Joe and I are getting ready to head out to California next week for the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show. I now have a laptop, so I plan on doing some blogging from there should I be lucky enough to hear some good music. (If the past two years are any indication, I will!) After NAMM, we are heading to San Diego where we might do a little "clubbing" and hear some music there. I will blog about anything particularly interesting. Frank Gambale is scheduled to be at the Baked Potato in LA during NAMM and Robben Ford in San Diego when we are there. Hopefully, we will see them both.
yours in music,
Tracy
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
The Last "Christmas Concert"
Last night I took my seat in the Fairport High School Auditorium for the last holiday concert one of my children will ever perform in, and it was a sad moment. As I listened to the groups before Caroline's, I thought back to every Christmas "concert" the kids had ever performed in going right back to their kindergarten performances. You haven't experienced the true joy of the holiday season until you've seen a multitude of five-year-olds "singing" to "Up on the Rooftop" all the while looking to teachers for word cues. The cutest thing ever.
Each year the choirs and bands/orchestras got better and better. There were a few clunkers in each concert, but that adds to the charm. Last night had some real high points - especially for me. The boys choir performed that Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters version of White Christmas that I find so much fun. And, I love the a cappella choir that my daughter has been in the last few years, and they did not disappoint - three really fun songs, done very well, including one with kazoos. It's not Christmas without kazoos, right? The Polyphonic Choir and the FHS Orchestra performed Shubert's Mass No. 2 in G Major. It was quite lovely and intricate and very well done. The Hallelujah Chorus was great--all alumni, teachers and anyone else who wanted to were invited up to sing along. It looked like many of the folks who went bravely forth had not performed that tune in many years. But somehow it was absolutely beautiful.
I'm going to try very hard to make it to the annual jazz holiday concert that the FHS jazz band, directed by Bill Tiberio, puts on during the last day of classes before Christmas break. The kids work so hard to fill the auditorium with lights and decorations - it always looks fantastic and very Christmas-y, and the musicians are totally into the fun of the performance. It's fabulous! Hopefully, I'll be able to break away from work for a bit that day to enjoy it since this is my baby's last year there. Sniffle.
Also, the 12th of December is the Bill Welch Band's "Love Was Born" Christmas concert at the Downtown United Presbyterian Church at 7:30. Don't miss it.
yours in music,
Tracy
Each year the choirs and bands/orchestras got better and better. There were a few clunkers in each concert, but that adds to the charm. Last night had some real high points - especially for me. The boys choir performed that Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters version of White Christmas that I find so much fun. And, I love the a cappella choir that my daughter has been in the last few years, and they did not disappoint - three really fun songs, done very well, including one with kazoos. It's not Christmas without kazoos, right? The Polyphonic Choir and the FHS Orchestra performed Shubert's Mass No. 2 in G Major. It was quite lovely and intricate and very well done. The Hallelujah Chorus was great--all alumni, teachers and anyone else who wanted to were invited up to sing along. It looked like many of the folks who went bravely forth had not performed that tune in many years. But somehow it was absolutely beautiful.
I'm going to try very hard to make it to the annual jazz holiday concert that the FHS jazz band, directed by Bill Tiberio, puts on during the last day of classes before Christmas break. The kids work so hard to fill the auditorium with lights and decorations - it always looks fantastic and very Christmas-y, and the musicians are totally into the fun of the performance. It's fabulous! Hopefully, I'll be able to break away from work for a bit that day to enjoy it since this is my baby's last year there. Sniffle.
