In the Headlights

Dreamgirls

Last weekend, Sandy and I went to our local dinner theater to catch the last day of the musical Dreamgirls. 

The musical ran on Broadway in the early 1980's and is now being made into a movie starring Jamie Foxx and Beyonce Knowles.

The show chronicles the story of a black all-girl trio supposedly modeled on the Supremes, from their days in talent contests to international fame and fortune. Starting as a group called the Dreamettes, they are originally backup singers to James Thunder Early, and rise to prominence as the Dreams through the machinations of their manager, Curtis Taylor, Jr.

Curtis becomes the lover of the lead singer, Effie, who has a great R&B voice.  When he later decides that Deanna Jones, who is prettier and svelter and has a more pop music voice should be lead singer, Effie goes along with it, but becomes moody and difficult.  Things come to a head when Curtis becomes Deanna's lover.  Effie gets squeezed out of the group and replaced.  The trio rises to fame, as Deanna gets more and more promotion and notice, and the group becomes "Deanna Jones and the Dreams" (like "Diana Ross and the Supremes").  They do cover shoots for Vogue magazine, and neat stuff like that.

The songs were wonderful, there were some great dance numbers, and all the voices were fine.  The costumes were beautiful.  Standouts were Conrad De'Andrea as James Thunder Early and Sheree-Monique Roberts as Effie Melody White.

Throughout the show, there are love affairs, hurt feelings and the stresses of the itinerant life.  By the end, the trio want to split and follow their own dreams.  Deanna is married to Curtis, and Effie has her solo career.

Curtis stoops low and illegal to hurt Effie's career, and when the truth comes out, things fall apart for the group.

We had a great time.  As had been my previous experience with dinner theater, you don't go for the food.  Although plates were heaped high, it was steam-table fare of ham, chicken, spaghetti and a creamed seafood dish.  We did avail ourselves of the bar service.

Having the meal ahead of time added a couple of hours to the afternoon, which took about 4 1/2 hours, all told; too long a time to sit still.  For me anyway.

But the show was swell.

Another Mournful Song

For some reason, I love a good, sad song.  They somehow fill me with feeling without actually making me feel sad.  Garrison Keillor sang this one on Saturday's "Prairie Home Companion" rebroadcast.

Sadness, nobility (of a fashion), tragedy and the supernatural. The song give me goosebumps.

Long Black Veil

by Lefty Frizzell

Ten years ago, on a cold, dark night,
There was someone killed 'neath the town hall light
There were few at the scene, but they all agreed
That the stranger who fled looked a lot like me

Nobody knows, nobody sees, nobody knows but me.

The judge said Son, what is your alibi
If you were somewhere else, then you won't have to die
I spoke not a word, though it meant my life,
For I'd been in the arms of my best friend's wife.

She walks these hills in a long, black veil,
She visits my grave where the night winds wail,

Nobody knows, nobody sees, nobody knows but me.

The scaffold was high, and eternity near,
She stood in the crowd and shed not a tear.
But sometimes at night when the cold wind moans,
In a long, black veil, she cries on my bones.

She walks these hills in a long black veil,
She visits my grave where the night winds wail.

Nobody knows, nobody sees, nobody knows but me.

The song has been done by Joan Baez, The Kingston Trio, Johnny Cash, The New Riders of the Purple Sage and the Dave Matthews Band, to name a few.  The Chieftains did it with Mick Jagger on the vocals. You can hear a snippet of the song from their album at Amazon.

I also selected that as the basis to create a new list at Pandor Internet Radio.  I got a message that they couldn't start with that song for copyright reasons, but that it would appear in the sequence of songs to follow.  Lots of mournful songs!

[Beautiful illustration, "black veil with circular frame" by Susan Fenton via Cross Connect)

The St. James Infirmary Blues

I went down to the St. James Infirmary,
Saw my sweet baby there,
Lying on the table
Stretched out, so pale so fair.

I went down to the St. James Infirmary,
All was still as the night,
My gal was on the table,
Stretched out so pale, so white.

