How Great Thou Art - Gospel Favorites Live from the Grand Old Opry

I’m listening to this album for the second time right now while recoding some data for a paper.  I’m struck by how versatile these gospel classics are.  Some are the same ones I heard last weekend at Miller theater, but done in a very different style.  The versions on the album are more in the country genre but are also much more stripped down.  The power comes from the minimalism and the quality and nature of the vocalists.  Some are no surprise.  Loretta Lynn’s version of “Where No One Stands Alone” is wrenching and could ride just on her voice.  Others, however I think are quite unexpected.  For instance, Brad Paisley, better know for his comedy country hits such as “Me Neither” and “Alcohol” just totally nails “The Old Rugged Cross.”

I’m not sure that this compilation is a must.  But it is quite good.

The Good News - Eric Reed and the Reverend Thomas A. Dorsey at Miller Theater 2/16/2008

(The Reverend Thomas Dorsey at right on piano)

This past Saturday Matt, Dave, and I went to go hear a night of the compositions of the Reverend Thomas A. Dorsey (not to be confused with the band leader Tommy Dorsey) at Miller Theater with an ensemble led by the pianist Eric Reed and featuring trombonist, Wycliffe Gordon. The night was as much about education as it was the music itself and Eric gave us a good bit of background about the career of the good reverend as well as his music.

The concert was broken up into two parts. The first part focused on Dorsey’s blues compositions. And as Eric reminded us, Thomas once said that “The blues is just a good woman feeling bad” and sent this first half of double-entendre filled music on its way with the reminder that a good woman feeling bad still feels pretty good. They played an instrumental piece and then traded verses on a nice little ditty called “Bumpity-Bump,” an onomatopoetic euphemism. The was followed by the equally delightful but less obfuscated “It’s Tight Like That.” These tunes brought some good chuckles from the crowd and at least a few opportunities for the 11 year-old girl in front of us playing her Nintendo DS to consult her mother about why everyone was laughing.

Next we came to the second party.  We heard about some tragedy that befell the Reverend Dorsey and how he came to hear the Good News. This was good news for us because for because he brought out onto stage the amazing vocalist Ella Mitchell (who you might better remember as Big Mama), Damien Sneed (who you can catch having some serious fun here) on organ, Dezron L. Douglas (who was sporting a most excellent neck-beard) on stand-up and electric bass, McClenty Douglas Hunter Jr. on drums. They were accompanied by a chorus of a thousand voices: Stephanie Oplacio, Melonie Daniels, Bettina Harris, Faith Monah, Katrice Walker, and Linny Smith.

They began by featuring Ella Mitchell on “Everyday Will Be Sunday Bye and Bye” and by George it was incredible! The entire theater was instantly filled with a bright blast of sound and energy that just got everyone going. Even the 11 year-old put down the Nintendo DS for at least 15 seconds. This was followed by “Search Me Lord” which featured some delicate, subdued harmonies on the penultimate verse, Ella again on the song most of us know from Elvis Presley, “Peace in the Valley,” and “The Life I Sing About in My Song.”

Each one of these songs was worth the price of admission, but things just got better. We were treated to the variety of forms the Reverend Dorsey’s songs could take. The next two songs were different arrangements of “Walking Up the King’s Highway.” The first version featured Ella Mitchel and was bright and lively straight through. The second version was an alternate arrangemen by (I believe) W. C. Hawkins. This version featured Bettina Harris on lead and man oh man! did she ever bring it. This version was slower and smoother and featured more of a build toward the spectacular finale. Harris was performing these incredible acrobatics with her voice that were as powerful as they were nimble. She got serious applause for this and deserved it. We then got a multi-lead featuring all the vocalists on “Jesus Remembers When Others Forget.” When Ella got to hear verse it reminded me (as I needed to be after Harris’s feature) that despite the fact that she didn’t perform the same vocal tour de force that Harris did, there was a depth to her voice that conveyed age and conviction in a way that none of the others on stage could quite do. There was a reason she was sitting front and center and wearing bright pink.

