 

The challenges facing cultural exchange is not limited to the pandemic, it includes the tightening reactionary world trying to suffocate alternative voices, combined with a climate crisis growing more threatening every day. Under the Radar began as an answer to an isolationist government in 2005, trying to connect voices, not always heard on American stages, from communities not always invited. We continue to follow this path with both international and American artists.

Throwback Teen Comedy: Boys vs Girls

Throwback Teen Comedy:
Boys vs Girls

Starring Colin Mochrie, Kevin McDonald, Shaun Benson, Eric Osborne, Rachel Dagenais, Jesse Camacho, Samantha Helt, Romeo Carere, Michala Brasseur, Tim DC, Nia Roam

Watch It Online

Canadian comedy icon Colin Mochrie stars in this frothy, yet still likeable new movie about summer camp circa 1990. The premise: a previously separated summer camp goes co-ed for the first time, and the boys really don't like it.

At Camp Kindlewood, in years previous apparently, the boys got one month to themselves, and the girls took August for their own. The boys love the idea of being able to pee anywhere and otherwise do what they like with no regard for what the other half thinks, and conflict ensues.

Yes, it's a decidedly binary outlook on life, although they do acknowledge the existence of at least "mildly homoerotic" camp traditions from the unisex days.

But, just when there's a tentative meeting between the cutest boy and the cutest girl (arguably) and you think the story is headed for the usual misunderstanding/coming together/romance route, clever writing slyly send the plot veering in a different direction.  It's not a saccharine sweet teen rom-com about just getting along by any means - the two factions go after the jugular when it comes to competing for dominance at Camp Kindlewood.

Aside from the physical comedy and the usual scenes in the dining hall and such, the writers are astute about teens. It's the fat kid who loves the no-girls idea the most, because he can only shine among the guys-only crowd. Along with engaging leads, it's the script that elevates Boys vs Girls above the usual formulaic teen comedy fare. A catchy 90s syth-pop soundtrack adds to its appeal. 

One more quibble: why are Canadian flicks so white? But, on the plus side: there's a mildly anti-corporate message in the mix, along with a subversion of the usual gender politics. 

Will the two factions be able to get together to save the camp? And - the all-important question in any teen flick - who will get laid? Tune in and find out.

Italian Jazz Trumpet | Giancarlo Romani - Naif (AlfaMusic / December 2020)

Italian Jazz Trumpet:
Giancarlo Romani - Naif
(AlfaMusic / December 2020)

Buy or Stream from your fave service

If you love contemporary Italian jazz - and what's not to love about it? - you'll groove to Giancarlo Romani's Naif. It's music that is rhythmically complex and challenging musically, and also melodic and accessible. 

Romani uses the trumpet's melody and tone in a variety of different modes and moods that keep it interesting.

Here, he's ably backed up by Gianluca Massetti on piano and Fender Rhodes, Giuseppe Salvaggio on electric bass, Jacopo Ferrazza on upright bass, Giampaolo Scatozza on percussion. Guests include Francesco De Gregori on harmonica, Francesco Bearzatti on tenor sax and clarinet, Simone Pulvano percussion, Nuna Shoesmith vocals, Pierfrancesco Cacace soprano & tenor sax, and Amos Vigna Sax on tenor sax.

The long time horn player talks about the genesis of his solo album after years of playing gigs all over in a media release.

“The idea of "Naif" was born more than three years ago when Francesco De Gregori's tour "Amore & Furto" ended with the live CD "Live Sotto Il Vulcano".

“At first it is an idea that goes around you, envelops you, makes the air thick, you breathe it and blow it through this tube which is the trumpet and surprisingly it becomes music.

“After years of Miles and Live gigs in different Bands and musical styles I felt the need to put a point of arrival and restart to my musical history, bringing on a hypothetical sound canvas all that I had collected with me in all these years of music, people and emotions.”

Giancarlo Romani Naif

The piano takes a lovely and inventive solo in Afleta Volante. Romani's trumpet solo is stripped down to an intriguing bass line and the trumpet's rich and fluid melody. It's a stand-out track in an accomplished album.

Cinque Minuti in Oslo is moody and expansive, the trumpet the perfect vehicle for an exploratory vibe. A bowed bass adds to the atmospheric tone. Romani experiments with sounds in Aya Sofia over a compelling mix of Mediterranean rhythms, overlapping patterns that have North African and Turkish roots.  

