Home » Stories » Anoushka Shankar - Love Letters nominated For 2021 GRAMMY as 'Best Global Music Album' / REPUBLICWORLD.COM

Stories for January 16, 2021

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    Dudamel, LAPhil, and DG deserve thanks for releasing these endlessly fascinating 'Ives' works / THE CLASSIC REVIEW
     
    Posted At : January 15, 2021 12:00 AM

    Deutsche Grammophon releases Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic's performances of the complete Charles Ives symphony cycle. Called "a revelation" by the Los Angeles Times, the rarely heard symphony cycle was recorded in early 2020 as part of the LA Phil's Dvořák and Ives festival.   THE CLASSIC REVIEW's David A. McConnell writes.....Dudamel, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and DG deserve our warmest thanks for releasing new recordings of these endlessly fascinating works. The label "Complete Symphonies" is misleading however, since the "New England Holidays" Symphony is not included. Given the excellence of these performances, I hope Dudamel and Los Angeles turn their attention to that work in the future. Nevertheless, it is fantastic that one of America's finest orchestras has recorded this repertoire.   SEE THE CLASSIC REVIEW PAGE

  • Fanfare gives Smaro Gregoriadou - A Healing Fire 5 out of 5 stars....says; 'A lovely, very musical and varied guitar recital'
     
    Posted At : January 15, 2021 12:00 AM

    FanFare's Henry Fogel writes.....Gregoriadou is a Greek guitarist who draws a remarkably wide range of color from her guitar. The calm beauty of the third movement of the Bach violin sonata, simply marked Andante, is followed by a brilliantly executed final Allegro that manages to wed crisp articulation with lyrical flow. Britten's Nocturnal after John Dowland, written for Julian Bream, is given a superb reading. The music is a set of variations that appear before the Dowland theme itself emerges at the end. Britten said that the music contained "disturbing images," though he never specified what they were. This is unsettled music that seems to stop and start, building tension in its halting, quiet way. Release, at least to a degree, is found at the end with Dowland's original theme. Gregoriadou's performance emphasizes the work's underlying tension without overplaying it. Sofia Gubaidulina's Serenade was composed in 1960 when the composer was 29, and is a gentler and more introspective work than we are used to from her. At three minutes, it is also very brief. Not unlike the Britten, the music is tonally ambiguous until resolving in what Gregoriadou, in her excellent notes, calls "a therapeutic G major chord." Jacques Hétu was a Canadian composer (1938–2010) who wrote his Suite pour guitare in 1986. It is predominantly a lyrical work, much of it at soft dynamics. The third movement, "Ballade," is marked by an underlying darkness that is relieved in the following "Rêverie." After these two quiet movements the work ends with a brilliant finale, in the style of a moto perpetuo. What is special about this recording is Gregoriadou's focus on timbre. Her technique is exceptional, but it is always at the service of creating a sound world with a wide spectrum. Her dynamic shading in the last movement of the Hétu is astonishing, and it is so effortlessly achieved that you don't think about technique as you listen. I don't think of Gregoriadou as a guitarist. I think of her as a musician who happens to play the guitar. This is a very beautiful guitar recital, with recorded sound that makes it seem as if you are in the room with Gregoriadou, and at just the right distance for the best perspective.

  • Gustavo Santaolalla - The Last of Us Part II makes 'HAPPY: The 10 best video game soundtracks of 2020'
     
    Posted At : January 14, 2021 12:00 AM

    HAPPY's Rian Howlett writes.....2020 was an incredible year for gaming for a few reasons. A lot of free time went around the place, imminent next-gen releases pushed everyone into a gaming frenzy, and Keanu Reeves called another man, and all of us, breathtaking. And just like the titles they represent, the video game soundtracks released in 2020 were top notch. We trawled back through the year that was to single out who we thought brought true heat to the musical table. For the most part, these OSTs are albums you can listen to in their own right, some of them however just complemented the game so perfectly that now it's hard to think of one without the other. From electrically charged thrash metal to spine-tingling orchestral scores, HAPPY picks the 10 best video game soundtracks of 2020. On the list is Gustavo Santaolalla - The Last Of Us Part 2. Gustavo Santaolalla has stood as the invisible third piece of the Joel and Ellie puzzle for as long as we've known them. The guitar in the original TLOU was a sparse, exquisite affair. Barely noticeable builds, and almost entirely acoustic. It was haunting and instantly recognisable. With all of the weapons of the contemporary music producer at his arsenal, he brought a much bigger world for our ears to play in. While absolutely different to the original, there wasn't anything lost through the shift in the music from part one to two. The Last Of Us Part 2's soundtrack is a gorgeous, expansive experience that complemented the jump from adolescence to adulthood that Ellie makes between the games. SEE THE FULL HAPPY PAGE

