Big Band Music in a Church!

Hi All!--I'm back with a few more offerings of sounds on the street.  Here's a short piece of music coming from a church this spring in New Paltz.  There was a big band concert, and the music was delightfully good!

"What a Neighborhood!" House Concert/Schubertiade Feb 15th

A Good Old Fashioned Schubertiade!

111th Street Style

It's always a treat when you get a bunch of people together, who appreciate chamber music, sit in a lovely, spacious, comfortable room, and listen to some magnificent music...especially if some of it is Schubert!  Once again, our wonderful friends, Vita and Ishmael Wallace, provided us with a fantastic concert, including offerings of Schubert piano "jewels" for 4-hands.  These were some of the most lovely piano 4-hands pieces I've ever heard.  They also performed part of Faure's "Dolly" Suite (for 4-hands), another great treat.  Ishmael graced us with a cosmological narrative of antiquity and Vita added some works for accordion.  I had the opportunity to sing with a small group, as well as the whole audience/community.  We had discussions about art, tales of travel and loss, and reflections on the idea of "home."  And we ended the evening with a startlingly organic master performance on the sopranino sax, which bent the tonal and atonal aural-sphere of the living room into bands of sound I don't think any of us had ever heard or experienced before!  Yet, it was simply amazing.  Of course, a big thanks to the hostess(es) and friends of "What a Neighborhood!" for their continued support, especially in this 10th anniversary year.  We enjoyed a late evening of music, arts, poetry, meditation, and conversation over juice drinks, cheese, and a multitude of dipping and sweet delights!

    

"What a Neighborhood!" Birthday Concert at Bloomingdale School

Greetings again, everyone!

I wanted to share with you an extraordinary "little" concert that our friends Vita and Ishmael Wallace (of the Orpheo Duo and "What A Neighborhood!") organized and performed on Feb. 9th, 2013, here on the Upper West Side, at the Bloomingdale School.  The wonderful concert, which is described in its promotional below, was a delightful mix of "emblematic" pieces by numerous local composers, including a vast and expansive new multi-part piano/performance work entitled "Arcana" by Ishmael Wallace, which combined both musical intrigue with poetic performance of ancient mysteries.  All of these works had marvelous and distinctly original flavor, from David Loeb's Japanese inspired piece, to Alla Pavlova's work based on folk tales, and Waddy Thompson's superb evocation of Manhattan seasons.  Each was powerfully written and beautifully executed by Vita and Ishmael.

This and other concerts by "What a Neighborhood!" this year are in honor of the group's 10th anniversary, which is celebrating with a series of (at least!) 10 concerts.  And each has and will promise an exciting performance.  One of the lovely additions to these multi-faceted performances is that other arts are included, and we all had a fine taste of works by local artists, including Susan Dessel, who did a wonderful suite of tin works for the occasion.

EMBLEMS

An Extraordinary Birthday Party

The Orfeo Duo is full of surprises in this celebration of What a Neighborhood!’s 10th anniversary.

Miniatures by neighborhood composers Robert Cuckson, David Loeb, Alla Pavlova, Waddy Thompson, Ishmael Wallace, and neighborhood children will accompany small artworks on paper by Ana Traversa & in tin by Susan Dessel, as well as bite-sized edibles.

Orfeo Duo (Vita Wallace, violin; Ishmael Wallace, piano & baritone) & a Mystery Guest

Underground Music (2): Multi-Instrumental Man

Multi-Instrumental Man

I wanted to share yet another extraordinary talent, recorded in the subway system here in NYC.  I think as much documentation of this sort of thing as possible is a good thing!

Underground Music (1): A Sideways New Orleans Trio

I apologize in advance for this one, but it may add some flavor to the experience:  here we have the first of many videos I've taken while waiting for the subway in NYC.  There is such a rich tradition and culture of this "underground" music, that I felt it should be shared, especially with those who don't live or work in NYC.  Enjoy!

Nature Sounds (2): Ice Flow on the Hudson

Here we have another set of sounds from nature, this time from the mid-Hudson Valley, and the sound of an ice flow, as the tide comes in, heading up the Hudson on a cold February afternoon in 2013.

Nature Sounds (1): Wind on a Civil War Battlefield

Dear Friends:

It occurred to me that I'd been taking videos of various "natural" sounds whenever I'd traveled.  As I went back to review and re-listen to these clips, I realized their musical qualities--sometimes expressing a quality far superior to that of human-made music.  I will begin to share a few of these for your enjoyment.  Today, the sound of wind on a battlefield ~ that of the first major battle of the American Civil War, Manassas (or, Bull Run).  This was taken in January of 2013.