Let her go, let her go, God bless her,
Wherever she may be,
She may search this wide world over,
But she'll never find a man like me.

Though she treated me mean and lowdown,
Somehow I just didn't care.
My soul is sick and weary,
And I hope we meet again, up there.

Above is the version of "The St. James Infirmary Blues" we listened to when I was young.  I can't remember who sang it.

Nor can I fathom why I have been singing it for the last couple of days.  Might be because I've been thinking about depressing lyrics and poems.  Maybe because Big Bad Voodoo Daddy did a number of New Orleans numbers from their New Orleans tribute album, Save My Soul.  "The St. James Infirmary Blues" wasn't one of the numbers, but it might have been the trigger. Many artists have produced a version of this great song. Both Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway sang it.  So did Lou Rawls, Joe Cocker, Van Morrison, The White Stripes and The Animals, Janis Joplin and The Doors, among others.  All with different lyrics.

When I searched the song, I found a lot of different lyrics.  Many start with a man in a bar telling his story.  Others include a stanza where the singer speculates about his own funeral:

Now, when I die, bury me in my straight-leg britches,
Put on a box-back coat and a Stetson hat,
Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain,
So you can let all the boys know I died standing pat.

Some of the discussion was about the fact that the singer talks about the dead woman never finding a man "like me".  Seems a little self-centered.  And whether the planning of his own funeral was because he anticipates his own death--that his sweet baby died of a form of veneral disease.  One early variant called "The Unfortunate Rake" includes this stanza:

And had she but told me before she disordered me,
Had she but told me of it in time,
I might have got pills and salts of white mercury,
But now I'm cut down in the height of my prime.

The song itself is of anonymous origin, though Armstrong's recording attributes it to "Joe Primrose", also known as Irving Mills, a musical agent and song writer.  But the song was around in 1899 as "The Gambler's Lament", but "The Unfortunate Rake" predates it as an Irish/British folk song, leading to the idea that the infirmary in question might have been in London rather than in New Orleans, as is often thought.

Anyone who's ever heard my try can attest to the fact that I can't carry a tune in a bucket, but I love belting songs like this out in the shower.  Another favorite is "My Man" which we listened to by Gogi Grant, when I was growing up.  (I had a strange childhood.  What can I say?)  The song represents such sorry sentiments ("He isn't true, he beats me too, what can I do?....Oh my man, I love him so..." )

But that's another post, for another day.  I have to pace myself.

[Image from Talk Talk]

Addendum, 9/11, 0752:  A comment from Rarity reminds me that she did a post on this very thing in her blog A Rare View on January 11.  I read it, and it likely revived this old song in my mind, and then events of this week brought it to the fore again. Thanks, R.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

My friend Richard and I just went and saw Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. This long-lived swing band plays high energy music.  It is infectious, and they're so good, and so obviously enjoy what they are doing that everyone has a great time.

Nine of them rocked for about 90 minutes.  The group was fronted by Scotty Morris who sang and played the guitar, and in addition, they had a bunch of brass:  two trumpets, two saxaphones and a trombone, in addition to a piano, drums and an acoustic bass.  Each musician played a solo at some point, and they were all great.  The others would take the opportunity during the soli to step off the stage.

It's amazing they can keep up the pace, considering they are all wearing suits (usually double-breasted zoot suits) and ties, spectator shoes,  and three were wearing fedoras as well.

BBVD was featured in the movie "Swingers", and appeared on the TV show "Party of Five".  They have also played for both Presidents Bush.  But I'll forgive them that little indiscretion.

Our local paper interviewed trumpeter Glen "The Kid" Marhevka, and one of the questions was: It must gret awfully hot playing in full suits and ties under the stage lights every night.  He answered "It does.  We look good, but we don't necessarily smell the best all the time."

I'll bet.  Oh well.  Looking good is everything, isn't it?

They played great swing, and in corners of the auditoriums, ten or twelve couples dance along with the music.

Following the band was a swing contest.  We didn't stay for that as tomorrow is a long and early work day.  Next time, hopefully I'll enter the contest.