The group then moved on to an interesting sequence where we heard the chorus perform the standard “Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone” which Reed put directly into Dorsey’s adaptation of it which became “Precious Lord Take My Hand” featuring Ella. The ensemble then closed with “I’ll Be With You Until We Meet Again.” And despite an almost entirely standing ovation and Matt’s enthused cries of “More! More!” we heard no more of the Good News that night.

It would have to be church on Sunday for that.

Bounty in Winter?

 

A few years ago they added a milk vending machine stocked with Ronnybrook Farms products to the juice room at the summer camp where I was once a camper and then counselor.  The chocolate milk from that machine was the out of this world: thick, smooth, and just sweet enough.  I was pleased then to see Ronnybrook milk show up at my local grocery store last year (though it was at outrageous prices).  I was even more thrilled to see Pam at the local Columbia green market on Thursdays selling more of it.  She mentioned that she sold a wider variety at the 97th street green market between Amsterdam and Columbus.  I finally started going and above was this week’s bounty.

The market would be worthwhile on its own just for the Ronnybrook milk (and cream and butter and yogurt).  But Dan is also there selling the recently matured Portobello mushrooms you see above.  His oyster mushrooms weren’t there this week but they are among the most beautiful and tasty fungi I’ve ever met.  This makes it a pretty awesome early Friday morning trip.  This time I also opted for some on the cob popping corn.

WKC - The Preview

Today Nicole and I went to the Westminster Kennel Club dog show at Madison Square Garden. I probably won’t get to fully write it up until Friday, so until then let this picture of a beautiful English setter in the benching area hold you over. And as you probably all know (since you were following the AKC news instead of the Potomac Primaries) the 15” Beagle won best in show.

Sharpen the knife and fire up the grill!

Following the heels of Friday night’s triumph of Red Snapper with Fennel and Mushrooms (a la Mark Bittman) I just received news that I made it into Roxbury Farm’s CSA (community supported agriculture) program.  I’ll be getting beautiful organic vegetables and sweet, sweet fruits from June through November.  I opted out of the winter storage box option.  Perhaps a mistake.

I started cooking a lot over the summer and my bi-weekly trips to the green market couldn’t compete with the goods that Winnie was getting through her CSA.  I had to suffer through all of the Summer and Fall since a lot of the CSA’s fill up in January and February.  Well I was on the ball this year so the green-eyed monster will no longer afflict me when I see other vegetables.

Revisions - Rockwood Music Hall 12/22/07 - Anthony da Costa and Abbie Gardner at

Somehow the Anthony da Costa and Abbie Gardner got wind of the review I posted of their December show at the Rockwood Music Hall and linked to it on their Myspace page.  Anthony was kind enough to send along the correct titles and writers which you can see in the updated review here.

Karneval at Zum Schneider

My night at Zum Schneider:

1.  Walk to the subway in full gorilla costume (2 gawkers)

2.  Take subway to Zum Schneider.  Have interaction with the Doo-Wop Time buskers.  Wonder if their selection of “In the Jungle” is inspired by my outfit

3. Walk from the 8th St. N stop to Zum Schneider (1 gawker)

4.  Panic as I’m the last in line to get checked in by the bouncer as I hear a man shout out from the bar “The Can-Can.”  Enter to the end of the Can-Can, averting disaster.  Do not notice the fish-net legged tu-tu wearing mannequin bottom halfs stuck to the ceiling.  Do notice all the women on stage in corsets and fishnets. Pretend to groom the girl sitting in front of me.

5.  Get grabbed by one of the aforementioned corset and fishnet clad performers to go up on stage and participate in a German beer tasting competition.  Get blindfolded.  The only preparation is hearing my competition go first to the sounds of “Drink! Drink! Drink!” in a German accent.

6.   Participate to the sounds of “Drink! Drink! Drink!” in a German accent.  Stay in character when asked what kind of beer it was and reply, “Bananas?”  Receive no laughter.  Spend the rest of the night with the owner coming up and saying “You fucked up!”

