I was listening to Cuban Fantasy last Saturday on WEMU and my friend and host Mark Taras said he had a pair of tix to give away and suggested to his loyal audience of Cuban jazz fanatics that they might want to call in and win. He was so right. Zafir was a real trip. It brought back memories of my early twenties when I nearly ran out of money in Northern Europe and Eurailed to Morocco for the Winter. I loved the wandering songs. I remembered a fossil market with bushels of trilobytes in stalls under bare bulbs. I helped w the making of a TV movie on Marco Polo carrying plaster camels into place for after the battle scene. I never worried too much about my safety in Morocco. The people were friendly and accepting. I just put my mind in nuetral and let inertia be my bookmark during the long evening. Also, the Michigan Theater is a very warm place to hold a gathering….there are certain amenities and the staff is very genuine.

Great comment. I sensed that they played differently but I’m only able to play the radio. Dahnke!

Mnozil Brass, sounded to me like the thing you put on the end of the garden hose to spray off the car after a wash. Well, they were great musicians and showmen. I’m not sure about the recurring Spanish lesson though. Most of the audience caught on. I saw a number of kids in the audience, which was nice for a Thursday night. They made great use of the stage at Hill. Good show!

Muy divertido! The costumes were beautiful. The music was fun and filling. The audience may have been the best part. Was kind of like watching a baseball game indoors. I’m sorry the new comers don’t know where to park. It’s a pretty confusing town and traffic was snarled by the Spring football game and a million other things.

A very enjoyable evening. I had to leave a bit early but Apollo’s Fire is on top of their game. Here’s a bit of Cleveland history. In their first year, the Cavaliers played at Public Hall. They had the worst record but they did lead the league in stolen cars!

I’m surprised that the little robot wasn’t slinging poutine to bar goers. The White House chefs served this French Canadian staple at the state dinner w the Trudeau’s and the Obama’s this week. It’s a favorable time for Americans to travel to Canada. Having been to Fan -Expo in Toronto twice am tempted to go again this August. It’s the Comic-Con of Canada. The show was simple and sweet…Kids these days don’t need anymore toxic interaction. I’m glad our nice neighbors came over this weekend w their cute show.

Who doesn’t want to be Irish in March? The lemmings were on the beach and we had town to ourselves! Good to be alive!

I love cartoons, all different kinds. Triplets of Belleville is sort of unique though. I was out on my bike a bit today. The wind was high and in good biker fashion, I rode into the wind so the ride home would be a breeze. The musical score was fabulous. No, I really mean that. We could smell a winner from the time it was announced last Spring. A shame it is only a one night stand.

Brilliant fast, furious, and short performance. As usual I let my mind wander….thought about gravity waves and subatomic particles. The cieling of Rackham hall has arcs of gold radiating out from the stage. Massive black holes ( the piano) sending waves to my eardrums. I’m reminded of the joke about the Higgs Boson that tried to enter the church and was denied. It replied, “How do intend to have mass.” Bravo Andras Schiff!

Arf! Arf! That is off the chien! Congratulation Michael. Bon Chance!

Do you really want me to say what I think? It was Fantastic! The band was first rate and could sound like a jazz. Trio or a Keith Richards jam band. Ms. Fischer crafted each somg in her own way…it’s about time woman get to belt out the tunes.

The first thing to do, even before a rewrite is to change the music. Bring the audience in w Eric Clapton, Motherless Children. Can that techno except the scene w the wierd Euro-Dance. I’m not sure she has an age in mind for these guys….they act like Freshmen but were involved in years of graduate school. People like that listen to Bob Segar & the Eagles. Where was this play set? Janesville, Wisc., lotta tall Yoopery guys there.

Occassionally I watch a new sit-com on TV. Tonight’s show was like a pilot. Proctor &Gamble would buy in and advertise. I didn’t believe that anybody was a banker or went to Harvard. I have three brothers and we moved a family member this weekend. The energetic lunacy I can relate to. The ending was a rough landing on a long flight, the wheels hopped of the runway at least three times. But you know, I kind of like it!