Also, the 12th of December is the Bill Welch Band's "Love Was Born" Christmas concert at the Downtown United Presbyterian Church at 7:30. Don't miss it.
yours in music,
Tracy
Friday, December 5, 2008
Christmastime . . . Music . . . Memories
Christmastime is the part of the year where I can immerse myself in my "inner child" and really enjoy it. The lights, the music, the food, the mood - hell, I still believe in Santa. I mean, I know that some fat man in a red suit is not going to enter my house through my non-existent chimney (though it would be nice to find an unexpected surprise in the toe of my stocking), but I truly believe in "Christmas miracles." (Most) people get nicer - perhaps feeling remorse for their ill will or bad behavior of the past year, or they might feel compassion for people in any kind of need--emotional, physical, psychological, financial--and act on those feelings. That can truly be a miracle.
Anyway, music. I've been listening to my XM satellite radio in the car, and there are multiple holiday stations. So many of the songs put me in a different place. I find myself a child again listening to Burl Ives, Dean Martin, Frank, Steve Lawrence and Edie Gorme (her squeals of pleasure? during "Sleigh Ride" occur after every crack of the whip - makes you think . . . but I digress), Bing Crosby, Gene Autry - I grew up listening to those songs on the "hi-fi" in the living room. Then there are the Carpenters and other voices from the '60s and '70s that I remember hearing in the background of every Christmas of my youth. Next, I hear the music of the late '80s, the '90s and beyond when "rock stars" started putting out Christmas albums or appearing on compilations. I worked at Barnes & Noble from 1996 to 2005, and I treated myself to at least two Christmas albums every year. The memories of loading all six slots in the van's disc changer with Christmas music right after Thanksgiving, and having the whole family sing along with Sting's version of "I Saw Three Ships" as we drove around town looking at Christmas light displays remains such a precious memory; putting a "holiday greeting" on our phone's answering machine either by recording a song from the stereo or by having the whole family sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" is, sadly, something I haven't done for the past few Christmases; playing any one of my "Celtic Christmas" CDs softly Christmas morning is a tradition I continue and is the perfect way to ease into the beauty of December 25th; learning new songs each year to sing with the Spiritus Christi Gospel Choir at Christmas Eve Mass is something that I'm not doing this year for the first time since 2004. I miss that. I miss the family sing-alongs, too. Music is key to every part of my life, but no more important than it is at Christmastime.
Much of the music I listened to as a kid went along with the movies I watched, like "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," "The Little Drummer Boy," "Charlie Brown's Christmas," Frosty the Snowman," and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" every year. "Santa Claus is . . . " was my all time favorite; Charlie Brown made me sad, and Rudolph's trip to the "Island of Misfit Toys" had an impact on me that I didn't realize until much later in my life.
My first husband, Michael, introduced me to "It's a Wonderful Life" which I had (gasp!) never even heard of, but grew to love as well as "Miracle on 34th Street" (the original) which I still love so much. My second husband introduced me to all the schmaltzy 1940s and '50s Christmas movies like "Bells of St. Mary's," "Bishop's Wife, "Holiday Inn," "Christmas in Connecticut," " and "White Christmas." I did sleep through most of these every time we watched them, but there was tradition in that. And, I've loved almost every iteration of "A Christmas Carol," NOT just because it's one of my dad's favorites.
My radio dial, my iTunes, and my Pandora have been tuned to Christmas music since the weekend before Thanksgiving, and that's where they'll stay until New Year's Day. It's just part of who I am; part of the girl who still believes in Santa.
