Home » Stories » Seattle-area musicians offer online performances during 'stay-at-home order' / 94.9KUOW

Stories for January 23, 2021

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    Jeni Slotchiver - American Heritage takes you to a different world of patience and space / Jazz Weekly
     
    Posted At : January 23, 2021 6:24 AM

    Following the success of the Busoni The Visionary series, Jeni Slotchiver is humbled to introduce something so intimately close to home. With Southern roots of her own, Ms. Slotchiver's debut ZOHO CD release American Heritage is her homage to the legendary composers preserving American folk music and creating anew. What was once familiar, is reborn. Spanning 125 years, from Louis Moreau Gottschalk's The Banjo (ca. 1854-5) to Frederic Rzewski's Down by the riverside (1979), American Heritage presents piano compositions by composers of concert music, inspired by the melodies, dance rhythms, harmonic inventions and various stylistic elements evocative of the American experience. Of the eight composers represented, six are of African descent and two of these are women. There are quotes from spirituals, use of the African American pentatonic scale, the African call and response structure popularized in southern church tradition, polyphonic rhythms of jazz, and the rich, sultry harmonies of blues. With the exception of the rich musical heritage of Indigenous people, the largest and most important American folkloric body of work arrived on American shores with the first enslaved African people.  Jazz Weekly's  George W. Harris writes....Pianist Jeni Slotchiver gives solo interpretations of music from early to late 20th Century, taking you to a different world of patience and space. While classically trained, Slotchiver has a rich blues touch and a bona fide feel for gospel and folk material. Material ranges from a homespun read of "Swanee River" to the spiritual "Down By The Riverside" as well as the folk classic "Shenandoah" but with an arrangement by Keith Jarret. Parlor moods are presented in a collection of pieces from Harry Thacker Burleigh and the genteel pen of Louis Moreau Gottschalk, on "Union" and "The Banjo" while traditional pieces like "Deep River" and even 1967's "Troubled Water" feel like they've both been drawn from the same well. A journey to another world and world view. SEE THE Jazz Weekly PAGE

  • Jane Ira Bloom and Mark Helias improvise together over zoom / NPR: Fresh Air
     
    Posted At : January 21, 2021 12:00 AM

    Soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom and bassist Mark Helias come together to create duets discovered in the moment in a way that is rarely heard today with Some Kind of Tomorrow. The long time bandmates, separated by space and time find a way to play in real time with one another and the results are magical. Two master improvisers and composers bring listeners up-close and personal to the first spark of their imaginations at work, recording eleven duet improvisations over the spring, summer, and fall of 2020. The music is raw, authentic, intimate, alive, and unapologetic in its passion. Their sound is deep wood and polished brass recorded with a depth that is hard to describe. They played the music, recorded it, mastered it firsthand and are now making it available to listeners for the first time as a digital download on Bandcamp. Don't miss these fearless jazz explorers as they face the future.   Heard on Fresh Air, here's Kevin Whitehead's piece. LISTEN & READ THE TRANSCRIPT

  • Shunia delivers heart-lifting chants for these troubled times / American songwriter
     
    Posted At : January 20, 2021 12:00 AM

    Shunia is a duo that combines addictive melodies, ancient chants and polycultural rhythms into a sound that feels both new and timeless. Their music captures and conveys deep energies and spirit. The state of "shunia" means stillness, receptivity. Shunia's members, Lisa Reagan and Suzanne Jackson both performed with the Washington National Opera for 20 years before finding continued success in their solo careers. Coming together as Shunia, they combined their influences, inspirations and experiences to create genre-defying music with the power to transform and to connect you to the energy within and around you. It can put you in touch with something as simple as your five senses or as mysterious as the infinite. American Songwriter's NADIA NEOPHYTOU writes......To press play on Shunia's new album of chants is to allow a wave of calm and relaxation to wash over one's whole self. For Lisa Reagan and Suzanne Jackson, who've known each other for 30 years, sharing the gift that's been a major part of their lives with others is the reason they began recording together as the duo Shunia in the first place. "Music in and of itself is such a powerful medium," Reagan tells American Songwriter. "It is the language of our humanity and our souls. We know these mantras are tried and true, and we have personally been chanting them for years." READ THE FULL American songwriter ARTICLE

  • Ed O'Keefe is the CBS news white house correspondent who came to play / 98.7WFMT Q&A
     
