BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE : MIDWEST
THE MUSIC PAGE ARCHIVES : INTERVIEWS . LINKS . REVIEWS . ESSAYS + MORE
BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE : MIDWEST
THE MUSIC PAGE ARCHIVES : INTERVIEWS . LINKS . REVIEWS . ESSAYS + MORE
MILES DAVIS : "Jazz Is Like An Attitude"
Can you give ? Can you give yourself ? Do you have the ability to Give ? Miles Davis will be 88 years old this month. I am more than sure that if Miles were on the planet, that somehow, some way, some where, he would be doing what he did best: Giving. That is what we do as Artists, as Writers, as Performers, we give, and you, the audience, take, and if it's really good, you actually get to partake. Miles Davis, probably, one of America's most outspoken, controversial, single-minded and guided musicians in recorded history will be Eighty - Eight this year. Eighty - Eight : The Number of Keys on a Piano. The full spectrum. Before there were 88 keys on a piano, they had called it a harpsichord. Music before Miles Davis is all harpsichord and every thing after, is something totally new. When people called him Be-Bop, he transformed. When people called him a JAZZ MAN, he transformed again. One thing Miles Davis never did, was Conform. MIles' influences were varied. He loved Dizzy Gillespie more than a man might love his own father. It was Dizzy who got Miles Davis back in the ring after several years of inertia. But Miles also had a deep respect for Classical composers, "I always loved Stravinsky, Stockhausen, Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Chopin." he remarked, upon receiving one of several awards throughout life.
Miles seemed to take the recognition in stride, appreciative, but, a bit aloof. Miles is incomparable, but when forced to parallel, I would say, he is Dylan. Both men battled the system, themselves, sometimes fans and always original. Never the same performance twice. Prodigious outputs . Popular success as well as solid credibility with purists, and then later, angering the purists in search of something else, something new, something truly Pure, something never heard before or something heard before, but never like that. When Dylan or Davis do a ' Cover Version ' of someone else's tune, It is safe to say, it will never sound like anythingbut Dylan or Davis. Listen to Dylan's Grateful Dead renditions. Or Miles', Time after Time. The later example, possibly an equivalent to Miles' long time friend and collaborator John Coltrane's, ' My Favorite Things '. Read The book review in this Edition for more on John Coltrane's influence on The Jazz World. When people called Miles a sell out, he had this to say, "People say, You sold out, and shit like that, I don't know what they're talking about. That's what musicians say when they're lazy, Don't want to learn more things."
Miles Davis is one of the most GIVING performers, that I know of, In Any Medium. You simply watch & listen to Miles Davis and it is an abject lesson in focus, concentration, offering in absolute terms, a truth, your truth, no one else'e truth. Give your absolute truth. And give it All, NOW. There is nothing else. There is no one else. There is just a performer, an instrument and yes, there is an audience. Though, no audience will return, time & time again, as they did for Miles, if the first two ingredients are insufficient. And No performer can get two ingredients without the first: Giving. " If it's Blues, I play it Blues. If it's a Ballad, I play the Ballad. If it's Funky, I play it Funky. If it's Fast, I play that. Not one style: Jazz is like an Attitude." There are plenty of books on Miles Davis, no need to add to the bibliography, so I will spare the tired facts, numbers, opinions or misinformation. The best way to understand Miles Davis is to simply give yourself to the music. Can You give ? Can You Give Yourself ? Do You have the Ability to GIVE Yourself to MUSIC ? If you are able, then listen to what Miles Davis has to say. It's deep. It's joyful. It's painful. It's authentic. It's passionate. It's enlightened. It's raw. It's refined. It's Africa. It's Asia. It's Europa. It's America. Its unexpurgated, undefinably, unmistakably, undeniably, pure sound. It's the Sound of Miles Davis and this year It's 88. Infinity twice. A double Helix. Good Luck in Chinese. Simply: A man's age.
BUREAU MUSIC : THE ROLLING STONES
Art, Music and The Rolling Stones
by Joshua A. TRILIEGI
Mick Jagger, London by Herb Ritts (American, 1952–2002) 1987 Photograph, gelatin silver print Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Gift of Herb Ritts Foundation © Herb Ritts Foundation Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston BUREAU OF ARTS + CULTURE
It has been over thirty-five years since I first experienced The Rolling Stones perform live. I was ten years old. It was Nineteen-seventy five and our entire family attended. Mom, Dad, older brother, older sister and me. Even back then, I was the artist of the family. So it was my job to paint the famous " Lips and Mouth " logo originally created in 1970 by fellow artist John Pasche. Later, Peter Corriston would go on to design The controversial Some Girls album art as well as Tattoo You. Some Girls led to law suits. I have a copy of the original with celebrities that have since been blacked out. There has always been a very special relationship between art and music. The Rolling Stones have known very well through their personal relationships with interesting artists of their time how art and music intersect. From the fabulous photography of Michael Joseph on Beggars Banquet, which opens up into a centerfold like layout of a 17th Century painter to Sticky Fingers and the infamous Zipper and banana by Andy Warhol. Robert Frank's documentary and photographs used on Exile on Main Street with the help of John Van Hammerveld 's design layout were striking and poignant.
There is a raw and honest intensity within the ethos of The Rolling Stones. An attitude and raunchy style that says, ' Hey man, this is the way it is, this is Rock and Roll. This is what life is like. This is who we are. Mellow out and listen " Experiencing The Rolling Stones at ten years old in a live venue with thousands of people and my family was a trans formative experience. A Ritual of the highest order. While my friends were at home watching The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family, I was watching Mick Jagger dance down a star shaped stage as the conical shape slowly lowered one petal at a time. " Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and fame..." Drums, guitar and that bongo like rhythm leading into a raging histrionics explaining what had just happened to America since the death of JFK and the loss of innocence that hovered above our existence, unexplainable except through music, poetry and the like. He swung from a rope high above our heads.He threw buckets of water on the first few rows. He danced astride a plastic inflated erectile shaped instrument that exuded confetti from its pointed top. Mindblowing. Of course he needed no introduction, we had grown up listening to the Stones, glowering over the albums and remembering the lyrics. From the early simple blues influenced love ballads into the post sixties dark tales and on into the seventies rock.Through to The Eighties, Steel Wheels, etc ...
