Stories for January 21, 2021
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Ed O'Keefe is the CBS news white house correspondent who came to play / 98.7WFMT Q&A
Posted At : January 20, 2021 12:00 AM
WFMT: Chicago 's Candice Agree writes....From the age of 3, CBS News political correspondent Ed O'Keefe toiled at a keyboard-not in typing, as unintended preparation for his 13 years at the Washington Post, but in studying classical piano in Delmar, a suburb of Albany, NY. Although he loved playing, his interest in current events and politics pulled him into a journalism career. No stranger to Chicago, in 2008, O'Keefe was in Grant Park the night that Barack Obama was elected president. O'Keefe, 37, is about to become a fixture in the White House press room, as he will cover the Biden administration for the TV network he joined in 2018. But he has never left his first passion far behind. He shared some musical memories with us before taking on his new assignment at CBS News as Senior White House & Political Correspondent. Photo courtesy CBS News) READ Candice Agree's Q&A with Ed O'Keefe.Jane Ira Bloom, Mark Helias 'Some Kind Of Tomorrow' is raw, intimate, and fearless / JAZZ VIEWS
Posted At : January 20, 2021 12:00 AM
Jane Ira Bloom, Mark Helias 'Some Kind Of Tomorrow' was Reviewed by JAZZ VIEWS Sammy Stein, who wrote........
Saxophone player Jane Ira Bloom and bass player Mark Helias are long-time collaborators. This album was born out of the need to create music in such a unique time where live audiences and in-person studio recordings were impossible. Recorded remotely from their homes, the music stands as a departure from any kind of release they have done together as all tracks are completely improvised. The resulting sound is raw, intimate, and fearless. I asked Jane Ira Bloom about the recording, and she explained, " Given how we had to make this made Mark and I rely on the most basic aspect of our collaborative impulse – our two sets of ears. Mark and I have known one another for over 40 years. We first met in New Haven CT in the 1970s, and when you think about it, you build up so much shared vocabulary when you've played with someone over such a long time. We really didn't plan this recording. It happened because we needed to improvise with one another and so the music emerged from a different place than normal when you plan a recording project." READ THE FULL JAZZ VIEWS REVIEWSignum Saxophone Quartet - Echoes is the WFMT: Featured New Release
Posted At : January 19, 2021 12:00 AM
An ensemble that attracts rave reviews and sell-out crowds at prestigious venues everywhere from Vienna to New York, the sensational Signum Saxophone Quartet presents their first Deutsche Grammophon album. Featuring inventive arrangements of music by composers from Dowland to Peter Gregson, as well as Guillermo Lago's Sarajevo, a saxophone quartet original, Echoes showcases the full potential of the saxophone – a modern instrument more than capable of capturing the echoes of the past. For January 19, 2021, the Signum Saxophone Quartet: Echoes is the WFMT: Chicago 'Featured New Release.'Sharon Isbin talks technique, collaboration, and guitar diplomacy with Montana Public Radio
Posted At : January 19, 2021 12:00 AM
"the Monet of the classical guitar" Sharon Isbin, returns to Montana Public Radio's - Musician's Spotlight to talk technique, collaboration and guitar diplomacy with host John Floridis. Isbin's accomplishments involve big numbers: she has recorded more than 30 albums, premiered 80 new works by composers like John Corigliano, Joseph Schwantner and Lukas Foss, performed as a soloist with over 200 orchestras around the world, appeared on numerous television and radio programs, hit #2 on Billboard, and won dozens of prestigious honors and awards. Montana Public Radio's Musician's Spotlight will Broadcast this segment on Tuesday 1/19/2021. READ THE FULL ARTICLE & LISTENRobin Spielberg's 'Re-Inventions' is beautiful, translucent, smokey marble with three sides of music / The Final on Vinyl
Posted At : January 18, 2021 12:00 AM
TFOV Founder - Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck writes.....RE-INVENTIONS takes talent and a lot of courage to take world-renowned and treasured classical pieces by the masters and rework them into your vision. After hearing this album, I think you will agree that Robin should put the crown on her head because she proves why she is piano music royalty. The 2 LP set is a beautiful translucent smokey marble with three sides of music. The sound for instrumental piano is exceptional. I would think most instrumental music is well suited for the vinyl format. Of course, when you have an equally exceptional musician such as Robin Spielberg performing, the sound is that much more beautiful and defined. Robin Spielberg has poured her heart and soul into this music, which becomes apparent quite readily. Track after track you have the opportunity to revisit classic compositions and the old blended with the new reborn into several variations. The color, ambiance, and heavenly beauty of this music is brilliantly performed. I can guarantee if you appreciate piano solo music, you will fall in love with RE-INVENTIONS. I know it did not take me long! READ THE FULL Final on Vinyl REVIEWUS Marine Band commission of Peter Boyer's 'Fanfare for Tomorrow' will be performed as part of Biden/Harris inauguration / The Violin Channel
Posted At : January 18, 2021 12:00 AM
THE Violin Channel writes......The United States Marine Band commissioned American composer Peter Boyer for special fanfare at Biden/Harris Inauguration, to be performed at the U.S. Capitol on January 20th, 2021. Boyer's new work, "Fanfare for Tomorrow," will be performed as part of the one hour prelude music of the inauguration, conducted by Colonel Jason K. Fettig., the Marine Band's Director. The piece was originally for solo French horn, was commissioned by the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra. Boyer significantly expanded and developed it for a full concert band for this inaugural commission. The United States Marine Band, the "The President's Own," is America's oldest continuously active musical organization. It is said that debuted in 1801 for Thomas Jefferson's inauguration. "I had just over a week to compose and orchestrate the piece," Boyer said. "Col. Jason Fettig had cautioned me about writing too high for the brass, due to the very cold conditions in which the piece would be performed outdoors. I had just a few hours to create and deliver this lower key version of the piece to the Marine Band. Happily, It seems to have worked out well!" READ THE FULL Violin Channel ARTICLEWith 'Four Questions,' Arturo O'Farrill finds inspiration, not just of the musical kind / Hollywood Soapbox