7.  Eat weisswurst.  Drink steins of excellent German beer.

8.  Rinse.

9.  Repeat.

Long Island Cowboy

 My friend Matt of WKCR’s Moonshine show and the Sound of Blackbirds recently mentioned my prediction of how Red Molly was going to make it big.  Below is his informal report that would seem to indicate the seed has been planted . . .  and is spreading like kudzu.

At the Mardi Grad party I went to last night, I coaxed my friend Marie,
the host into playing a few songs on guitar–after her super-boisterous
(and downright hilarious) ex-roommate had run through high octane
renditions of a number of Irish drinking songs–and she said, “This next
one is my theme song.”  It took me a few bars, but she was doing “Long
Island Cowboy.”  And she’s never even seen ‘em.

The Dog Ate My Concert Review - Rhonda Vincent at Joe’s Pub (1/21/2008), and Red Molly at The Living Room (2/1/2008)

So I have not been very good about posting about the shows I’ve been to lately.  I’ve found that when I don’t keep a set-list with notes, I’m much more likely to put off the posting, and I lose the detail and nuance of the performance that keeps you all coming back.

The two shows I saw were both excellent.  The first was Rhonda Vincent and the Rage at Joe’s Pub (a small cabaret type venue near Astor Place) that I like quite a bit for its intimacy despite its exorbitant food and drink prices.  Rhonda first came to my attention when discussion Dolly Parton’s Grammy winning bluegrass album The Grass is Blue.  Matt mentioned Rhonda had a bluegrass version of Jolene and I checked it out and it is indeed excellent.  Dolly now does a live bluegrass album (see Alive and Well).    The show at Joe’s Pub was very, very good.  The band was tight and they came out like true showmen–energy from the start.  Moreover, they were consistently enjoying themselves out there, especially Hunter Berry, her fiddle player.  This man had fingers that flew!  It all seemed effortless (perhaps because he was on pain killers due to a recent accident).  It was fantastic and enthusiastic and it was just fiddle love all over the place.  Matt has  a more detailed account of Rhonda and the show in the second half of this post here.

With Matt, I also went to see Red Molly at the Living Room this past Friday.  As I might have mentioned before, Red Molly formed at Falcon Ridge back in ought-five, I believe and then played the new artist show-case in ought-six.  I saw them come back as winners, along with Ellis and a performer who’s name I can’t recall (or find through Google).  They do nice tight harmonies, the occasional murder ballad, and the like.  The show was quite good and really picked up after they began with two songs off albums, one a Red Molly song I can’t recall and the title track off Abbie Gardner’s Honey on My Grave.   There was a bassist standing in and I think starting with the more familiar territory was the right move to get comfortable with the new instrumentation but they really took off afterwards and the show culminated with a beautiful a capella number I can’t recall.  They’re great.  Go out and get their full live album, Never Been to Vegas, and their EP.  I free ride on Matt’s account once again.

I’ll start doing my own homework soon again.  I promise.

Karneval Bohemia!

Zum Schneider’s Karneval cabaret tradition continues. I’ll be going on Tuesday. You should too. The info is below, along with some of last year’s pictures.

Karneval Bohemia 2008

Costume Party

Thursday, January 31
through Tuesday, February 5
Doors open at 8pm

Like every year, Zum Schneider will produce an
extravagant and unique show and party for the Karneval season.

The popular Alphabet City place, notorious for its crazy Oktoberfest and Karneval parties, will completely change from a Bavarian eatery into a decadent cabaret location.

DJ Volka Racho spinning endless party music
and German Karneval hits before, during and after the show.

Please come in costume!
Turn of the century/Moulin Rouge style, but anything goesTickets are $13 in advance (online or at the bar), $17 at the door

Most nights will sell out in advance.

 

 

Me with “Piggy Sue.”

Right.

Kermit trying to make the show go on.

Sometimes they even let you get on stage.  Kelly got to sing.  “Menomena!” or “Barack Obama!”

 

Plenty of good German beer. A fantastic German sausage platter. People dressed as animals. You get the idea . . .