In Elegia, the trumpet is joined by sax. The horns trade solos in a track with a sweeping and romantic sense of melody. Una nuaova intimita is another stand-out track. The song begins quietly, subtly over a set of scintillating chord changes, just keyboard and trumpet. It has a sultry kind of rhythm. 

Drunk Joyful Blues is another highlight of the release, a bombastic track and one of the few to feature vocals - who only sing the titular refrain against a, well, joyful vibe. 

You can stream or buy it at the link above.

Track List

1) Atleta Volante; 2) Cinque Minuti in Oslo; 3) Aya Sofya; 4) Orizzonti Espansi e Curve nella Memoria; 5) Elegia (Per un uomo ordinario); 6) Sonnambulando; 7) Una Nuova intimità (In Miles we Trust); 8) Drunk Joyful Blues; 9) Buonanotte; 10) Orizzonti Espansi e Curve nella Memoria (PopArt version) Bonus track

New Classical | Robert Moran: Points of Departure (Neuma Records / December 4, 2020)

New Classical
Robert Moran: Points of Departure
(Neuma Records / December 4, 2020)

by University of Delaware Symphony Orchestra, Robert Moran & James Allen Anderson

Hear/Stream/Buy

There is a line from the media release for composer Robert Moran's latest release, Points of Departure, that perhaps best describes his relationship to modern composition. He draws from a varied palette of colours that correspond to diverse techniques and modes of expression.

"If you drew a Venn diagram showing the overlap of Handel, Pachelbel, Haydn, Wagner, Feldman, John Luther Adams, Philip Glass, and John Cage, it would only have one name in the middle: Robert Moran."

The works in this recording span the years from 1973 to 2018, and come from a variety of inspirations. Star Charts and Travel Plans I (2016-17) uses the concept of patterns centering around fixed objects. The effect is grand and expansive, imposing and slow moving as the celestial spheres themselves.

Points of Departure is a piece extracted from a larger work for dance. It's a melodic, rhythmic journey into neo-romanticism that plays with the tonal colours of the orchestra. Award-winning conductor James Allen Anderson takes the Delaware Symphony Orchestra through the many sudden changes seamlessly.

Angels of Silence (1973) for viola and chamber orchestra is elegaic and solemn. Romanian-American violist Maria Rasu wrings long notes full of emotion and nuance from her instrument.

The Frammenti d'uni opera barocca perduta (2017) is a charming piece of five movements for vocalist and orchestra in its debut recording. Countertenor Daniel Biebeeck puts in a stellar performance in the neo-Baroque series of songs that lean towards the Italian rather than the Northern European version of the era. Moran put the text together from libretti that is taken from works by various composers. Biebeck's rich voice illuminates the pieces that, despite the harpsichord and definitively Baroque flavour, display occasional flashes of more fluid modern harmony.

Yahrzeit (2002/2018) is a lovely and evocative piece written in memory of Michael Sitzer, a friend lost to AIDS. Basso profundo Zachary James draws the beauty of the piece out of his ravishing interpretation.

It's a definitive look at Moran's compositional works that shows an appealing range and a convincing facility with a palette of techniques.

Points of Departure

Neuma Records · Robert Moran: Points of Departure

Ibrahim Mahama Receives 2020 Principal Prince Claus Award

From a media release:

Ibrahim Mahama Receives 2020 Principal Prince Claus Award

Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama has been announced as the Principal Prince Claus Laureate for 2020.

Ibrahima Mahama (Photo credit: White Cube George Darrell)

Ibrahim Mahama is a visual artist who is actively involved in improving social conditions. His powerful artworks use provocative materials and sites to examine and expose histories, uphold the role of labour, challenge authorities and criticise mismanagement of resources. 

Directly addressing lack of opportunities and facilities in his home region, he has set up an open­ access cultural centre and other social projects providing employment, education, studio space and creative activities.

In the past, his work has use jute sacks, made in South East Asia, and endemic to the cocoa trade in West Africa. Another project saw several collaborators fashioning "shoemaker boxes" used by shoeshine operators in Accra and Kumasi. Made of wood, they double as drums to (literally) drum up business.

