Paris Dreams with a Stranger

Grace Jones - Strange
(complements of AACM)

Strange I've seen that face before
Seen him hanging round my door
Like a hawk stealing for the pray
Like the night waiting for the day

brilliant!

wonderful song, video... everything!

le Café - Oldelaf (english subtitles)
by Boebis

Sheherazade \approx Shahrzad

Last weekend (v)Alentino and I went to watch the symphony play Sheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov. The music is based on the one thousand and one night fable where a jaded king believes all women are dishonorable and dishonest. So every night he would get a new wife and in the morning, he would kill her. Until that is, he married Shahrzad (the correct Persian pronounciation -- and she was a persian queen). On the first night, to farewell her sister, she told her a story. The king overheard her and was in awe and wanted to hear another story. However Shahrzad said the king would have to wait for the next night. For 1001 nights Shahrzad told stories, at the end of which time it seems that the king had 3 songs with her and had been taught about morality and kindness. (everything up to here is plausible except for that 3 sons part. Is that even theoretically possible in 1001 nights?)

Rimski-Korsakov - Sheherazade - La mer

This is a very beautiful piece. The above video is the beginning of the piece where you can just picture the king having made his royal decree and then you hear the beautiful and sweet voice of Shahrzad bewitching his with stories. Really beautiful.

We also had a very special seats! we were sitting right at the front, on the 3 row in te orchestra section, on the right edge. We had very good views of the back of the double base players, the conductor and the first violin!! Fortunately, there were a lot of violin solos and the conductor was fun to watch!
A great night, ending with a quick stop in Carl Jr's for a bite to eat in all our finery :-P

Dancing and Music

This weekend Albanini and I went to a great little bar called Cigar Bar and Lounge in SF. It's cozy and has a nice atmosphere. There was also a small salsa band who were fab and we danced the night away. A much nicer place than the salsa place close to our house which Albinoni and I go once in a while because we are too lazy to go far. So we have been to this place (the one close to us) several times and there are definitely regulars. There is this woman who is a fabulous dancer with long hair that generally flies about as she turns and little dresses which are rather low cut and I am always surprised they don't reveal more accidentally! But it is so funny when she dances there is usually a line of men standing to the side just watching her. Anyway we found out she is a bit of a slut. Then there is this smallish guy with slicked back hair who is so cool he wears sunglasses in the dance club. Gangsta material. The DJ there seriously sucks. Seriously. ok enough complaining about this club. One good thing about the club is the teaching hour they have before the band starts playing. The teachers are relatively good. Now i am finishing on a good note :-)

Last night we also went to a concert by the Kronos Quartet. I had only heard Kronos' soundtrack to Requiem of a Dream and I absolutely love their Lux Aeterna. So I had high hopes going to the concert. Alas the first half they played all these very modern atonal, discordent music which contained background synthethized sound and some whispers and voice additions by these guys. It was amazing to me how anyone could actually like this so called music. Given 2 violins, a viola and a cello, you can make the most beautiful, deep and harmonous sounds and when you hear deliberate jarring and scratchy sounds, you wonder. Of course, what do I know, for there were people who loved and clapped and expressed their amazement at the beauty of the "noise" after wards during the discussion with the band.
I really don't understand these modern arts, where you call noise music, and some splashes of color on a canvas, a masterpiece.

Spiderman

Seems I am on a music roll. I actually have lots of things to write, except I don't seem to have time. However, I do have just enough time to mention how much I love the big band music of Michael Buble. If you haven't heard him, try him on It had Better be tonight and Irresponsible and Feeling Good. Very nice! Here he is with Spiderman: (not my fav but pretty fun)

In terms of music, i think I was born after my time :-)

Argument to Music

and not just any music - Beethoven's 5th :-)

Buika

My newly discovered obsession is an album by a Spanish singer Concha Buika who mixes up flamenco with jazz and african rhythems and funk. I really like her most recent album called Nina de Fuego (Girl of Fire) as it has more flamenco than her other ones. I have been obsessively listening to a number of the tracks, including the one below:

I love her husky voice, vibrating with emotion. Then there is her rendition of Volver.

Haunting Allegretto

Isn't funny how when you suddenly learn about something, subsequently you see it everywhere. You wonder how you missed it the whole time before, or did everyone really learn it with you? (the first sounds more plausible of course!)
This has been the case with the soundtrack of the movie The Fall. They play Beethoven's 7th Symphony, Allegretto, which is absolutely beautiful.
Since we first heard it during the movie, we then found it in our records and now I have heard it twice on my classic FM radio.

However did I miss this beautiful piece of music before?!!