Album covers, album liners, T shirts and memorabilia plays a large part in Rock and Roll.The images that will forever be connected to the music and visa versa. I have designed a few album Covers for musician friends and it's always a special sort of assignment. What will represent the music ? Images and sound wedded to tell a larger story. As we drove to the forum that evening, people began to beep their horns at the artwork on the back window. My parents had proudly taped my version to the back of the vehicle. When people began to react, I was surprised. For me it was just a personal expression, something fun to do, be a part of the scene. For others it was something altogether different. We were all a part of something. We were a family of Rock and Rollers and people wanted us to know, that they too were heading to this ritual. That it was a community and we were all connected through the music. We were connected in this counter culture experience.
It was the first time I realized the power of Art and Music and Ritual and Community in a way that changed my entire perception.I sometimes wonder how many other ten year old were at that concert ? Not too many. How many entire families attended ? Not too many. My old man insisted that we all attend. He is no longer on the planet. But every time The Rolling Stones are being played, he's here all right. He even slightly resembled Jagger and to be honest, Mom resembled Bianca. We sorta were The Rolling Stones. Music has a way of enlivening memories, history, loss, joy, energy, rebellion and the acceptance of the moment.
Music is life. In a way, Mick Jagger is my old man, he's still alive. Still Rocking and Rolling. Still kicking and screaming. Still selling a million albums and reminding us how far we have all come after all these years. The Rolling Stones tell a story of America that is highly influenced by Black America, The Blues, The Working man, The Bikers, The Lovers, The Outsiders, The Struggles. Its a beautiful tradition, Rock and Roll. With a new Documentary on HBO, " Crossfire Hurricane " as well as a new album and a Tour of America,The Rolling Stones are gathering no moss. There is a whole new generation about to discover the Stones. They have kept rock and roll alive. I still get teased from my family for passing out three quarters of the way through the concert. That was way past my bedtime. The next day my friends at school were talking about Fred Flintstones and George Jetson, while I was singing , " Wild Horses " , " Angie " and " Satisfaction". Oh well.
The other day, I heard a radio D.J. say , " This is a new song by The Rolling Stones."Its about time. I turned it up. It was good. Life is good. Rock and Roll is good.
BUREAU MUSIC: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
BY JOSHUA TRILIEGI
ELMER BERNSTEIN'S SCORE FOR TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD MAY JUST BE THE MOST PERFECT UNDERSTANDING OF LITERATURE, CINEMA AND MUSICAL ORCHESTRATION EVER CREATED. MR.BERNSTEIN, WHO WAS BLACKLISTED, SOME YEARS LATER, MADE A FABULOUS COMEBACK WITH, OF ALL THINGS, HIS SCORE FOR JOHN LANDIS'S ANIMAL HOUSE. BY PULLING GREAT MUSICAL STUNTS AS A STRAIGHT MAN TO LANDIS' PRANKS. REMEMBER THE SCORE TO THAT FILM ? HEROIC LIKE ANTHEMS, EVERY TIME BELUSHI AND HIS COHORTS TAKE ON THE CONSERVATIVE VIEWS OF THE UNIVERSITY. IT WORKED WONDERFULLY AND MR BERNSTEIN WAS BACK IN BUSINESS AGAIN. I RECALL MEETING ELMER BERNSTEIN AT THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURES ARTS & SCIENCES, WHERE HE PRESENTED AND DISCUSSED TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD IN - DEPTH. IT WAS QUITE AN EVENING. A WONDERFUL MAN. NOT JUST HIS MUSIC, NOT JUST HIS UNDERSTANDING OF THE HUMAN DRAMA, NOR HIS ABILITY TO FORGIVE AN INDUSTRY THAT TURNED IT'S BACK ON HIM, BUT THE MAN HIMSELF. HE WAS A WINNER AND AFTER ALL THESE YEARS THAT SCORE STILL RINGS TRUE TO ME AND TO MILLIONS OF CINEMA LOVERS AROUND THE WORLD. MOST FOLKS AGREE THAT THE BOOK WRITTEN BY HARPER LEE AND THE FILM BY ROBERT MULLIGAN AND ALAN PAKULA ARE INCREDIBLE. BUT WHY ? THE ACTING, YES, QUITE AMAZING WITH PERFORMANCES BY TWO INCREDIBLE CHILDREN ACTORS. AND OF COURSE THE APEX OF GREGORY PECK'S CRAFT AS ACTOR, HUMANIST, ARTIST. BUT IT IS INDEED THE MUSIC. THE OPENING THEME, A SWEEPING AND STEADY MID WEST WARMTH REMINISCENT OF MR BERNSTEIN'S EARLY INFLUENCES AND ONE OF HIS MENTORS: AARON COPLAND. COPLAND ENCOURAGED THE YOUNG MUSICIAN BASED ON HIS IMPROVISATIONS AND SUGGESTED TEACHERS, COURSES AND A DIRECTION THAT LED TO MORE CREATIVITY.
