seeline

One of my favorite singers, Mônica Salmaso, with the Orquestra Popular de Câmara. (I think the 1st percussionist shown is Guello... he's very in-demand as a session player.) The piece is by a composer from Azerbaijan (Eldar Mansurov). It's called "Bayaty." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zqQeAyZMIw Note: the audio is a little bit weird at times; sounds like the DVR must have picked up some interference from a radio or even another TV show...

I haven't heard anything new that's grabbed me for a while (partly due to less $ available for import CDs), but I thought I might post some videos of a few old favorites... First up, one of the divas of samba during the 70s and 80s, Clara Nunes. The song is "Peixe com coco" (title refers to food) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7DBSr7oifg

Ogden Nash, and i tend to agree with you.

Just to wind this up... Do I think Sondheim is a "pop" songwriter/lyricist? Yes and no; it depends on which show is being referenced. I think some of his shows are a hybrid of opera and Broadway musical, while others are closer to opera. (IIRC, at least one major US opera company has staged "Sweeney Todd"; there are probably other things in his rep that will be taken on by opera companies, given time.) Do I like the song "I Remember" - as well as its companion piece, "Take Me to the World"? Yes, I do. The right kind of performance can make the objections about the lyrics pretty irrelevant. All that said, I can see why some people might not like the lyrics (and the melodies), but the "why" of that seems - to my mind - like a different discussion. (One about the merits or lack thereof of Sondheim's skill as a lyricist and, sometimes, composer - he still works with others on occasion.) If that discussion happens, I'd think it fairest to start with some of his earlier work, like the lyrics for "Gypsy."

Sondheim takes his playbook (or his starting point - likely both are valid descriptions) from Rodgers and Hammerstein. "Oklahoma!" changed things - a lot. And other composers/lyricists/librettists (Lerner and Loewe, Meredith Willson) were among those who joined in. (Kander and Ebb, too - also Michael Bennett, with "A Chorus Line" - more in terms of book and characterization than song form, though.) There are always going to be people willing to write Broadway hits like "Mame," "Grease" and "Hairspray." People like Sondheim, Guettel (who is a Rodgers, btw), Ricky Ian Gordon et. al. are probably not as plentiful, nor will they ever be.

My guess is that his show "Passion" is probably going to be in opera rep. eventually, just like Bernstein's "Candide." (Cheap to stage - just 3 principals - but demanding to perform!) But... he often writes for specific performers (like Bernadette Peters). So he probably is limiting himself somewhat in consideration of the vocal range of those performers. But he does seem to like to use classically-trained singers, too... I think his shows (and some by other composers, like Guettel and LaChiusa) are really meant to be about as "high culture" as Broadway gets. (Not opera, not operetta, but something similar to both.) One of LaChiusa's shows was killed after about 40 performances because the lead could only sing 6 performances a week instead of 8 - and that lead was Audra McDonald. (See "Down with Love" clip I posted on pg. 2.) If that show (Marie Christine) was staged by an opera company, they'd probably need to have 2 alternate leads, so that nobody would (hopefully!) have to take a day off because of overtaxed vocal cords. And i'm not sure why anyone would need to be absolved of responsibility. He has a different approach to musicals than most composers and librettists. I kind of doubt he's writing anything with a "pop standard" approach...

I'd already said that most of Sondheim's lyrics are very context-dependent; that they're all of a piece with the show. (book, libretto.) I think that's one reason why very few of them work out of context. Go back a page or so and check. (I also noted the title of the show in the post with the lyrics, so people could check if they wanted to.) The thing is, most people (at least most people over a certain age) are already familiar with the basic plot outlines of, say Gypsy and West Side Story, even if they haven't seen the shows. A lot of people can i.d. songs as coming from either one or the other. But... those songs are extremely plot-and character-driven, already. Sondheim's work (and that of people who've followed him, like Adam Guettel and Micahel John LaChiusa) becomes even more so. I 1st heard one of the ballads from Sweeney Todd without knowing anything more than the broadest outlines of the show. I was very surprised when I heard it in context. (For one, it's not sung as a ballad there, but that's only the beginning.) Sondheim writes for the theater - and it's not theater with simplistic plotlines (as in the heyday of the Gershwin brothers). There aren't stock characters anymore, so the lyrics are tailored (well or poorly) to who is singing them. But you probably knew that already.