Wasabe

I have not been a faithful blogger in the last month or so... and a lot has happened. It all started when we had a family reunion in mid august which coincided with the best of the best movie, The Dark Knight. We watched it on IMAX and it was magnificent - Batman as usual was the torn hero, while his nemesis the Joker was evil and chaos combined. I was reminded of the passing of Heath Ledger and it is such a shame. In some ways I was glad his face was always covered by makeup - it distanced him from his character.

I also went for a visit to LA and met up with some old family friends whom i hadn't seen for nearly 10 years - the kids had grown and they were little women now. I love watching and talking to teenagers and young adults - their views and their thought processes and what they deem as cool. Those years are hard! I remember I really wanted a boy friend but of course at that age, if you don't have the look and the cool cat act, which let me assure you i didn't, then boy friends were rare and scarce. It didn't help that i looked different to a lot of people around me. Now i look back and just think what a life.
My mum used to say to me that being young is beautiful. I didn't use to agree with that but now i see these fresh faced kids and understand what she was talking about. (not that i am old now ofcourse, but it is all relative). We used to worry about our hair, our skin, am i too fat, are my legs long enough, am i cute enough... so much energy!
Sorry how did i get in this meandering? :-P

I also went (twice) to the Frida Kahlo exhibition in Sf MOMA - i will have to write about her in a separate post. it was really interesting, her paintings were so emotional and i am glad i went twice because my feelings changed.

As I said lots has happened in these times. I will have to be more consistent with my blogging.
Meanwhile here is a really fun song I heard yesterday by Lily Allen called "GWB (Fuck you very much)", addressing, i assume, the esteemed leader of the first world central. Although some say it means Guess Who batman, which doesn't make sense to me. regardless, it is upbeat with not so upbeat lyrics. Reminds me of her other song Smile.
Boomp3.com
If you want your own copy, you can get it here.

An interesting music video

Carmensita by Devendra Banhart, From "Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon"
Video features Natalie Portman.

New Ear Worm

This is the song at the end of the puzzle game Portal which was very cool indeed. The gamer is promised cake if they solve the puzzles but at the end they find out the cake is a lie. There is a HAL-type computer GLaDOS who provides the commentary and this is her voice singing at the end. It is such a darkly funny and catchy song!!

'Still Alive' by Jonathan Coulton: http://www.jonathancoulton.com
and sung by Ellen McLain

Lyrics:
This was a triumph.
I'm making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS.
It's hard to overstate my satisfaction.
Aperture Science
We do what we must
because we can.
For the good of all of us.
Except the ones who are dead.
But there's no sense crying over every mistake.
You just keep on trying till you run out of cake.
And the Science gets done.
And you make a neat gun.
For the people who are still alive.
I'm not even angry.
I'm being so sincere right now.
Even though you broke my heart.
And killed me.
And tore me to pieces.
And threw every piece into a fire.
As they burned it hurt because I was so happy for you!
Now these points of data make a beautiful line.
And we're out of beta.
We're releasing on time.
So I'm GLaD. I got burned.
Think of all the things we learned
for the people who are still alive.
Go ahead and leave me.
I think I prefer to stay inside.
Maybe you'll find someone else to help you.
Maybe Black Mesa
THAT WAS A JOKE.
HAHA. FAT CHANCE.
Anyway, this cake is great.
It's so delicious and moist.
Look at me still talking
when there's Science to do.
When I look out there, it makes me GLaD I'm not you.
I've experiments to run.
There is research to be done.
On the people who are still alive.
And believe me I am still alive.
I'm doing Science and I'm still alive.
I feel FANTASTIC and I'm still alive.
While you're dying I'll be still alive.
And when you're dead I will be still alive.
STILL ALIVE

Own interpretation

Just a Little Rain
(Malvina Reynolds)

Just a little rain falling all around
The grass lifts its head to the heavenly sound
Just a little rain, just a little rain
What have they done to the rain?

Just a little boy standing in the rain
The gentle rain that falls for years
And the grass is gone and the boy disappears
And the rain keeps falling like helpless tears
And what have they done to the rain?

Just a little breeze out of the sky
The leaves nod their heads as the breeze blows by
Just a little breeze with some smoke in its eye
And what have they done to the rain?

---

When i first read the lyrics of this song, I thought they were so gentle and beautiful and sad and magical.
In fact, the imagery that it evoked was nothing like what it was really about. It was actually written as part of a campaign to stop nuclear testing in the atmosphere, which was producing fall-out. Similarly here is how the song by the Searchers sounds. This is an instance when my own imagination did a much better job of interpreting the song.
What did you guys think?

Bi11ie Jean gets a facelift

Listen to this version of Bi11ie Jean by this American 1dol contestant David C00k. It is so fabulous and chilling.

ps. I hope this upload works... my first upload of music!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

The last couple of days I have been listening to Amy Winehouse non-stop. It is the first time I am listening to her - prior to that I was very much turned off her by the bad publicity and the beehive didn't help!
So I know this is very much of an inappropriate Valentine's Day song to post, but it is just so beautiful. Love is a Losing Game.