ELMER BERNSTEIN'S WAS A PART OF A WORLD WHERE, IF YOU WERE INTERESTED IN THE ARTS, THAT MEANT EVERY FACET: HE STUDIED ACTING, DANCE AND PERFORMED ON BROADWAY AS A CHILD. HE WAS RECOGNIZED AS A PAINTER EARLY ON & EVEN APPROACHED CLIFFORD ODETS ON LESSONS IN WRITING FICTION. FOR OVER A DECADE HE WAS A CONCERT PIANIST AND SOME YEARS LATER TAUGHT AT USC'S THORNTON SCHOOL OF MUSIC. HE COMPOSED OVER 200 THEMES FOR TELEVISION AND FILM AND ALSO CREATED SOME GREAT MUSIC FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL FILMS OF CHARLES AND RAY EAMES. HE ALSO WORKED WITH MARTIN SCORSESE MORE THAN A FEW TIMES. AND AFTER HIS SCORE OF ANIMAL HOUSE, BECAME A REGULAR FOR SCORING COMEDIES SUCH AS GHOSTBUSTERS, AIRPLANE! , STRIPES AND THE BLUES BROTHERS. ELMER TALKED ABOUT HIS INSPIRATION FOR THE SCORE TO TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD AND HOW HE WANTED TO PIERCE THE IMAGINATION OF THE CHILD MIND. WHAT WOULD A CHILD PLAY ? LISTENING FOR A SIMPLE MELODY TO DRAW UPON. ESPECIALLY HIS THEME FOR THE FOREBODING CHARACTER OF BOO RADLEY, PLAYED SIMPLISTICALLY BY A YOUNG ROBERT DUVALL. KEEPING THE SCORE SIMPLE WAS MR BERNSTEIN'S ENTIRE APPROACH TO CREATING THE IMPETUS FOR THE MELODIES AND LATER BUILDING THEM INTO ORCHESTRATIONS THAT SIMPLY LIFT US ABOVE THE EARTH AND OR BREAK OUR HEARTS. THE GENTLENESS, THE DRAMA, THE CURIOSITY, THE FUN & THE MADDENING INJUSTICES THAT THE WORLD PROVIDES, SO WELL PRESENTED MUSICALLY.
" WITH MOCKINGBIRD, I'D READ THE BOOK. ROBERT MULLIGAN AND I WERE OLD FRIENDS, BEFORE WE EVEN SHOT A FRAME. " HE GOES ON TO EXPLAIN, "AARON COPLAND WAS MY BIGGEST SINGLE MUSICAL INFLUENCE. APART FROM MY TEACHER, HE WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO HEAR ANYTHING I WROTE. COPLAND WAS GOOD FRIENDS WITH MY TEACHER WHO TOOK ME TO MEET HIM IN HIS APARTMENT. I WAS 12. COPLAND WAS 30, BUT NOT YET FAMOUS. MY TEACHER MADE ME PLAY FOR HIM, ASKING IF HE THOUGHT I HAD ANY TALENT. LET'S GIVE HIM SOME LESSONS AND FIND OUT! ", HE REPLIED. THAT'S REALLY HOW MY COMPOSITION CAREER STARTED. "
IMAGINE THAT YOU ARE GIVEN A PULITZER PRIZE WINNING NOVEL AND TOLD THAT IT IS YOUR JOB TO CONJURE WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE ? IMAGINE WHAT THESE WORDS SOUND LIKE. TO PULL, OUT OF THIN AIR, SOUNDS, MELODIES, ORCHESTRATIONS, THEMES THAT REPRESENT WHAT A CLASSIC BOOK MIGHT SOUND LIKE, THAT'S QUITE A TASK. FILM COMPOSERS DO IT DAILY. BERNSTEIN EMPLOYS THE FLUTE, VIOLIN, HARP, CLARINET, OBOE AND STRINGS. FOR A FULL REVIEW IN COMPLETE DETAIL, CHECK OUT THE WORK OF CRAIG LYSY WHOSE DONE A WONDERFUL JOB OF EXPLAINING THE SCORE IN DETAIL AND HAD THIS TO SAY ABOUT THE MUSIC, "THE MAIN LYRICAL THEME IS A MASTERPIECE CUE THAT GAINS BERNSTEIN IMMORTALITY. IT IS TIMELESS AND IN MY OPINION TAKES IT PLACE IN FILM SCORE LORE AS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND MEMORABLE THEMES EVER COMPOSED." I COULDN'T AGREE MORE. HERES A LINK : HTTP://MOVIEMUSICUK.US/2010/11/06/TO-KILL-A-MOCKINGBIRD-ELMER-BERNSTEIN/
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD SOUNDTRACK TRACK LISTING:
MAIN TITLE (3:19) / REMEMBER MAMA (1:07)/ ATTICUS ACCEPTS THE CASE/ROLL IN THE TIRE (2:05)
CREEPY CAPER/PEEK-A-BOO (4:09) / EWELL’S HATRED (3:30) / JEM’S DISCOVERY (3:46)
TREE TREASURE (4:22) / LYNCH MOB (3:03) / GUILTY VERDICT (3:09) / EWELL REGRET IT (2:10)
FOOTSTEPS IN THE DARK (2:07) / ASSAULT IN THE SHADOWS (2:25) / BOO WHO? (2:59)
END TITLE (3:25) / RUNNING TIME: 41 MINUTES 57 SECONDS
MUSIC COMPOSED AND CONDUCTED BY ELMER BERNSTEIN. PERFORMED BY THE ROYAL SCOTTISH NATIONAL ORCHESTRA. FEATURED MUSICAL SOLOISTS; PENNY HAYDOCK, JOHN GRANT, EDWARD PALING, PAULINE DOWSE, JOHN CLARK, JOHN CUSHING, STEPHANE RANCOURT AND CHRISTOPHE SAUNIERE. RECORDED AND MIXED BY JONATHAN ALLEN. ALBUM PRODUCED BY ELMER BERNSTEIN AND ROBERT TOWNSON.
