Mixed Media

Concert Spotlight: Hotel Cafe in Ithaca

Ever since the sweet sincerity of artists like Gordon Lightfoot, John Denver and Dan Fogelberg, singer-songwriters have been vying with elevator Muzak for the distinction of least hip in the world of music.

But at the Hotel Cafe in downtown Hollywood, singer-songwriters rule the roost. And after eight years of hard work, the small club is turning the tide of hip.

Performers have to elbow their way through the Hotel Cafe crowd to climb onto the tiny stage jammed into a nook by the front window. But since the venue opened in 2000, capacity has grown from 49 to 165.

"It was beg, borrow and steal from day one, 'cause you know initially we had no booze at all, not even beer and wine, just a coffee shop," says club co-owner Max Mamikunian. "We used to charge $5 for a bucket of ice and people could bring in their own beer. And every dime we made went back into the club in some way."

Today, the small club has sent its artists out on an international tour playing much larger venues. And on a recent night, it celebrated the first release on its fledgling record label — a CD by long-time regular performer Jim Bianco. According to Mamikunian, the club's coterie of singer-songwriters has helped put the Hotel Cafe on the map, and the success of the club has, in turn, helped launch the artists' careers.

The Hotel Cafe 2008 Tour will stop at the State Theatre in Ithaca on March 26th. Tickets for these shows are selling out all across the country so if you want to catch the Ithaca performance, get your tickets soon.

Listen as NPR's Christian Bordal visits the club where singer-songwriters still draw a crowd.

Concert Spotlight: Ithaca College Wind Ensemble performs 'Circus Maximus'

In a performance called “monumental” by its conductor, the Ithaca College Wind Ensemble will feature John Corigliano’s “Circus Maximus,” a piece of music which literally surrounds the audience with sound. The free concert will take place in Bailey Hall on the Cornell University campus on Sunday, Feb. 24, at 3 p.m.

“The music involves huge forces, including 11 surround trumpets, surround flutes, clarinets, percussionists, and a saxophone quartet,” said conductor Stephen Peterson, a professor of music performance at Ithaca College. “There will also be a small marching band, which will make its way through the hall during the climax of the 37-minute work.”

The percussion section includes two sirens and a shotgun, Peterson added.

“The only venue in the area that could accommodate this piece is Bailey Hall, and the Cornell Department of Music graciously offered the use of Bailey for this event. We’re grateful to so many people at Cornell, as well as 30 additional Ithaca College musicians, to make this program possible.”

The piece has been performed by college wind ensembles and the U.S. Marine Band, always to rave reviews that have noted the overwhelming reaction of audiences to the huge work. The “Austin Chronicle” wrote that, “What was most powerful and extraordinary about ‘Circus Maximus’ was the way it reflected those pressures and the character of our culture—the violence, the pride, the impatience, the disconnectedness, the sense of menace and of mourning—to a degree that was unnerving.”

Also on the program of music by American visionaries are works of Copland and Ives, and “Lollapalooza” by John Adams. The guest conductor for these works will be Cynthia Johnson-Turner, Cornell’s director of wind ensembles.

For more information, call (607) 274-3717.

Concert Spotlight: The Tallis Scholars perform at Ithaca College

On Thursday, Feb. 28, the Tallis Scholars — an ensemble of vocalists specializing music of the Renaissance — will perform the second of three performances in the Ithaca College Concerts year-long season “Legends.” The concert will begin at 8:15 p.m. in Ford Hall in the James J. Whalen Center for Music.

The 2007–2008 season has been named “Legends” because it offers concerts by world renowned performers who have established themselves as popular and enduring figures. The season will conclude in April with the 30-year reunion tour of Tashi, the renowned chamber music ensemble.

Entitled “Music of Spain and Portugal,” the Tallis Scholars performance features the “Requiem” for six voices by Tomás Luis de Victoria. Music in Latin by several other Spanish and Portuguese composers rounds out the program.

The Tallis Scholars were founded in 1973 by Peter Phillips, their tireless and inspirational Oxford-educated director. Phillips has worked with the ensemble to create, through good tuning and blend, the purity and clarity of sound that he feels best serves the Renaissance repertoire, thus allowing every detail of the musical lines to be heard.

The ensemble has established itself as a leading exponent of Renaissance sacred music through its approximately 70 concerts a year and over 50 award-winning recordings on the Gimmel label. They are among the busiest ensembles in the world, with regular tours throughout Europe, North and South America, and the Far East.

Individual tickets are on sale at the Clinton House Ticket Center and at Ithacaevents.com.
For more information on Ithaca College Concerts, call (607) 274-3717.

