The singer formerly known as Cat Stevens is nothing if not controversial. It’s hard to write about him even now without generating a firestorm of hatred. But I’m going to try. Stevens (now Yusuf Islam) is hated by a lot … Continue reading →
…and dance. And it’s not even that cold in New England today, so let’s have a summer song:
Continue reading →1965. It was a very good year. Let’s sit and watch “As Tears Go By” with Marianne Faithfull: A few more years (forty, to be exact) and a few more tears go by for Marianne. Had Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, … Continue reading →
Indulging in one of my favorite pastimes, surfing on YouTube, recently led me to a clip of a 2007 rehearsal of a new production of the musical “West Side Story.” The sequence begins with the cast of the 2007 revival, … Continue reading →
Here’s the story of the life of a song that most of you know, or think you know: A minor fact: I met Lori Lieberman briefly around the time the song first became popular or even before that. She was … Continue reading →
Merry Christmas! For those of you who thought this post from yesterday too long to wade through, I thought I’d just put up a portion of the last video in that post here so you can enjoy it for Christmas. … Continue reading →
I love the opera “Hansel and Gretel,” by Engelbert Humperdinck (no, not that Humperdinck or this one; this one). His name may be a yuk, but the music he composed is among the masterpieces of opera, soaring and sonorous, tuneful … Continue reading →
…and lost, and… A great story-song from the late Harry Chapin:
Continue reading →In the comments section of this thread from a while back, a number of people praised the old Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, and especially the charms of amateur productions. I’m in complete agreement. The librettos may be outdated in many … Continue reading →
…I missed this the first time around: Certain events of Michael Bublé’s early life and teen years, detailed here, give strong clues as to why he may have invited this kid onstage, and why he got so very excited when … Continue reading →
I’ve become a teeny bit obsessed with the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “Carousel,” while indulging in one of my favorite procrastination habits—watching YouTube videos. Now, the musical “Carousel” was stupid in a lot of ways, especially the movie version. I … Continue reading →
So now it’s Gingrich who’s up in the polls, at least somewhat. It seems to be his turn. Sometimes the Republican candidates remind me of a jazz combo (although not an especially mellifluous one): In between these statements of the … Continue reading →