If you know who the character is, and why the lyrics (archly poetic or not) might be sung by them, it changes things - quite a bit, I think. Granted, this is a very obscure show (only aired once), but it's easy enough to find synopses out there. At any rate, I think the lyrics make a lot of sense in context; also that, given the character's situation, there's a good reason for them to be singing/speaking about the world in this way.

Re. "I Remember": I think it might help to have some background on the show (actually a teleplay, "Evening Primrose") and on who the characters are and why one of them might be singing a lyric like that. Ultimately, either you like it or you don't. I don't see any need to be crass/sarcastic about it, though. But I suppose The Great Critics know best.

There's a sincerity and depth to the best of these kinds of lyrics that we Anglos just can't begin to fathom, I think.

One for the road (sort of)... Audra McDonald's version of "Down with Love" -

It might just be the way I hear things, but I've always thought "Alone Together" is more about aloneness than togetherness... in the readings I know, anyway. "Dancing in the Dark": imo, a very depressing song overall (because, as Jim noted, it's focused on the fleeting nature of life itself). Has always struck me as a shade too melodramatic for my taste. (Like "Body and Soul" - love the melody, hate the lyrics!) I'm more partial to a lot of Ira Gershwin's work (dealing with love; there's humor in much of it) and ... Johnny Mercedr's lyrics for Midnight Sun and Early Autumn. Re. Sondheim, here are the lyrics to "I Remember," though you really need to hear them with the music to get the full effect... I remember sky. It was blue as ink. Or at least I think I remember sky. I remember snow, Soft as feathers, Sharp as thumbtacks, Coming down like lint, And it made you squint When the wind would blow And ice, like vinyl, on the streets Cold as silver, White as sheets, Rain like strings and Changing things Like leaves I remember leaves, Green as spearmint, Crisp as paper. I remember trees, Bare as coat racks, spread like broken umbrellas And parks and bridges, Ponds and zoos, Ruddy faces, Muddy shoes, Light and noise and bees and boys and days. I remember days, Or at least I try. But as years go by They're a sort of haze. And the bluest ink Isn't really sky. And at times I think I would gladly die For a day of sky.

Assertions like this leave me utterly baffled! Me, too.

I'm willing to bet that Davidson has some problems (mental health issues) that made him vulnerable to these people. How sad.

This song alternates between pretty bad lyrics and a few great ones (imo), but given the right performance...

a lot of lyrics that look so-so/bad on paper but ... given the right interpretation, they can be anything but trite. Re. the Sondheim book, we don't know exactly what he's said about the lyricists mentioned in the OP's link. And I have to admit that while a lot of Sondheim doesn't do it for me, he's written some really beautiful melodies and lyrics ("I Remember" and "Take Me to the World" - from "Evening Primrose" - are two; also some of the songs from his early show "Anyone Can Whistle"). And his more recent material is meant to be taken in the context of the entire performance (show). Some pieces that sound "eh" when excerpted have a lot of presence when heard in context. (Just my .02...) Edited to add: check some of Michael John LaChiusa's work. Very gifted lyricist/librettist.

The original video for Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers' "Bustin' Loose" (shot in the Cap. Center parking garage, IIRC). Take the tempo down a few notches, and you have the basic go go beat, minus the "congos" (congas). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoUVPXxlvmY Nobody has to like it, after all... but the thing some people seem to miss is that it's for dancing, not for analyzing. (Like zydeco, fwiw.)

E.U. (same gig) - (My fave out of these three clips.) Fast-forward to 2010, RFK Stadium parking lot - Junkyard Band doing their signature song...

From the DVD of the Capital Center go go bash (1987) - Chuck - Run Joe Rare Essence - Do You Know What Time it Is? There's lots more on the Tube.