Concert Spotlight: Violinist Rachel Barton Pine at Ithaca College

Violin virtuoso Rachel Barton Pine will give this year’s Louis K. Thaler Concert Violinist Series performance at Ithaca College on Saturday, Feb. 2. The free concert will begin at 8:15 p.m. in Ford Hall in the James J. Whalen Center for Music. With pianist Matthew Hagle, Pine will perform two works honoring Black History Month: Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” Sonata, which was written for an Afro-English violinist, and a set of spirituals form the first half of the program. Pine will also perform Richard Strauss’s Violin sonata and the Sarasate “Carmen” Fantasy. In addition to her public performance,
Pine will give a master class on Sunday, Feb. 3, at 1 p.m. in the Hockett Family Recital Hall. The series was established in 2002 to honor Louis Thaler’s lifelong love of the violin.

American violinist Rachel Barton Pine has appeared as soloist with many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas, Montreal, Vienna, New Zealand and Iceland Symphonies. Acclaimed collaborations include Daniel Barenboim,
Christoph Eschenbach, William Warfield, Christopher O’Riley and Mark O’Connor.

Her festival appearances include Ravinia, Marlboro, and Salzburg. She has been featured on “St. Paul Sunday,” “Performance Today,” “From the Top,” “CBS Sunday Morning,” and NBC’s “Today.” She holds top prizes from the J.S. Bach (gold medal), Queen Elisabeth, Paganini, Kreisler, Szigeti, and Montreal international competitions, and has twice been honored as a Chicagoan of the Year. Her charitable activities include serving as a trustee of the Music Institute of Chicago and president of the Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation.

Pianist Matthew Hagle lives and works in the Chicago area, having performed at the Ravinia Festival’s Martin Theater, Symphony Center, the Chicago Cultural Center, and live from radio station WFMT, among other venues. He has performed in England, Australia, and Japan, as well as throughout the United States.

 

Concert Spotlight: Alexis P. Suter Band

Alexis P. Suter Band will perform on Sunday, January 20th at 7:30 p.m. at the Blarney Stone Pub (formerly the Music Shop Pub), 26 South Broad Street, Norwich, NY. For tickets and more information, call 607-336-2630.

Concert Spotlight: John Hammond in Binghamton

From coffeehouses to concert halls, festivals and beyond, John Hammond has spent forty years entertaining blues, folk and rock audiences around the world, performing intense solo-acoustic blues. A Grammy Award winner and four time nominee, Hammond is also a multiple W.C. Handy award winner who has shared the stage and/or recorded with many of the masters, including Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker and Howlin' Wolf.

John Hammond will perform on Friday, January 11th at the Night Eagle Cafe, 200 State Street, Binghamton.

Concert Spotlight: Slambovia Returns to Binghamton

One of my all-time favorite groups returns to Binghamton Saturday night. Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams has been described as 'hillbilly Pink Floyd folk' and 'bohemian americana' - all I know is that they offer a potent brew of genre-smashing music and songwriting that ranges from the inspirational ("Talking to the Buddha") to plain ol' foot-stompin' fun ("Alice in Space").

While the Circus' CD releases are fine to get you through the dark times when they're not touring in your area (my particular favorite is the 2005 release, Flapjacks in the Sky,) the real magic lies in their live concerts. Walk into one of their shows and you'll come out not simply a new fan, but quite possibly a convert into this strange new religion that fans call "Slambovia."

In 1998, The Circus emerged from the misty hills of Sleepy Hollow, New York and exploded upon the Hudson Valley music scene with their stunning self-produced debut release, "A Good Thief Tips His Hat". The quirky quartet then began touring throughout the northeast and rapidly developed a fiercely loyal, all-ages following. Featured in Relix Magazine, the New York Times and on the CBS hit show, Joan of Arcadia, the band's charismatic live performances and blend of folk, rock, hillbilly and pop have made them friends all over the world.

Here's a tasty sampling of what you can expect at a show:

 

Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams is playing on Saturday, November 24th at 8 p.m. at the Night Eagle Cafe, 200 State Street, Binghamton. Visit the Night Eagle Cafe's website for more information and to order tickets for the show.

- by Crystal Sarakas

Concert Spotlight: A Musical Feast at the Forum

Songs of the Spirit will be presented in Binghamton, New York by Southern Tier Celebrates on Wednesday, November 14th, 2007 at 7:30pm at the Broome County Forum Theatre.

Songs of the Spirit is a multicultural musical feast. From rock to gospel, jazz to sacred chant, audiences will experience a unique fusion of eastern and western styles by some of the most inspired and inspiring performers on the planet. This year’s program features performances from a remarkable ensemble of artists including: Hugh Masekela, Odetta, Craig Harris, Frank London and Lorin Sklamberg of the The Klezmatics, Haale, Tracy Grammer, The Shangilia Children’s Choir from Nairobi, Kenya and The Tibetan Monks of the Drepung Loseling Monastery.   