Christmas love and wishes to you in music and beyond,
Tracy
Anyway, music. I've been listening to my XM satellite radio in the car, and there are multiple holiday stations. So many of the songs put me in a different place. I find myself a child again listening to Burl Ives, Dean Martin, Frank, Steve Lawrence and Edie Gorme (her squeals of pleasure? during "Sleigh Ride" occur after every crack of the whip - makes you think . . . but I digress), Bing Crosby, Gene Autry - I grew up listening to those songs on the "hi-fi" in the living room. Then there are the Carpenters and other voices from the '60s and '70s that I remember hearing in the background of every Christmas of my youth. Next, I hear the music of the late '80s, the '90s and beyond when "rock stars" started putting out Christmas albums or appearing on compilations. I worked at Barnes & Noble from 1996 to 2005, and I treated myself to at least two Christmas albums every year. The memories of loading all six slots in the van's disc changer with Christmas music right after Thanksgiving, and having the whole family sing along with Sting's version of "I Saw Three Ships" as we drove around town looking at Christmas light displays remains such a precious memory; putting a "holiday greeting" on our phone's answering machine either by recording a song from the stereo or by having the whole family sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" is, sadly, something I haven't done for the past few Christmases; playing any one of my "Celtic Christmas" CDs softly Christmas morning is a tradition I continue and is the perfect way to ease into the beauty of December 25th; learning new songs each year to sing with the Spiritus Christi Gospel Choir at Christmas Eve Mass is something that I'm not doing this year for the first time since 2004. I miss that. I miss the family sing-alongs, too. Music is key to every part of my life, but no more important than it is at Christmastime.
Much of the music I listened to as a kid went along with the movies I watched, like "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," "The Little Drummer Boy," "Charlie Brown's Christmas," Frosty the Snowman," and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" every year. "Santa Claus is . . . " was my all time favorite; Charlie Brown made me sad, and Rudolph's trip to the "Island of Misfit Toys" had an impact on me that I didn't realize until much later in my life.
My first husband, Michael, introduced me to "It's a Wonderful Life" which I had (gasp!) never even heard of, but grew to love as well as "Miracle on 34th Street" (the original) which I still love so much. My second husband introduced me to all the schmaltzy 1940s and '50s Christmas movies like "Bells of St. Mary's," "Bishop's Wife, "Holiday Inn," "Christmas in Connecticut," " and "White Christmas." I did sleep through most of these every time we watched them, but there was tradition in that. And, I've loved almost every iteration of "A Christmas Carol," NOT just because it's one of my dad's favorites.
My radio dial, my iTunes, and my Pandora have been tuned to Christmas music since the weekend before Thanksgiving, and that's where they'll stay until New Year's Day. It's just part of who I am; part of the girl who still believes in Santa.
Christmas love and wishes to you in music and beyond,
Tracy
Monday, November 3, 2008
Parents' Weekend . . .
Gone to Parents' Weekend at my son's school this past weekend. There was no music. There were, of course, plenty of adult video stores along the way, but I've already explored that in a previous post. Anyway, good times with Drew . . . including a huge hike with small boulder scrambling, crossing creeks on logs (and I was never good at balance beam), and thorns. All in all, though, it was a beautiful day and a lovely workout. I thought my knees were "broken," but they are working fine today! I realized how good I felt all the while (and after) I was able to spread my wings in the "great outdoors." I realized how much more of that I need in my daily life. In fact, I think I might go and take the dog for a short walk right now.
Music next weekend . . .
yours,
Tracy
Music next weekend . . .
yours,
Tracy
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Strathallan Last Night.
Met Mike Melito in person last night - he's been a MySpace friend for a while now. That's weird thing, I guess, being "friends" with someone you've never met. Anyway, he was very nice, and I enjoyed his playing. The group was good - Bill Dobbins, Mike Kaupa, Mike Melito and others. Sadly, I was wiped out from the week, and the lovely wine I had earlier at Rooney's didn't help to keep me alert. Otherwise, we would have stayed for another set. The Strath was crowded, and what a diverse crowd it was! Good for them; I hope they keep that up. Rochester needs that.
Tonight is that gig in Fairport with the Bill Tiberio Band. Hope to see some of you there.
yours in music,
Tracy
Tonight is that gig in Fairport with the Bill Tiberio Band. Hope to see some of you there.
yours in music,
Tracy
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
No one comments anymore . . .
Is it because I hadn't written in forever, and no one is reading it anymore? Could be.
