Actually, there will probably be no stomping. Probably some clapping. Maybe some hoots and hollers. Our favorite Hollywood stud won’t be there either. He’s also not the dude you remember from ‘Out of Africa’. At 73, Robert Redford, the actor turned environmentalist and Sundance Film Festival creator, has decided to take his baby to the people. On Thursday night, from a prerecorded video, Redford will address the 1700 seat, sold-out crowd at the Michigan Theater. For the first time in its history, Redford will introduce Sundance to the rest of the country. As part of the new Sundance USA program, Sundance will leave its lush quarters in Park City, Utah and present films across the country. On Thursday, Ann Arbor will join the ranks of Boston, New York, Chicago, L.A., San Francisco, Madison, and Nasheville in welcoming a film from this year’s Sundance Film Festival- along with the film’s directors.
Thursday’s film is “Cyrus”, a new comedy from brothers Jay and Mark Duplass. Sundance tells us to expect to feel “a tingling, irresistible experience of utter discomfort”. This discomfort with the discomfort of trying to decide who gets the armrests in a sold-out theater only sounds comforting to me.
Thursday, January 28. 7:30 pm. More info here: http://www.michtheater.org/sffusa. Tickets are sold out but, like anything in this fair town, you can find a way to get in. Check the box office day of, talk to craigslist, do what you gotta do. Sold out movie theaters are too fun. Until then, Bennett
They play quickly. They play intensely. Then, they stop mid-song to pose for a second row audience member to take a picture on his iPhone. This is the type of evening it was for Frank Vignola and his band (he borrowed his accordionist from The Hot Club of Detroit). The men were very apparently great musicians but they seemed too intent on putting on an act, like it was a Broadway show. The music, which had the energy and story to stand alone, was distracted by the showmen. In the middle of one of bassist Gary Mazzaroppi’s many solos on the night, rhythm guitarist Vinny Raniolo prompted the audience to applaud the bassman’s skills. Then, as part of the funny man act the band had conjured up, Mazzaroppi stopped his solo and told the audience to wait until he was done. Well, they received the response they expected from the audience and they kept up the act. In what is now a bit of a weird occurrence Thursday evening, Vignola told the crowd that it was Vinny Raniolo’s birthday and asked us to sing a quick happy birthday to him. However, in looking up Raniolo’s last name after the show, I found that Raniolo had already celebrated his birthday at a September 25 show in Baltimore (link to review). Peculiar. Nonetheless, Vignola and the band seemed like nice guys – just a bit too eager to please with their mouths rather than their instruments, leaving a slightly shtick-y feeling in my mouth.
Thursday evening presented the half-full Ark crowd with a double bill of Django Reinhardt-inspired gypsy jazz music that concluded with local favorites, The Hot Club of Detroit. This young group of musicians, led by brilliant guitarist Evan Perri, is much more about business. Donning sharp suits and choosing to sit rather than dance around like Vignola and co., The Hot Club of Detroit, although adding a contemporary edge to Django Reinhardt’s original, Quintette du Hot Club du France (below). The group’s clarinetist and saxophonist, Carl Cafagna, also added some drawing-power that Vignola’s group missed.
Django Reinhardt & the Quintette du Hot Club du France
In any case, The Ark crowd on Thursday evening loved every second. The majority of the crowd, couples on a romantic night on the town, were very encouraged by the emanations of a candle-light dinner on the Champs-Elysses. While the rest, generally graying single men, seemed to dig the musicianship and play of the instruments.
The Hot Club of Detroit, in case one is looking for more gypsy jazz music this month, will play again this Friday evening at the Detroit Institute of Art’s Friday Night Live!. Free with museum admission, the Hot Club will be playing sets at 7 and 8:30 while the museum will be open with other events until 10pm.
It’s the Berlin Philharmonic. They tell me that Berlin is one the greatest orchestras in the world today – maybe the greatest. So, how does this kid prepare for a taste of high culture? Roll out the tie and iron the slacks. Unfortunately, it is officially No Shave November so the scruffier-by-the-day beard effectively brought down the class level a few points. Nonetheless, roomie Evan and I looked relatively ready to face off against the suits that dominate the culture of classical music (a few pulls of the whiskey later, we felt ready as well). Again, in another affront to our front of respectability, running late, we rolled up our right pant legs and took the quick ride to Hill Auditorium, locking up the bicycles next to the heavily Cadillac’d valet service (at least they’re American, right?).