Theywere really great renditions of pop songs. I listen to 60’s on XM six when I am in a real funk. Even though I’m from Cleveland CKLW boomed across Lake Erie at night from Windsor. I had a ball shaped transister AM radioand a mono plug….Boy wouldn’t that fetch a price on EBAY!

It isn’t like I haven’t been to the Rock & Roll Museum a couple of times. I grew up with that music. I think the band is just trying to connect with a wider audience. I see the merit of bringing more listeners into the fold gradually. That said, I would have prefered jazz from the 1950’s. Maybe they can do that next year.

And now for something completely different! What a delight on New Year day. And we can be proud of the U of M football team too! Great start to 2016. Go Blue!

A dear old friend used to tell me that jazz is the art of surprise and you never know which cats will show up for a gig. Classical music is more subtle but tonight we got a real treat. Paul Lewis was playing in the middle of the night per his body clock. It was an amazing & expresive performance of Beethoven. Given the circumstances it was a perfect evening. Did anyone else think of the column of white roses as the Eifel Tower? Happy Thanksgiving to all!

All last Summer the NY Times ran articles about how difficult it was to get a ticket to this production of Hamlet in London. It was in fact very good. The castwas very capable & B.C. Was superb. There were a few red herrings. I would lose the David Bowie t-shirt. Also, try to keep the set about 100 years old. Too many phones and modern conveniences….although they may have been rotary dial. It gave me great cheer to see high school students on up through senior citizens in attendance. A near capacity crowd bodes well for the replay on Jan. 17.

The house did not open right away but the Indiana football game was in the second overtime, nobody cared. Wolverines fans were in dire need of a Dhakar-ri. Ann Arbor is a sister city of Dhakar Senegal. And it seems that Orchestra Baobab is from there too. I was a big fan of Peter Gabriel in his hay day and I had heard of Youssou N’Dour. I felt like I was on a two hour Summer bike ride along a palm dotted beach. Loved the colorful dress of fellow concert goers. Go Blue…or is it Turn Blue! We won!

This was the Goldilocks concert of the semester! Just right.
Loud, but not too loud. Intense, but not too intense. Wild, but not too wild. Controlled, but not too controlled. The Michigan Theater was just barely large enough to accomodate the demand & there are liberties you can take there that University venues do not offer. I saw Chucho once at the base of the Space Needle in Seattle. He took me back there this afternoon.

Gentle is not a word I often apply to jazz. I’m used to wild romps and more volume. Perfect for mid week. I was tired. Very soothing. A corner of jazz I seldom explore. Was reminded of a case on jury duty….driving on Ambien, they brought in the forensic scientists from Lansing to explain the chemistry. Anyway, made it home safely.

O.K. Big world events still occur around celestial events such as eclipses. The Supermoon eclipse brought the Pope, the leader of China, and V. Putin to our shores, plus the Speaker of the House tendered his resignation. I drifted in to a big dream that the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise took jobs at a dotcom and I was waiting for the Google bus to take them all home to the Mission at the end of the day. I think they would have stuck to antiquity at the Thurber Theater in Columbus.

Well, to paraphrase Yogi Berra, The movie was good and the music was nice also. Sure beats an afternoon watching football. I think it was the first time I watched On the Waterfront straight through. Bravo!

Audra McDonald is a marathon runner…62 cities and she sounds that good. I particularly like that a lot of students were in the audience. She inspires them, they inspire her. I heard several people say they were going for ice cream afterwards…Perfect first show at Hill.

Airborn and wheels up on another UMS season….Audra McDonald a flawless take off. Decided to take UMS’s advice and wore an Hawaian shirt. Still warm at the equinox….lots of students in the balcony including a large contingent from B.G.S.U. Down the road a little over an hour. They knew our friend Doug who was a voice professor there and went to many Many UMS performances before he died the other year. Audra was glad to be with us and toshare in the delight of being the only university arts presenter to recieve the Natl. Medal for the Arts this year. Everyone seemed to enjoy the evening and heading for ice cream.