Posted At : January 17, 2021 12:00 AM
Hollywood Soapbox - John Soltes writes......Arturo O'Farrill, who heads The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, has always brought the real world into his musical compositions, and that's especially true of his latest release, Four Questions, featuring well-known academic Dr. Cornel West. The album was met with acclaim in 2020 and received a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album. The title of the album is pulled from the original composition featuring West on the album. The 16-minute piece pairs the academic's voice with the measured musical musings of the orchestra. Surrounding this central tune are other songs that speak to the versatility of O'Farrill's creative output, including "Baby Jack," "Jazz Twins," "Clump, Unclump" and the "A Still, Small Voice" series. "What happened was I had been very interested in Dr. West's speaking for many, many years," O'Farrill said in a recent phone interview. "You can't help but be aware of Dr. West, and periodically he would come to a show. And I'd see him in the audience." READ THE FULL Hollywood Soapbox ARTICLETop 10 for Jan
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SIGNUM saxophone quartet :
Echoes
An ensemble that attracts rave reviews and sell-out crowds at prestigious venues everywhere from Vienna to New York, the sensational SIGNUM saxophone quartet are now set to present their first Deutsche Grammophon album. -
Laila Biali :
A Case of You - LIVE
SOCAN Music and JUNO Award winner Laila Biali shares an intimate acoustic cover of Joni Mitchell's classic love song, A Case of You, captured live off the floor at Revolution Recording Studios. -
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. -
Catalyst Quartet :
Uncovered Vol. 1 - Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
On Friday, February 5, 2021, GRAMMY Award-winning Catalyst Quartet releases UNCOVERED Volume 1 on Azica Records. -
Chad Lawson :
When the Party's Over
Pianist and composer Chad Lawson shares his cover of Billie Eilish's song "When the Party's Over" today; listen/watch HERE. -
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.
Ilan Eshkeri to guest on 90.1WUSB - SOUNDS OF FILM
Posted: May 6, 2019 12:00 AM | By: AdminNeo-classical UK-based composer Ilan Eshkeri is known for his acclaimed film scores, concert music and artist collaborations. His latest film score is for Sony Pictures Classics' THE WHITE CROW, a biopic on world-renowned Russian ballet dancer Rudolph Nureyev. The film is directed by Ralph Fiennes, who also stars in the movie. This is the third collaboration between Ilan Eshkeri and Ralph Fiennes. Through the years, Eshkeri has written a wide variety of film and television scores including STILL ALICE, STARDUST, SHAUN THE SHEEP, THE YOUNG VICTORIA, 47 RONIN, and THE INVISIBLE WOMAN. In addition, he has also collaborated with a number of popular musical artists including Annie Lennox, David Gilmore and KT Tunstall.
The Sounds of Film is the nation's longest running film, music and ideas themed radio show. For the past 30 years, the program has delivered a popular mix of interviews and music to listeners all over Long Island, parts of Connecticut and streaming worldwide live on the internet. Past people interviewed for the show include Darryl DMC McDaniels, Jordan Peterson, Carter Burwell, Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Governor Jesse Ventura, Big Daddy Kane, Mayor David Dinkins, Lalo Schifrin, Rory Kennedy, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Billy Joel, Alec Baldwin, and Kurtis Blow. Eshkeri will guest on this week's Tom Needham's SOUNDS OF FILM, show on THURSDAY, May 9 on 90.1WUSB: Stony Brook NY.
Crossover Media Projects with Ilan Eshkeri
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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). Available everywhere now, the album features the music from Eshkeri's fourth collaboration with Sir David Attenborough, the legendary naturalist who will narrate the BBC series.
Composer ILAN ESHKERI says: "Creating the music for A Perfect Planet has been a hugely rewarding experience. The series celebrates the extraordinary world we are a part of as well as showing the delicate balance of the systems that support life, and what we need to do to ensure its future stability. It's a message that's very important to me and one that I believe we have a responsibility to engage with – in a way that not only educates but inspires the next generation. This influenced my approach to the music, and set me on an unconventional path. Composing the music for A Perfect Planet has also been enormously challenging – not least because of the unprecedented logistical issues of trying to record an orchestra during the lockdown! I'm grateful to everyone at the BBC and [production company] Silverback who supported me and the ideas I threw at them and I hope my music can play a small part in helping to inspire change."
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Ilan Eshkeri
The White Crow OMPS w/Lisa Batiashvili
Half-hearted concessions to freedom of expression were not enough to hold Rudolf Nureyev in the Soviet Union. The young dancer, a superstar soloist of the Kirov Ballet, caused an international sensation when he became the first Soviet artist to defect to the West during the Cold War. The White Crow, a new film directed by Ralph Fiennes, charts Nureyev's journey from childhood poverty in Siberia and meteoric rise as a principal dancer to the decisive moment of his defection in June 1961 at Le Bourget airport in Paris. The story's personal and political drama surges through Sir David Hare's screenplay and is intensified by the austere beauty of Ilan Eshkeri's original score. Deutsche Grammophon is set to release the soundtrack album on 22 March 2019 to coincide with the movie's international release.