Kenneth Gaburo conducts New Music Choral Ensemble 1 (Live in Concert, 1967) Neuma Records 2020

Choral Music:
Kenneth Gaburo conducts New Music Choral Ensemble 1 (Live in Concert, 1967)
(Neuma Records 2020)

Buy It From Neuma Records

In Urbana, Illinois, the New Music Choral Ensemble (NMCE) was formed by electronic tape music pioneer Kenneth Gaburo in the mid-1960s. Just as the rest of the world was getting ready for the groovy summer of love, sixteen student singers would form the very first ensemble devoted to new compositions in the US. 

It was Gaburo's initiative to bring American choral music into the 20th century. The group would go on to perform forty works in their repertoire in a busy touring schedule, and would produce two recordings between 1965 and 1968.

NMCE would learn to sing 31 notes to the octave for Ben Johnson's intriguing Ci-Git-Satie, originally written for the Swingle Singers. Let's call it swing iwth an avant-garde edge. Pauline Oliveiros' Sound Patterns uses bits of phonetic experimentation as the basis for its 'lyrics', and a surprisingly entertaining explortaion of rhythmic and tonal effects. 

Robert Shallenberg's Lilacs deconstructs Whitman poetry. Tonal and harmonic, it's one of the more conventional sounding pieces on the album. Anton Webern's Entflieht Auf Leichten Kähnen, op. 2 (1909) is a stand out in what was its first performance on US soil. He weaves the vocal parts into ravishing, yet slightly disquieting harmonies.  

Olivier Messiaen's Cinq Rechants (1948) is another compelling work and performance, agitated and demanding many shifts in tone, and illuminated by strong performances from a raft of soloists. Kenneth Gaburo's own Fat Millie’s Lament (1965) is included, along with the chaotic fun of The Wasting of Lucrecetzia - an electronic/vocal mash-up.

It's a testament to Gaburo's forward thinking and the impassioned performance of the New Music Choral Ensemble that the music still sounds so fresh and vital more than a half century later. 

Indie Folk/Rock/Americana | Hadnot Creek: Hard World (Independent / December 4, 2020)

Indie Folk/Rock/Americana
Hadnot Creek: Hard World
(Independent / December 4, 2020)

Stream It On Spotify

Hadnot Creek offer the darker side of Americana and folk rock on Hard World, their latest release. Methadone Guy, the first track, is a case in point, with interesting patterns on the guitar and lyrics that blend poetry and tough street smarts. 

Jangly guitars and smashing drums add a punk sensibility to Liars in Love, a mood explored again in Toxic Wonder. Crawling Away, in contrast, offers a classic folk vibe, with raspy, expressive vocals above layers of acoustic guitar and rhythms.

Their approach is deceptive - the music seems to lead in one direction, but the lyrics offer a sly nod to somewhere else. Wedding Day is an upbeat slow country blues song with lyrics that ring true.

Oh what a mess,
Your sister threw up
On your wedding dress...

It's a sentimental story that includes doing lines in the bathroom and slogging cheap wine.

Nowhere To Go is a melancholy meditation on days spent as a drunk getting kicked out of the bar on the reg, positing existential musings from the barstool. Minimalist accompaniment keeps the focus on the story. Museum Of Mess Up Stories is a standout track that combines a spoken word approach to vocals with a spooky electric guitar theme. 

Strong songwriting and performance elevate the release from the crowd of Americana/folk rock acts out there.

Personnel:
1. Robert Sawrey: Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica and Omnichord 2. Zach Samel: Drums, Acoustic, Electric, Bass Guitar and Keyboards 3. Damir Kajan: Acoustic, Electric and Bass Guitar 4. Carter Litvinas: Acoustic, Electric and Bass Guitar 5. Lucy Haden Smith: Background Vocals

Tracklist: 1. Methadone Guy 2. Liars In Love 3. Crawling Away 4. Wedding Day 5. Leaving Spokane 6. Nowhere To Go 7. Toxic Wonder 8. Molly Was A Good Kisser 9. Museum of Messed Up Stories 10. Oh Silly Me 11. You Got Caught 12. The Day I Started Using Again

Websites

Official Website: hadnotcreek.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hadnot-Creek-Band-105207651407318Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/hadnot-creek/albums