I still giggled at the drama of Joe Feeney, the Irish tenor and my dad’s favorite part of each program. Irish tenors — how shall I describe them? They are characterized by schmaltzy, emotional performances, with vocal frills like controlled cries, pulls, exaggerated portamentos and soaring falsetto. Hugely nationalistic, you can always find a song or twelve about Ireland in their repertoire.

Anyway, I’d always laughed at Joe Feeney — until I grew up. Male singers should be so fortunate to have that kind of power and control in their pipes, especially above F4.

Here’s a vid of Joe on the Welk show singing “The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi.” If you don’t want to listen to the whole thing, start at 1:11 to get to the yummy part.

~

Maybe it’s the Irish in me, but I adore his sound. He died of emphysema a couple of years ago (although he never smoked), but kept singing throughout the decades. You can read his obit here.

Weird that I can’t find Joe doing “That’s an Irish Lullaby” anywhere. I guess we’ll have to settle for this. HA – loved that movie.

Happy Sumday! Spending some time with BFF Kay tonight, which will be fun.

I had a great time. I’m sure my fiend Brad — who put on an excellent event once again — won’t mind that I snagged his photo of the House Jacks — amazing vocal band. I judged 3 groups with Deke Sharon (I heart him), and did two tandem clinic sessions with Roo, one of their tenors. Great guys all.

The House Jacks in concert, 16 April 2010

~

Last night’s concert began with Tiffin University’s groups. It’s great to know that there is such fine jazz and pop singing going on in Ohio — especially at a college where there is no bonafide music major option in the catalog. Check out Up in the Air — they are awesome as well.

Now it’s the Indians game tomorrow — what a hoot! It’s been a crazy week. Someday, when I actually learn how to use FlipShare, I might upload a video of our national anthem performance, and maybe even of my student, Travis, throwing out the first pitch. How cool is that.

FO

The Russians. Always the Russians.

Russian singers from the 60s — awesome. Russian singers lip-synching a vocalise on Soviet television, complete with gorgeous set tricked out in week-old mustard-colored backdrop and tattered fence-like apparatus — incomparable.

Watch it twice. It’s Finkday, after all. Treat yourself.

I liked his voice a whole lot better than Barry White’s. In fact, BW kind of creeped me out. Not only did every song sound pretty much the same, but the constant, ubiquitous droning harmony (with himself) in thirds just grated on me like I don’t know what. No bueno. But back to Teddy.

He toured for several years in the 2000s, despite constant physical barriers he experienced as a result of a 1982 car accident that left him a paraplegic. His story is quite interesting. I had no idea about the trials — both figurative and actual — he endured while trying to physically and emotionally recover. Especially striking is the tactic his therapist used to cure him of his suicidal feelings. Have you ever heard of staging your own funeral? Whoa. I guess it worked:

“I had a sheet over my face,” [Pendergrass] said. “People were giving eulogies and talking about me as though I had gone. It helped me turn my life around. I didn’t want to be dead. I took away the option to die, and knew I had to live.”

Sad day. I liked his music. I also like how the animation on his website shows him walking. Cool.

Have a good day, fiends. My hatred component is on hiatus, temporarily. As Martha says, “That’s a good thing.”

FO

Live music at large parties has seen its share of troubles over the last 25 years or so, agreed BoomR?

I remember having to market my cover band extra-enthusiastically when the DJ idea started to catch on for wedding receptions in the early 1980s. In fact, a movement was started by the musicians’ union (American Federation of Musicians) to choose live music over DJs. I forget the slogan now. The same guy who was the secretary-treasurer in 1978 when I joined the AFM is still the secretary-treasurer today. Maybe I should ask him. I seriously do not know what the Mansfield local is going to do when Eddie retires.

Anyway, I was on Facebook and noticed that BoomR and BluVox are playing a gig tonight in Dallas, 8-1. Awesome. We need more live music.

I know that people want to hear the “original” versions of their songs, done by the original artists, and I  have seen DJs who can really spin a party. But there’s something about a hot band — loud, live, spontaneous, rockin — that can’t be matched.

But how about the best of both worlds? Mixing live with digital, this is one of my favorite musicians (and one of my favorite people in general) in the world: BoomR, with BluVox playing guitar. Take a listen…

Let’s Stay Together

~

*sigh* Love it. Anyway, back to New Years Eve and the holidays in general. Some silly memories:

• A guy who’d had a few tee many martoonis came up to the bandstand and told Tom, the sax player, “I wanna hear some jazz. How about playing some Kenny G?”, to which Tom immediately responded, “Well, which do you want?” HAaaa. One of my all-time fave comeback lines.
• Another guy who’d also had a few tee many martoonis danced/stumbled his way across the floor, right into an amp stack. The stack stood firm…the guy, not so much.
• BoomR, remember this one? We played a Christmas party thrown by the owner of a large local business (this “owner” is now a state senator), and two of his sons got into a drunken brawl about a half hour after the party started. We got paid full price for a 4-hour gig that we only played for 30 minutes.

