If you dig percusion or love music similar to that of STOMP(who by the way get my vote for being one of the most creative and are great!) , then this show by GROOVE is for you!
“GROOVE” is University of Michigan’s very own high energy percussion group that combines use of traditional as well as non-traditional instruments (like garbage cans, poles, toothbrushes (really? )) to bring out their own unique brand of music.
GROOVE in action!
I watched their Polynesian Warriors on youtube. You might say that it is not an entirely original act as this has been done before (oh yeah, they say that are inspired by STOMP and use some ideas from them- especially the act with the poles, trash cans, et al). BUT, I guess the way they meld their different sounds, the rhythmic arrangement and the choreography makes it different and refreshing. They do provide good entertainment!
When I think of percussion groups, the traditional Japanese Kodo (these drummers are just so so fabulous!) and Safri Duo (love their “Samb Adagio”) are my personal favorites . More recently, I watched the unique Keith Terry and the slammin’ all-body band and thought they were pretty good. Alas, I did not get to see ” The Blue Man Group” live when I was in Vegas.
What I luuuuuuuv about percussion groups is that they are always so full of life and their enthusiasm just gets to you. You just can’t escape the rhythm and it leaves you with a feeling similar to a runner’s high! I have huge respect for percussion groups. Nothing like attending one of those shows to get a quick dose of energy.
So getting back to the point, GROOVE will be performing one such great show on Friday, Dec 11th at the Michigan Theater @ 7 pm. Tickets are $5 and it is general admission.
Nothing like the some great drumming to beat away your winter blues, huh? Get your GROOVE ON!
Krithika, for [art]seen
Krithika is not practicing on her drum set only out of pure concern for the well-being of her neighbors’ ears and for the minor fact that she doesn’t own one! 😉
The noted French pianist, Jean-Yves Thibaudet will be playing at the Hill Auditorium on Dec 12th, saturday @ 8 pm. Mr.Thibaudet is very talented and has earned quite a reputation for himself, both as a soloist as well as a performer at a symphony orchestra. He is known for his unique interpretation and his superb mastery of the piano. He studied with Aldo Ciccolini who was an ardent advocate for the piano music of French composers Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy and Erik Satie (courtesy Wiki). So we will be getting a taste of Ravel’s music.
The program for the evening includes two solo piano compositions by Ravel and a Brahms sonata.
Now, Ravel, a famous impressionist music composer, is known for his intricate and chiseled compositions that are so precisely arranged. The first of Ravel’s works for the evening is “Pavane pour une infante défunte (“Pavane for a dead princess”). This slow piece is daunting and will test any pianist’s skills. It will be interesting to see how Mr.Thibaudet executes this!
The second Ravel piece is “Miroirs” (Reflections). This is such an interesting ( and apparently very difficult) composition. There are five movements in the suite and each piece is intended to make us visualise a reflection when a certain person looked into the mirror (hence “reflections”). Ravel dedicated each of the movements to five people he knew. What an interesting poetic approach to music! I am looking forward to listening to Mr.Thibaudet’s version.
Then we have Brahms’ Sonata No. 3 in F minor, another challenging work that requires a lot of skill. Brahms often found himself in the shadow of Beethoven and this sonata, celebrates Brahms’ love for Beethoven as we can hear the motif from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony (Yipppeeeeeeeee…one of my favorites!) .
Tickets are available at the Michigan League Office or at the Box Office before the performance.
I could do with some end-of-semester stress-busting and listen to some good piano music (even if it means braving howling winds and the treacherous black ice). What about you?
Krithika, [art]seen reviewer
Krithika is now listening to Strauss’s “The Blue Danube Waltz”
I know, I used the same pun, sorry. But this one kind of sucked out my creative juices. I realized before going in that the concert, Handel’s Messiah, was about Jesus, but since it was near the holidays, I thought it would be more like a happy Christmas story. Instead, I spent three hours listening about how Christ died for our sins. Kind of depressing.
Now don’t get me wrong. The performers were absolutely fantastic; the content was boring. Both the orchestra and the choir displayed an incredible amount of talent, passion, and listening. Harmonies were perfect, timing was sharp and precise, and the overall performance was beautiful. But a giant choir dressed all in black singing to you about the downfall of sinners and resurrection of Christ the lord is one of the most oddly terrifying experiences that I’ve ever had. I realize that they’re not Westboro Baptist Church, but certain moments of the night gave me chills.