OTHER FILM SCORES BY BERNSTEIN RECOGNIZED BY THE AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE:
THE AGE OF INNOCENCE (1993) / FAR FROM HEAVEN (2002) / THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963) / HAWAII (1966) / THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (1955) / SUMMER AND SMOKE (1961) / SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957) / THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956) / WALK ON THE WILD SIDE (1962)
GRANDMASTER FLASH ON TOUR 2015 BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE MUSIC PAGE
WWW.GRANDMASTERFLASH.COM
THE LONELY WILD : NOW ON TOUR
IF MUSIC IS A HEALING THING, THAN I JUST TOOK THE CURE FOR THE MONDAY NIGHT BLUES.IT'S SELDOM THAT WE COME ACROSS A NEW BAND, WHILST WALKING HOME FROM A QUIET DINNER AT OUR FAVORITE LOCAL EATERY, BUT THANK GOD IT HAPPENS EVERY DECADE OR SO. THE LAST TIME I ENTERED THE SILVER LAKE LOUNGE , THERE WAS AN UNKNOWN YOUNG POET SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS AND RELATIVES,SINGING IN STRANGE TONES AND A WHOLLY ORIGINAL STYLE THAT STARTLED ME INTO REMEMBERING HER NAME, LITTLE KNOWN AT THE TIME: MIA DOI TODD.LATER, SHE RECORDED SCORES OF ALBUMS FOR VARIOUS LABELS AND BROKE THROUGH FROM A LOCAL TALENT TO INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION. I WAS GLAD TO SEE IT HAPPEN, I HAD HEARD THAT POTENTIAL.THAT HASN'T HAPPENED AGAIN, UNTIL LAST NIGHT . WHEN, AS USUAL MY NEIGHBORHOOD BAR ONCE AGAIN SHOWCASED A GREAT NEW BAND WITH THE WONDERFUL NAME : THE LONELY WILD . ALMOST EVERY SONG STRUCK ME SOMEWHERE IN MY CONSTITUTION. MOST RIGHT TO THE HEART.
THEIR LEAD SINGER IS A GREAT LYRICIST AND HE'S BACKED BY A VERY TIGHT DRUMMER WITH A KEYBOARD & BASS HUMBLY YET ENERGETICALLY KEEPING THE TRAIN ON THE TRACKS , THE RANGE BETWEEN LEAD SINGER & BACK-UP CREATES A HARMONIC THAT AT ONE MINUTE WILL MAKE YOU CRY AND THEN TURN AROUND AND RAISE THE HAIR ON THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD. THERE'S SOMETHING SWEETLY HAUNTING IN THESE STORIES BEING SUNG. I FOUND THE BAND TO HAVE THE KIND OF RADIO PLAYABILITY THAT'S NOT EMBARRASSINGLY POP, BUT DEEP, LASTING AND NOT BAD TO LOOK AT IN CONCERT EITHER. THEY'RE LIKABLE, BUT THAT'S JUST THE BEGINNING. EACH SONG UNFOLDS LIKE AN OLD LP STYLE ALBUM, ITS A NOVEL BEING TOLD THROUGH SONG, AND THIS NOVEL SPEAKS TO OUR HEARTS.
THEY ARE SONGS WE KNOW SOMEHOW, THEIR ABOUT US, AND ABOUT THEM. THEY'RE ABOUT THE CITY AND THE LONELY PLACES WE GO IN LIFE. THERE IS A HAPPY - SAD THAT WE FIND IN GREAT WORKS OF ART, THE KIND WE WANT TO HEAR OVER & OVER AGAIN. LIKE WHEN YOUR IN LOVE BUT CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT EXACTLY WE LIKE ABOUT IT. I AM HIGHLY RECOMMENDING THE LONELY WILD TO RADIO DJ'S , LOCAL TWITTERERS AND TO THE WORLD. THIS IS MUSIC THAT GRABS YOU AND THEN LETS YOU GO, AND THEN RETURNS WITH A GEM JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS OVER. THE GOOD THING ABOUT MUSIC IS, ITS NEVER OVER, EVEN WHEN THE SHOW IS COMPLETED. THE CHARISMA BETWEEN THE PLAYERS , WHICH PERFECTLY BACK EACH OTHER UP IS RARE IN A BAND. DID I MENTION THAT THE LEAD SINGER HAS A PASSION AND A COMMITMENT TO HIS STORIES THAT GO WAY BEYOND THE COMPARISONS MADE BY THE YOUNG MAN STANDING AT THE BACK OF THE HALL WHOM THOUGHT, ' THEY SOUNDED LIKE ARCADE FIRE '. WHICH IS A COMPLIMENT, BUT A SLIGHTLY BACK HANDED ONE . THESE STORIES HAVE AN ORGANIC QUALITY, HAND MADE BUT READY FOR MASS CONSUMPTION. WHEN I ASKED THE FELLOW BEHIND ME IF HE KNEW THE NAME OF THE BAND, HE SAID," NO ", LIKE I TOLD HIM IN RETURN, " WHAT WE DON'T KNOW TODAY, WE WILL KNOW TOMORROW." THE LONELY WILD PROVES THE POINT.
ARCHIVED ARTICLE ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2013 COPYRIGHT JOSHUA TRILIEGI LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA . U.S.A.
 |
Mick Jagger, London by Herb Ritts (American, 1952–2002) 1987 Photograph, gelatin silver print Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Gift of Herb Ritts Foundation © Herb Ritts Foundation Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston BUREAU OF ARTS + CULTURE |
It has been over thirty-five years since I first experienced The Rolling Stones perform live. I was ten years old. It was Nineteen-seventy five and our entire family attended. Mom, Dad, older brother, older sister and me. Even back then, I was the artist of the family. So it was my job to paint the famous " Lips and Mouth " logo originally created in 1970 by fellow artist John Pasche. Later, Peter Corriston would go on to design The controversial Some Girls album art as well as Tattoo You. Some Girls led to law suits. I have a copy of the original with celebrities that have since been blacked out. There has always been a very special relationship between art and music. The Rolling Stones have known very well through their personal relationships with interesting artists of their time how art and music intersect. From the fabulous photography of Michael Joseph on Beggars Banquet, which opens up into a centerfold like layout of a 17th Century painter to Sticky Fingers and the infamous Zipper and banana by Andy Warhol. Robert Frank's documentary and photographs used on Exile on Main Street with the help of John Van Hammerveld 's design layout were striking and poignant.