Funny stuff, but booze really is stupid juice. Don’t get me started on that subject today….

Hey, today is the Thriller’s and my wedding anniversary. How about that? He gets the Longsuffering Perseverance of Job Award for the 13th year running.

Be careful out there tonight, fiends.

Those who know me as a choral director also know that I do not like to brag about my students’ musical achievement, prowess, what have you. In other words, I’m not too generous with the compliments.

Recently, I had a request from a former student to locate a recording of the choir from 2-3 years ago, so I found one. On a kick (because I *never* listen to my own ensembles’ recordings — I hate not being able to fix stuff), I put the disc into the Ranger’s CD player on the way home last night. I must say, I was not offended. The music was actually pretty good in places.

One particular song really impressed me stylistically, tonally — every way. So I thought that today I might let you have a listen, if you like. You don’t have to. Really. But you can if you want.

I’m particularly proud of these two juniors and two seniors from 2006 (one of them is RtB fiend Mathew, singing first tenor). I hope you enjoy this from O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Platinum – Man of Constant Sorrow

And because I can’t leave you without featuring Mr. Mathew on a sweet solo from when he was an 11th grader…

Platinum – Good Night, Sweetheart

I covets it. I wants the game. Complete with the Hofner bass and Ludwig drum kit.

And speaking of the Fabs (and being fab in general), RtB fiend Ross — my writer idol — did a new piece for AskMen.com on the top ten controversies surrounding the Beatles. Checking it out is mandatory; you won’t regret it.

“…coolest coven of all time.” Haha. Yep. Home run, Ross — loved it!

*sigh* I don’t want to work. I just want to bang on de drum all day. Have a goody, everybody.

Fink Rundgren

If you think there is no beauty in this world, or there is no Creator or force of good in the universe, or if your heart is broken, or if you harbor anger against a friend or family member — I got yer fix right here. Sorry, instrumentalists…you are fab and we love you (and I am one of you), but nothing translates the heart of the matter like the human singing voice, da?

Especially, the voice. “Nessun dorma” from Turandot by Puccini. For 3 minutes of your life, there will be beauty. Start off your weekend right. Er, correctly.

Link to video

Fink out (to the school house to do some singing with Tom Hanks today).

His influence on popular music is almost impossible to quantify. His contribution to the music video and studio effects genres is incalculable, as were his groundbreaking ideas about including choreography and backstory to videos and live performances.

He was the ultimate entertainer, but don’t forget “We Are the World.” How many charity events have taken place since then, pioneered (and often financed) by pop artists with a cause?

I still bawl watching that video (albeit for different reasons when I hear Springsteen’s unbearable bleating).

MJ was young: only a couple of months away from his 51st birthday. I guess it proves that when it’s your time, it’s your time. Doesn’t change the fact that his came way, way too soon, though.

Man….

FO

Image: Associated Press

Yes indeedy. On “nine-oh-nine” (of course), “The Beatles” for Rock Band will be released. Will I be the undisputed champeen of the world at it? Mm-hm.

Now I must buy it, or at least pre-order it. Then I need #1 Son to have another RB party in his garage this fall. I must seek him out this day.

The video screenshots look pretty good, and it goes without saying that the music is dynamite. The likenesses of the Fabs are hardly compelling, but that could just be me showing my ignorance of the difficulties in turning human features into computer generated images. But really…couldn’t they have just used tracing paper? Cripes.

Kidding.

Years ago, one of my students asked me, “What was so fantastic about the Beatles? Why do you think they were so important?” Heh. She stood there awhile.

OK, I’m off. I have a really nice Monday planned. I am going to school for the day — because I want to. Hoddy-a like that??

Fink out.

Go ahead. Name any R & B artist since 1970, and any rapper. They all have one thing in common. They have George Clinton to thank.

Spacey, loopy, crazy, confusing, but amazing George Clinton. You don’t need to understand him; one doesn’t question the Georgeness of a thing. You just nod and say, “Yep. That’s where the funk comes from.”

And what is “Georgeness?” Here is Clinton’s response when asked in a 2006 NPR interview to describe exactly what he does:

“Psychoalphadiscobetabioaqua- doloop — the art of dancin’ underwater and not gettin’ wet. That’d be my job…”

And there you go. That’s his job. Well, that, and living out the effects of an awful lot of weed over the years. Seriously though, he is the undisputed king of funk — the music that gave you your rap and hip-hop artists. George says you’re welcome.

He seems like he’d be a lot of fun (albeit completely perplexing) to talk to. I’ll bet his concerts are cool — maybe Lars can weigh in on that, since he’s been to one. Clinton has like 30+ people in his band; not even he knows them all. I’ll bet *you* could steal away on the bus, grab a trumpet, and just stand up there and pretend…and no one would know the difference. Heh. That would be the Georgeness.

