Oscar Night--Thoughts on What Should Be A Fun Evening

I don't want a lot of surprises this year as the Oscars are announced in a few hours.



In fact, so many of the front-runners happen to be personal favorites, that I WANT to see them win. I don't WANT to see Christopher Plummer fall to a Jonah Hill upset (I'm fairly certain Max Von Sydow will not experience a sentimental vote this year)

....I will scream in delight for Meryl Streep, but will also cheer appreciatively for Viola Davis.  Brad and George gave career performances...how could I feel badly for a win for either of them? Then again, a victory for Jean Dujardin is like a victory for Uggie the Dog. How can I resist?



There isn't one Supporting Actress nominee who isn't deserving....while I expect the charming Octavia Spencer to give a moving speech, any other winner would bring me a yelp of pleasant approval.  (Especially Berenice Bejo...or best of all, Jessica Chastain).



Woody Allen's name called out in triumph will feel like a personal vindication, because I loved his movie since I saw it last summer.


And while I have in my heart a deep yearning for two movies in particular as Best Film, I have to say that any one of them would please me in one way or another.



It's nice to watch the Oscars when your favorites are likely to win.  But then again, I had my balloon burst---badly---six years ago (CRASH!!) and I have never fully recovered.  That's why I don't want too many surprises this year.


If there ARE shockers...these would please me most:
Best Picture: Midnight in Paris or Tree of Life
Best Director--Terrence Malick
Best Actress--A Michelle Williams Surprise upset



I will cheer loudly tonight for: Emmanuel Lubzecki (Cinematography, Tree of Life); Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris); Ludovic Bource (The Artist); Meryl Streep (Iron Lady); Christopher Plummer (Beginners); Dante Ferretti (Hugo); and Alexander Payne (Screenplay, The Descendants).  Add Michel Havazanicius to the chorus.



*       *       *       *       *
On recent stories that the Academy is composed overwhelmingly of old white men:

Where were all of these articles in 2005-06, when generational homophobia motivated a voting bloc to rally around a second-rate film, thus ensuring that the deserving critical and popular front-runner would not make history?


Add to that: It has ALWAYS been so; membership has always skewed older.  The Academy reflects the makeup of the industry.  And the Oscars weren't intended to appeal to the preferences of various cults within the moviegoing public.  (The "snub" of "Harry Potter" should not be seen as an injustice.)

 These Old White Men are the ones who create those cults to begin with.  They fashion the blockbusters that bring in the big bucks from the mass of less-discriminating viewers.  The Oscars are an occasion for appreciating moviemaking's better intentions, when films that speak to the better part of our  natures, which can entertain us and give our minds and emotions a workout, are held up for recognition.  Sure, the choices are often less that applause-worthy, but it is, after all, an industry award. 

Who are we to demand anything else?

And for all of our complaining, we come back every year...  We sometimes forget how to regard a movie without the context of the Oscars.


*       *       *       *       *


Another Nominee I would love to see Oscared: 


It's clear that the name Sergio Mendes is a complete mystery to many in the Oscar-blogosphere.  But this composer, nominated for the song from the animated film Rio, has been an influence in world music for decades.


And has been one of my favorite musicians my whole life.


I have read with dismay those who feel a win for Mendes would be seen as a ham-handed effort by the Academy to be "global" and "relevant".  So..what is the Brazilian ---er, Portugese-- word for "bull--it"?


Not only has Mendes entertained millions for almost 50 years..but the song he wrote for Rio is out-of-the-ordinary Oscar fare, and FUN!!


Here are a couple samples of Mendes' previous works that I love so much...

The Late Laura Nyro Inducted Into Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame--Wednesday Journal #2

Finally!  Laura Nyro (for the uninitiated, pronounced Ne-ro) was announced as an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame's Class of 2012.  The induction ceremony will take place in Cleveland on April 14th.


Nero's heyday was the 1960's.  She scored modest success as a singer, with a voice that was reminiscent of Carole King with a more reckless abandon, and she had two hit albums of collected songs.


But it was as a songwriter that she left an immortal mark on American popular music.