OK... whoever thinks that go go is manufactured (or whatever) is not from D.C. (or PG County, MD) and doesn't know the music - or hasn't taken the time to listen to it (or dance). The Junkyard Band, Trouble Funk, Rare Essence, EU... Chuck Brown is getting lots of press now, but he and other early go go artists were never able to break out. You look around for old-school go go sites and vids, and then you'll get some feel for the music. Lots of the clips are very "homemade," from block and pool parties. (With bad sound and shaky camera work, but still...) Also... D.C.-area bucket drummers deserve some respect. They generally play go go beats, unlike their peers in other cities. "Sardines and pork and beans" and all.

oh gosh - thanks! but we all know about different things; also, I don't know nearly as much about Latin music as it might appear. I picked up a lot of what I know from working with someone who really did know a lot - and he had plenty of sources to go to.

Hmm... [puts on cogitation cap] Mapleshade, maybe? Or some obscure "spiritual jazz" label from the 70s?

Bill, for some reason I missed hearing this track. is it by any chance Renaud-Garcia Fons playing bass (one of his specially-built instruments) con arco there? I really dislike what the tenor player is doing re. improv; otherwise, some nice instrumentation and ideas. (Or could this be one of Henri Texier's groups? Garcia-Fons goes for a more "composed" sound, with the exception of his very early stuff.) the melody sounds like it could be from the Balkans, the Middle East and/or North Africa. (Though made somewhat more Western European-sounding in certain palaces... maybe an adaptation of someone's work?) My final guess is Gilad Atzmon on tenor, but that doesn't - for me - give me much to go on re. bass and cello (if that *is* a cello). Other thoughts: Dave Holland knows a lot about Indian classical music; he and Tunisian oudist Anouar Brahem did a trio record with John Surman (it's called Thimar)... and although I know this cut isn't from that recording, it reminds me of it. Surman really didn't know what to do with Arabic music and that particular ECM session would have fallen apart without Holland's participation. Whoever is playing sax here reminds me of Surman on that album - out of his/her depth. * and finally (ha!), there are some killer Turkish cellists out there. I wonder... Those are very interesting ideas, but none are correct. I kinda figured, but hey - might as well throw out some ideas, right?! My other guess: this is a cut from a relatively obscure Black Saint/Soul Note session, or maybe something on India Navigation... Or an outtake from that (imo) extremely weird Oliver Lake Xmas album with steel drums! (Not a joke; I should do a BFT someday and use something from it...)

Bill, for some reason I missed hearing this track. is it by any chance Renaud-Garcia Fons playing bass (one of his specially-built instruments) con arco there? I really dislike what the tenor player is doing re. improv; otherwise, some nice instrumentation and ideas. (Or could this be one of Henri Texier's groups? Garcia-Fons goes for a more "composed" sound, with the exception of his very early stuff.) the melody sounds like it could be from the Balkans, the Middle East and/or North Africa. (Though made somewhat more Western European-sounding in certain palaces... maybe an adaptation of someone's work?) My final guess is Gilad Atzmon on tenor, but that doesn't - for me - give me much to go on re. bass and cello (if that *is* a cello). Other thoughts: Dave Holland knows a lot about Indian classical music; he and Tunisian oudist Anouar Brahem did a trio record with John Surman (it's called Thimar)... and although I know this cut isn't from that recording, it reminds me of it. Surman really didn't know what to do with Arabic music and that particular ECM session would have fallen apart without Holland's participation. Whoever is playing sax here reminds me of Surman on that album - out of his/her depth. * and finally (ha!), there are some killer Turkish cellists out there. I wonder...

About seeing the color images of people: yes. It was so startling to me back when I 1st encountered some of these images. (Longtime fan of 19th and 20th c. Russian lit, with an interest in pre-Soviet history.) And I guess it still is! There are some great photos of people from various parts of the Caucasus in this collection, complete with fancy bandoliers and what most of us think of as "Cossack" hats. There's definitely a wild frontier feeling to those shots.