Another jazz giant has passed. The great jazz tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin has died. Not a Celebrity Series artist, but a great musician.
New York Times obituary (Ben Ratliff)
Chicago Tribune obituary (Howard Reich)
Johhny Griffin playing an up tempo blues at The Village Vanguard (video)
There's a new kid on the theater block (please make him feel welcome, class). Have a look at the Central Square Theater.
Anthony Quinn and Alan Bates dance to the music of Mikis Theodorakis in a scene from Zorba the Greek
Today is the birthday of Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis. He began his remarkable life in 1925 on the island of Chios. Most Americans know Theodorakis for his scores for the films Zorba the Greek, Z and Serpico, but he is also a prolific composer, having written numerous symphonies, chamber works, hymns, cantatas, operas and music for various stage productions.
Theodorakis is also known for his political activism and controversial statements on issues of the day. He was imprisoned by the Greek junta, The Regime of the Colonels in 1967, and only released after intense international pressure was brought to bear on the government. He has also served several terms in the Greek parliament.
In honor of his birthday, here are some relevant links:
Mikis Theodorakis official web site
Mikis Theodorakis wikipedia page
Theodorakis sings Romiosini Part I, Part II
Theodorakis sings Ki esi lae vasanismene at a 1974 concert, shortly after the fall of the Regime of the Colonels
Zorba the Greek wikipedia page
Pianist, educator and longtime New England Conservatory faculty member, Patricia Zander has died after a long battle with cancer. Ms. Zander performed for a decade with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, though she only appeared with Mr. Ma on the Celebrity Series once, a Symphony Hall recital in March 1986 (when we were the Wang Celebrity Series). A greater, but perhaps less obvious impact of Ms. Zander's life and work are her many accomplished former students. Former Boston Globe classical music critic, Richard Dyer, thought Zander to be, "Probably the most influential music teacher in the city." Among Ms. Zander's former students, baritone Sanford Sylvan, pianists Judith Gordon and Max Levinson, and violinists Stefan Jackiw and Irina Muresanu, have all appeared on Celebrity Series stages.
Following up on my earlier post on the death of Preservation Hall Jazz Band trumpeter John Brunious. You can view photos of John Brunious' Jazz Funeral here. The Jazz Funeral took place February 23 in New Orleans.
I finally got around to looking at the complete Grammy Award list and found a few other Celebrity Series of Boston artists from this season (tons from other seasons, as usual...ahem).
Turns out Maria Schneider and the Maria Schneider Orchestra were nominated for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for Sky Blue, and Maria's Cerulean Skies from the same album was nominated for Best Instrumental Composition. Maria and the Orchestra made their Celebrity Series debut November 18 at the Berklee Performance Center.
Not to be outdone, pianist Marc-André Hamelin was nominated in the Best Instumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra) for his Haydn: Piano Sonatas album on Hyperion. Mr. Hamelin makes his celebrity Series debut January 26 at NEC's Jordan Hall. Pianist and Celebrity Series regular, Garrick Ohlsson was also nominated in the category.
Bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff (who sang this past November 19 with the Berlin Philharmonic, you'll recall), whose recording The Jazz Album - Watch What Happens (Deutsche Grammophon), was nominated for Best Classical Crossover Album.
Among the many Celebrity Series alumni represented on the Grammy list, well, the ones that jumped out at me, were Eighth Blackbird, with 3 (count 'em!) nominations for Best Chamber Music Performance for their Strange Animals recording on the Cedille label, Best Classical Contemporary Composition (Jennifer Higdon, Zaka) and Best Producer of the Year, Classical (Judith Sherman).
Other nominees that once graced a Celebrity Series stage and may again are Joni Mitchell, Joe Lovano, Paquito D'Rivera, Soweto Gospel Choir, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Sweet Honey In The Rock (Best Musical Album for Children, by the way), Renee Fleming, and Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists. The late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson received three nominations for Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Sings Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs on Nonesuch.
Composer Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen, one of the 20th century's most influential composers has died. He had no specific involvement with this organization that I am aware of (usually my requirement for comment on this blog), but his influence was/is too pervasive to pass without comment, in this case, my "comments" take the form of links. Undoubtedly, Karlheinz Stockhausen had an effect on something that took place on one of our stages at some time - probably more than we realize.
Karlheinz Stockhausen official web site
Karlheinz Stockhausen Myspace page
Karlheinz Stockhausen wikipedia page
New York Times obituary (Associated Press)
Los Angeles Times obituary (Mark Swed)
Washington Post obituary (Matt Schudel)
National Public Radio obituary (Tom Huizenga)
Canadian Broadcasting Company obituary
Bloomberg News obituary (Mark Beech)
Guardian (UK) obituary (Ivan Hewett)
The Rest Is Noise obituary (Alex Ross)