If George Gershwin were writing Top-40 pop hits, they might have sounded like the tunes of Laura Nyro.  She blended rhythm-'n-blues and soul with jazz and pop, for a distinctive sound that is timeless even as it calls to mind the late '60's.


Artists like The 5th Dimension, Blood Sweat and Tears, and Barbra Streisand scored huge hits covering Nyro's songs.  I hope I can encourage others to become familiar with Nyro's music.  Her songwriting resume is unbelievable; all of them can be legitimately considered modern classics:

(click on the links to hear the songs)
Three Dog Night's version of "Eli's Comin'"; "Time and Love" and "Stony End" (Recorded by Streisand); "And When I Die" (Blood Sweat and Tears' biggest hit); and especially the covers by the Fifth Dimension: "Stoned Soul Picnic", "Save the Country", "Sweet Blindness", and my all-time Nyro favorite, "Wedding Bell Blues" ('B-I-I-I-I-I-L! I love you so, I always will ...')



Sadly, Laura Nyro will not be at the ceremony next April. In 1997, at the age of 49, Nyro died of ovarian cancer--the year in which another of my contemporary music heroes was inducted into the R&R Hall Of Fame: Joni Mitchell.


Nyro's induction is an honor that is way overdue.

Windy City Performing Arts Winter Concert, A Rich and Wonderful Program

In three shows filled with heart, talent, and irrepressible mischief, the Windy City Gay Men's Chorus and Aria performed this weekend at Chicago's Senn Campus, and gave their richest, funniest, most emotional holiday show yet.  There was an eclectic mix of musical styles, several show-stopping solos, some alarmingly good showcases of individual talent, a "hot" brass-and-percussion ensemble, and a visit from a besotted special guest, whose martini-fueled, train-wreck of a number redefined raucous hilarity, and may have been the last word in drag (until, perhaps, March).


This year's program, titled "Sassy! Brassy! and Classy!", left audiences as fully satisfied as at a banquet, offering familiar dishes and exotic delicacies, spiced with effervescent staging, and topped off with sweet harmonies and strong vocal mixtures.  Director Stephen Edwards fashioned a wonderful show which, in spite of the  challenges and rigors of rehearsals, the choirs delivered nicely.

Another thing...I felt entirely safe in the comfortable surroundings of Senn Auditorium.  Mark was there all weekend, and the stage was filled with all of my friends who worked so hard to entertain us, with so much wonderful music beautifully performed.  I knew the same warmth I used to know looking at the lit-up tree in my boyhood living room, with all the other lights off, and the promise of good things...

The combined chorus kicked off with "Spirit of the Season" from "Polar Express", a lively number that  raised the house energy level, and set a tone of expectation for both the traditional and the contemporary.

The men moved right into "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year", a perennial classic (that we  break into occasionally when the pressures of the season become insane!)  The men's first set concluded with a beautifully harmonized, hushed version of "White Christmas", a song filled with nostalgia and hope, and still one one of the finest Oscar-winning songs ever. 


Aria took back the stage for a jazzy rendition of "The Holiday Season", at one point vocalizing without words in an amusing "ta-tee-ta" chorus.  Kay Thompson, a well-known actress, arranger, and godmother to Liza Minnelli, wrote this tune in 1963.

"Silent Night" always casts a breathless hush on an audience.  This version is one of the most exquisite I have yet heard.  Stephanie Dykes started with a strong baritone solo in German, with the combined chorus fading in for a melancholy rendition of the song.  Stephanie came back for a brief solo interlude, taking the song into a different key, before the chorus built in volume to a thrilling climax, at which it was impossible not to be moved.


The women lightened things up again with "The Holly and the Ivy" done in a calypso kind of beat, with great piano accompaniment and a fine solo by Valerie Silk Kremenak.


Then things got out of hand--in a great way.




Stephen breathlessly announced the appearance of a special guest!  While the chorus donned hats and grabbed their fur-lined music books in order to provide background vocals for this special soloist, we learned that the singer was none other than Mrs. Santa. 