Now inside Hill, we raced to beat the bells telling us how many minutes until showtime (count the lobby bells – one bell a minute until takeoff at the typical Broadway show) – we quickly learned that, in Germany, there are only 25 seconds in a minute or the orchestra was really in a hurry to start. Finally, relaxed and seated in the velvety, red chairs of the Mezzanine, the show began.
Even for this inexperienced symphony-goer, it truly was a magical evening. I expected a very disciplined, accurate, and direct expression of the Brahms and Schoenberg on the program as this is a fairly common stereotype of German art and culture. Instead, we witnessed extreme emotional expositions from the 128 world-class musicians and their conductor and artistic director, Sir Simon Rattle. Rattle seemed to prompt the emotional outpouring with his long, white, curly, unkempt locks. Throughout the evening, Rattle flailed his entire body to all parts of the conductor platform engaging every member of the orchestra (and audience) in every movement of the orchestral pieces.
Simon Rattle Going Nutso (not at Hill, unfortunately)
In cooperation with Rattle, each musician moved with the flow of the music. At all other symphony performances I have attended, the musicians seemed intent on showing little personal emotion, letting the music have full control of the auditorium. The musicians would move nothing outside of the requisite for creating the note on the page in front of them. The musicians of the Berliner Philharmoniker, instead, more intimately evoked the headbanging performances of The Ramones (“The Berliner Philharmoniker Live @ CBGB! One Night Only!”). Each musician, on the edge of his or her (almost entirely his, unfortunately) chair, rolled back and forth with each note, expressing anguish in face and movement.
Oh, right, and the music. Hill Auditorium -the Ann Arbor stop in the middle of the New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles tour – was filled to capacity with the full sounds of the Brahms’ 3 and 4, and slightly challenged with the quieter, more internal study of Schoenberg’s ‘Music For A Cinema Scene’ (Begleitmusik zu einer Lichtspiel Szene). The symphony is a musical phenomenon, in itself, in its ability to so intensively align so many musicians in a common musical goal. The Berliner Philarmoniker fully accentuates this characteristic, totally engrossed in their communal need to be one.
And so, after 15 minutes of loud clapping and attempted whistles, we left amazed and emotionally drained. Although very much out of the comfortable habitat of $5 cover and over-power amps, we fit into our ties on Tuesday evening, forgot the cultural implications of classical music, and fixed ourselves in the orchestral experience.
Berlin Philharmonic @ Hill Auditorium (photo by AnnArbor.com)
Perhaps never again will there be a Django Reinhardt. However, tomorrow evening at The Ark, Frank Vignola and the Hot Club of Detroit will attempt to reincarnate the man himself – or at least his very distinct style of gypsy jazz music. The band, hailing from our neighbor down the block, currently consists of Shannon Wade (bass), Carl Cafagna (Saxophone), Julian Labro (Accordion), Paul Brady (guitar) and the main man, Hot Club of Detroit founder Evan Perri on the lead guitar. Although locally based and having played many Ann Arbor shows lately – including gigs at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival and the Firefly Club (RIP) – the Hot Club of Detroit is known nationwide for their musicianship and deep study of Django Reinhardt grooves. They will be joined tomorrow night by New York jazz guitarist, Frank Vignola. Vignola is a veteran of the gypsy jazz scene and it is a treat that he will be in town playing with this already-stellar group. Along with this, the intimate setting of The Ark will be the perfect setting for this cast of musicians (other than maybe an outdoor candle light dinner on the coast).
The Ark. November 19. 8 pm. $20. Tickets at MUTO or The Ark before the show.
Baseball season is over. For the Red Sox, it was over one month ago today, the Red Sox were exposed as the subpar franchise that they are in a season-ending sweep by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Although largely unchanged from championship teams of years past, this Red Sox team lost the talent and the spark of other years- while gaining a steroids scandal (in David Ortiz) and a washed up relief man (in Billy Wagner). So, while Dustin Pedroia and Jon Lester munched Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, watched The Notebook, and cried themselves to sleep, the New York Yankees of New York, New York rampaged their way through the World Series. They finished off the defending World-Series Champion Phillies in six games, never really giving them any hope.
So, I ask, why was Ghostface Killah sporting a green and red Boston Red Sox New Era cap at his Blind Pig performance on Monday night? Ghostface Killah, man of the Stapleton housing projects of Staten Island, NY. Take the Staten Island Ferry to the 4 train to Yankee Stadium. Or, if you have to, even take the Staten Island Ferry to the 1 train to the 7 train to Shea Stadium (or the new Citi Field). But, come on Ghost, you have to paddle across the river Styx to get to Fenway Park.