There is a raw and honest intensity within the ethos of The Rolling Stones. An attitude and raunchy style that says, ' Hey man, this is the way it is, this is Rock and Roll. This is what life is like. This is who we are. Mellow out and listen " Experiencing The Rolling Stones at ten years old in a live venue with thousands of people and my family was a trans formative experience. A Ritual of the highest order. While my friends were at home watching The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family, I was watching Mick Jagger dance down a star shaped stage as the conical shape slowly lowered one petal at a time. " Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and fame..." Drums, guitar and that bongo like rhythm leading into a raging histrionics explaining what had just happened to America since the death of JFK and the loss of innocence that hovered above our existence, unexplainable except through music, poetry and the like. He swung from a rope high above our heads.He threw buckets of water on the first few rows. He danced astride a plastic inflated erectile shaped instrument that exuded confetti from its pointed top. Mindblowing. Of course he needed no introduction, we had grown up listening to the Stones, glowering over the albums and remembering the lyrics. From the early simple blues influenced love ballads into the post sixties dark tales and on into the seventies rock.Through to The Eighties, Steel Wheels, etc ...
Album covers, album liners, T shirts and memorabilia plays a large part in Rock and Roll.The images that will forever be connected to the music and visa versa. I have designed a few album Covers for musician friends and it's always a special sort of assignment. What will represent the music ? Images and sound wedded to tell a larger story. As we drove to the forum that evening, people began to beep their horns at the artwork on the back window. My parents had proudly taped my version to the back of the vehicle. When people began to react, I was surprised. For me it was just a personal expression, something fun to do, be a part of the scene. For others it was something altogether different. We were all a part of something. We were a family of Rock and Rollers and people wanted us to know, that they too were heading to this ritual. That it was a community and we were all connected through the music. We were connected in this counter culture experience.
It was the first time I realized the power of Art and Music and Ritual and Community in a way that changed my entire perception.I sometimes wonder how many other ten year old were at that concert ? Not too many. How many entire families attended ? Not too many. My old man insisted that we all attend. He is no longer on the planet. But every time The Rolling Stones are being played, he's here all right. He even slightly resembled Jagger and to be honest, Mom resembled Bianca. We sorta were The Rolling Stones. Music has a way of enlivening memories, history, loss, joy, energy, rebellion and the acceptance of the moment.
Music is life. In a way, Mick Jagger is my old man, he's still alive. Still Rocking and Rolling. Still kicking and screaming. Still selling a million albums and reminding us how far we have all come after all these years. The Rolling Stones tell a story of America that is highly influenced by Black America, The Blues, The Working man, The Bikers, The Lovers, The Outsiders, The Struggles. Its a beautiful tradition, Rock and Roll. With a new Documentary on HBO, " Crossfire Hurricane " as well as a new album and a Tour of America,The Rolling Stones are gathering no moss. There is a whole new generation about to discover the Stones. They have kept rock and roll alive. I still get teased from my family for passing out three quarters of the way through the concert. That was way past my bedtime. The next day my friends at school were talking about Fred Flintstones and George Jetson, while I was singing , " Wild Horses " , " Angie " and " Satisfaction". Oh well.
The other day, I heard a radio D.J. say , " This is a new song by The Rolling Stones."Its about time. I turned it up. It was good. Life is good. Rock and Roll is good.
BUREAU MUSIC: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
BY JOSHUA TRILIEGI
ELMER BERNSTEIN'S SCORE FOR TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD MAY JUST BE THE MOST PERFECT UNDERSTANDING OF LITERATURE, CINEMA AND MUSICAL ORCHESTRATION EVER CREATED. MR.BERNSTEIN, WHO WAS BLACKLISTED, SOME YEARS LATER, MADE A FABULOUS COMEBACK WITH, OF ALL THINGS, HIS SCORE FOR JOHN LANDIS'S ANIMAL HOUSE. BY PULLING GREAT MUSICAL STUNTS AS A STRAIGHT MAN TO LANDIS' PRANKS. REMEMBER THE SCORE TO THAT FILM ? HEROIC LIKE ANTHEMS, EVERY TIME BELUSHI AND HIS COHORTS TAKE ON THE CONSERVATIVE VIEWS OF THE UNIVERSITY. IT WORKED WONDERFULLY AND MR BERNSTEIN WAS BACK IN BUSINESS AGAIN. I RECALL MEETING ELMER BERNSTEIN AT THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURES ARTS & SCIENCES, WHERE HE PRESENTED AND DISCUSSED TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD IN - DEPTH. IT WAS QUITE AN EVENING. A WONDERFUL MAN. NOT JUST HIS MUSIC, NOT JUST HIS UNDERSTANDING OF THE HUMAN DRAMA, NOR HIS ABILITY TO FORGIVE AN INDUSTRY THAT TURNED IT'S BACK ON HIM, BUT THE MAN HIMSELF. HE WAS A WINNER AND AFTER ALL THESE YEARS THAT SCORE STILL RINGS TRUE TO ME AND TO MILLIONS OF CINEMA LOVERS AROUND THE WORLD. MOST FOLKS AGREE THAT THE BOOK WRITTEN BY HARPER LEE AND THE FILM BY ROBERT MULLIGAN AND ALAN PAKULA ARE INCREDIBLE. BUT WHY ? THE ACTING, YES, QUITE AMAZING WITH PERFORMANCES BY TWO INCREDIBLE CHILDREN ACTORS. AND OF COURSE THE APEX OF GREGORY PECK'S CRAFT AS ACTOR, HUMANIST, ARTIST. BUT IT IS INDEED THE MUSIC. THE OPENING THEME, A SWEEPING AND STEADY MID WEST WARMTH REMINISCENT OF MR BERNSTEIN'S EARLY INFLUENCES AND ONE OF HIS MENTORS: AARON COPLAND. COPLAND ENCOURAGED THE YOUNG MUSICIAN BASED ON HIS IMPROVISATIONS AND SUGGESTED TEACHERS, COURSES AND A DIRECTION THAT LED TO MORE CREATIVITY.