Trying to think if I have anything interesting to say . . . Oh, yes, I do. Joe and Bill are playing this weekend! On Saturday night at Minerva DeLand School in Fairport will be the annual Fairport High School Jazz Charity Concert. Since Bill has ceased to involve me in the press releases, (since I'm so busy in my new position at work, and I don't have the time to give it the attention it warrants) I don't know all the details, but the school jazz bands start at 6:00 pm and the featured guests (Bill Tiberio Band - Bill, Joe, Phil Lake, Geoff Smith, Scott Bradley) might be on as early at 7:00 or so. Be there. It'll be cool.
All for now . . .
yours in music,
Tracy
Trying to think if I have anything interesting to say . . . Oh, yes, I do. Joe and Bill are playing this weekend! On Saturday night at Minerva DeLand School in Fairport will be the annual Fairport High School Jazz Charity Concert. Since Bill has ceased to involve me in the press releases, (since I'm so busy in my new position at work, and I don't have the time to give it the attention it warrants) I don't know all the details, but the school jazz bands start at 6:00 pm and the featured guests (Bill Tiberio Band - Bill, Joe, Phil Lake, Geoff Smith, Scott Bradley) might be on as early at 7:00 or so. Be there. It'll be cool.
All for now . . .
yours in music,
Tracy
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Now here's the job for me! Check out the link.
http://jobview.monster.com/GetJob.aspx?JobID=76616761&aid=51533415-14108&WT.mc_n=MKT000351
Unfortunately, it's in Las Vegas. So, I guess I'm going to have to pass. But how COOL would that be? Now if it were a couple of years from now and the location was Nashville or NYC, well, I'd be applying for that one.
There's been boatloads of music around here lately, and I am happy to say that I was able to see and hear some of it. Joe and I took Caroline and a couple of her friends - Loreal and Melanie - to the Rochester Indie Fest. They loved it, and they are just about the right demographic. It was an interesting and diverse crowd age-wise. There weren't as many kids as I thought there would be, and there were more people my age or even, (gasp!), older. Local artists, Mint Jam rocked the house (as expected) and Julia Nunes delighted the crowd with her voice talents and her ukelele. Gregory Paul was interesting in a dark and morose kind of way. Jodie Shaw was kind of cool. My daughter was one of the throng at the merchandise table where she purchased several CDs and a Julia Nunes t-shirt. All-in-all, RiF 2008 was a successful launch, I would say.
And I have to pat myself on the back just a little bit because I was the one who suggested Mint Jam and Julia Nunes to the three gentlemen producing this festival-Ned Corman, George Daddis and Steven Gates. Just a little pat; I mean, if you don't pat yourself on the back every once in a while, who's going to do it?
Sorry it's been so long. Oh well.
yours in music,
Tracy
Unfortunately, it's in Las Vegas. So, I guess I'm going to have to pass. But how COOL would that be? Now if it were a couple of years from now and the location was Nashville or NYC, well, I'd be applying for that one.
There's been boatloads of music around here lately, and I am happy to say that I was able to see and hear some of it. Joe and I took Caroline and a couple of her friends - Loreal and Melanie - to the Rochester Indie Fest. They loved it, and they are just about the right demographic. It was an interesting and diverse crowd age-wise. There weren't as many kids as I thought there would be, and there were more people my age or even, (gasp!), older. Local artists, Mint Jam rocked the house (as expected) and Julia Nunes delighted the crowd with her voice talents and her ukelele. Gregory Paul was interesting in a dark and morose kind of way. Jodie Shaw was kind of cool. My daughter was one of the throng at the merchandise table where she purchased several CDs and a Julia Nunes t-shirt. All-in-all, RiF 2008 was a successful launch, I would say.
And I have to pat myself on the back just a little bit because I was the one who suggested Mint Jam and Julia Nunes to the three gentlemen producing this festival-Ned Corman, George Daddis and Steven Gates. Just a little pat; I mean, if you don't pat yourself on the back every once in a while, who's going to do it?
Sorry it's been so long. Oh well.
yours in music,
Tracy
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