Although my barber, Bob, has explained to me on multiple occasions that the handshake and first 20 seconds of meeting someone new is the most important part of a good relationship, Ghostface quickly redeemed his horrendous first impression. At 39 years old and over 15 years after the Wu-Tang Clan debut, Ghostface still has an intense and demanding stage presence. Perhaps he is no longer the perpetually high, in your face, attention grabber of the 90’s, but as hip hop has grown, so has Ghost. He still coaxed the audience to scream in support of their love of weed and conducted a vote of the crowd’s alcohol preference: Hennessey vs. Grey Goose. But that doesn’t seem to be Ghostface’s gimmick anymore. He still holds the crowd with his intricate word plays and boasting banter but he no longer seems to need to hold a blunt to connect with his audience. With the tracks from the new album, he has also let some catchy hooks grab the audience as well.
Despite a bit of a persona change from Ghostface, the crowd remembered exactly who he is. He could (and on a few occasions did) let the beat drop and let the sweat-soaked, cigarette-drenched crowd do his bidding, reciting every line to his fast paced stories. He commanded an even greater response for the Wu-Tang hits (including “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nothing To Fuck With” and “C.R.E.A.M.”.
Not that Ghostface has never been sentimental – because he has- but it marks a different path when his best-known song is a track about his love for his pregnant girlfriend, complete with a light-hearted R&B loop. As was apparent by his on-stage demeanor and set choice, Ghostface is content with the maturing of hip hop, the development of the Wu-Tang Clan, and his own, highly regarded status.
(Also, in my concert-going experience openers are generally not worth mentioning. However, worth mentioning is local local, DJ Chill Will was on the ones and twos in between sets. Chill Will has a show called The Prop Shop every Saturday night from 9pm-midnight on 88.3 WCBN– a show that I would very highly recommend to any dabbler in the art of hip hop)
Yes, He's Doing What You Think He's Doing, Sort Of.
Ghostface Killah, founder and foundation of the Wu-Tang Clan, a rap crew from Staten Island, brings his solo act to the Blind Pig tomorrow evening, November 9, in support of his new album, ‘Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City’.
The Wu-Tang Clan gained world fame in 1993 with the release of “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)”. A raw, innovative work of genius, ’36 Chambers’ continues to rank as one of the greatest rap albums of all time (with hits such as ‘C.R.E.A.M’,’Method Man‘, and ‘Protect Ya Neck’). Since, the Wu members have continuously released Wu-Tang albums and collaborations as well as their own solo work. Ghostface Killah, I declare after an extensive and ongoing internal debate along with a very public and popular debate, has had the greatest Wu-Tang solo career. Topping the list of solo albums is his year 2000 masterpiece, “Supreme Clientele” (featuring the hot tracks ‘One‘ and ‘Apollo Kids’, among others).
Ghostface has recently toured with Ann Arbor-born Mayer Hawthorne (Ghost professes his love for Mayer in this New York Times interview) and now brings his solo-act to the Blind Pig tomorrow night. In support of the new R&B and soul savvy album, Ghostface will bring the motherfuckin’ ruckus as he has done throughout his career.
Blu & Exile, Fashawn, and Skyzoo open the show. Blind Pig @ 208 S.First St. Doors at 9:30. Cover: $23 (Surcharge free tickets available at 8 Ball Saloon, Underground Sounds, and Vault of Midnight. Or you can let the internet scam you for all you’re worth).
Video below is from the new album. It is Ghostface at his grossest. Enjoy. (Potentially Not Safe For Work. But I guess it depends where you work…) (Update: Video removed due to venturing “too far into porn and misogyny area”. Track is called Stapleton Sex, if you so have a desire to find it yourself. I don’t think it goes too far to say that “porn and misogyny” is a large part of the current state of rap music. Although, as a culture, we claim to reject porn and misogyny, hip hop is the largest art form in the world today. I think this is a topic for a post of another day, but it is one worth thinking about. Who is responsible for misogyny in hip hop? Why does it still exist? Where does hip hop go from here? Where does our culture go from here?)
Here’s a different video from the new Ghostdini album-a track called Baby. This one shows a pretty different side of Ghostface.
For the first time in its history, Redford will introduce Sundance to the rest of the country. As part of the new Sundance USA program, Sundance will leave its lush quarters in Park City, Utah and present films across the country. On Thursday, Ann Arbor will join the ranks of Boston, New York, Chicago, L.A., San Francisco, Madison, and Nasheville in welcoming a film from this year’s Sundance Film Festival- along with the film’s directors.