In white silk elbow-length gloves, silver wig with a ridiculously small hat perched on top of his head, and a silky and flattering dress, Bill Howes, as Mrs. Santa, was wheeled out on a chaise lounge by two shirtless minions (Bill Marsland and Jason Spoor) sporting leather harnesses and hats, sucking on tootsie pops, and bringing continuous martinis to the hapless diva. 

The chorus followed their music gamely, while Mrs. Santa launched into an off-key riff that got appreciative howls of laughter from in-the-know audience members.  "O Holy Night" segued hysterically into everything from "Deck the Halls" to a wild-west version of "Sleigh Ride"; from a confused mix of "Frosty" and "Rudolph" to "Over the Rainbow"; from "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"; to Mozart's "Magic Flute", returning finally to "O Holy Night", before she was wheeled offstage. 


Howes tottered around the stage, goosing Director Edwards (who grabbed a drink himself), able to go from sublime to profane in one alcohol-riddled breath.  A singer has to be really talented to fashion a number so hilariously off-key and well-timed, and Howes really put on a show.  Even Michael Roberts, the Sign Language Interpreter,  seemed to be at a loss, remaining quietly hilarious, frantic to get it all spelled out. 

*   *   *   *

It was hard to top this, but the follow-up was terrific.  The brass section, with wordless vocalizations from Aria, performed a song I remember hearing a lot as a kid, but had almost forgotten, called "Bugler's Holiday".  (I was so happy to reconnect to this song--I felt like the guy in "Amelie" who has his long-lost treasure box returned to him; I had been trying so long to recall the name of this tune. ) I don't think it's strictly a holiday number, but it is appropriately bubbly with a great brass sound.  (Listen to a version of it here). 


The instrumentalists followed with an interlude of their own, "Sleigh Ride", which is more well-known.  Both this and "Bugler's Holiday" (above) were written by American composer Leroy Anderson, described by Oscar-winning composer John Williams  as "one of the great American masters of light orchestral music."


Aria's next, a Hanukkah Song called "We Are Lights" featured lovely solos from Anna Rose Li-Epstein and Katya Lysander, and incorporated a candle-lighting during the number. 

And, to finish the first half of the show, the chorus was led by soloist Libby Lane, who effectively belted "Judah and his Maccabees", a musical bible story of the origin of Hanukkah.  This number requires a strong, vibrant alto, and Lane gave an awesome and animated interpretation of the song. (Here's a version from the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, lead by Karen Hart, who wrote the song.)

Act Two was more emotional, more spiritual and even more amazing.  The Men's Chorus offered a quiet and powerful version of "Ave Dulcissima Maria", performed acapella with only a single bell as a regular punctuation, like a Gregorian chant.  This was rumored to be a troublesome, complex number for the singers, but from where I sat, it sounded perfect.  The piece was written in 2004 by Morten Lauridsen originally for the Harvard Glee Club. (Listen to Polyphony's version here).  Michael Vince, Ryan Johnson, and Anton Naess lent their beautiful voices in solos.


Aria came back for a suite of spiritual numbers, beginning with "December" in which the group's delicate voices perfectly captured the awesome solitude of a late winter afternoon, when the sky is all blue and pink from the setting sun.  The chilling soprano solos of Kim Duncan, Rafael Ramos, Beth Bellinger and Meghan Bennett gave the song a haunting quality.  "Hodie Christus Natus Est", "Gloria", and "Alleluia (from Songs of Faith)" recalled for me the brassy religious influence of the film scores of Miklos Rosza or the medieval beauty of "The Lion in Winter".  Paul Basler, who wrote "Hodie..." and "Songs of Faith", was pleased with the arrangement, as seen on YouTube!

Finally, "Pictures of a Season", a suite so wonderfully done that it almost requires its own post. I'll try to do it justice in summary.


"Pictures of a Season" was a set of familiar holiday compositions, arranged in such a way as to provide a depth of meaning, an emotional journey.

Starting with a plaintive phrase from "Do You Hear What I Hear?", which served as a refrain for the whole number, the brass and harp were effectively woven in between. There was a rousing version of "Born in Bethlehem", done as a 4-part round with hand-claps that got the crowd moving. Bobby Owens came in for a brief solo refrain of "Do You Hear", followed by another exciting number, "I Am The Lord of the Dance", fronted by lighthearted solos from Ray Lesniewski and Dan Craig. 