My guest was most impressed! Weird in a good way. Reminds me of opening ceremonies when the French host the Olympics. If Boston chickens out I hope 2024 will be in Paris. Good to see the flip-side of Disney. One Final Jeopardy question was blah blah blah so & so from De’ Isgnee France….& the answer was Who is Walt Disney. I’d love to go back to France….the Euro is about par w the Dollar. Great dancing!!

I like the jazz offerings….Chucho Valdes….also Joshua Redmond & the Bad Plus. ….. Of course Wynton M. & Jazz @ Lincoln Center Orchestra. Theater looks strong. Symphonically muy bueno though I would like to see my hometown Cleveland Orchestra. Looks like a lot to discover!

That was a rare performance….maybe not what some undergraduates had bargained for….Wow, there are so many true jazz aficionados in the area. I hope we can come together like Herbie & Chick to support our jazz on public radio. Word to ourselves, try to be on time though!

I had a friend who toiled well over a decade to earn a PhD in German. He said one day he stumbled over the shortest book ever written, Five-Hundred Years of German Humor. Well, Max Rabbe proved him wrong. The deadpan commentary was spare and hilarious. The Orchester was very talented too. I fear I mentioned a long time ago in a Lobby post that I sat and watched Lawrence Welk in pajama’s with footies with a small bowl of popcorn every Saturday. The encore could have been David Bowie’s Golden Years…My memories of Europe are clouded with bad pop music at the discotheques. The real music came beforehand, Das Ist Der Deutscher Puntlieschkeit!

Kyle Abraham was just great! What a breathe of fresh air….it seemed like a day with fresh young talent from the U of M softball game, to strolling on Liberty St., to this action packed dance performance. I though the anguish in some of the recorded music was a little over the top but the dancing was spectacular.
Job well done!

That was fun. It seemed like they took an interest in us and knew about out sports and weather and such. The Love Supreme was like one of those giant burritos, they all most had to serve it in a bowl….Wow! UMS turned me on to something new! I lived in Chicago when my kid brother lost his room mate. We’d go to Blues Etc. On Belmont at the first of the month….pay cover….get a slip on the way out for the sister club across from Kingston Mines on Halstead. Go over there and get a slip on the way out for Blues Etc. I was glad to catch these brothers from Rochester, NY, that city has a rich musical tradition. Do I know what I’m talking about, probably not, but I had a good time.

In the coldest imaginable WX we are treated to the hottest imaginable jazz. Thanks to WEMU for preparing us for this concert like they do with so many others. It was good to see some young families in the audience, this kind of music is fine for tender ears. I remember when my Dad would play Big Band music on Saturday afternoons when my Mom was grocery shopping. The stores closed at six and were not open on Sundays.

The Olympics last year were supposed to elevate Russia to a higher standing among the developed world. Little did we know that Putin would go on a rampage, Obama would cream their economy with sanctions, & Saudi Arabia would pump as much oil as it would take to level prices. So I was glad to just escape it all with a long show of music. The young man who played piano was simply spectacular and he will continue to grow. I wore blue jeans and a golf shirt, was that warm today. I may put on something nicer tomorrow. Great show!

Bugs Bunny! There, I got it out of my system….The opening was tremendous. William Tell remained interesting throughout but it began to resemble The Hunger Games by the second intermission. I found myself dreaming of the Toblerone that is in my stocking every year. It wasn’t Katniss Everdean on stage but the singing was terrific. I’m sorry that exams are this week and only a few students made it out. Such a rare event is to be savoured.

I’m more able to write about jazz but the concert had a certain fury that was incredible. Someone mentioned a salon concert, it was a bit of that. In jazz it’s the art of surprise and that applies a little bit to classical too. UMS sponsored a pop up concert in Barnes & Noble of Bela Fleck & the Brooklyn Riders about a year ago…that was great. In West Coast parlance last evening was a Happening!