ELMER BERNSTEIN'S WAS A PART OF A WORLD WHERE, IF YOU WERE INTERESTED IN THE ARTS, THAT MEANT EVERY FACET: HE STUDIED ACTING, DANCE AND PERFORMED ON BROADWAY AS A CHILD. HE WAS RECOGNIZED AS A PAINTER EARLY ON & EVEN APPROACHED CLIFFORD ODETS ON LESSONS IN WRITING FICTION. FOR OVER A DECADE HE WAS A CONCERT PIANIST AND SOME YEARS LATER TAUGHT AT USC'S THORNTON SCHOOL OF MUSIC. HE COMPOSED OVER 200 THEMES FOR TELEVISION AND FILM AND ALSO CREATED SOME GREAT MUSIC FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL FILMS OF CHARLES AND RAY EAMES. HE ALSO WORKED WITH MARTIN SCORSESE MORE THAN A FEW TIMES. AND AFTER HIS SCORE OF ANIMAL HOUSE, BECAME A REGULAR FOR SCORING COMEDIES SUCH AS GHOSTBUSTERS, AIRPLANE! , STRIPES AND THE BLUES BROTHERS. ELMER TALKED ABOUT HIS INSPIRATION FOR THE SCORE TO TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD AND HOW HE WANTED TO PIERCE THE IMAGINATION OF THE CHILD MIND. WHAT WOULD A CHILD PLAY ? LISTENING FOR A SIMPLE MELODY TO DRAW UPON. ESPECIALLY HIS THEME FOR THE FOREBODING CHARACTER OF BOO RADLEY, PLAYED SIMPLISTICALLY BY A YOUNG ROBERT DUVALL. KEEPING THE SCORE SIMPLE WAS MR BERNSTEIN'S ENTIRE APPROACH TO CREATING THE IMPETUS FOR THE MELODIES AND LATER BUILDING THEM INTO ORCHESTRATIONS THAT SIMPLY LIFT US ABOVE THE EARTH AND OR BREAK OUR HEARTS. THE GENTLENESS, THE DRAMA, THE CURIOSITY, THE FUN & THE MADDENING INJUSTICES THAT THE WORLD PROVIDES, SO WELL PRESENTED MUSICALLY.
" WITH MOCKINGBIRD, I'D READ THE BOOK. ROBERT MULLIGAN AND I WERE OLD FRIENDS, BEFORE WE EVEN SHOT A FRAME. " HE GOES ON TO EXPLAIN, "AARON COPLAND WAS MY BIGGEST SINGLE MUSICAL INFLUENCE. APART FROM MY TEACHER, HE WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO HEAR ANYTHING I WROTE. COPLAND WAS GOOD FRIENDS WITH MY TEACHER WHO TOOK ME TO MEET HIM IN HIS APARTMENT. I WAS 12. COPLAND WAS 30, BUT NOT YET FAMOUS. MY TEACHER MADE ME PLAY FOR HIM, ASKING IF HE THOUGHT I HAD ANY TALENT. LET'S GIVE HIM SOME LESSONS AND FIND OUT! ", HE REPLIED. THAT'S REALLY HOW MY COMPOSITION CAREER STARTED. "
IMAGINE THAT YOU ARE GIVEN A PULITZER PRIZE WINNING NOVEL AND TOLD THAT IT IS YOUR JOB TO CONJURE WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE ? IMAGINE WHAT THESE WORDS SOUND LIKE. TO PULL, OUT OF THIN AIR, SOUNDS, MELODIES, ORCHESTRATIONS, THEMES THAT REPRESENT WHAT A CLASSIC BOOK MIGHT SOUND LIKE, THAT'S QUITE A TASK. FILM COMPOSERS DO IT DAILY. BERNSTEIN EMPLOYS THE FLUTE, VIOLIN, HARP, CLARINET, OBOE AND STRINGS. FOR A FULL REVIEW IN COMPLETE DETAIL, CHECK OUT THE WORK OF CRAIG LYSY WHOSE DONE A WONDERFUL JOB OF EXPLAINING THE SCORE IN DETAIL AND HAD THIS TO SAY ABOUT THE MUSIC, "THE MAIN LYRICAL THEME IS A MASTERPIECE CUE THAT GAINS BERNSTEIN IMMORTALITY. IT IS TIMELESS AND IN MY OPINION TAKES IT PLACE IN FILM SCORE LORE AS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND MEMORABLE THEMES EVER COMPOSED." I COULDN'T AGREE MORE. HERES A LINK : HTTP://MOVIEMUSICUK.US/2010/11/06/TO-KILL-A-MOCKINGBIRD-ELMER-BERNSTEIN/
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD SOUNDTRACK TRACK LISTING:
MAIN TITLE (3:19) / REMEMBER MAMA (1:07)/ ATTICUS ACCEPTS THE CASE/ROLL IN THE TIRE (2:05)
CREEPY CAPER/PEEK-A-BOO (4:09) / EWELL’S HATRED (3:30) / JEM’S DISCOVERY (3:46)
TREE TREASURE (4:22) / LYNCH MOB (3:03) / GUILTY VERDICT (3:09) / EWELL REGRET IT (2:10)
FOOTSTEPS IN THE DARK (2:07) / ASSAULT IN THE SHADOWS (2:25) / BOO WHO? (2:59)
END TITLE (3:25) / RUNNING TIME: 41 MINUTES 57 SECONDS
MUSIC COMPOSED AND CONDUCTED BY ELMER BERNSTEIN. PERFORMED BY THE ROYAL SCOTTISH NATIONAL ORCHESTRA. FEATURED MUSICAL SOLOISTS; PENNY HAYDOCK, JOHN GRANT, EDWARD PALING, PAULINE DOWSE, JOHN CLARK, JOHN CUSHING, STEPHANE RANCOURT AND CHRISTOPHE SAUNIERE. RECORDED AND MIXED BY JONATHAN ALLEN. ALBUM PRODUCED BY ELMER BERNSTEIN AND ROBERT TOWNSON.