Before the climax of the choral piece, there was perhaps the most amazing solo work of all.  Madelyn Tan-Cohen, the always-reliable piano accompanist, was given the spotlight, and transfixed the crowd as she moved effortlessly across the entire keyboard and back again for a thunderous, delicate, amazing musical interlude.  Influences of Wyndham Hill and Debussy, hints of "Carol of the Bells", "Away in a Manger",  a bluesy version of "We Three Kings", and segments of "Noel" "Gloria in Excelsis", combined for a seamless rhapsody.  Madelyn, who quietly provides such great support for the vocals, here proved a tremendous talent in her own right. She received a well-deserved cheer from the crowd.

Finally, the chorus brought it all home, as the suite built in intensity to the full "Do You Hear", with full orchestral accompaniment and the entire choir giving it everything they had, to thunderous applause.



I hope this recounting of this very special concert will serve as a record of an event for some, a tribute to others, and an introduction to this special group to everyone else. 

In the coming weeks, I'll return to the personal stories of many of the members, the preparation for the March Broadway fund-raiser, and the road to the Gala Festival in Denver in July!  Stay tuned...

"Girls Like Us" and A Joni Inspiration

Sheila Weller's 2008 triple-biography titled "Girls Like Us" is an ambitious, successful attempt to recreate the 1970's era of social and artistic ferment, as told through the life stories of three musicians who achieved their greatest success at that time: Carole King, Carly Simon, and Joni Mitchell.

Weller's book reads like an episodic novel with three completely realized female leads.  Each of their life stories are vastly different from one another, yet complement each other.  The book alternates and weaves the three stories into a "tapestry" (pun is intended) about the creative process, the sublimation of hardship to art, and the way music reflected and influenced the changing gender roles and cultural expectations of a generation.

It is a marvelous read.  As I make progress, I hope to record my impressions, and share passages that especially stimulated and moved me.

Joni Mitchell's story is especially interesting to me.  I regard her with some reverence, for her lyrics stand alone as poetry apart from their tunes, but together they make a potent statement about love, loneliness, creativity, and the machinations and the yearnings of the heart and mind.  

I am listening to Mitchell's 1970 album "Ladies of the Canyon" as I write this, around midnight in Chicago on a cool, crisp autumn Friday evening.  This album introduced listeners to her pop classic "Big Yellow Taxi" ("....they paved paradise and put up a parking lot..."), and her anthem to a milestone event, "Woodstock", performed as a mysterious and dreamy ballad (in contrast to the classic rock-and-roll  version recorded by Crosby, Still and Nash).

Mitchell's music and poetry constantly refresh me,  put me in touch with my creative energy, amaze me with their intelligence and soul-baring emotion. 

Joni lived a life that I would love to turn into a screenplay: a small-town Canadian girl from a conservative family, who discovers her passion for music and painting, fights polio, and hits the road to sing and write music.  Alone, and pregnant, with little to sustain her but her talent, she gives her baby up for adoption, becomes an iconic member of the Laurel Canyon folk-rock scene, and earns the respect of musicians and artists through a stormy but brilliant career.  As her voice mellows and matures, her music takes more chances, and her art and talent find new adherents.  Eventually, dramatically, she is reunited with her daughter.....

It has always been a dream of mine to hear her in concert; but I don't think that will ever come to pass.  Joni seems to have retired from the "cesspool" that she calls today's music business, but her absence from the scene is mainly due to her suffering, from a rare and strange nerve disorder called Morgellon's Disease.

As a guy who is trying hard to lay a claim to an artistic life, and offer the world something interesting and original, who is feeling his way through a process of reinvention, I have been inspired by few artists as completely as I have been inspired by Joni Mitchell.

I have occasionally travelled through a "blue" landscape these days, but it is true that sometimes "there's comfort in melancholy, when there's no need to explain." * 

Joni has articulated her own journey with uncompromising honesty and grace, and in her lyrics I find words of understanding.