Another problem with Handel’s “masterpiece” was that lines were repeated over and over and over again. It lacked in content. A full three hours of lyrics would fit in half of a Microsoft Word Page, all of which were different verses from the Bible (something that I thought was a great idea and if it had been executed well than it would be a wonderfully creative piece).
I had never been inside Hill Auditorium before, but I gotta’ say, I’m impressed. It is one of the most incredible concert halls that I’ve ever seen. I just looked up and soaked it all in with my mouth open. And the acoustics are unbelievable. I think that you could probably stand on the stage and clap and people in the balcony would hear it. The sounds were that clear. Which brings me to the best part of the concert. The soloists. More specifically, Mr. Anthony Costanzo.
Anthony Costanzo
Mr. Anthony Costanzo…The most dreamy voice, and the cutest face, Anthony achieves the highest octaves and perfectly delivers each note like a letter in a mail slot, easy and perfect. His dynamics were fantastic and he has obviously been training his vibrato since he was quite young. What makes Costanzo stick out among the other three soloists is his surprisingly high range. I also want to compliment the amazing choir looming behind them and the talented orchestra surrounding them. All of the performers brilliantly follow the Grammy winning conductor Jerry Blackstone.
For those that are like me and are unacquainted with Handel’s Messiah, I’m sure that you would recognize one piece in it. “The Halleluiah Chorus.” The audience was invited to join in the rejoicing, but it was really just nice to hear the song.
So overall, I wouldn’t suggest that you attend the Sunday Matinee performance (Sunday Afternoon, December 6, 2009 at 2:00 PM), unless of course you are a fan of this annual concert. I feel as if I wasted three hours and next time I will go to a 58 Greene or Dicks&Janes concert. It was an interesting experience, but I think that it was the wrong thing for me.
This is my first bad review, and it’s hard to post it, but you gotta’ do what you gotta’ do.
Tonight I’ll be attending UMS Choral Union’s production of Handel’s Messiah. The UMSCU is a Grammy Award-winning ensemble that puts on an annual holiday performance of this concert. This event has loyal guests that attend every year and are always so impressed with the UMS group. I personally had never heard of it before some friends suggested that I attend, and now I am very excited to go tonight at 8:00 PM at Hill Auditorium.
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.
Patti LuPone’s “Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda” at the Hill Auditorium on Nov 20, 09
The one and only Patti LuPone
You gotta love a woman who starts a show with “Go Blue” and “Buckeyes suck”. To those of you who don’t know Patti Lupone (come on now, really? 😉 ), she’s one of the divas of Broadway whom you just gotta see. If you love musicals, then you would have definitely come across her.
The list of her awards- including Tonys, Best Actress in a Musical, etc. – is almost as long as her list of stage credits. She is one of the most illustrious stars of Broadway. Her critically acclaimed roles include Evita (she was the original Evita!), Sweeney Todd, “Fantine” in Les Miserables, Rose in Gypsy, just to name a wee few.
Patti LuPone was in town yesterday for her one-woman show “Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda”. This show is about the roles and songs that she could have, should have and would have done “had she been asked or had she been around or had she been a guy” (I faithfully quote her). She also delighted us with the roles she did play (oh yeah, she has had a great run).
Now, in concerts, the relationship between an audience and the artist is so different. Some artists are so god-like (and hence so cool and aloof) that the listeners, with a mingled feeling of respect and awe, sit up straight in their chairs, afraid to shift their bulk around. You can compare this to watching Zeus in heaven use his thunderbolts or the Berliner Philharmoniker perform, for instance.
Some other artists are so down-to-earth and warm that you feel as if you have been invited to a party in the artist’s very own living room and you kick off your shoes and swing your legs up on the chair in front of you. This would be like going to a party that playful musically-gifted Hermes throws or watching Patti (see, she made us feel so at home that I feel like I have known her for a really long time and I want to call her by her first name instead of the socially appropriate Ms. LuPone) perform.
Now about the show.
There was only Ms. Lupone’s magnificent brassy (and unique) voice and Mr. i-never-miss-a-beat-or-tune Joseph Thalken’ s piano sounds on stage.