Correction, Ms. Wang played Carnegie Hall last night. Stands to reason that such a talent would be Saturday night in New York fare. She is off to San Francisco Dec. 1. Sorry for the fuzzy logic.*

This kind of music really hit the spot. I’m watching 60 Minutes with dissaster after dissaster….but what me worry? I live by the river! On a serious note I understand the performers skipped through Michigan for a matter of hours on their way to play Carnegie Hall. They looked a bit jet lagged by my goodness could they play. Perhaps they could return some Spring weekend & stretch their legs in the peony garden or such.

Muy divertido! Just when seasonal affective dissorder is creeping in we get a booster shot from Jake S.! Wonderful mastery of the ukelele. I saw a Todd Rundgren show the other year and he played ukelele most of the way through….denied us A Wizard A True Star and all those Rock Hall favorites. Mr. Rundgren lives in Hawaii these days….but a guy who would play all the instruments on his L.P.’s. But tonight, real ukelele. Great presentation too, he seemed genuinely enthused in the midst of his 30 city tour.

Bob James puts on a quality show. I knew little of his work before this Fall. WEMU filled me in this this month. Iwas thinking today of how I would like 2014 to end….tonight would have been perfect.
It seems the Dream of the 90’s is alive in both Portland and Hill Auditorium. I’d write more but I have a club sandwich in front of me.

It was kind of a surreal day with the sun and snow showers intermitent. I found myself imagining Star Trek episodes behind the orchestra where the pipe organ is. I kept seeing the stars in the galaxy and wondering which one would burst forth and become the Starship Enterprise. I find that wicked daydreams are the best part of going to the symphony. It was not a boring piece. I’m glad heard such a fine orchestra….beats watching some new chef program on the telly.

Let’s be clear about Lawrence Welk, it will still be on television long after Seinfeld is out of syndication.*

That was good clean fun! Was reminded of my childhood in Cleveland…the old man who stood outside of the grocery store and played the accordian. My Mom would give me a nickel and I would put it in a slot on his accordian and he would play a song. There was a long running TV show at noon on Sundays called Polka Varieties….no need to explain. When I was in middle school we lived near Parma, which was a big ethnic suburb and on Saturday nights we would sleep in the basement and watch a movie host called the Ghoul. I know for a fact it was syndicated in Detroit and Cincinnati where I have also lived. This Beatnick/Grave Digger would pillory all thing ethnic….it was just a sin to wear white socks to school or high water pants or have chrome balls or pink flamingos in your yard. Now the world has become murky with too much data and anarchy…it’s nice to go back in time and sit with your parents and Grandparents in front of Lawrence Welk on the B&W T.V.

Reading titles a bit of a chore. Can see how Pirandello would write in his first language. When you were in NY did you see the statue of the hand gun with the barrel twisted around to aim at the shooter in front of the United Nations…..with the plaque reading,” Beat swords into plowshares.” It was given by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Those poor people have been invaded with every European upheaval….The last time was the Battle of the Bulge. Now curiously there is a fine arts repository at the Luxembourg airport that is one of the 3 finest in the world. Stow your oil painting of rare wine and avoid taxes. They have also wrankled other EEC countries with huge tax breaks to Apple and most recently Amazon, you know how the Germans love Amazon! And I should take advantage of the new UMS archives and look up Rhinocerous.

O.K. Took a break from watching the Lions in London. When out in the woods I had this dream that Pirandello was talking about Supra-National Government….specifically, the failure of the League of Nations and the ensuing WWI. So here we are in the 1920’s and he’s asking who is scripting Europe and will tragedy happen again….fore shaddowing of WWII. The play was lightly comedic…a few Three Stooges moments. Anyway, I think the Lions are going to lose.