The final song on "Ladies of the Canyon" is a classic about maturing and accepting the bittersweet cycles of living.   It is called "The Circle Game".

I will devote more pages in this journal in the coming weeks to Joni, and her influence on my humble work and my world-view.

Here's a video I found from a 1968 Canadian Broadcasting Company program, featuring the one-two punch of "Both Sides Now" and "The Circle Game".  Take the lyrics to heart.  Enjoy.

...So the years spin by and now the boy is twenty
Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true
There'll be new dreams maybe better dreams and plenty
Before the last revolving year is through

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

(*From her song "Hejira")

Italia--Art is a Way Of Life

Among the famous paintings, sculptures, and architecture, beauty can be found on the most modest facade, in a door or window, on the walls of a parking garage...  Italians are reminded every day of the beauty of artistic creation, and the promise of artistic achievement in any form, any medium.

I worried that Italians might grow complacent to the creative achievement all around them.   On the contrary, as I traveled I found that Italians must internalize this beauty, and incorporate it into a passionate view of the world, whether as musicians or painters, makers of pottery or lace, sculptors or designers, or or even cooks, or lovers.

(My only regret on this trip was being unable to visit the Cinecitta Studios in Rome, hub of the Italian film industry, where Fellini created his masterpieces.)

I will post some of my most prized photographs of the artistic beauty (not to mention the natural beauty) I encountered everywhere.

But first, to illustrate how art plays an important role in even the most everyday of lives, I want to share two examples of simple artists with amazing talent:

This accordion player performed near the Duomo in Sienna. Before I saw this lone figure, I thought a small orchestra had set up to play Vivaldi and Bach in the cul-de-sac.  This man used his entire body to make his instrument come forth with the harmonies and subtleties of a symphony. I had never seen anyone play an instrument, let alone a maligned, "popular", non-orchestral instrument, with such love and passion.

After I took this photograph, I found that street artists with their pastels were a common sight in Florence.  This artist worked his "chalk" into the cobblestones for a soft and harmonious blend of color.  He probably did not earn a lot of money for his effort, which made his devotion to his craft and his considerable talent worthy of reflection: 

Do I write with such care? Do I blend my words and thoughts to such colorful, pleasing effect?

Windy City Performing Arts, and Pride

The concerts of the Windy City Gay Men's Chorus and Aria are among my most eagerly awaited events of the year.  One year ago, Mark performed in his first concert with this group.  Last Saturday, he sang in his fourth, another wonderful, moving and hilarious revue called "Road Trip!"

Artistic Director Stephen Edwards used "Journeys" as his unifying theme for this year's concerts.  Last March the group took us on adventures around the world. For this, the Spring Pride show, the travel was close to home, as a way of demonstrating the beauty and strength of the contributions gay people have made all over America.

In its new venue, the Auditorium at Senn High School, the Chorus had a larger stage, with more room on the risers, leading to a more relaxed performance, and more room for their unique brand of comic mayhem.

The first act was more subdued, with songs that were like wistful reflections on our life's destinations as gay people, the possibilities still before us, and the meaning of home.  Act two was raucous and unbridled, a true road-trip, complete with sing-alongs, a touch of good-natured drag, Broadway satire, sailors and Texas Aggies, Muppets and Madames, freaks and a cheerful declaration of Pride.

The show distilled the hope that is the essence of every Road Trip, and in this case, the very special hope for lives of extraordinary journeys.

"You can take the color out of Colorado,
You can take the Mary out of Maryland...
As John Philip Sousa said
I can't march if I can't hear
The Boys in the Band..."

The sweet voices of the Aria Women's chourus kicked things off with their characteristic wordless vocal arrangement from the Republic of Georgia, "Satamasho", a song which children might sing while playing. A gentle plea from France followed, "Vois sur ton chemin"calling for us to take the hands of lost and forgotten children, to lead them to other tomorrows.  Next, a lovely, quiet version of "Rhythm of Life" from "Sweet Charity" reminded us of the powerful heartbeat of life.