OTHER FILM SCORES BY BERNSTEIN RECOGNIZED BY THE AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE:
THE AGE OF INNOCENCE (1993) / FAR FROM HEAVEN (2002) / THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963) / HAWAII (1966) / THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (1955) / SUMMER AND SMOKE (1961) / SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957) / THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956) / WALK ON THE WILD SIDE (1962)
 |
| GRANDMASTER FLASH ON TOUR 2015 BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE MUSIC PAGE |
THE LONELY WILD : NOW ON TOUR
IF MUSIC IS A HEALING THING, THAN I JUST TOOK THE CURE FOR THE MONDAY NIGHT BLUES.IT'S SELDOM THAT WE COME ACROSS A NEW BAND, WHILST WALKING HOME FROM A QUIET DINNER AT OUR FAVORITE LOCAL EATERY, BUT THANK GOD IT HAPPENS EVERY DECADE OR SO. THE LAST TIME I ENTERED THE SILVER LAKE LOUNGE , THERE WAS AN UNKNOWN YOUNG POET SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS AND RELATIVES,SINGING IN STRANGE TONES AND A WHOLLY ORIGINAL STYLE THAT STARTLED ME INTO REMEMBERING HER NAME, LITTLE KNOWN AT THE TIME: MIA DOI TODD.LATER, SHE RECORDED SCORES OF ALBUMS FOR VARIOUS LABELS AND BROKE THROUGH FROM A LOCAL TALENT TO INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION. I WAS GLAD TO SEE IT HAPPEN, I HAD HEARD THAT POTENTIAL.THAT HASN'T HAPPENED AGAIN, UNTIL LAST NIGHT . WHEN, AS USUAL MY NEIGHBORHOOD BAR ONCE AGAIN SHOWCASED A GREAT NEW BAND WITH THE WONDERFUL NAME : THE LONELY WILD . ALMOST EVERY SONG STRUCK ME SOMEWHERE IN MY CONSTITUTION. MOST RIGHT TO THE HEART.
THEIR LEAD SINGER IS A GREAT LYRICIST AND HE'S BACKED BY A VERY TIGHT DRUMMER WITH A KEYBOARD & BASS HUMBLY YET ENERGETICALLY KEEPING THE TRAIN ON THE TRACKS , THE RANGE BETWEEN LEAD SINGER & BACK-UP CREATES A HARMONIC THAT AT ONE MINUTE WILL MAKE YOU CRY AND THEN TURN AROUND AND RAISE THE HAIR ON THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD. THERE'S SOMETHING SWEETLY HAUNTING IN THESE STORIES BEING SUNG. I FOUND THE BAND TO HAVE THE KIND OF RADIO PLAYABILITY THAT'S NOT EMBARRASSINGLY POP, BUT DEEP, LASTING AND NOT BAD TO LOOK AT IN CONCERT EITHER. THEY'RE LIKABLE, BUT THAT'S JUST THE BEGINNING. EACH SONG UNFOLDS LIKE AN OLD LP STYLE ALBUM, ITS A NOVEL BEING TOLD THROUGH SONG, AND THIS NOVEL SPEAKS TO OUR HEARTS.
THEY ARE SONGS WE KNOW SOMEHOW, THEIR ABOUT US, AND ABOUT THEM. THEY'RE ABOUT THE CITY AND THE LONELY PLACES WE GO IN LIFE. THERE IS A HAPPY - SAD THAT WE FIND IN GREAT WORKS OF ART, THE KIND WE WANT TO HEAR OVER & OVER AGAIN. LIKE WHEN YOUR IN LOVE BUT CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT EXACTLY WE LIKE ABOUT IT. I AM HIGHLY RECOMMENDING THE LONELY WILD TO RADIO DJ'S , LOCAL TWITTERERS AND TO THE WORLD. THIS IS MUSIC THAT GRABS YOU AND THEN LETS YOU GO, AND THEN RETURNS WITH A GEM JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS OVER. THE GOOD THING ABOUT MUSIC IS, ITS NEVER OVER, EVEN WHEN THE SHOW IS COMPLETED. THE CHARISMA BETWEEN THE PLAYERS , WHICH PERFECTLY BACK EACH OTHER UP IS RARE IN A BAND. DID I MENTION THAT THE LEAD SINGER HAS A PASSION AND A COMMITMENT TO HIS STORIES THAT GO WAY BEYOND THE COMPARISONS MADE BY THE YOUNG MAN STANDING AT THE BACK OF THE HALL WHOM THOUGHT, ' THEY SOUNDED LIKE ARCADE FIRE '. WHICH IS A COMPLIMENT, BUT A SLIGHTLY BACK HANDED ONE . THESE STORIES HAVE AN ORGANIC QUALITY, HAND MADE BUT READY FOR MASS CONSUMPTION. WHEN I ASKED THE FELLOW BEHIND ME IF HE KNEW THE NAME OF THE BAND, HE SAID," NO ", LIKE I TOLD HIM IN RETURN, " WHAT WE DON'T KNOW TODAY, WE WILL KNOW TOMORROW." THE LONELY WILD PROVES THE POINT.
ARCHIVED ARTICLE ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2013 COPYRIGHT JOSHUA TRILIEGI LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA . U.S.A.
BUREAU MUSIC INTERVIEW: PATRICK RIEGER
Patrick Rieger is the Lead Singer and Songwriter for Whiskey Sunday. On the Two Year Anniversary of an Original Live Interview at The Roxy on The Sunset Strip in Hollywood, we check back in with Mr. Rieger to discuss The Music, The Band, Irish Heritage and Their Newest Album.
Joshua TRILIEGI What does it feel like to play for a live audience ?