I Got Rhythm

I mentioned a while back that I was taking an introductory dance package.

I liked it enough that I signed up for three more months.  That includes 20 private lessons, unlimited group classes (and there are a lot) and unlimited social events--generally in the form of dance socials a couple of times a week.

It is starting to gel.  I can figure out what to do to certain music, and don't have to intellectualize about it too much.  I usually feel pretty good about my dancing when I do it with my instructor.

Less smooth is the group lessons.  Those last an hour, and usually take you from basic steps through a simple routine involving four or five variations.  I keep up with the pack pretty well and usually have the routine mastered by the end of the hour.

My instructor, Tom, says that the socials are important so that you get practice dancing with a variety of people.  He's right, everyone is different.  I find Tom easy to follow but not so many of my fellow students.  I know it will get better, though.

Last Friday, my lesson ended just before the social dance (complete with mirror ball) so I stayed for that.  It starts with the men and women forming lines, and when the music starts, the first in each line dance together, then the second in each, etc.  When each song ends, you go back to the end of your line so that you wind up with a different partner.  After about ten minutes, it becomes like a regular dance.  About 1/4 of the attendees are instructors, and many others are students who have done this for a long time, and they ask us wallflowers up to dance.  If I didn't know a dance, they showed me the basic steps and we did it until the music ended. 

One of the ladies at the social told me she has been doing this for four months, and has lost 14 pounds, without dieting.  She comes to the studio about five days a week.

Also at the dance was one lady who was about 4'8" and must be at least in her mid 80's.  So cool to see a 20-something Gen Y'er offer her his hand and watch them bust some cool moves on the dance floor.

I left an hour into the social because I'd been to a group class, a lesson and an hour of social, and I had blisters starting on both feet from my new Capezios.  Good thing I have the pair that looks like sneakers.

I bought two pair of dance shoes.  A pair that looks like black sneakers, with composite soles, which I can wear for every day stuff if the dancing bug doesn't stick.  And another pair of dressy shoes--the Capezios.  Dance shoes have suede bottoms, and are not supposed to be worn as every-day shoes.  In addition, the soles are supposed to be brushed every time they are worn to keep the nap from flattening out.  These soles allow the dancer to move smoothly, but more specifically to do turns and spins easily.  It wasn't working so well with the Sketchers I wore in the beginning.

The classes are fun.  We are adding Cuban Motion, which basically involves doing a figure 8 with your hips as your weight shifts from foot to foot--this without translating the motion to your upper body.  It's difficult, but gives the dancers I have watched a nice fluidity and grace.

Bottom line:  I'm having a blast.  I wanted a form of exercise that would be fun (maybe I'd even stick with it).  It is enhancing my posture and my social skills.  And when I go, it's not like walking into a gym and seeing a bunch of hardbodies.  The regulars look like average people, men and women, all ages, so there's no self-consciousness.

No inuries so far, though I'm not sure that Cuban Motion is safe.  I'll keep you posted.

[Image from Office Christmas]

Slow Dancing-My Top Ten?

Not long ago, I mentioned to a friend that I had started taking dance lessons.  Trust me, there's a long way to go before I take my newfound skills public.

My friend commented that the only dance she could do was slow dance, because you didn't have to actually move your feet.  This led to a discussion of what the best slow dance music was.  I thought the top song would be "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers.

There are a lot of ways to skin that cat.  Nothing as easy as Googling "best slow dances" or "slow dance music".  First, it depends on your generation what you consider good music.  There were lists on which I didn't recognize any of the artists.  Lists for those with country music tastes.  Lists for top requested wedding songs, though that wasn't quite what I had in mind. A lot of the websites for slow dance music are wedding planner sites, or party DJ sites.