"Everything Possible" was unexpectedly moving, a song that might be sung by a parent to a gay child, filled with love and encouragement for us to be who we are, and pursue the path that feels right to us.  It is a song many of us wish, in fantasy, that our parents had sung to us when we were children.

Mark appeared then, in a small ensemble, for "The Road Home", an emotional double-whammy after "Everything Possible", a song that might be sung by a grown child who cannot return home, and is looking for a new road, an new place to belong.  The beautiful vocalizations suggested, to me, the men's chorus used in the mountain scenes of "The Deer Hunter".

The Men's Chorus assembled then for a trio of Old-English melodies by Ralph Vaughn Williams from "Songs of Travel". 

And in a thrilling departure, the Chorus tore through a wildly rhythmic and energetic "Wedding Qawwali" by Slumdog Millionaire's A.R. Rahman.  This was the most difficult piece of the evening, and it was put over wonderfully, with subtle support from a drummer and guitarist.  The song was also  fascinatingly interpreted by the group's agile Sign Language performer.

After Intermission, we got some lighthearted pieces that many remembered from their childhoods, the Muppets' "Movin' Right Along", and "Ease On Down The Road" from "The Wiz".  With that, the road trip was underway!

"You can't take the sissy out of Mississippi
He's there and he's going to stay!..."

Aria came back with that staple of '60's Easy Listening radio, "Route 66", followed by an homage to the open road, "Wide Open Spaces".

A quartet of especially zaftig good sports hammed it up in size 12 pumps and "Maude"-style dresses for a round of "Let's Get Away From It All". 

What's a road trip without a sing-along in the car?  So, the group decided that the Lesbians would rock out to Four Non-Blondes' "What's Up" ("I said hey---What's going on?"), and the Gay Boys would channel their inner Cher ... with four of her biggest hits. All of these were presented with projected lyrics, and the audience had a blast.

In an Oscar-worthy departure for the Men's chorus, "The Aggie Song" from "Best Little Whorehouse...", almost had me convinced that these were all horny young football players on their way to get "made" at that famous Texas establishment......

"You can't kick our asses out of Massachusetts

Or subtract the ten percent from Tennessee

Utah could never be the beehive state

If the hairdressers went absentee..."

Not to be outdone, Aria offered their own special Broadway number, a version of "There is Nothing Like A Dame" from "South Pacific", that worked extremely well, without changing a word of the song!

Perhaps in the funniest, most original number, a bitchy and inclusive Pride anthem that might have been written by the Steel Magnolias or Golden Girls themselves, the Men's Chorus belted "Color Out of Colorado", from the 1996 Broadway comedy revue "When Pigs Fly", parts of which I have been quoting throughout this piece:

"Chicago without chic

Would be boring in a week

And you cant have New York City without.................Queens!!"

And to keep the energy and hilarity high for the finale, the whole Company joined, in home-made costume, for "Freak Flag", from the Broadway musical "Shrek".  In it, Pinocchio is afraid others will discover he's not "a real boy", and everyone from the Three Pigs to the Wicked Witch convince him to "let your freak flag fly", that being a "freak" is not so bad, and can be celebrated.

It was a special evening of two concerts. Our friends Jillian and Phillip joined us for the first show, and their presence and show of support meant a lot to us.  Especially poignant for Mark was that his youngest son came home from college for the weekend just to attend the show.  He loved it.

So now, the group is off for the summer (barring any special-request appearances) and will re-group again in September to rehearse for the ---dare I say it???---Holiday Concert.

Another Bravo to my friends of the Windy City Performing Arts.

"You need us

To make the U.S.A.!!"

Remembering Film Composer John Barry--He Captured My Imagination

When I heard of the passing of 5-time Oscar-winning composer John Barry last week, I realized that his music deeply stirred my childhood imagination, as I fell in love with the movies.  His movie themes, ever-present on the airwaves of the 1960's, were the soundtrack to my growing love-affair with film.  He was one of my musical heroes, and I will miss him.