  • The Kanneh-Mason family, a modern musical dynasty performs Saint-Saens, Bob Marley on new recording / 98.7WFMT
     
    Posted At : January 14, 2021 12:00 AM

    98.7WFMT: Chicago, Lisa Flynn writes.....There have been many musical dynasties throughout history – think of the Bach and Strauss families. Today, we have a new dynasty in the making with the extraordinary talents of England's Kanneh-Masons – seven brothers and sisters, all of whom play either violin, piano, or cello. The COVID-19 pandemic has provided the siblings with the opportunity to join together at home for the first time in over five years, as they've performed and shared their music with the world via livestreams. In 2020, the Kanneh-Masons also released their first-ever family album, Carnival, joined by several instrumentalist friends for Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals. Michael Morpurgo wrote delightful new poems for the beloved work, read by the author and actress Olivia Colman.     (Photo: Stuart McIntyre) READ THE FULL ARTICLE

  • 99.5CRB - Out of the Box interviews Avi Avital on the 'Art of the Mandolin'
     
    Posted At : January 14, 2021 12:00 AM

    99.5CRB - Boston - CHRIS VOSS writes.......When I asked Israeli mandolinist Avi Avital about his newest album and how it differed from his previous mandolin albums, he answered me with a wry, winking smile: "I don't have other mandolin albums." Which is true enough. Avital's past albums - like the 2012 Bach album or the 2015 Vivaldi album - have mostly included pieces composed for other instruments, like the keyboard, violin, or guitar, in arrangements for mandolin. The mandolin was not the focus. As he puts it, those albums featured works that he enjoys playing "because it's beautiful music." To this day, that he plays the mandolin is simply "is a technical fact."  But with Art of the Mandolin, music written for his instrument takes center stage. In our discussion we explore the ins and outs of the instrument, talk about how composers's social perception of the mandolin shaped how they wrote for it, hear a work that was assumed to be for keyboard but simply makes more sense played on mandolin, and chat about Avital's passion for expanding the repertoire for his instrument through frequent commissioned works. LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW

  • Neon Jazz interviews Sarah Mckenzie
     
    Posted At : January 14, 2021 12:00 AM

    Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Composer & Pianist Sarah Mckenzie. When the corona virus hit in early March., she was just on tour in France and all her shows got cancelled. At the same time the US government implemented a travel ban for everyone who was traveling from the Schengen territory so Sarah was unable to return to her home in Los Angeles immediately. ‘In order not to get stuck during lockdown in a big city – she rented an old school house in the very South of England, in Hastings at the English Channel coast. It was a very romantic place from the 17th century. They had planned to stay for two weeks, in the end it was 3 1/2 months. She explains was ensured .. Enjoy ..  Neon Jazz is a radio program airing since 2011. Hosted by Joe Dimino and Engineered by John Christopher in Kansas City, Missouri giving listeners a journey into one of America's finest inventions. Take a listen on KCXL (102.9 FM / 1140 AM) out of Liberty, MO. Listen to KCXL on Tunein Radio at http://tunein.com/radio/Neon-Jazz-Wit.... You can now catch Neon Jazz on KOJH 104.7 FM out of the Mutual Musicians Foundation from Noon - 1 p.m. CST Monday-Friday at https://www.kojhfm.org/. Check us out at All About Jazz @ https://kansascity.jazznearyou.com/ne.... For all things Neon Jazz, visit http://theneonjazz.blogspot.com/ LISTEN

  • Jane Ira Bloom and Mark Helias release improvised duo album during coronavirus lockdown / lab.fm
     
    Posted At : January 12, 2021 12:00 AM

    lab.fm writes....Saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom and bassist Mark Helias have released Some Kind of Tomorrow, an improvised duo album they worked on during coronavirus lockdown. Bloom (soprano saxophone) and Helias (double bass) worked on the 11-track record together over the course of 2020, collaborating remotely online. The two recorded simultaneously in their respective homes and combined the tracks together in post-production, Helias explained in a Facebook post. "The first time that Jane and I improvised together through Wi-Fi sometime in April or May 2020 was a very high experience on so many levels," he said in a statement.  "We were sorting out the possibilities of making music remotely and assessing the technology and our relation to it. Once we made peace with the situation and the medium, listening, feeling, hearing and responding was the same as it ever was." Bloom added, "There is a vibration between us that's uncanny given the circumstances and a deep need to play what was real to us just then. It's as real as it gets for two musicians who needed to create music together to try to find some way to mend the world." Listen to the adventurous title track and purchase Some Kind of Tomorrow in its entirety via Helias' Bandcamp below. SEE THE lab.fm PAGE

Top 10 for Jan

  • Ilan Eshkeri :