Here's one list from Music by Mark - Professional DJ Service:

1)  What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
2)  Through the Years by Kenny Rodgers
3)  Close to You by The Carpenters
4)  Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton
5)  Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers
6)  Unforgettable by Nat King Cole
7)  Tonight I Celebrate My Love by Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack
8)  Three Times a Lady by The Commodores
9)  Sea of Love by the Honeydrippers
10) Only You by The Platters

The list goes on and on.  Some Country, some Sinatra, more Righteous Brothers, and Elvis.   I like "What a Wonderful World", but I don't think it's in my top ten.  I don't like Kenny Rogers, so that's out. No Celine Dion, either. I was never crazy about The Carpenters, and can never hear their music without thinking of Karen dying from anorexia.  I'll leave "Wonderful Tonight" on my top ten list.It's a great song.  I saw one list that included "Tears in Heaven", but that song was Clapton's tribute to his dead son...not good slow dance music to my mind. Toni Braxton's "Unchain My Heart" shows up later on the list.  I like that one.

Here's an alphabetical list from Frugal Bride.com.  Another list, (long one) from DJ Madman Mike. Here's another from Pop Culture Madness.

My list (as of this moment):

1)  Unchained Melody The Righteous Brothers
2)  Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton
3)  Sea of Love by The Honeydrippers
4)  Killing Me Softly by Roberta Flack
5)  Unchain My Heart by Toni Braxton
6)  I'm Sorry by Brenda Lee
7)  Fever by Peggy Lee
8)  Love Hurts by Roy Orbison
9)  Since I Fell for You by Lenny Welch
10) Always on My Mind by Willy Nelson

This is a work in progress.  As soon as I post this, two or three great songs will pop unbidden into my head.  And the ones I left off but could easily bump  some on the list:

Chances Are by Johnny Mathis
Only the Lonely or Running Scared by Roy Orbison
Crazy by Patsy Cline
The Rose by Bette Midler
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack
Never My Love or Cherish by The Association
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by The Platters
We've Got Tonight by Bob Seeger
I'm Sorry by Brenda Lee
Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinead O'Connor
Fever by Peggy Lee

V.O.I.C.Experience 2006

A few days ago, I mentioned that one of the best things I had experienced at the Mensa World Gathering in Orlando had nothing to do with Mensa.

I've been exposed to opera all my life, my mother is a big fan, and I remember hearing Rise Stevens singing Carmen from an old phonograph when I was little.   So I was delighted to be able to attend a free concert called "Death by Aria", performed by new up-and-coming talents.  I had planned to attend the following night as well, last Thursday, but something came up, and I was unable to go.

I was fortunate enough to sit next to Soprano Vanessa Houssian, who beautifully rendered the aria  "Senza Mamma" from Puccini's heartbreaking Suor Angelica.

Ms. Houssian not only clued me in on a little about the arias themselves during the concert, she was kind enough to introduce me to the legendary baritone Sherrill Milnes who, with his wife soprano Maria Zouves, founded VOICExperience.  Through their workshops, master classes, and performances, they identify, nurture and develop classical singers.  These free performances allow the singers to become accustomed to singing in front of an audience.

There were twenty-two performances, about equally divided between men and women, singing in Italian, French, German and English.  I must confess that this type of music sounds better to me in any language but English.  I was familiar with only a few of the arias, and found myself wondering if it is an advantage or a disadvantage in this setting to perform a song most of the audience is familiar with.

Toward the end, Vanessa commented on one singer whose name she said to note.  The beautiful Ginger Costa-Jackson has a mezzo-soprano voice that sent shivers down my spine as she sang "Mon coeur s'ouver a ta  voix", from Samson and Delila by Camille Saint-Saens.  I didn't know the aria and have never heard the opera, but I sat there stunned.

Over the last six years, VOICExperience and Disney have collaborated in over twenty-two performances that have taken place on Disney property.  If you get a chance to attend one of these concerts, it is a wonderful experience.

Above:  Mr. Milnes and Ms. Houssian

[Costa-Jackson photo from Costa-Jackson Studios]

The World According to Willie

Willie Nelson is 72 years old, and has written over 2500 songs.  He was interviewed recently by Terry Gross for NPR's Fresh Air.