One of the biggest hits of 1966 was Barry's theme from "Born Free". The Song, and the Score, captured Oscars.  "Born Free" was the true story of Elsa, a  lioness cub who is raised by humans and trained to return to the wild.  The song is heartfelt and sentimental, with the first glimmers of the sweeping orchestrations Barry would be known for.  "Born Free" was one of the first movies I ever saw in my childhood.  The emotional punch of the song coupled with my fascination and affection for the animals portrayed on-screen started me on my life long love and appreciation for the creatures of the world.





Barry was famous for writing music for the original James Bond films.  There is still a controversy over who composed the Bond Theme (Monty Norman has received credit for this although stories have it that the studios, displeased with Norman's work, hired Barry to revamp it and create something new).  Nevertheless, no one can deny Barry's contribution to the jazzy, '60's infused compositions for some of Bond's best-known themes.   I get a chill of excited anticipation whenever I hear the first two booming notes from the title tune of 1965's "Goldfinger", sung by Shirley Bassey in the film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgN50uAp4pg


In 1968, Barry created one of his most unique and dramatic scores for "The Lion in Winter".  The music used the influence of Gregorian Chants for this tale of 12th- Century royal intrigue.  I remember catching a glimpse of this film when it was broadcast on PBS many years ago.  I had not seen it before, but was very familiar with it.  I caught myself staring at the screen just to hear the music;  I had rarely heard anything so beautiful in a popular motion picture. It won him his third Oscar. Here's the strong and ominous opening credit track:





I wanted desperately to see "Midnight Cowboy" in its initial release in 1969, but with a strictly-enforced 'X'-rating, it would be many years before I would have the opportunity.  The theme song "Everybody's Talkin'", and John Barry's instrumental theme, became huge hits and were played often on contemporary radio.  I would hear the music and reconstruct the film in my imagination, using every review I could get my hands on, to fill in the details.  This laconic, sadly hopeful harmonica-solo and string arrangement is one of my favorite pieces of film music, in one of my all-time personal favorite films.





Barry went on to win an Oscar for the sweeping and emotional "Out of Africa" from 1985. It is a more intricate score, one that may require a hearing or two before it sticks in the mind. And then it is unforgettable.  It is a lush accompaniment to a passionate and doomed relationship between a writer far from home and an adventurer who would never settle down.  Once again, after "Born Free", Africa had inspired the romantic in Barry.



His last hurrah may have been the score for 1990's "Dances With Wolves".  By then, Barry's themes were becoming more familiar; one can almost hear "Out of Africa" underneath some of the pieces in this film.  Even so, it is the music that carries the film, gives it its legendary flavor, and creates an emotional resonance that enhances some marvelous imagery of an era long gone.

Marni Nixon, A Voice Everyone Knows; and A Look Back at "Singin' in the Rain"

You may not know it, but you have heard her voice.  Most fans of movie musicals, and most movie-lovers of a certain age,  are familiar with the voice of Marni Nixon.

It was Ms. Nixon who dubbed the singing voices of Deborah Kerr in "The King and I", Natalie Wood in "West Side Story", and Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady".  Snippets of her work in all of these movies were heard on January 5, when NPR's "All things Considered interviewed  Nixon in honor of her 2011 Peabody Award for Outstanding Contributions to American Music.


Her interview showed her to be a genuine, gracious personality whose career is rich and varied.  She performed with some of the world's foremost orchestras, and played roles in well-known operas like "The Marriage of Figaro" and "La Traviata".  In Hollywood she was frequently a "playback singer" (the technical term for "dubber", whose voice is pre-recorded for lip-synching by on-camera talent) and rarely received screen credit for her contributions.

However, she did make one famous appearance in the movie "The Sound of Music", as Sister Sophia. Yes, she sang in her own voice! (Nixon is the second from the left.)

Trivia buffs may already know that Nixon was once married to Ernest Gold, the composer who wrote the sweeping song from the movie "Exodus" ("This land is mine...God gave this land to meeee...) One of her three sons from that marriage is popular singer Andrew Gold, who wrote the song "Thank You for Being A Friend" (Which became the theme for "The Golden Girls").

Nixon published an autobiography, I Could Have Sung All Night, in 2006.  She has taught at the California Institute of the Arts and at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara.