Well, one of my comrade de chambre in college was the son of the Ambassador from Luxembourg. My senior year I studied in Luxembourg City. My appreciation of French plays is perhaps a little different from yours. That is my story and I’m sticking to it!

Very difficult to stage. Good job Theatre de Ville. It really churned me up. The football game in East Lansing didn’t go as planned. The election in a week is going to produce some surprises. Thank goodness you can get it all out of your system with art. Reading the super titles was a bit ardruous but think about the stamina of the actors. What a torrid evening!

Several of us went to the Fleetwood Diner after the show for a plate of Hippie Hash. We found the music odd, nothing to do with New Orleans and the time, no Jelly Roll Morton, no Louis Armstrong. The Natl Theater skunk works production was a weak cup of coffee for what we expected. Don’t get us wrong, we positively worshipped British Super Groups in the day but trying to hang an artistic emotion on a snippet of a rock song is just tired in this new millenium. There were redeeming qualities…it seemed to jell at the end and the fellows fighting was like Jackie Gleason if he had been on HBO in the sixties. The high pitch Southern accent of Blanche never fluctuated through the entire performance. It was a little annoying, even to someone who went to college in Cincinnati!. But Tennessee Williams had a point about alcohol abuse…& a lesson in mental health of this nature is timeless and immutable.

The first half of the show was what WEMU prepared me for….the nice school crossing guard making us feel good and safe. Then he took us down to the subway and on to another darker side of town. My pulse quickened as he sang about the Detroit riots etc. I’m not sure I would want a full show of either. A jazz club would have split it in two sets with the troopers hanging out for the volatile material. The band was very talented. The sax player had an interesting style. The drummer was rat a tat tat but not distracting to the great vocals of Gregory Porter. The piano player could seemingly play on style with his left hand and a nother with his right. The bass was steady and awesome through out. I hope to see Gregory Porter again in a few years.

The picture on the UMS catalogue was a tip off that this production would be one of the best. We were not dissapointed. Was fortunate enough to meet some of the cast beforehand. We tried out our dreadful French and I trotted out that I studied in nearby Luxembourg. Thomas said that it was a dark place, I said yes, it’s quite a tax haven. I hitch hiked through Belgium on at least two occassions, going to and from Amsterdam. I remember standing in the middle of a large traffic circle eating fresh pears from a tree. I gave a Belgian kid a cassette of the Talking Heads in gratitude for a ride. I was thinking of these things during the satisfyingly long production. I’ve always marvelled at the art of movie making….Kiss & Cry was a master class in live television production. Never trust what you see on a screen! Well done.

As luck would have a friend had a cold and I got to go to the Michigan football game. I enjoyed the marching band and the pageantry on this, the finest weekend of the Fall. Walked up to campus for Emerson Lake and Palmer. Does anybody remember them, the British band that played rock versions of classical numbers? I saw them one time at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in the mid seventies. I was sorry about the coughing during the recording of the newly commissioned piece. I’d like to offer to attend any future quartets for anyone needing to stay home to nurse a cold. I was greatly cheered that a retired professor has endowed an annual string quartet concert. And one last thing, I was not impressed with the season opener of Saturday Night Live tonight. Emerson played terrific, I saw them once at the University of Washington in Seattle.

What a nice mellow evening..WX and music went hand in hand. Was a different spin … some light, some serious. The performers had a nice balance. I particularly liked the world tour and how they coaxed a gamelan sound out of acoustic guitars.
These guys are welcome any time!

I think the general consensus is that there could have been a few more songs. Came home to see Michigan edged by Kentucky. But all was not lost! Wynton Marsalis was a reporter on the last segment of 60 Minutes. He interviewed his piano player, Marcus Roberts, who is blind ( but was not at Hill today). The story lifted my spirits and reminds us of how lucky we are to have our eyesight and how much some people can do without it. Marcus Roberts even paid tribute to Toledo’s Art Tatum, the greatest jazz pianist of all time. We have been very lucky to see Wynton Marsalis so many times and all the incredible musicians he brings with him. I saw his Dad one time and he was in awe of our Pistons of 2003-2004. Better days lie ahead!

