Posted on September 27, 2009 at 8:00 am
From the film “The Jazz Singer,” the third version of the story previously made with Al Jolson and Danny Thomas. Neil Diamond sings the beautiful prayer heard each year on the Day of Atonement. And yes, that is Laurence Olivier as his father.
A sweet new year to everyone.
Posted on September 3, 2009 at 3:50 pm
A-| Lowest Recommended Age: | High School |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated PG for mild thematic elements, brief language and smoking |
| Profanity: | Brief strong language |
| Alcohol/ Drugs: | Smoking |
| Violence/ Scariness: | None |
| Diversity Issues: | None |
| Date Released to Theaters: | September 4, 2009 |
It goes to 11.
Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth”) has made a documentary featuring three generations of guitar gods: Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), The Edge (U2), and Jack White (The White Stripes). But it is not about the musicians. It is about guitars, and passion, and hearing, and sticking it to the man, and art, and music, and the sublime that brings all of those things together. It is a joyous yowl from the depths of existence that soars to the ears of the celestial choirs, where it makes them pause and smile and, if such a thing is possible for angels, envy the humans who get to make such sounds and even those of us who get to listen to them.
We spend time with each of these musicians. The archival clips are surprising and delightful and it is pure pleasure to see these men return to places and instruments that are especially meaningful to them and to listen in as they talk to each other and demonstrate their comments with riffs and techniques. They say that successful musical performers fall into three categories: rock star, performance artist, and musician. These three men are above all musicians. At times they seem to embody music itself, with aural imperatives mortals can only gasp at. Their utter commitment is moving and inspiring. Rock on.
Posted on August 30, 2009 at 8:00 am
Please watch this X Factor clip of Danyl Johnson singing “I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends” in what the notoriously critical Simon Cowell calls the best first audition he has seen since the show began. Johnson, a 27-year-old teacher, takes a song that already has been unforgettably performed by the Beatles and Joe Cocker and makes it his own with a dazzling, supremely confident performance with indefinable but unmistakable star quality. You will want to be a part of this talented singer’s career from the beginning. He will be getting by with the help of a lot of new friends.
Posted on August 28, 2009 at 8:00 am
I love this Slate article by Kim Gittleson on the best and worst uses of the classic jazz album, Kind of Blue
Posted on August 24, 2009 at 8:00 am
A| Lowest Recommended Age: | Mature High Schooler |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated R for drug content, nudity and language |
| Profanity: | Very strong language |
| Alcohol/ Drugs: | Drug use, drug references |
| Violence/ Scariness: | None |
| Diversity Issues: | Diverse characters |
| Date Released to Theaters: | 1970 |
| Date Released to DVD: | August 25, 2009 |
| Amazon.com ASIN: | B001NXDSLQ |
Forty years ago, it seemed for one brief moment as though a disastrous, mud-soaked music festival that attracted so many people it had a larger population than all but one city in the state could be the beginning of a new world of peace and cooperation. That dream was quickly battered but still lives on in the magic that its name and its songs still evoke: Woodstock. This week, a new movie from Ang Lee covers the impact of the festival on the community that was its not-entirely-welcoming host. But the truly indispensible memento of the three days of peace and music is the award-winning original documentary from director Michael Wadleigh. A new 40th-anniversary edition is being released this week with additional footage from from Paul Butterfield, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Grateful Dead, Johnny Winter & Mountain and interviews from participants including Wadleigh and concert producer Michael Lang. Whether you remember the warning about the brown acid and the interview with the porta-john guy and the nun flashing the peace sign or whether you have yet to experience the “Fixin’ to Die” rag or Hendrix’s stunning “Star Spangled Banner,” this is a brilliant film about an extraordinary moment.