Traditional Folk Songs

I heard this version of Sari Gelin a couple of years ago:
The info about the video says the following:
"Endless Vision (nominated for Grammy award 2007 for Best Traditional World Music Album in 2006), is a live recording with Hossein Alizadeh & Jivan Gasparyan on stage in the Niavaran Palace outdoor venue in Tehran (Sept.4-6, 2003) with more than 12,000 spectators. Songs in Azeri, Armenian, and Farsi; Afsaneh Rasaee's emotional singing stands out even though she can't sing solo on stage in a live performance in Iran. Jivan Gasparyan sings the Armenian lyrics with the calmness and assurance of a true master musician. The Farsi lyrics give the song a whole other dimension when they start."

The song is Turkish (or Armenian??) I believe and there are lots of the original version, such as this. Which of course are very beautiful and poignant. But the version of the video (and don't bother watching the video - just listen to the song) is really special - it has so many layers and levels. Then in the end when they sing the song in Farsi, I can actually understand what the song is about. Anyway I am glad they are nominated for a grammy - i should try to get my hand on the cd.
Darn I couldn't find the english translated lyrics anywhere! :-( where is a turkish/armenian person when you need them! ^.^ oh I know the one... ok I will have to contact my contact! :-)

This is also a very nice traditional Kurdish song. I wish i new what she is singing about...

Conga

Last saturday I went to the concert of The Conga Kings at the Lisner Auditorium in GWU. It was my first conga concert and the beat was so addictive! My friend and I couldn't help but stand and dance! meanwhile everyone else was just sitting in their seats, nice and quite listening to the music!

The Conga Kings are an Afro-Cuban 11 piece rumba group with three congueros. Candido Camero was an 85 year old guy and really frail. When he was walking onto the stage, he was using a cane. But then he got behind the congas and he time traveled back maybe 50 years! you can see in the video how playful he got. The other guy Giovanni Hidalgo was also really great - his hands were moving so fast and he played so many different beats. The third guy, Carlos "Patato" Valdes, crowned by Tito Puente as "the greatest conguero alive" unfortunately was sick and someone else played in his stead.

The whole night was actually quite lovely. I went with my friend Juan D. and after concert and dinner, we went out dancing until they threw us out. :-P The funny thing was that once we got to the dancing bar, this group of people just started playing the congas - lets just say that after listening to the "best conga band in th world" we were not that impressed!!

Btw I took this video at the concert.

Spider's Web

I discovered Katie Melua, a Georgian/British singer, yesterday. Today I have been listening to her album Piece by Piece on repeat - it is wonderful. The song above, Spider's Web written by KM herself, is especially lovely. The lyrics are beautiful:

Cause the line between
Wrong and right
Is the width of a thread from a spider's web
The piano keys are black and white
But they sound like a million colours in your mind

Manamana

A wunderbar ohrwurm manamana, compliments of styx. I've always loved this song!

Another day, another song

One of the songs i have been listening to a lot in the past couple of weeks is There Will Come a Day, and not by the original artist, Faith Hill, rather by one of American Idol contestants from last season, Melinda Doolittle. The song it self is amazing and i love the lyrics, not so much because of the religious overtones, rather because it touches upon the harsh realities that are often hidden in entertainment:
"Wars are raging, lives are scattered
Innocence is lost, and hopes are shattered
The old are forgotten, the children are forsaken
In this world we're living in
Is there anything sacred?"
But then the song goes into the theme of hope that:
"There will come a day, there will come a day
The song will ring out, down those golden streets
The voices of earth with the angels will sing"
and
"There's a better place, where our Father waits
And every tear He'll wipe away
The darkness will be gone,the weak shall be strong
Hold on to your faith"

The song really speaks to me. Maybe because the idea that a day wll come where the wrong will be righted is so irresistible.. of course i am not sure if i believe it, but it is something that you like to lie to yourself about.
This is the Faith Hill version btw. When i heard it after Melinda's version, all i could think is how much that song deserves a stronger voice and how Melinda's version was more emotional.

Wear Sunscreen

Above is one of my favourite songs, based on the following essay, put to music by Baz Luhrmann. Every time I listen to it, it makes my heart lighter.

Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young

A newspaper column by Mary Schmich, published by the Chicago Tribune on 01 June 1997.

Inside every adult lurks a graduation speaker dying to get out, some world-weary pundit eager to pontificate on life to young people who'd rather be Rollerblading. Most of us, alas, will never be invited to sow our words of wisdom among an audience of caps and gowns, but there's no reason we can't entertain ourselves by composing a Guide to Life for Graduates.

I encourage anyone over 26 to try this and thank you for indulging my attempt.

Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '97:

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.