Mixed Media

A capella Africa

This video is making the internet rounds and since it's a slow Monday, it's worth sharing.

What are some of your favorite music videos?

Concert Spotlight: The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra at Ithaca College

The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra will conclude the yearlong Ithaca College Concerts season “Ensembles Great and Small” on Friday, March 27. The performance will begin at 8:15 p.m. in Ford Hall in the James J. Whalen Center for Music. Ford Hall will also be the venue for a free workshop at 4 p.m.

   The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra is an ensemble that began as the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra in 1966 and has performed continuously ever since. In 1966, the cornetist, composer, and arranger Thad Jones and drummer Mel Lewis founded a band in New York. Having settled in the city after leaving their respective touring jobs with Count Basie and Stan Kenton, Thad and Mel, along with many of their colleagues, needed an outlet for their creative energies and relief from the tedium of studio work. With a handful of arrangements they approached legendary club owner Max Gordon and were booked at the Village Vanguard for three Mondays in February. Critical acclaim, awards and international success soon followed.

The original three weeks have become a permanent gig that has survived over three decades and resulted in the group changing its name to the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Several of the current key members played for Thad Jones, so the orchestra’s unique sound and swing are proudly held and displayed, while other original precepts of creativity and experimentation are nurtured and encouraged.

Here's a peak of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra performing at the Village Vanguard.

Tickets for the concert are on sale at the Ticket Center at Clinton House at (607) 273-4497 or (800) 284-8422 or at ithacaevents.com, and at the door if available.

 

Do You Hear the People Sing - Les Miserables from around the world

by Crystal Sarakas

A very cool video from the 10th anniversary concert of Les Miserables. It features 17 actors from around the world who have played Valjean, each singing in their own language. I love how well it works no matter the language. And my favorite is the guy from Ireland - what a voice!

Listen Again: YouTube Monks Storm European Pop Charts

The monks of Heiligenkreuz Abbey in Austria sing ancient Gregorian chants in their 12th-century church — and then post them to YouTube. Their technological savvy landed them a record deal, and now their album is storming the European charts and arriving in America. Father Karl Wallner talks to host Andrea Seabrook about balancing pop stardom with the religious life.

Listen to the piece.

And here's one of the many YouTube videos of the monks performing.

Elephant Paints Elephant

Even though this is most likely the result of the elephant being trained to do these strokes rather than spontaneously painting the image of an elephant, it's still a pretty awesome example of intelligence in a species other than our own.