    Posted At : January 20, 2021 12:00 AM

    WFMT: Chicago 's Candice Agree writes....From the age of 3, CBS News political correspondent Ed O'Keefe toiled at a keyboard-not in typing, as unintended preparation for his 13 years at the Washington Post, but in studying classical piano in Delmar, a suburb of Albany, NY. Although he loved playing, his interest in current events and politics pulled him into a journalism career. No stranger to Chicago, in 2008, O'Keefe was in Grant Park the night that Barack Obama was elected president. O'Keefe, 37, is about to become a fixture in the White House press room, as he will cover the Biden administration for the TV network he joined in 2018. But he has never left his first passion far behind. He shared some musical memories with us before taking on his new assignment at CBS News as Senior White House & Political Correspondent.    Photo courtesy CBS News) READ Candice Agree's Q&A with Ed O'Keefe.

  • Jane Ira Bloom, Mark Helias 'Some Kind Of Tomorrow' is raw, intimate, and fearless / JAZZ VIEWS
     
    Posted At : January 20, 2021 12:00 AM

    Jane Ira Bloom, Mark Helias 'Some Kind Of Tomorrow' was Reviewed by JAZZ VIEWS Sammy Stein, who wrote........
    Saxophone player Jane Ira Bloom and bass player Mark Helias are long-time collaborators. This album was born out of the need to create music in such a unique time where live audiences and in-person studio recordings were impossible. Recorded remotely from their homes, the music stands as a departure from any kind of release they have done together as all tracks are completely improvised. The resulting sound is raw, intimate, and fearless.​ I asked Jane Ira Bloom about the recording, and she explained, " Given how we had to make this made Mark and I rely on the most basic aspect of our collaborative impulse – our two sets of ears. Mark and I have known one another for over 40 years. We first met in New Haven CT in the 1970s, and when you think about it, you build up so much shared vocabulary when you've played with someone over such a long time. We really didn't plan this recording. It happened because we needed to improvise with one another and so the music emerged from a different place than normal when you plan a recording project." READ THE FULL JAZZ VIEWS REVIEW

  • Signum Saxophone Quartet - Echoes is the WFMT: Featured New Release
     
    Posted At : January 19, 2021 12:00 AM

    An ensemble that attracts rave reviews and sell-out crowds at prestigious venues everywhere from Vienna to New York, the sensational Signum Saxophone Quartet presents their first Deutsche Grammophon album. Featuring inventive arrangements of music by composers from Dowland to Peter Gregson, as well as Guillermo Lago's Sarajevo, a saxophone quartet original, Echoes showcases the full potential of the saxophone – a modern instrument more than capable of capturing the echoes of the past. For January 19, 2021, the Signum Saxophone Quartet: Echoes is the WFMT: Chicago 'Featured New Release.'

  • Sa Re Sa Sa is a healing mantra which rings true for Shunia / Yogi Times
     
    Posted At : January 19, 2021 12:00 AM

    Yogi Times - Windy Campbell writes....Sa Re Sa Sa is a famous mantra in the Kundalini Yoga community, which embraces ancient mantras and modern affirmations as a critical aspect of everyday yoga and meditation. The Sa Re Sa Sa chant is believed to remove adversity and negativity from within, awakening one's Infinite Creative energy and removing obstacles to higher consciousness.  Sa Re Sa Sa chant is often a starting point in one's yogic journey, which rings true for the duo Shunia, whose members, Suzanne Jackson and Lisa Reagan, share a love of yoga, meditation, and singing; both have followed a path from opera's world stage to immersion in a chant. The duo's mission is to merge music, mantra, and movement with healing and connection. The pronunciation of the Sa Re Sa Sa mantra is relatively straightforward. TAKE A LOOK

Top 10 for Jan

  • SIGNUM saxophone quartet :

    Echoes

     An ensemble that attracts rave reviews and sell-out crowds at prestigious venues everywhere from Vienna to New York, the sensational SIGNUM saxophone quartet are now set to present their first Deutsche Grammophon album.
  • The Album Leaf :

    SYNCHRONIC - OMPS

     Milan Records announces the release of SYNCHRONIC (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) with music by The Album Leaf.
  • Poor Clare Sisters of Arundel :

    Light for the World

     More than 800 years since they were founded, the Poor Clare Sisters of Arundel – a community of 23 nuns living in the south of England – have found themselves unexpected recording stars.
  • Ilan Eshkeri :

    A Perfect Planet

     Sony Music today announces the January 8, 2021 release of A PERFECT PLANET (SOUNDTRACK FROM THE BBC SERIES) with music by composer ILAN ESHKERI (Stardust, The Young Victoria).
  • Jane Ira Bloom, Mark Helias :

    Some Kind of Tomorrow

     Soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom and bassist Mark Helias come together to create duets discovered in the moment in a way that is rarely heard today with Some Kind of Tomorrow.
  • Catalyst Quartet :

    Uncovered Vol. 1 - Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

     On Friday, February 5, 2021, GRAMMY Award-winning Catalyst Quartet releases UNCOVERED Volume 1 on Azica Records.
  • Laila Biali :

    A Case of You - LIVE

     SOCAN Music and JUNO Award winner Laila Biali shares an intimate acoustic cover of Joni Mitchell's classic love song, A Case of You, captured live off the floor at Revolution Recording Studios.
  • Max Richter :

    Beethoven - Opus 2020

     Max Richter and Deutsche Grammophon are set to release a brand-new orchestral composition to mark the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birthday.
  • Yo-Yo Ma | Kathryn Stott :

    Comfort and Hope

     Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Kathryn Stott come together again, this time for Songs of Comfort and Hope, set for release on December 11, 2020 on Sony Classical.
  • Benjamin Grosvenor :

    Liszt

     Hot on the heels of his 2020 Diapason d'Or and Gramophone Award triumphs, British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor presents his first album in a renewed exclusive partnership with Decca Classics.

Seattle-area musicians offer online performances during 'stay-at-home order' / 94.9KUOW

Posted: April 17, 2020 12:00 AM | By: Admin
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We're into our second month of Governor Jay Inslee's stay-at-home order in Washington. We've baked bread, cleaned cupboards, and binged on endless television shows. KUOW's Arts and Culture reporter Marcie Sillman went online in search of some cultural respite. She found it in classical music; specifically short cello performances on social media.

Here are a few places to start your own online music tour:

Former Seattle Symphony Orchestra cellist Joshua Roman has played in the world's top concert halls. But now he may reach his widest audience through his regular social media mini-performances.

From the start of the pandemic, cello master Yo-Yo Ma has performed short pieces he calls Songs of Comfort. Many are dedicated to first responders and health care workers.

Cellist Nick Squires didn't create this video specifically for pandemic-era audiences, but hearing him perform Bach in the rain feels particularly comforting.

Seattle Symphony cellists Nathan Chan and Roberta Downey teamed up in one of the orchestra's daily Morning Notes social media performances.

Finally, Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is always a balm; here's a beautiful version performed by 2Cellos.

SEE THE 94.9KUOW PAGE

Crossover Media Projects with 2CELLOS

  • 2CELLOS

    Let There Be Cello

    The Croatian duo of Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, better known as 2CELLOS, today release their much-anticipated new album, Let There Be Cello, via Sony Music Masterworks – available everywhere now.  A follow-up to the 2017 release of Score, Let There Be Cello finds the pair exploring a diverse catalogue with their signature boundary-breaking playing style.  Known for their electric live performances, 2CELLOS now gear up to take their newest album on the road for their first-ever U.S. arena tour, which is set to kick off February 2019.

  • 2CELLOS

    Score

    2CELLOS, music's most electric and dynamic instrumental duo, go to the movies for their new Portrait/Sony Music Masterworks album Score, available March 17, 2017. Bringing 2CELLOS' game-changing sound and style to the most popular melodies ever written for classic and contemporary movies and television, Score will be supported by a world tour, kicking off with its U.S. leg this summer. The new video for "Game of Thrones" is out now. "We love movie music! This album represents some of our favorite pieces of music by our favorite film composers. Having the opportunity to arrange them for cello whilst working with the world class London Symphony Orchestra has been a dream come true," says Stjepan.

    10 NEW  111 TOTAL
    SYND:     C24, CBC, TRH
    Direct: SiriusXM, MOOD, AccuRadio
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, New Orleans, Baltimore, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Berkeley, Columbus OH, Santa fe, Hartford CT, Ft. Wayne IN, Madison WI, Hawaii, VT(Statewide), NE(Statewide)
    INTER: Canada, UK, Spain
    Online: Musicas Imaginadas, Musicas Imaginadas, Journeyscapes, Lost Frontier, Retailing Insight

    All Press Secured by Angi Barkan, Larissa Slezak, Sony Masterworks

  • 2CELLOS

    Whole Lotta Love

    2CELLOS, music's most thrilling and progressive instrumental duo, release a new music video for "Whole Lotta Love." The new track combines Led Zeppelin's classic song with Beethoven's 5th Symphony.  In the new video, Luka and Stjepan show what 2CELLOS are all about – breaking musical boundaries! Check it out here. Of making the video, Luka says, "It was a lot of fun – we wanted to incorporate two different time periods to showcase that our music is timeless and for everyone!  It was a dynamic filming situation since we had to clone ourselves from 2 cellists to 4 cellists – talk about being in two places at once!

