Tag Archives: music

arts and culture

BEAT Festival: Immersive Art All Over Brooklyn

After last year’s successful inaugural season the BEAT Festival’s second season focuses on site-specific and immersive theatrical experiences in unusual and non-theatrical settings.

BEAT stands for Brooklyn Emerging Artists Theater but the BEAT roster includes a whole lot more than emerging artists with seasoned and accomplished artists like Ping Chong, Lemon Andersen, Brave New World Repertory and others. But there are lesser known groups as well like LeeSaar and the Institute for Psychogeographic Adventure.

This past Sunday night at Congregation Beth Elohim, Brave New World Repertory Theater presented a reading of reflections by those involved with the CBE Feeds initiative, which has been serving food to victims of Hurricane Sandy for the past year and intends to continue.

Also at Beth Elohim, on September 21 they will presenting Ping Chong’s Brooklyn 1963, about events connected with civil rights and the fight for freedom in Brooklyn.

There’s a whole lot more to the festival, including a performance on Saturday, September 21 of the “striking, sexy and assertive choreography” of LeeSaar, a dance company established in Israel in 2000 by  Lee Sher and  Saar Harari.

For more information go here. 

arts and culture

Machel Montano: Spirit of Trinidad Carnival at Celebrate Brooklyn

On Friday, July 20, Machel Montano brings the wild and steamy spirit of Trinidad Carnival to Celebrate Brooklyn’s bandshell in Prospect Park. Doors open at 6:30 PM.

Born in 1974 in Port of Spain, Trinidad, Montano’s career began in 1982 at age seven; at age nine he formed his band, Pranasonic Express. His 1985 debut album Too Young to Soca was an instant hit and at the age of 12, he was the winner of the Caribbean Song Festival

The night begins with an opening set by the socially conscious Creole singer-songwriter Bélo, who has been called Haiti’s musical ambassador to the world.

arts and culture

Greta Gertler and the Universal Thump at Barbes

Greta Gertler sends me press releases from time to time and I read them. At first I read them because of the last name that we share. Her’s, however, is spelled without the annoying—and distinctive—h as in Ghertler.

Now I read her press releases because I know how very talented she is.

Gertler will be  performing with her band, The Universal Thump at Barbes in Park Slope on Thursday, July 26. They will be joined onstage by special guests Alec Spiegelman & Kristin Slipp (Cuddle Magic) and Byron Isaacs (Ollabelle).

The Universal Thump performed an acclaimed “All Things Must Pass” benefit concert/recording project on the anniversary of the release of that incredible record with special guest Rick Moody, Missy Higgins, Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond), John Wesley Harding and many others.

Read my ecstatic review of that show here: http://onlytheblogknowsbrooklyn.com/tag/the-universal-thump/ Here’s an excerpt:

“Only in Brooklyn could a super group of stellar musicians calling themselves The Universal Thump come together to recreate the Phil Spector-style wall of sound that enhanced George Harrison’s 1970 All Things Must Pass.

“Only in Brooklyn could this dizzying array of vocalists and instrumentalists, perform the entire, yes, the entire three-album set.  In the process they brought down the house not once but numerous times during the three-hour show at The Bell House last night, November 29th, the 10th anniversary of Harrison’s death from cancer and just days away from the albums release date in 1970.”

At Barbes, the band will preview songs from their forthcoming eponymous double orchestral whale-pop album, to be released in the US on October 2, 2012.

 

Civics and Urban Life

OTBKB Weekend List: Hello Friday!

I can just taste the weekend. There’s tons to do as always plus there’s all that holiday shopping we need to do. Tonight you could check out Danya Kurtz and Keren Ann at The Bell House. On Saturday The Alphabet Lounge Band is playing at  Zora Space, that very happening cafe and performance space on 4th Avenue.  Click on read more to see the whole list with all the details you really need like  time, date, location and links.

Continue reading OTBKB Weekend List: Hello Friday! →

arts and culture

The Universal Thump to Perform All Things Must Pass in Its Entirety

After sobbing through last night’s American Masters’ documentary Lennon NYC, timed for the 30th anniversary of Lennon’s death, I’m ready for some George Harrison

Coming to The Bell House on November 29th at 8PM, there’s a 40th anniversary celebration of of All Things Must Pass, the former Beatles’ first solo (triple) album, released on November 27th, 1970.

Interestingly, it was the best-selling album of any solo Beatle and was co-produced by Harrison and the legendary Phil Spector (who later worked with John Lennon on Rock ‘n Roll).

The album displays Harrison’s spiritual side “My Sweet Lord,” as well as  “Behind That Locked Door” to ‘wall-of-sound’ wonders such as “What is Life?”

Out of love for the album, The Universal Thump, a Brooklyn-based orchestral pop collective, led by singer-songwriter-pianist, Greta Gertler and Adam B Gold will perform “All Things Must Pass” in its entirety with a 15-piece, expanded ‘wall-of-sound’ mode including: 2 drummers, 2 bass players, strings, horns, guitarists, keyboardists and more with the guest vocalists listed above.

P.S. Greta Gertler shares my maiden name (minus the H). Yay for G(h)ertlers!

Civics and Urban Life

Simone Dinnerstein to Host Concert to Benefit School in Need

1 Comment

By now you’re probably aware of the Neighborhood Classics series organized by acclaimed SONY classical artist,  Simone Dinnerstein, a win-win for classical and new music enthusiasts in Park Slope, as well as a worthy fundraiser for PS 321.

Well, she’s taken that idea on the road and is organizing high caliber musicians to help other NYC schools.

PS 142 Amalia Castro School on the Lower East Side is one of those schools.  Their music department was recently cut due to recent fiscal cutbacks.

Simone Dinnerstein, friends and colleagues wanted to do something about that! That’s why they organized this Sunday special concert.

On Sunday November 14 at 4:00 PM the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) will perform a concert featuring music associated with New York’s Downtown new music scene, including works by Philip Glass, Phil Kline, Sarah Kirkland Snider and Nico Muhly.

Continue reading Simone Dinnerstein to Host Concert to Benefit School in Need →