Just about every version of “People Get Ready” falls short for me when compared to the original 1965 recording, so I was intrigued by Michael Kaeshammer’s rendition, and to my delight, he gives it great respect, possibly because he does not try to sing it. It’s a roaring instrumental. Kaeshammer will be in Phoenix on August 6th at the “Musical Instrument Museum“, it will be worth hearing him play “People get Ready” live.
His birthday slipped up on me this year. The artist known as Bob Dylan was 70 years old on May 24. I salute and congratulate him!
Of course he is a Gemini. We all know that he writes, he sings, he’s a poet, he’s a musician – truly the classic example of the Air sign’s communication gifts. A few years ago, he received an honorary Pulitzer Prize for his “profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.” Nice, but, did you know that Bob Dylan also paints?! 
His book of his art work, “Bob Dylan: The Drawn Blank Series” (March 2008) has 170 of his drawings rendered in water color and gouache. Drawings done in restaurants, hotel rooms are presented here along with little notes or poems.
Adele has an engaging stage presence without any gimmicks. Not putting down gimmicks, they can be fun, but its refreshing to get a glimpse of something that appears to be genuine. Watched this recent video performance and got such pleasure in watching Adele enjoy and have fun with herself and the audience. Because there were not fifty thousand people there, she could see them. And they could easily see her.
Lisa Hannigan
Interpretation is also creativity. There was a time when everyone, singer and musician would perform or record music that had been introduced by another artist. There must be at least 20 versions of “Round Midnight” or “Lover Man” none of which are copies of the others. Having someone re-interpret music opens it up to a new audience and possibly invigorates old audience. In the 1970’s everyone wanted to do their own material and their audience settled for music that needed to sound the same, every time. We got locked into lip-sync, digital overdubbing and fireworks.
I’ve listened to Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin” maybe thousands of times in the 1960’s, when the times did change. Overtime, listening to the original, I remember the words but not the meaning. On the Imagine Project, Hancock, Lisa Hannigan and The Chieftans have me paying attention again.
The “Imagine Project” may or may not be as big of a commercial success as Herbie Hancock’s last two compilation albums and success is not the goal here. What is important I feel is that songs like Peter Gabriel’s “Don’t Give Up”, which was first released almost 25 years ago, gets a hearing by a new audience.
Leonard Bernstein
The music for ” West Side Story” works so well and it is the reason for me to want to see this new revival. The story everyone will admit is an old story. The dancing is wonderful and the staging magnificent, but it is the music and score that stays with you. I hope the current production has not gotten caught in using special effects to tell this story.
Stephen Sondheim
You should be able to love this play with your eyes shut. Also
Somebody has to figure out a way to make “Broadway” affordable again.
Live shows just about every night at Andy’s Jazz Club is something special. On Tuesday’s every week, there is the Tim Fitzgerald Trio, featuring Sarah Marie Young. Ms. Young’s delivery is smooth and real easy to appreciate.
Sarah Marie Young