  • 2CELLOS

    Celloverse

    2CELLOS, music's most electric and dynamic instrumental duo, return with their new album Celloverse (Portrait/Sony Music Masterworks). 2CELLOS latest music video is their take on Avicii's hit "Wake Me Up," Propelled into international fame in 2011 after their version of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" went viral with 20 million-plus YouTube views, Croatian cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser return to their rock roots on their third album, Celloverse.Self-produced by Sulic and Hauser, Celloverse showcases 2CELLOS' unique ability to reinvent current and classic rock/pop songs, starting with "The Trooper Overture," a metal-meets-classical mash up of Iron Maiden's hit and Rossini's "William Tell Overture." The album includes their take on AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" (the video has 31 million views), "I Will Wait" by Mumford & Sons, "Shape of My Heart" by Sting and Michael Jackson's "They Don't Care About Us." Rounding out Celloverse is the Paul McCartney classic "Live and Let Die," with special guest Lang Lang and the title track, an original song penned and arranged by 2CELLOS. 

    13 New 'ON'  110 TOTAL
    SYND: PRI/Classical 24, APM/Performance Today, Stingray
    Direct: Spafax
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, Wash DC, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Seattle, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Portland, New Orleans, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Berkeley CA, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Toronto
    Online: Multiple Outlets

  • 2CELLOS

    IN2ITION

    Croatian cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, known as 2Cellos are back with a new album IN2ITION. Produced by the legendary Bob Ezrin, the album is released through Sony MASTERWORKS. The label released 2CELLOS' self-titled debut album last year, establishing Sulic and Hauser as an innovative classical-pop/rock duo who took their classical instrument to the contemporary repertoire. On IN2ITION, 2CELLOS take their original concept even further by including guest artists like Elton John, guitarist Steve Vai, Glee's Naya Rivera, classical superstar Lang Lang, legendary Italian  vocalist Zucchero and pop artist Sky Ferreira. IN2ITION was recorded in Zagreb, Rome, Nashville, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

    15 New 'ON' this week:  104 Total
    SYND: Dial-Global, Woodsongs, BETTERTV, 60 Second CD, Acoustic Cafe, UnderCurrents
    Direct: SiriusXM/The Loft & Boundaries, Galaxie
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, Houston, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Atlanta, Baltimore, Houston, Denver, Portland, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Austin, Berkeley CA, Albuquerque, El Paso, San Antonio, Santa Fe, Columbus OH, Madison WI, Wichita, Chattanooga TN
    Online: WGOE, Taintradio, BBS, Live 365

  • 2CELLOS

    Self Titled

    Living in a small town in Croatia, 24-year-old music students, Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, are living a dream come true and quickly! After posting a self-made music video of them performing Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" on their cellos, the longtime friends received more attention than they ever expected. Within days, the video became a viral sensation and received millions of views. It got the attention of Sony Masterworks who signed them to a record deal. Concurrently, they received a phone call from legend Elton John who invited them to join him on his European tour this Summer and Fall. They recently made their U.S. TV debut on The Ellen DeGeneres Show where they performed "Smooth Criminal."

    8 New 'ON' this week: 222 Total
    Synd: NPR/Morning Edition, Fresh Air, PRI/Echoes, Sixty Second CD, The Paul Leslie Hour, The Romantic Hour, Galaxy, UnderCurrents, Dial-Global, Woodsongs
    Direct: SiriusXM
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Wash DC, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Cleveland, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Portland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Baltimore, Berkeley CA, Nashville, Indianapolis, Orlando, Albuquerque, Salt Lake, El Paso, San Antonio, Columbus OH, Honolulu, Canada
    Online: Jazzweekly.com, Taintradio, Muruch, M3, Live 365, BBS Radio, New World Buzz, RadioIO, worlbeatcanada, soulandjazz.com, The Jazz Intersection