So the Grammys were last night. I watched a bit of it, including the overly-hyped Gaga song "Born This Way" that was supposed to be the new gay anthem. Um... no. I don't think Madonna needs to worry about any of that this year. Neither do Streisand, Garland, or any of the others whose "gay anthems" have stood the test of time. Besides, do we really still need a gay anthem? Maybe it's me, but I don't see the same need for it. Or maybe we need it more than ever. I don't know. All I know is that Gaga's attempt was ham-handed and missed the mark.
There was also a whole bunch of Bieber. Now don't get me wrong... I'm okay with the Bieber. There's always someone in the pop music genre filling the always-in-demand 13-year-old pre-pubescent female niche market. I remain unimpressed. Take away the auto-tuning and then maybe I'll pay a little more notice. I suggest that Mr. Bieber invest his earnings well. Once his fans begin to menstruate regularly, they'll likely move on to more interesting music.
One bright spot was the Best New Artist category, won by Esperanza Spalding who bested the Bieber for the title, and rightly so. What a talent. It's nice to see the best new artist award go to an actual artist, rather than some publicity-driven hack. In this clip, you see Spalding performing at the White House with Tony Bennett. Speaking of artistry, watch and listen and learn as Bennett, with his clearly aging voice, show that the clarity of the vocal signal is not a necessary ingredient in the creation of a great performance.
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Monday, February 14, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
I had a farm in Africa.
John Barry, composer of many movie scores, died yesterday in New York. He was 77 years old.
Barry composed the scores for many films, including most of the earlier James Bond movies from Dr. No (1962) to The Living Daylights (1987). The Bond films are his best known contribution to cinematic orchestral composition, but I remember him from his scores for Somewhere In Time (1980) and Out of Africa (1985). Back in my college days, I can recall hearing that lush orchestration booming out of my parents' stereo, or out of Eric's apartment. (Yes, we were drama queens. Still are.) Barry's music helped to solidify my love for the french horn, which played prominent roles in many of his orchestrations. His sappy melodies, reminiscent of Baptist church music in their chord-in-the-left-hand, melody-in-the-right-hand structure, helped to soothe many a bruised heart back in the day.
Here's some of his best work, in my opinion:
Barry composed the scores for many films, including most of the earlier James Bond movies from Dr. No (1962) to The Living Daylights (1987). The Bond films are his best known contribution to cinematic orchestral composition, but I remember him from his scores for Somewhere In Time (1980) and Out of Africa (1985). Back in my college days, I can recall hearing that lush orchestration booming out of my parents' stereo, or out of Eric's apartment. (Yes, we were drama queens. Still are.) Barry's music helped to solidify my love for the french horn, which played prominent roles in many of his orchestrations. His sappy melodies, reminiscent of Baptist church music in their chord-in-the-left-hand, melody-in-the-right-hand structure, helped to soothe many a bruised heart back in the day.
Here's some of his best work, in my opinion:
