Six on Music: What Does Campaign Rally Music Say About a Candidate?; Alfredo Rodríguez: Tiny Desk Concert; Wake up with a morning raga; Wayfarin' Stranger: Neil Young; Louis Armstrong’s Life in Letters, Music and Art; "The S in 'I Loves You, Porgy'
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And please don't forget to check out the pertinent images attached to every post
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Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodríguez gave our office audience a very quick lesson on why pianists from that island nation are so impressive: they treat the piano as the percussion instrument it is. Rodríguez immediately let fly with an intense flurry of notes that were as melodic as they were rhythmic.
The mash up of European lyricism and Afro-Cuban percussion is at the heart of the Cuban piano tradition and it is very present in the first song. It wasn't long before Rodríguez dug deep into rapid-fire syncopation along with drummer Michael Olivera and guitarist/ bassist Munir Hossn.
Iconic music producer/composer Quincy Jones heard Rodríguez during a performance at a European jazz festival and took him under this wing, eventually signing him to Jones' management company. When you listen to the expansive and lyrical exploration of the second song in this Tiny Desk set, "Bloom," it's easy to hear what captured Jones' attention.
The West Africa-based Yoruba spiritual tradition, commonly known as Santeria, infuses so much of Cuban daily life in music and Rodríguez closes with his take on the music dedicated to the Orisha Yemaya, the goddess of the ocean and all waters. The song's melody is a derivation of the song associated to Yemaya and the Tiny Desk trio explores the rhythms of the melody, up to and including the sing-along at the end.
Every exposure to Cuban music presents an opportunity to walk alongside historical music figures and Santeria spirits alike. This performance is no exception. Watching these three performances repeatedly reveals new musical turns that slowly reveal how Alfredo Rodríguez is making a name for himself, alongside two incredibly talented, like-minded band mates.
SET LIST
- "Dawn"
- "Bloom"
- "Yemaya"
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"Deepak S. Raja has explored the raga and its naming in a chapter in his book, The Raga-Ness of Ragas: Ragas Beyond the Grammar, and says, “Some of the greatest musical minds of the country have, in recent years, worked on giving the raga a Hindustani personality. Despite this, the raga remains, to this day, subject to a considerable diversity in treatment.” And so, a Malini Rajurkar will take listeners on a rapid ascent within the first few seconds of her vilambit gat. Ravi Shankar has played the raga many times from the late 50s, and many recordings are available online, including this early piece that has his signature all over it.
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Till you run into a bit of good fortune and attend a morning concert where this raga is sung or played live, some of the must-listen Basant Mukharis are all over YouTube, including ones by Ali Akbar Khan, Amir Khan and by sarangi player Abdul Lateef Khan. Shubha Mudgal’s rendition, also available online, is a contemporary gem.
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The raga’s enigmatic charm lies in its ‘gambhirya’ or seriousness, along with the counterweight of pure longing or ‘viraha’ that it conveys."
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"Step inside the mind of one of America’s great virtuosos, thanks to a vast archive of his personal writings, home recordings and artistic collages."
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