I’m replying to my own post, post weekend, have read all the comments thus far. I think I would have rather been in a bean bag chair with the headphones on on Friday…was tired. So much energy in the music that evening. Would have been better suited on a Saturday night. I have Hispanic in laws and have had a passion for Latin music for a long time. I ran into Mark Taras, host of Cuban Fantasy on WEMU, in the lobby between sets and he hippened me to the discography of Pedrito Martinez band, in particular the very special vocalist and keyboardist. They knocked the stuffing out of the audience like an old couch in East Lansing after a championship. I mean hey, I’d like to walk through the barrios and hear what is coming out in Havana and New York. UMS dutifully fulfils it mission to bring us the sounds from all over…And above all, please contribute to public radio this week if you are able.

Nice night out. Did the 8:45 start have anything to do with the full moon rising? The symphony was about like watching the tide come in….not a lot of highlights but a very pleasant experience all the same.

I heard a sliver of Alfredo Rodriguez at the Detroit Jazz Fest Hart Plaza, Labor Day…rode the WEMU bus. Was very exited to hear his trio. It was fantastico….some of the best jazz moments I’ve ever experienced. Pedrito Martinez was a big question mark. My did he have some arms, looked like he could play for the Tigers. His piano player was great too. She had an infectious smile and a totally unpredictable way of playing. I’m just wiped out tonight.

I see from Lobby that most of us agree that a sentence or two of superlatives is all that need be said. I opened the paper this morning and read The Suit looks impressive but ultimately unsatisfying. It was a little short but w Hay Fever at Lydia Mendohlson and St. Petersburgh Philharmonic at Hill, did anyone really need another half an hour for the privilege of yet another half an hour waiting to get on the road? I once wrote a really good paper that was half a page short of the target length. I was docked a letter grade. I do not intend to give The Suit a B because it was a mere 75 min.

O.K., this looked like a soccer team coached by Alvin Ailey. Marvellous. They were more and more fun as the evening progressed. There were lots of small children around us and their remarks and noises were most appreciated. One little boy exclaimed early on, ” I don’t get this!” kafig’s infectious energy was terrific. Went home and watched the Summer Olympics in Sochi. Buen Noche.

My point is exactly your, a woman can play as well as a man. Thank you for letting me know that both of them had the same teacher. I hope Mr Matsuev is out of the Hospital by now. Too bad the only classical music channel I get here in Michigan is MSU……WKAR 90.5. East Lansing.

I liked both sets. The first was kind of challenging, the second seemed to swing more. I think we are all exasperated by this Winter WX….kept thinking how I would feel if it were a Spring evening scented by fruit blossoms. Well, you couldn’t do better on a Thursday night than Fred Hersch. I had a birds eye view in the balcony of his hands, truly a jazz master. I felt as though I were in a club minus the clanking of glasses. The beautiful woodwork reminded me of some smaller auditoriums I used to know at my alma mater of Miami U. In fact the League and Hall Hall at Miami U. Were both used in the recent George Clooney film, Ides of March. Thanks UMS for bringing The Village Vanguard to us & thanks to WEMU for playing Fred Hersch all week!

Am monitoring the Grammys and noodling on Ipad. What a wonderful job Olga Kern did this afternoon at Hill Auditorium. I’m able to return to the Bat Cave in peace and harmony. I mean what beautiful dresses and what difficult material. This pop on the tube is empty calories. I was also glad to be entertained by a Russian pianist, albeit a woman instead of a man. I fervently hope the Olympics are a success in Sochi. My only criticism is the flower arraignment to the right of the Steinway made me think of yard work but I guess I would trade that for shoveling.