The occasion is the release of a new album, The Complete Atlantic Sessions, a compilation of three other albums,  as well as the success of his new book, The Tao of Willie: A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart. He read up on different religions and Chinese philosophy and has come to believe in reincarnation.

In the interview, Willie talks about his life, sings a couple of songs, tells some stories.  He talks about smoking marijuana, biodiesel (he is part owner in a biodiesel company), Johnny Cash, singing with Bob Dylan.

He's had his ups and downs but retains his sense of humor and in fact, loves to laugh and tell jokes.  No mean feat for someone who can also wail the sorriest, saddest crying-in-your-beer songs you've ever heard.  Songs he likely also wrote.

I've heard Willie in concert a couple of times, and look forward to the next opportunity.  His voice is different and distinctive.  His song-writing skills, non-pareil. 

To hear the interview, go here and click on "listen".

[Illustrations from Bio-Willie, The Texas Music Project, and Amazon]

Ain't Just Whistling Dixie

In a strangely ironic twist, you can barely pick up a newspaper or magazine without seeing the Dixie Chicks.  The accompanying article usually explains that mainstream radio stations still refuse to play their music.

Three years ago, the Chicks incurred the wrath of God and the right wing by saying during a London concert that the were ashamed that the President of the United States was from Texas. They were widely lambasted and boycotted.  Since this was at the beginning of the Iraqi War, not only the right wing, but mainstream America was still widely supportive, and it cost the Chicks lots of airtime and album sales.

Of course, the big press now is that they have a new album out called "Taking the Long Way".  The most discussed song on the album is "Not Ready to Make Nice".  I wonder what that could be about.  In spite of reading that country stations were continuing the boycott (theoretically because serious country fans tend to be of a less liberal persuasion), the Chicks' album is number one on Billboard's Pop and Country charts.

Segue:  I heard an interview today with Kathy Roth-Duquet and Frank Schaeffer.  They were discussing their book "AWOL:  The Unexcused Absence of America's Upper Classes from Military Service--and How it Hurts Our Country."  Unfortunately, the middle and lower classes predominate in the military, while the upper classes merely make decisions to go to war, and how to wage it.  Reminds me of the old joke--"In my family, the husband makes the big decisions, and the wife makes the small ones--He decides who gets to be president, and she decides where the family lives, what they eat, etc."

Dusting Off Shakespeare

I recently read Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt, about William Shakespeare. Many comments unfortunately echoed my feelings that I had found the great bard rather boring to read or watch. So to present the argument for the other side, I'd like to present Cole Porter's take on "Taming of the Shrew":

BRUSH UP YOUR SHAKESPEARE (from "Kiss Me, Kate")

(Lyrics by Cole Porter)

MOBSTERS:

The girls today in society
Go for classical poetry,
So to win their hearts one must quote with ease
Aeschylus and Euripides.
But the poet of them all
Who will start 'em simply ravin'
Is the poet people call
The bard of Stratford-on-Avon.

Brush up your Shakespeare,
Start quoting him now.
Brush up your Shakespeare
And the women you will wow.
Just declaim a few lines from "Othella"
And they think you're a heckuva fella.
If your blonde won't respond when you flatter 'er
Tell her what Tony told Cleopaterer,
And if still, to be shocked, she pretends well,
Just remind her that "All's Well That Ends Well." Brush up your Shakespeare
And they'll all kowtow.

Brush up your Shakespeare,
Start quoting him now.
Brush up your Shakespeare
And the women you will wow.
If your goil is a Washington Heights dream
Treat the kid to "A Midsummer Night Dream."
If she fights when her clothes you are mussing,
What are clothes? "Much Ado About Nussing."
If she says your behavior is heinous
Kick her right in the "Coriolanus."
Brush up your Shakespeare And they'll all kowtow,
And they'll all kowtow,
And they'll all kowtow.

Brush up your Shakespeare,
Start quoting him now.
Brush up your Shakespeare
And the women you will wow.

Brush up your Shakespeare
And they'll all kowtow.

[From Kiss Me, Kate, which, by the way is a very funny musical with great music]

[Illustration from Amazon]