Considering the breadth of her vocal talent, and her world-class performances, it is fitting that she will get her moment in the spotlight.  I am pleased that she will receive the Peabody honor.

~    ~    ~    ~    ~    ~   ~   ~

This kind of dubbing is no longer fashionable in Hollywood  (although it's still frequently used in Bollywood features).

Marni Nixon's story brought to mind the classic 1952 musical "Singin' in the Rain", which gave a lighthearted account of the challenges posed by the advent of sound to the motion picture.  Many silent screen stars were physically and facially expressive, but their speaking voices were not star quality.  Some could not sustain careers in films because of it. 

"Singin' in the Rain" features a deliciously nasty diva (the wonderful Jean Hagen) who blackmails a young starlet (Debbie Reynolds) into dubbing her cinematic voice.  During a live appearance, the "curtain is drawn away" as it were, and Hagen gets her comeuppance while Reynolds gets the glory (and the hero).

Ironic and funny stories are told about the "voice work" in "Singin' in the Rain" (summed up by Wikipedia). Although the film revolves around the idea that Reynolds has to dub over for Hagen's voice, even in the talking scenes, it was actually Jean Hagen's normal voice.  Reynolds herself was dubbed in "Would You?" and "You are My Lucky Star" by an uncredited Betty Noyes.  Also, when Reynolds is supposedly dubbing Hagen's voice in the live performance of "Singing in the Rain" at the end of the film, Jean Hagen is actually dubbing Reynolds' speaking voice.

I'll bet Marni Nixon reveled in these stories too!

Reconsidering Music at Awards Season: The "MIM" in Phoenix Arizona- Wednesday Journal

Last April, the Musical Instrument Museum (or, "MIM", as it is called) opened in Phoenix Arizona.  This morning, NPR's Morning Edition featured a story about this new, 190,000-square-foot museum which displays 10,000 instruments from over 200 countries. 


Among the many familiar instruments on view, a visitor can find exotic pieces from distant lands.  The beautiful Sindh sitar pictured above comes from India.   An African guitar made from a square Castrol oil can is featured, as well as a Burmese harp, a lyre from Kenya, and a Mongolian morin khuur, which looks like a square cello that is held between the knees and played with a bow.  On long-term loan is the Steinway piano on which John Lennon composed "Imagine".


Patrons use headphones to peruse the various exhibits and "hear" each one, as videos show musicians playing the instrument on display.  As a result, the music museum is one of the quietest museums in the world! (Click Here for the Museum Web Site. www.themim.org)

I liked this story for a couple of reasons:


First, I lived in Phoenix in the late 1980's.  I love the warmth of the desert climate, which seems to be part of my very chemistry.  I still have a sentimental attachment there.  The condo where my grandparents lived has been passed down through our family.  We stay there on our annual visits, where Sam and Lucy (and their music) are always somehow present in its Southwestern/Italian simplicity.  Given Arizona's recent social and economic difficulties, it's good to see Phoenix become known for a beautiful center of culture, devoted to something universal and important.


(Had we made our last year's visit in April instead of March, we might have been one of the museum's first customers.)


The second reason I enjoyed this story has something vaguely to do with our current enthusiasm with the Awards Season.  We feverishly predict the possible Oscar nominees and winners in every category, and the Music branch has always been one of the most unpredictable and contentious of all.  Blog posts are already singing the praises--so to speak--of the various songs and original scores eligible for recognition.   And then there are the Grammys, MTV Music Awards, and Golden Globes, each with varying emphases on instrumental music.


The idea of a Musical Instrument Museum gives us a chance to pause and reconsider the most basic, even primitive, pleasures music gives us, the reasons we use music...as comfort, as celebration. as ritual...why we make music....and how music in its many forms touches the lives of everyone, privileged or poor, educated or innocent.  By asking us to ponder the genesis of these instruments, which allowed full expression to the creative imaginations of the world's composers and musicians, the museum restores a sense of purity to this miraculous art form. 


It's nice to reflect on instrumental music, not as a vehicle for outrageous behavior or fashion excess, or as an entry in a contest, but as poetry without words, and a means for reconnecting with our better natures.