Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts

12 December 2010

05 November 2010

17 August 2010

Should I stay or should I go?

Something for everyone.

1. Political humour version – featuring Tony Blair:

2.  The original version - The Clash:

3.  Ukulele mania!

- srbp -

14 July 2010

September contrasts

Earth, Wind and Fire:

 

And a cover version that isn’t Earth, Wind and Fire:

- srbp -

14 March 2010

Saint-Saens – Symphony No. 3

Sunday morning listening pleasure:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-srbp-

28 February 2010

Too close for comfort: Gladiator and Pirates

Close your eyes and just listen to the music.

This is what you get when you hire the same guy  - or his associates - for both movies.  You not only get music that “sounds like” what so-and-so did for that film over there, you get pretty much the same stuff.

And if that wasn’t enough proof of One Thought Zimmer’s penchant for borrowing from himself, about half way through this compilation, you’ll find that Glad and pirates sounds like a chunk of the soundtrack for a Wesley Snipes parachuting movie.

 

Zimmer’s not alone.  James Horner seems to have had one idea and milked it through several movies as well.  The bits from Willow and Enemy at the Gates are laughable. And right at the end, there’s the past master of “homaging”, John Williams with photocopy job in JFK and Jurassic Park.

-srbp-

05 February 2010

Sketchy Jerome

Colleen Power’s latest.

Be warned:  Language and drug references.

-srbp-

08 January 2010

Let me fish off Old Wyoming


You be the judge.

Otto Kelland is best known in Newfoundland as the writer of  the ballad “Let me fish off Cape St. Mary’s”, written in 1947.

 Now take a listen to this song - “The Hills of old Wyoming’ -  which dates from 1937 at the latest.



And if you really want to do a spit-take, try this sample of the song recorded in 2009.

Now that really isn’t the end of it. 

Same song?There’s a much older song – “Barbara Allen” – which has been documented from its first printing in 1750 and is mentioned in Samuel Pepys’ diary from 1666. There are a great many variations on both the lyrics and tune for this song but some of the more common tunes sound suspiciously familiar to Kelland’s work and to the Wyoming song.

-srbp-

Updated with new video links:  June 2016

25 August 2009

Musical Interlude: Frente

1.   From early 1990s Australia,Accidentally Kelly Street” by Frente.

2.  Then Frente’s acoustic cover of New Order’s “Bizarre Love Triangle”:

3.  And to finish off, New Order with a recent live version:

28 July 2009

Re-union fever

Among the bands re-uniting for concert dates in 2009:

1.  Kajagoogoo[youtube link]

2. Spandau Ballet

3. Ultravox.

4.  Earth, Wind and Fire are still out there so this doesn’t really count as a reunion;  it’s worth just posting this video of a recent version of September that stills kicks ass.

5.  And to reunite you with some really great music from a band that never stopped, there’s always Kid Creole and the Coconuts:

-srbp-

01 May 2007

GCB launches Terra Nova program to explore new worlds of music

The Gower Community Band of St. John’s celebrates its 10th anniversary this month with two special performances and the establishment of new composition awards at Memorial University’s School of Music.

The first event is a horn recital by Bruce Bonnell, professor of horn at Central Michigan University, on Thursday evening, May 17, at Petro-Canada Hall in the School of Music. Dr. Bonnell will perform works by Mozart, Bozza, Neilson, Turner, Marais, and Glazunov, and will conduct a master-class for horn students on May 18.

Tickets are $10 each, available at Provincial Music, the Music Collection stores, or Gower Street Church Office. All proceeds support the MUN Music Scholarship Fund.

On Saturday evening, May 26, the Gower Community Band will present its 10th Anniversary Gala Concert at the D.F. Cook Recital Hall in MUN Music. The band will perform the World Premiere of a new work by renowned American composer David R. Gillingham, his Concerto for Horn and Symphonic Band, with Bruce Bonnell as soloist. The concert will also include new works by Newfoundland composers and arrangers as well as selections from the standard wind band repertoire. Proceeds from both events will support the GCB’s MUN Music Scholarship Fund.

The Gower Community Band has maintained a focus on the encouragement of new compositions by or for Newfoundland and Labrador musicians since it was formed in 1997. With its musical sibling, the Gower Youth Band, the GCB developed and introduced a series of manuscript concerts which presented original works by Newfoundland and Labrador composers. Last fall, the band travelled to Grand Falls-Windsor for a concert which featured works by central Newfoundland music educators Michael Carroll and Michael C. Snelgrove.

As a special 10th Anniversary project, the band developed its Terra Nova Program to explore new worlds of musical creativity. This program will provide annual awards to composition students at MUN Music, and also create funding for the commissioning of new works.

The development and implementation of this community cultural initiative has been made possible through the support of Petro-Canada. GCB director Edsel Bonnell says the band is “most grateful for this example of significant and effective corporate citizenship which will bring lasting future benefits.”

The Gower Community Band is an adult concert band which follows in the tradition of community service established by the 34-year old Gower Youth Band. The Gower band program was founded and is maintained by Gower Street United Church as a non-denominational community initiative.

