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Archive for November, 2009

Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas” is packed from start to finish with music of unearthly beauty, wit and grace. Yet a good performance always seems to drive toward the opera’s final moments (cocaine detox treatment and cocaine detox kit for people), when the abandoned Carthaginian queen goes sorrowfully but serenely to her death.

Thursday’s performance in Herbst Theatre by Nicholas McGegan and the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra was no exception. Mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, making her first appearance with the period ensemble, sang Dido eloquently and with a masterful command of style.

None of it, though, compared with the depth and directness of the final lament, “When I am laid in Earth.” Here Graham mustered all of her tonal splendor and dramatic focus to provide an arresting picture of a woman - and queen - at the end of her tether.

Melodic phrases began in silence and made their presence felt gradually, in a slow upwelling of emotion. The final cry, “Remember me,” was delivered with a controlled fervor that tallied with Dido’s overarching stateliness, and McGegan brought tenderness to the elegiac final measures, with their aching, bittersweet harmonies.

The rest of the performance captured a similar air of probing tragedy. As Aeneas (a comparatively minor role, despite the work’s title), baritone William Berger combined robust tone and impeccable diction for a persuasively heroic portrait.
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African artists have always been particularly open to outside influences, but this concert was remarkable both for the extraordinary array of styles and the skill with which they were blended together.

Richard Bona is a distinguished jazz player who has worked with the likes of Pat Metheny and Joe Zawinul, but here the Cameroonian bassist was out to show that jazz and blues are just part of his range. He and his band constantly changed direction, from African songs to funk, flamenco, Brazilian and Caribbean influences, mixed in with quirky demonstrations of his musicianship that veered towards good-humoured cabaret. This musical kaleidoscope was held together by light bass runs that provided the foundation for guitar, keyboard and horn solos from his impressive band. Bona’s gently exquisite vocal work was equally notable.

He looked like a pop star, sporting dreadlocks and jeans, but opened with a drifting song dominated by his high, delicate voice, before showing off the band’s dynamic range with a switch to jazz funk. From then on, the changes kept coming, from the mellow African tune M’Bemba Mama to the excursion into brassy Indian styles on Shiva Mantra, and a dazzling display of musicianship and technology in which he sampled his own solo vocals, adding layers of overdubs.
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The Recording Academy has added songs by James Brown, Bob Marley, the Beach Boys, Louis Armstrong and others to its Grammy Hall of Fame, bringing the total number of titles in the collection to 851.

The latest batch of 25 recordings added to the list includes Brown’s 1966 “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” and Marley’s 1973 album “Catch a Fire,” which the Jamaican reggae great recorded with his band The Wailers, the academy said.

Also on the list was the Beach Boys’ 1965 song “California Girls,” jazz master Louis Armstrong’s 1931 “Lazy River” and the 1972 comedy album “Class Clown” from George Carlin, who died last year.

The 25 recordings added to the Grammy Hall of Fame will be displayed along with the rest of the collection at the Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles.

Earlier this month, Alicia Keys told Billboard.com that since her album, “The Element of Freedom,” was pushed back from Dec. 1 to Dec. 15, she used the additional time to work on possibly “the most exciting collaborations of my career yet.” Now her label, J Records, confirms the album includes a duet with Beyoncé as well as one with newcomer Drake.

“Put It In A Love Song” features Beyoncé, while “Unthinkable (I’m Ready)” has background vocals by Drake. There’s also the reggae-tinged “Love is My Disease;” the 80s-inspired “This Bed;” and first and second singles “Doesn’t Mean Anything” and “Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart,” which are at No. 18 and No. 41 on this week’s R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, respectively.

“Element of Freedom” features production from Jeff Bhasker, Swizz Beatz, longtime collaborator Kerry “Krucial” Brothers and Drake’s producer, Noah “40″ Shebib.

In support of “Element,” Keys is set to appear on “The Today Show,” “Oprah,” “Late Show with David Letterman,” and “The View,” among others, in coming weeks. Additionally, she will perform an intimate, sold-out concert in New York City on Dec. 1 (World AIDS day and the original release date of the album), with 100% of the proceeds being donated to the “Keep A Child Alive” charity. The event will be streamed live on YouTube at 8 p.m. EST.

Rihanna has admitted she reunited with Chris Brown after he assaulted her in February but changed her mind when she realised she was setting a bad example to her fans.

Rihanna admits she was “wrong” to go back to Chris Brown after he assaulted her.

The ‘Umbrella’ singer - who was left battered and bruised after her ex-boyfriend attacked her in February at a pre-Grammys party - says she had convinced herself it wouldn’t happen again and wanted to give their relationship another go.

She told US TV show ‘Good Morning America’: “I was so far in love, so unconditional that I went back. It’s humiliating to say this happened. To accept that? It’s a traumatising experience.

“I stayed. I even went back after he beat me, which was wrong. But again … I’m a human being, and people put me on a very unrealistic pedestal. And all these expectations, I’m not perfect. Also it’s pretty natural for that to be the first reaction. … It’s completely normal to go back. You start lying to yourself. The minute the physical wounds go away you want this thing to go away. This is a memory you don’t want to have ever again.”

Meanwhile, Chris blames his lack of anger management on the attack but still couldn’t believe he had assaulted her.
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