Category Archives: Musical Performance

@Matt_Morrison: Where it all began for a fan like me

Posted on by under Musical Performance, Television, Theatre
English: portrait of Sammy Davis Jnr

English: portrait of Sammy Davis Jnr (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My parents courted to the sound of Big Bands, which meant that the records my parent’s played featured the Glenn Miller Orchestra and Benny Goodman’s band. As a family, we watched Perry Como, Bob Hope and every Bing Crosby Christmas Special. I was weaned on an appreciation of the swing sound, crooners and song and dance men.

For my generation Sinatra defined the Rat Pack sound emulated by Harry Connick, Jr., Michael Buble and countless others.  I preferred Sammy Davis, Jr. – Sammy sang, danced, played the drums – he entertained, he was a triple threat. I was lucky enough to see him perform live 45 years ago. His health was failing so the dancing was limited, but not the emotion. When Sammy sang Hey There, I believed no one would ever sing it better. I was wrong. Matthew Morrison does it better.

Matthew Morrison released his sophomore CD yesterday – Where It All Began – a collection of Broadway standards. I haven’t stopped listening to it since I downloaded it last night. The late Phil Ramone – the R in A&R records – produced the album for Adam Levine’s label. The project was one of Ramone’s last…and may be one of his best. A smooth big band sound does not overpower Morrison’s vocals, so Morrison doesn’t have to showboat, or slide into a note. He drops each one like rain on a spring morning, plump and perfect.

My favourite track is As Long as She Needs Me. A lush flourish of strings opens the track, but when Morrison begins to sing all there is a piano and brushes on a drum skin. Delicious. Romantic. Irresistible. The orchestra returns for the build. Everything is restrained. Morrison pining for the love he thinks won’t last. The orchestra echoing his angst.

There are up tempo tunes – The Lady is a Tramp. The only song with a conceit. Morrison drops Ramone’s name, following in the footsteps of everyone from Cole Porter to Sammy.  Smokey Robinson duets on On Down the Road from The Whiz.

The most exciting thing about this collection of songs is that Morrison’s interpretations make each one feel new again. I fell in love with the lyrics that I had taken for granted because of their familiarity. Oh, I envy Morrison’s legion of young fans for whom these songs aren’t standards, as they hear them for the first time.

Watch your local PBS station listings. There is a companion broadcast, also called – Where it All Began. I saw it Saturday night. You won’t be disappointed.

#Creativity – an inherent risk

Posted on by under Musical Performance, photography, Television, Theatre, Travel, writing
Risk

Risk (Photo credit: The Fayj)

When risky jobs are listed seldom are artist, writer, performer or photographer included. With the odd exception, risks that creative people take do not result in bodily harm. However their risks can end reputations, lose supporters, and destroy self-confidence. Creative risks can result in soul-shattering, creativity-ending impacts.

As a writer, I have only just understood that writer’s block is not an absence of ideas, but the presence of fear. Every time I push publish I have to push fear aside, risking rejection and hate mail.

The prolific creative people I know leap over fear daily. They beat fear into submission. Risking all, they keep acting, painting, writing, singing, dancing, filming and photographing. Failure is their constant companion; the risk of failure their bete noir.

Take risks. Fight the good fight. Create with courage.

Something for nothing and my gigs for #free

Posted on by under Adventure Travel, Art, Beading, Charity, digital media, Film, Genealogy, marketing, Musical Performance, online communicatons, photography, Recipe, Theatre, Travel, writing
English: Obstacles to the free flow of informa...

English: Obstacles to the free flow of information online. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A 6-month contract runs out next week, so I am looking for work, again. That means I have to get out my HR dictionary and begin to interpret job postings. Anti-discrimination laws have made it difficult for employers to be specific about their “ideal” candidate. Euphemisms, obscure details and subscript have become commonplace tools to work around laws.

There is one item on an employer’s shopping list, however, that irks me. Unlike the work-arounds the concept is clear, yet often badly expressed. The author of my sample ad is looking for a writer. That may explain the awkward phase: Compensation: Non-paying. An online shopping site is not willing to pay for content, although content is absolutely imperative to attract viewers, without whom no purchases will be made. Where is the logic in that? That’s like saying I’m not going to pay for the cotton fiber required to make a shirt I plan to sell.