-30-

Biographical profiles

Bruce Bonnell, Horn

“Astonishing! … a truly breathtaking performer!”
Hans Graf, music director, Houston Symphony

A chamber music specialist, Dr. Bonnell has enjoyed a successful career as orchestral performer, soloist, clinician and pedagogue on the horn and natural horn throughout North America and Southeast Asia. [Photo: Vieri Bottazini]

Born and raised in St. John’s, he began his instrumental training in the beginners’ class of the Gower Youth Band in 1976 at the age of eight, moving quickly from trumpet to alto horn to French horn. His association with the GYB lasted more than 12 years, during which he served as player and soloist, section leader, instructor, and Associate Director. He received his undergraduate degrees in Music Education and performance from Memorial University and the Guildhall School of Music (London), his Master of Music from Northwestern University (Pi Kappa Lambda) in 1991, and a Doctor of Music at Indiana University in 2003. He was Assistant Professor of horn and theory at Indiana State University in 1997-98, and has been Assistant Professor of horn at Central Michigan University since 2000.

Dr. Bonnell’s orchestral experiences include Second Horn in the Hong Kong Philharmonic from 1991 to 1994, and Principal Horn in the Malaysian Philharmonic from 1998 to 2000 where he earned high praise for his playing from such notable maestros as Kurt Masur, Sir Neville Marriner, Kenneth Jean, David Atherton, Jan Pascal Tortelier, and Hans Graf.

Solo and chamber music highlights include the finals of the 1989 Canadian Music Competition, the 1998 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, and recitals throughout North America and Southeast Asia. An enthusiastic performer of new works for horn, Dr. Bonnell premiered David Gillingham’s Baker’s Dozen at the 2001 International Horn Symposium, and Danza Breves for Horn and Percussion by José-Luis Maúrtura at the 2004 Sound Symposium in St. John’s.

As a member of the Powers Woodwind Quintet, he has toured and performed throughout the Midwestern states and received high critical acclaim for the quintet’s 2006 release Brementown Musicians on Centaur Records. His next recording project, a compilation of works for horn and flute with Vieri Bottazini, flute and Newfoundland-born Peter Green, piano is due for release in 2007.

Dr. Bonnell has also performed with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, Ottawa Symphony, Hull Chamber Orchestra, Bloomington Camerata, Pan Asian Symphony and the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra. His teachers include William Costin, Kjellrun Hestekin, Michael Hatfield, Paul Tervelt, Richard Seraphinoff and Richard Bissill.


David Gillingham, Composer

Concerto for Horn and Symphonic Band

David Gillingham earned Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in instrumental music education from the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Music Theory/Composition from Michigan State University.

Dr. Gillingham has an international reputation for the works he has written for band and percussion. Many of these works are now considered standards in the repertoire. His commissioning schedule dates well into 2009.

His numerous awards include the 1981 DeMoulin Award for Concerto for Bass Trombone and Wind Ensemble and the 1990 International Barlow Composition (Brigham Young University) for Heroes, Lost and Fallen. Klavier, Sony and Summit Records have recorded Dr. Gillingham’s works.

His works are regularly performed by nationally recognized ensembles including the Prague Radio Orchestra, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music Wind Ensemble, The University of Georgia Bands, North Texas University Wind Ensemble, Michigan State University Wind Ensemble, Oklahoma State Wind Ensemble, University of Oklahoma Wind Ensemble, Florida State Wind Ensemble, University of Florida (Miami) Wind Ensemble, University of Illinois Symphonic Band, Illinois State Wind Symphony, University of Minnesota Wind Ensemble, Indiana University Wind Ensemble, and the University of Wisconsin Wind Ensemble. Also, internationally known artists Fred Mils (Canadian Brass), Randall Hawes (Detroit Symphony) and Charles Vernon (Chicago Symphony Orchestra) have performed works by Dr. Gillingham. Over 70 of his works for band, choir, percussion, chamber ensembles, and solo instruments are published by C. Alan, Hal Leonard, Southern Music, MMB, T.U.B.A., I.T.A., and Dorn.

Recent works by David Gillingham include Sails of Time for massed band and soloists which was premiered at the inaugural Premiering Sydney Festival in the Opera House in Sydney, Australia, a Concerto for Marimba and Wind Ensemble, and a double concerto for cello, viola and orchestra. He is currently working in his Second Symphony for Band.

Dr. Gillingham is a professor of music at Central Michigan University and the recipient of an Excellence in Teaching Award, a Summer Fellowship, a Research Professorship, and the President’s Research Investment Fund grant for his co-authorship of a proposal to establish an International Centre for New Music at Central Michigan University. He is a member of ASCAP and the recipient of the ASCAP Standard Award for Composers of Concert Music in 1996 to 2005.

The Concerto for Horn and Symphonic Band, commissioned by the Gower Community Band, is Dr. Gillingham’s first concerto for horn. His other horn solo works include Baker’s Dozen, which had its premiere in the United States with Bruce Bonnell as soloist.