The collaboration among this diverse group of artists is part of the excitement of the concert. Craig Harris’s new, original work with the Tibetan monks fuses contemporary jazz with sacred multiphonic chant. Klezmer and world beat virtuosos Frank London and Lorin Sklamberg, will perform with Iranian/American vocalist Haale, and the Shangilia Children’s Choir will join Odetta and Tracy Grammer, among a range of other musical intersections. In addition to the wide variety of music—folk, jazz, rock, klezmer, gospel, multiphonic chant and more—readings from both sacred and secular texts will weave a thematic thread throughout the program, focusing on the shared spiritual ideals of an interconnected, interdependent world.

Tickets can be purchased by phone: 607.722.7272, or online at ticketmaster.com. 

 

Concert Spotlight: Pianist Peter Serkin to perform at Ithaca College

Ithaca College’s annual Rachel S. Thaler Concert Pianist Series will bring eminent pianist Peter Serkin to campus for a free concert on Wednesday, Nov. 28. Beginning at 8:15 p.m. in Ford Hall in the James J. Whalen Center for Music, the program will offer music of Desprez, Messiaen, Bach, and Brahms.

Serkin’s musical heritage extends back several generations: his grandfather was violinist and composer Adolf Busch and his pianist father was Rudolf Serkin. Entering the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in 1958, Peter Serkin, at age 11, made his Marlboro Music Festival and New York City debuts with conductor Alexander Schneider. Soon afterward, he was invited to perform with the Cleveland Orchestra and George Szell in Cleveland and Carnegie Hall, and with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Eugene Ormandy in Philadelphia and Carnegie Hall.

He has performed with the world’s major symphony orchestras with such eminent conductors as Seiji Ozawa, Pierre Boulez, Claudio Abbado, Simon Rattle, Herbert Blomstedt and Christoph Eschenbach. As a dedicated chamber musician, Serkin has collaborated with Alexander Schneider, Pamela Frank, Yo-Yo Ma, and the Budapest, Guarneri and Orion String Quartets as well as TASHI, of which he was a founding member.

An avid proponent of the music of many of the 20th and 21st century’s most distinguished composers, Serkin has been instrumental in bringing the music of Schoenberg, Webern, Berg, Stravinsky, Wolpe, Messiaen, Takemitsu, Henze, Berio, Wuorinen, Goehr, Knussen and Lieberson, among others, to audiences around the world. He has performed many important world premieres, in particular numerous works by Toru Takemitsu, Peter Lieberson, Oliver Knussen and Alexander Goehr, all of which were written for him.

Established in 1991 in honor of a talented pianist and longtime College supporter, the Rachel S. Thaler Concert Pianist Series has brought to the College such world-class virtuosos as Awadagin Pratt, Yefim Bronfman, Gilbert Kalish and Garrick Ohlsson. For more information about Ithaca College School of Music concerts, visit www.ithaca.edu/concerts or call (607) 274-3717.

Concert Spotlight: Ellis in Ithaca

While covering music in Greater Binghamton for the past few years, I’ve seen plenty of performances. Needless to say, some of them have been wonderful experiences, while others … well, perhaps the musicians were having an off day. (That’s me, Mr. Benefit-of-the-Doubt.)

Ellis, though, is in a class by herself. This folk-rocker, while always full of passion in her songwriting and live shows, has matured into a charismatic performer over the past 10 years. Her lyrics and poetic and personal, yet somehow approachable; her guitar-playing and sense of melody are moving targets, never static from song to song. While she can be a deep thinker and empathetic songwriter, she also isn’t afraid to write humorous songs that poke fun at herself and society.

She has built up a considerable fanbase in her hometown of Minneapolis, and she has toured nationwide at colleges and on the women’s circuit. In the past few years, her music has gained wider acclaim: 2007 Telluride Troubadour Songwriting Contest Top Ten Finalist; 2006 Emerging Artist Showcase winner at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (voted on by festival attendees); 2006 “Best Female Artist” nominee in Campus Activities Magazine.

I saw her in May as part of the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival preview tour as well as on the main stage of the 2007 festival in July – two of the “prizes” for the three showcase winners – and she was magnetic each time. She definitely made quite an impression on the festival attendees that I spoke with, and she sold a ton of her CDs – both rather exceptional at a festival that included such heavy-hitters as Mary Gauthier, Dar Williams, and Arlo Guthrie.

Ellis will be playing Saturday for the Cornell Folk Song Society, where she’s sure to preview songs from her new CD, Break the Spell (out early next year). It’s great stuff.

Hope to see you there.

- Chris Kocher is a writer and editor for the Press & Sun-Bulletin in Binghamton and a guest blogger for Mixed Media.