My favorite Parliament/Funkadelics tune is “Flashlight” – here is 30 or so seconds of it. Clinton’s music is heavily sampled, and has been for decades by ____________ (fill in the blank with just about any rapper since 1990). I don’t know how many artists have sampled this, but now you know where it originated.

So thank George today. And me. You can thank me. I didn’t do anything, but you can thank me anyway.

FO

Photo credit: Nitin Vadukul

I’ve been to a couple Cleveland Cavaliers games, and watched a bunch of them on TV — like yesterday, when they smoked the Pistons. Just before the action starts, the arena speakers blast out a positively deafening refrain, getting the crowd ready to rumble. But it’s not Zeppelin or Jay-Z or Aerosmith or Queen — rather, they play something written in 1936 by Carl Orff.

So yeah. Carl Orff. A “classical” musician, born in Germany in 1895. He is best remembered — even by those who have no clue it’s his work — for the secular cantata, Carmina Burana, based on 13th century poetry (which was pretty bawdy and profane, and therefore just a bit controversial). I giggle every time I hear it at an athletic event or in a movie, because it’s cool that a long-hair gets his due on the basketball court or the cinema soundtrack.

[I own the Robert Shaw/Atlanta Symphony version from 1990, which I think is the all-time best, if you ever want to borrow it.]

The Knot-Sees really dug it, too, back in the 30s. While completely a 20th-century composition, its medieval-period text is alarming and provocative. The piece is chock full o’ hedonism, from earthy references to women and sex, to knee-slapping drinking songs that accuse everyone from kids to the archbishop of tying one on. Truthfully, you ain’t lived till you’ve seen and heard 80 men sing “In Taberna” (In the Tavern).

Having sung Carmina twice in my career (it is great fun, but a huge, demanding work, especially for the soloists), the now-familiar opening always brings back fond memories for me. Often referred to as simply “O Fortuna,” its title is actually Fortuna, imperatrix mundi (Fortune, Empress of the World), with “Fortuna” depicted as the mystical female creature who controls the Wheel of Fortune, and thus, the fate of humankind. Certainly you’ve heard it. Bet you have. It’s the most ripped-off/flattered piece of “classical” music in history, with the possible exception of the first four notes of Symphony #5 by Beethoven, or maybe the 3rd movement of Chopin’s Piano Sonata #2 (the “Funeral March” theme).

Anyhow, if you’re not sure, here it is. But save for its apocryphal and pagan sound, it really doesn’t have much to do with victory, or domination over one’s opponent/oppressor. On the contrary, the translation reveals quite the dismal picture. You can follow along with the text below, if you like (the entire work can be found here):

But hey. That can just be our secret.

Have a dandy Sunday. Today I get to meet Bando at Panera for brekky. Yummy.

FO

And sometimes, I must admit that I experience a bit of schadenfreude. Actually, I did this morning. Sorry, fiends: I have little tolerance for our boy Kanye West (sorry Kodye). For the record, I also hate the moronic South Park, but I gotta tell ya I laughed when I read that West got his comeuppance from the SP writers when they lampooned (read: lambasted) him on Wednesday’s episode for being completely and utterly out of touch, arrogant and narcissistic.

And honestly — “KanyeUniverseCity.com” ??? Who thought up that gem? Hmmm. Bet I know.

All right. In his defense, he appears to have taken the South Park slam to heart (bout time, Yeezy), by saying in his blog, in all CAPS (which I won’t do here):

[I need to] get past myself. I just want to be a doper person which starts with me not always telling people how dope I think I am.”

Well. There it is.

Head-scratcher: It took an idiotic, perverse cartoon to convince him that he’s a schmuck? And please, don’t post the Andy Kauffman “it’s all an act” theory. I will blast you. Too much evidence to the contrary. But again…some of his antics are borderline entertaining. Can you get through the following video (shot in Paris after he debuted his Louis Vuitton-inspired sneakers at a fashion show) without thinking “man on crack?”

Heh. Silly, but not surprising, coming from a guy who says his only regret is not being able to watch himself perform live.

Kayne, baby — there’s gotta be a way. Keep working on it.

FO

I read an article last night about a time capsule that was found underneath the Paris Opera House. It contains wax gramophone records of music of the time (1907), which will now be digitized and re-released by EMI. How cool is that?

Makes me think of Alessandro Moreschi, the “Last Living Castrato,” whose voice I heard on one of those scratchy Edison records from 1904. He was in his seventies by then, and largely unable to control his voice, but you could still hear the raw power of a man’s body supporting a female-sounding voice. It’s amazing. You can hear it here.

And now, fiends, I must study before it’s time for bed. Miles to go before I sleep…

Fink out.