My heart goes out to all the youngsters trying to break into the content writing business who will accept the terms of this gig. Note all the expectations of the employer – be on time, deliver regular product at regular intervals. But nope, I won’t pay for professionalism. A pox on his head.

Writing effective, engaging, unique online content is hard work that requires skill and an investment of time. The writer has expenses – an Internet connection and a computer. Reliable ones cost money. Online writers have to eat, pay rent and buy personal hygiene products. Despite movie stereotypes, most online writers are regular folk with families and an interest in recreational activities that involve personal interaction. Hygiene is essential. Keeping up appearances costs money. Just ask Missus Bucket.

Studies have been done that indicate that a blog post should be between 400 and 600 words. 400 to 600 good words takes – on average – an hour to produce. Remember there is research to be done, revisions and proof-reading. The next time you read a blog post, consider the work that went into it.  Play fair. If you expect to get paid for work that you do, why shouldn’t an online writer. Boycott sites that fail to compensate.

There is another model of payment.

They pay per click. The writer writes and posts content on speculation. If the content generates clicks, the writer might get paid. Because there is a threshold that has to be met before compensation kicks in. The secret to success here is writing content that is of interest to many people. Celebrity, fashion, travel,  recipes – generic subjects for which there is already traffic. You can see some samples here. Writers beware.

#MUSIC – the radio show hosted by @ChrisEpting

Posted on by under Travel, Musical Performance, digital media, online communicatons, writing
Stevie Nicks ( Oberhausen 2003) - eigendom Bum...

Stevie Nicks ( Oberhausen 2003) – eigendom Bumperke (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Gosh, I’m excited. The headphones are on, and I’m listening to my friend Chris Epting interviewing Phil Collen of Def Leppard and Peter Frampton. It is the first episode of a weekly program called MUSIC that you should make must listen. You can download for your iPod. Radio that you can time shift!

Chris has authored 20 books, is a social media maven and is a pop culture guru. He knows everybody who is anybody. He is music’s everyman – asking questions that you would ask if you could interview Kiss or Stevie Nicks or Peter Frampton.

Chris has been writing about music since he was a teen. His book Hello, It’s Me – one of my personal favourites – is the life you wanted to lead when you were teenager, and a 20 something and a dad…and a pal. He drops names as naturally as we talk about our Aunt Mary.  Read it. While you are waiting for your copy to arrive, listen to MUSIC, a conversation with the people who shaped music as we know it.

SMASH and The New Normal Cancelled: Pedigree Counts for Naught

Posted on by under Musical Performance, Television, Theatre, Travel
Spencer Tracy, narrator and Garson Kanin, dire...

Spencer Tracy, narrator and Garson Kanin, director, at the Long Island Studios of the Army Signal Corps for the recording of Spencer Tracy’s narration of the “Ring of Steel,” an Office of Emergency Management (OEM) film, on February 19th, 1942. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Spielberg produced, Garson Kanin inspired,  Broadway Soap – SMASH – will not see a third season. Spielberg wasn’t the only name producer behind the series. Craig Zadon and Neil Meron put their reputations behind it. The cast’s pedigree was equally strong. Megan Hilty, Christan Borle and Anjelica Huston were standouts. Debra Messing brought a television pedigree. Pedigree, however, was not enough to save it.

The cancellation of The New Normal was announced last week. No surprise to devotees of the Ryan Murphy produced series. Justin Bartha brought Hangover fans into the audience. Andrew Rannells, hot off Book of Mormon, should have captured hearts. Ellen Barkin, who barked through the role of Nana, and NeNe Leakes, a reality television star, should have counted for something. Yet they were not enough to find a significant audience on Tuesday nights.

Both shows were shown on NBC in the US. Perhaps distribution killed them both? The network moved the shows around regularly. They were hard to find. An audience can’t build, if the program can’t be found. The New Normal did not benefit from following Matthew Perry’s new sitcom.

One significant difference between SMASH and The New Normal was consistent vision. SMASH was all over the place. Broadway audiences are preRENT or postRENT, and despite the efforts of Glee, never the twain shall meet. Season 1 of SMASH was about producing a show in the preRENT style. Season 2, in hopes for capturing a younger audience, a postRENT production was added. Neither audience was enticed.

There is an adage – You are only as good as your last show. Both these shows were good. And they didn’t last.