    A Perfect Planet

     Sony Music today announces the January 8, 2021 release of A PERFECT PLANET (SOUNDTRACK FROM THE BBC SERIES) with music by composer ILAN ESHKERI (Stardust, The Young Victoria).
  • Jane Ira Bloom, Mark Helias :

    Some Kind of Tomorrow

     Soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom and bassist Mark Helias come together to create duets discovered in the moment in a way that is rarely heard today with Some Kind of Tomorrow.
  • Yo-Yo Ma | Kathryn Stott :

    Comfort and Hope

     Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Kathryn Stott come together again, this time for Songs of Comfort and Hope, set for release on December 11, 2020 on Sony Classical.
  • Ezinma :

    Drummer Bae

     Violin sensation, Ezinma, releases "Drummer Bae," (Decca Records) an imaginative medley of cherished Christmas melodies.
  • The Comet Is Coming :

    Imminent

     "The London-based trio The Comet Is Coming-made up of the saxophonist King Shabaka, the percussionist Betamax, and the keyboardist Danalogue-thrusts empyrean jazz into an apocalyptic future, where raucous psych rock and danceable electro-grooves ride lush tenor lines to outer space.
  • Nick Cave - Nicholas Lens :

    L.I.T.A.N.I.E.S

     Belgian composer Nicholas Lens & Australian singer and songwriter Nick Cave present their lockdown album L.
  • Cast Albums :

    THE PROM - MUSIC FROM THE NETFLIX FILM

     Sony Music Masterworks today announces the release of THE PROM (MUSIC FROM THE NETFLIX FILM), an album of music from the forthcoming Netflix film directed by Ryan Murphy and based on the hit Broadway musical from Bob Martin, Chad Beguelin, and Matthew Sklar.
  • Max Richter :

    Beethoven - Opus 2020

     Max Richter and Deutsche Grammophon are set to release a brand-new orchestral composition to mark the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birthday.
  • Ben MacDougall :

    Godfall (Music from the Video Game)

     Milan Records today announced the release of GODFALL (MUSIC FROM THE VIDEO GAME) by composer Ben MacDougal.
  • Cecilia Bartoli :

    Queen of Baroque

     Decca Classics releases a stunning collection of arias from Cecilia Bartoli, ‘The Queen of Baroque'.

Anoushka Shankar - Love Letters nominated For 2021 GRAMMY as 'Best Global Music Album' / REPUBLICWORLD.COM

Posted: November 27, 2020 12:00 AM | By: Admin
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Sitar Master and San Dieguito Academy alum Anoushka Shankar has been nominated for Best Global Music Album category during Grammy 2021 nominations. As a surprise to fans, the Recording Academy recently announced the nominations for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards on 24 November 2020. The nominations were announced in a live stream on Tuesday. Beyoncé is leading the 2021. Shankar has also been nominated for Best Global Music Album category, previously recognised as Best World Music Album.

The daughter of late Indian music legend Ravi Shankar, she is nominated at the Grammy's 2021 for her six-song 2019 album, "Love Letters," which mixes Indian and Western classical traditions with state-of-the-art pop, Celtic music and more. It's also her first record, on which Anoushka sings, although with only one range. The singer also shares the nominations for the Best Global Music Album with Antibalas for the album Fu Chronicles, Burna Boy's album titled Twice As Tall, Bebel Gilberto for the album Agora and Tinariwen's Amadjar. The music award ceremony will be live-streamed on January 31 at 12:00 pm PT and 3:00 pm ET.

READ THE FULL REPUBLICWORLD.COM ARTICLE

Crossover Media Projects with Anoushka Shankar

  • Anoushka Shankar

    Love Letters - EP

    ‘Love Letters' marks a different direction for the internationally celebrated artist; it offers a shift in intimacy and content and comes at a pivotal time in her career as she signs to her new record label, Mercury KX. Hailed by the Guardian as a "virtuoso sitar player", Anoushka truly pushes the boundaries of how the instrument is heard and perceived and "uses it as a vehicle for creativity" (Times).

    Love Letters documents a time of profound flux for Anoushka: health issues, heartbreak, domestic upheaval – "These were difficult times, which pushed me into some very vulnerable places. I've written from a personal place before, of course, but there was something particularly tender about the process this time, and it was a creative challenge to be brave enough to allow the music to remain as raw as it began" she says.

  • Anoushka Shankar

    Land of Gold

    Land of Gold, Anoushka Shankar's fourth album for Deutsche Grammophon, is her heartfelt response to the trauma and injustice experienced by refugees and victims of war. Offering an uplifting message of hope for dark times, its music was inspired by recent news images of people fleeing civil war, oppression, poverty and unbearable hardship. The album contemplates the common thread of humanity and its power to reconnect people divided by hatred and fear. "The seeds of Land of Gold originated in the context of the humanitarian plight of refugees," Anoushka recalls. "It coincided with the time when I had recently given birth to my second child. I was deeply troubled by the intense contrast between my ability to provide for my baby, and others who desperately wanted to provide the same security for their children but were unable to do so."

    15 NEW  132 Total
    SYND:     Sing Out!!, Echoes, The World, Here&Now, CBC, worldbeatcanada
    Direct: SiriusXM, Stingray
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Wash DC, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Denver, Portland, Seattle, St. Louis, Detroit, Milwaukee, San Diego, San Antonio, Albuquerque, Madison WI, Montreal, Vancouver
    Online: worldbeat canada, NewWorldBuzz, France 24, Jamtv, SoulandJazz, Global Roots & Culture, New World Buzz, The Washington Post, Washingtonian, The Eclectic Chair, straight.com, myvancity
     

  • Anoushka Shankar

    Home

    After several stunning experimental/crossover albums, including the Grammy®-nominated recordings Rise, Traveller and Traces Of You, Anoushka Shankar returns to her classical roots, paying homage to the teachings of her father and guru Ravi Shankar. Home features two ragas, one of which is a creation of Ravi Shankar's, and with them Anoushka shares an intimate, heartfelt live performance in the traditional style. Indian classical music is not written down, but has been improvised and passed down through an oral tradition for centuries; Home is a paradigm of this genre, exemplifying the unique dichotomy between the ancient structure and in-the-moment improvisations. Home is self-produced by Anoushka, and on it she strove to record the ancient instruments at an unprecedented, "high-definition" quality, working with a team of experts to design a studio in her own home that would be uniquely suited to the timbre of her instrument. 

    16 NEW  43 Total
    SYND:     NPR/Hears Of Space, UnderCurrents, Stingray
    Direct: SiriusXM, Spafax
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Cleveland, Houston, Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis, Detroit, Berkeley CA, San Antonio, Albuquerque, Rochester NY, Canada
    Online: Taintradio, M3

  • Anoushka Shankar

    Traces of You

    Inspired by the loss of her legendary father, Ravi Shankar, and by the idea that everything in the universe leaves an indelible mark on everything else, Anoushka Shankar releases her first Deutsche Grammophon recording: Traces of You. The work is a juxtaposition of sorrow surrounding the loss of her father during the recording process and the joy of raising her son, Zubin. Anoushka Shankar has been nominated for three Grammy® Awards, making her the first Indian female and youngest-ever nominee in the World Music category. As a classical sitarist her professional debut was at the age of thirteen and she has championed her father's orchestral works with the world's leading orchestras. Shankar will tour the U.S. in support of the album.

    24 NEW 'ON'  196 Total
    SYND:     NPR/ATC, PRI/Echoes, Acoustic Cafe, Global Village
    Direct: SiriusXM/Watercolors, Spafax
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, Wash DC, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Seattle, Cleveland, Portland, St. Louis, Baltimore, Denver, New Orleans, Austin, Albuquerque, Long Island NY, Toronto, Berkeley CA
    Online: GreenArrow, Spinnaker, New World Buzz, Taintradio, Live 365

  • Anoushka Shankar

    Breathing Under Water

    From the time that the great sitar maestro Ravi Shankar attuned Western ears to the eloquence of Indian Classical music, the world has been fertile ground for creating new fusions of culture and music. The evidence is heard in music from the Beatles to Led Zeppelin, as well as that of Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale. East meets West with the Anoushka Shankar, Karsh Kale collaboration on Breathing Under Water. The new CD on Manhattan records includes guest tracks by Sting, and Anoushka's sister Norah Jones

    2 New "ON" 116 "Total Stations/Shows"
    SYND:     NPR:Day To Day/PRI:The World, Sounds Eclectic & Echoes
    Direct: TV & Radio/ Undercurrents, XM:Upop, Worldspace:Upop, DMX:Groove Lounge(Zen)
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Seattle, Dallas, Houston, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Baltimore(ADI), Kansas City, Portland, New Orleans, Austin, Orlando, Columbus OH, Albuquerque, Tucson, Madison WI, Knoxville TN

  • Anoushka Shankar

    Rise

    Sitarist and composer Anoushka Shankar releases: Rise, her first studio recording in 5 years, and first release since 2001's Grammy-Nominated CD Live At Carnegie Hall.

    TIME Asia wrote: "Anoushka Shankar has made her sitar an instrument not just of a silky melody but of a cultural revival, injecting freshness and energy into traditional Indian music, and broadening its appeal for a younger generation."

    8 New "ADD's" this week: 103 Total Stations
    Syndicated includes:     The World
    Direct: XM
    Online: EVR, WPS1
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Seattle(ADI), Atlanta, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Austin, Berkeley CA, Santa Fe