Mr. Thalken
Ms. Lupone, started off with a lovely opening melody followed by “An English Teacher” from “Bye, Bye, Birdie”. She then regaled us with tales about her own career in between the songs. She was just so hilarious that you gotta see it. There was never a dull moment to the show. Her choice of songs was great and that is very important for any artist. Had Patti played those roles, she would have definitely owned these too. Throughout her show that night, you could see the stamina, the mannerisms and the unmatchable multi-tasking ability of a true Broadway actress. Only an actress from Broadway can sing, act, pose, mimic, dance and look fabulous while doing it all.
Here’s a list of songs that she performed and my comments about them. I wish they had posted the list in the program notes. But then again, it would have ruined the surprise. I am giving this list as I want people to go check these out. They are the perfect songs for a gloomy winter day (sigh, we will be having so many of those soon).
An English Teacher- Bye Bye Birdie (hilarious!)
A Wonderful Guy- South Pacific
Don’t rain on my parade- Barbra Streisand (Oh, this was so power-packed and she rocked this song)
Easy to be hard- Hair (the high notes she hit in these were just mind-blowing)
Everything’s coming up Roses- Gypsy
She won a Tony award for her performance in this musical. You will know why when you listen to her.
You mustn’t be discouraged- Fade out Fade in (my second favorite)
This was her audition song for Juilliard. This song is set in one of those make-you-feel-good tunes…until you hear the lyrics.
“When you think you’ve hit the bottom
And you’re feeling mighty low,
You mustn’t feel discouraged –
There’s always one step further down you can go.”
The song only gets better and everybody was cracking up and I was laughing so hard that I almost fell off my seat (the guy sitting next to me didn’t notice as he was busy guffawing too).
Meadowlark- The Baker’s Wife
A boy Like that/ I have a love- West side story
Oh, this was so good- like eating fresh Creme Brulee at La Dolce Vita (hey, i just LOVE their desserts and am not advertising for them, ok).
A quiet thing- Flora the Red Menace (Originally sung by Liza Minelli)
Never Never Land- Peter Pan
This song is from the 1960 production of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, with Mary Martin as Peter. Aww…this was so good. I would love to be in a place where time is never planned. Wouldn’t we all?
Don’t Cry for me Argentina- Evita
My first favorite. This was so awesome. This is “her” song and she owns it. It doesn’t get better than this. You could see her transform into Evita (or Evita as we know her from musicals) almost instantly. The humor was gone and was replaced with the pleading in her voice that also conveyed power and charisma. I had to see it to believe it. This alone was worth going to the show.
Oh what a beautiful morning- Frank Sinatra (It was definitely a very beautiful evening for me.)
You just gotta listen to this song. Patti never missed a beat and it just suited her voice so well. She just fired all her guns and sang it at a faster pace than Robert Preston. I love Patti’s version better now. Wish she would release a recording of that. Sigh! Patti, are you listening?
How to handle a woman- King Arthur’s lament from Camelot
This “duet” was awesome. Mr.Thalken did the background vocals while flipping the pages of the sheet music while continuing his smooth playing of course. I just love it when a person multi-tasks. 🙂
As long as he needs me- Oliver!
She then did a Sondheim Set. What a great composer Stephen Sondheim is!
I never do anything twice (the Madam’s song)– from the film The Seven-per-cent solution
Anyone can whistle-Anyone can whistle
As per the lyrics: “What’s hard is simple. What’s natural comes hard. ” What ??? I think will have to see the original musical to understand.
Send in the clowns– A Little Night Music
My Way- Frank Sinatra (loved this). With this perfectly apt song, Patti ended the absolutely beautiful evening.
Did you think that we let her go so easily? We begged for more. She sang Sondheim’s “Ladies who lunch” from the musical “Company”, Kurt Wiell’s “September Song” and a classic Sinatra “The way you look tonight” (she sang this without the mike and it was just so beautiful).
We were greedy and still wouldn’t let her go. The evening ended with the entire audience standing and Patti singing Sinatra’s “A 100 years from today” sans the piano and sans the microphone. The air was electrifying and there was complete silence except for Patti’s golden voice. The scene is still etched in my mind and that I feel is what every artist strives for- the undying adoration of a devout audience.
Still enchanted, Krithika, for [art]seen
Krithika is learning to whistle and if you hear sounds like the squeak of a trapped mouse or a horribly out-of-tune piccolo on campus, just ignore.
Disclaimer: If I have left out any song from the night’s performance or cited the wrong song, do lemme know. Folks, I am striving to be politically correct here, ok. 😉
