Music

Goran Bregovic, Weddings, Funerals

I had the pleasure of attending a Goran Bregovic concert this past week. It was one of the best I’ve been to in a while! The music is so freakin’ happy, you can’t help but . The slower, poignant songs allowed us a moment to catch our breaths. From the Bass Concert Hall website description of the concert:

Balkan music icon and acclaimed composer Goran Bregovic celebrates the music of Europe’s Gypsy tradition. Goran brings his 20-piece Wedding and Funeral Orchestra to the Bass Concert Hall stage on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 for one of a handful of in the United States this year. This spectacular Orchestra includes a Serbian brass band, string ensemble, and choir. This is certain to be one of the most talked about world music events for years to come!

I don’t even think this video does them justice. If you see the concert near you, GO! You will have a fantastic time!

My 2-Year Meme: Once

I haven’t had many great loves in my life but I have had a few minor loves. And while usually I don’t talk much about my personal life here, as seems to happen for those of us who watch movies for a living, my life has crossed into the world of fiction through a story called Once by John Carney.

2YM: Melody Gardot

It’s time for me to get to my 2-Year Meme! Juliet recommended Melody Gardot’s album Worrisom Heart. She’s a fellow Jersey girl and like me, she bears little resemblance to the stereotype. After a serious accident, Gardot picked up a guitar, using music to aid in her therapy. The Washington Post review describes her as from a “generation of young women who are combining the elastic phrasing and harmonic sophistication of with the personal lyrics of singer-songwriter folk.” If you enjoy kicking back on a comfy couch with a glass of wine and a fire to listen to the silky stylings of Ella Fitzgerald or Louis Armstrong, you will enjoy Gardot.

My idea with this meme was to identify some of the that readers of this blog are interested in; that transcends genre was my highest hope. I enjoyed listening to Gardot, but I have to admit to having no connection to . I’ve tried and tried, but it doesn’t speak to me. 

List-O-Mania

Everyone loves lists! I find myself making lists but my mind wanders. I start thinking about other things related to what I’m making a list about and pretty soon, I’m off making cheese or buying shoes on the internet. But, I got an email from the folks at Coffee and Celluloid about a new list they put together, 25 Movies About Music You Haven’t Seen. Besides the pretentious title and absurd assumption that we won’t have seen at least some of the movies on their list, it’s actually a good list of films and their post has accompanying vids if you are interested.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Stop Making Sense would be on my top films of all time list, and there are some other gems like The Blues Brothers, The Last Waltz, Woodstock and Pink Floyd’s The Wall. I’m not sure Pump Up the Volume or Velvet Goldmine would make mine, but they are definitely worth watching. Thanks to Patrick Stafford for the tip.

Mark over at Docsider also pointed to a recent Vanity Fair list of their Top 25 Documentaries. I feel bad for publications that are mass market fare trying to delve into a complicated topic like documentary. There is no way they can win with movie people, but if you are wondering what docs should be in your queue, this is a good place to start. Take their audience award poll while you are at it.

Lou Reed’s Berlin

I’m sitting here watching Lou Reed’s Berlin by Julian Schnabel and wrestling with it a bit. My own reaction is that I’m loving what Schnabel is doing cinematically. He draws us into a story via a concert enactment of a concept album by Lou Reed, of The Velvet Underground fame, called Berlin. Berlin, the album on which this performance is based, was panned critically when it came out in 1973 (according to the ’s opening titles). As I attempted to delve into the emotional landscape of the music, I understand why the critics panned the album. It’s tough. I’m not connecting. There is very little that is traditionally pleasing to the music; the “junkie lover” scenario is a bit of a stretch for us Y2K suburban honkies; and even with the “explanation” of Schnabel’s visuals, the whole of it isn’t very likable.

But I’m ahead of myself. The chronicles a performance by Lou Reed of an album he released in 1973. It is what you might call a rock opera, and what Schnabel’s attempts to do, is to fill in any holes left within musical and lyrical journey. This addition of a visual journey should help us to better appreciate the music via what is a largely performance-based , but I’m sorry to say it isn’t working for me.

I had to stop by Warren’s review to see what he thought before writing my own post, and I see he had the exact opposite experience. The gave him a new and profound appreciation for the music. I wish that were the case for me, as I love finding new ways to appreciate music, but it’s just not working for me here, though it is because of the music, not the . Maybe the middle position is this… if you are drawn into the right away, you will be able to follow the journey and perhaps have new appreciation for an artist with a mutifaceted musical persona. If you aren’t feelin’ it in the first 10 minutes, it ain’t gonna get any better.

[]ScESW8OG2zg[/]