Patrick Rieger: Playing for a live audience was the only way music would have happened for me. My training is as an actor, as a kid I was a dancer. I always sang but could never read music, and musical instruments came a little harder to me. What I'm saying is that the live performance is something I know how to do and that might make up for my lack of musicianship sometimes. There are a lot of better guitar players in the world, but a lot of them choose to only play on their couch. If they're not going to take the gig I will because I know how to leave my blood on the floor for an audience, I can tell the stories. It feels like my planet, where I'm from. I come from a long line of storytellers and the live audience is home. Harry Nilsson never played out, virtually never toured or played live. I couldn't believe that when I read it. What an incredible storyteller and he could never share it with a live audience!
Joshua TRILIEGI: What are the challenges presented in keeping a band together ?
Patrick Rieger: I would say keeping a band together has been both the greatest joy and most significant source of anxiety for me throughout this process. I grew up an only child with a single Mom. I was constantly trying to re-create familial relationships with peers, friends, groups, I still do it today. It's a dangerous thing getting a group together and handing over your trust or expecting that you'll be one big happy family. Whiskey Sunday has played with roughly 10 fiddle players just in the last year. Hilarious. We love the fiddle, that sound, but I've stopped expecting that one of them will stick around and join the family. My harpist, banjo player, and my bass player have stuck around through some really tough times, and I am truly grateful for their trust and commitment. Greatest challenge would be letting go of the concept that I have to keep this band together.
Joshua TRILIEGI : Irish heritage plays a big part in your sound, describe that process.
Patrick Rieger : Irish music is how Deidre and I met. Again, this is circles of both Irish actors and musicians in LA, getting together, re-creating what they love about the old country. Many pub sessions later Deidre and I form our own Irish band and we set out to be the hottest in LA. That was the only way we could get this band paid was by having 3 hours of Irish songs ready to go for these pubs! Most bands our age weren't putting in those hours at the bars. Our original material has expanded quite a bit beyond the Irish sound, into an Americana/revved up roots sound. The Irish storytelling, rhythms and melodies will always be this band's backbone, I believe, no matter what we're writing. My Grandmother's maiden name was Gannon and I owe it to her. She took me to Ireland when I was 18 and I fell in love for eternity. I've since developed my own relationship with Ireland beyond my heritage and it has tremendously colored who I am as a human being, the literature, the people, the history.
Joshua TRILIEGI : When we first spoke, two years ago, you performed live at our magazine release party. Whats happened since then and tells us about the new music ?
Patrick Rieger: We are the most exciting to watch Irish/Americana Folk-Rock band in Los Angeles. In 2014 alone we played 44 gigs at over 26 venues throughout the LA area and Southern California. We released our debut album, Holy Water. We were interviewed by the Pasadena Weekly. We played our first major festival, Get Shamrocked in September, 2014, and shared the stage with some of our favorite bands like Old Man Markley, The Mahones and The Young Dubliners. 2015 has brought us our first music video, shot completely on location in Angeles National Forest and one of our favorite Irish pubs, Ireland's 32, where we have a residency. We've also booked our first tour of both Southern California and Northern California for this coming March and May, completely on our own. St. Patrick's Day brings a personal honor for the band, headlining at The Tam O'Shanter Inn, where Whiskey Sunday was born and bred. We're embarking on a momentum-filled year fueled by gratitude for the fans and venues that have showed us so much love and support.
Joshua TRILIEGI : You are also an actor, do the two crafts inform one another ?
Patrick Rieger: I joked for a long time saying, "I'm not a musician, I'm an actor and this is my longest running role." Maybe I still believe that sometimes but I can't tell you what a pleasure the process has been letting one inform the other. When I take on a role I have to bring truth to that story and love to that character. That's what I work for every night onstage and you know what? It's the same with the songs! When you are selling the truth, leaving your blood on the stage, it doesn't matter what the chords are or what lines your reading. The best part is when you yourself are moved, then that audience can't help but feel it. Telling the stories truthfully is what I do.
Joshua TRILIEGI : What do you think are the all time classic Irish Songs ever recorded ?
Patrick Rieger : My Grandma comes from a Bing Crosby, Danny boy generation. a different Ireland. I loved it growing up. The first time I heard The Pogues, Fairytale of New York, I think I cried, and I still cry every time. There is beautiful Irish music filled with history that I can't get enough of, "The Town I loved so well," there is music to come from Ireland that was so important and politically moving, "Alternative Ulster." And sometimes I just want to rock out to Thin Lizzy. Right now I'm devouring Damien Dempsey's whole catalogue, an incredible songwriter both in an Irish capacity and for anyone all over the world.
- Patrick Rieger / Whiskey Sunday
Joshua TRILIEGI : Your from the Mid West, the same city as Prince. is that atmosphere somehow naturally musical ?
Patrick Rieger: You better believe it! South Minneapolis is in my veins every time I step onstage, every time I sit down to write a song. Prince, Dylan, Atmosphere, Jayhawks, Trampled by Turtles. That's not even scratching the surface. You've got to do something with those long winter days and nights. We join forces as a state, as a collective group of people in winter coats to beat seasonal affect disorder down with tunes! In the car, in the living room, in the bars. Keep singing to stay warm ! My whole family celebrated life with music & whether it was typical or not for Minnesotans it was beautifully typical for us.
Joshua TRILIEGI : Thank you for spending time with us, before we go, Tell our readers why we you make music ?
Patrick Rieger: I believe we make music to stay alive. I never thought I'd be doing it professionally. When the acting business got slow for me in LA I had to find another way to tell stories and stay alive. The facts in your life might be a great skeleton or bone, your job, your income, your house. I tell stories though, that's flesh and blood, what's the point otherwise? This is what I'm called to do, tell stories. Bruce Springsteen said the Irish and Italians walk through the door with their fists and their hearts first. It's not the easiest way to live but I couldn't imagine it any other way. Who doesn't want to hear stories, hear music and stay alive with your flesh and blood pumping? If they're out there, I'm not sure those people and I have a lot to talk about.
Joshua TRILIEGI Where can our readers visit you and or see updates for shows ?
Patrick Rieger: New Album here https://itunes.apple.com/bm/album/holy-water/id894217092
New website here: http://www.whiskeysundayband.com
No comments:
Post a Comment