When I lived in Cleveland I used to listen to WOBC…out of Oberlin College and they played Kronos. I was able to bike over on weekends. Sometimes there would be impromptu student flea markets spread out on blankets in front of the Mudd Library. I could buy 4 or 5 CD’s for $20 … Whatever some poor Oberlin student wanted to part with…Well, I got this Kronos Quartet CD and it was like Lou Reed tuning into that New York station playing fine fine Rock & Roll….Only it was Classical….sort of

Nice family show…with a few randy barbs. Sounded pretty good. A Summer Festival show now and then breaks up the monotony. Playing Th Sex Pistols Anarchy is nothing I ever thought I’d hear in a UMS show. Probably should have waived the no popcorn rule for this one.

This show was definitely different. UMS has presented something new, a trip to NYC without leaving the county. What the compositions lacked in warmth they more than made up for with meditativeness & quizzical thought. They were not too fast or too muddy like some over amplified jazz shows I’ve seen in recent years. I will attend another presentation of the Steve Lehman Octet. They were incredibly well rehearsed. Too bad our acupuncturist friend from Berkeley, CA. Was not with us this weekend….He trains every Fall at U of M and has caught Edgefest in years past. Does this kind of music relieve pain? The answer is yes if you believe it does.

A brisk Fall walk in the woods was the solution for me. It takes a lot of stamina to keep up with that pace. I even walked down to the Michigan Theater at intermission…I guess they are getting big audiences for Twelve Years a Slave. I don’t mind stunts if they can pull it off. But I agree, less capable performers should heed your advice about diversity and pacing.

Loved every minute of the show. First and last pieces were the best. I talked to some musicians at the CD table and they lived in the corner of Cleveland where I went to elementary school. In fact they knew of my cousin’s Pink Floyd tribute band, Wish You Were Here. I wish another thousand Ann Arborites had filled the balconies. Nothing stuffy here, it’s the kind of music you should listen to before taking a math test or college entrance exam!

Love the turn out at the Michigan Theater, we sat in the rafters! No intermission was an interesting twist. I thought to bring a Bigby coffee into the theater…needed it. Camera shots were excellent, there was close focus at all the right times. The play is my favorite but I did get a little tired of the muddy set. It put me in mind of the streets of Mackinaw Island. There was a bit of over acting. Seemed that the patrons were fanning themselves and at times the actors were caked in sweat. Stage battle was excellent. I noticed a couple rows of students slipping out the fire escapes…it was a tough sell for kids who have too much on their plates all ready. Give them a brake!

Manganiyar should be inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame! Yes, they were certainly loud enough and at times over the top crazy!
I was teasing people to go last week, saying it would be like the Dating Game in India. It could have been more traditional, probably half the people in the village have cell phones now. What can you do?

Remember the old candy bar ad, Sometimes you feel like a nut, Sometimes you don’t. After canoeing in the fading light of day I wasn’t in the mood for electronic over amplified club music. Delightfully the music tonight was sensible and humanistic. The dancers were excellent and the costumes were simple and functional. I just let my mind drift…went home and had a backyard fire. Thank-you UMS, thank-you Hubbard.

Of note…the Man-Booker Prize has just been opened to Americans! Interesting….

I went with a friend who studied in Tokyo for a year through Michigan State. Not trying to get your goat, MSU has the largest exchange program with Japan of any U.S. College. Any wonder Sat. night Live had that long running skit on Michigan State Television with the kids trying to act Japanese but only in a pop comic book sense and the flumoxed professor trying to direct the broadcast. Well, I enjoyed the show. There were some viceral moments. I thought of leaving when the guy was poking his eyes out but the Greeks did the same thing and I would have sat through it. Perhaps my friend who speaks some Japanese will write something more enlightening. I studied in France.

This was arguably the best NT Live I’ve ever seen. A regular meeting between the born leader and the elected leader. Kind of funny even if all the conversations are imaginary. Read Hillary Mantel’s Cromwell books this Summer. I’m willing to roll with a bit of creative historical fiction. Maybe she will even win a third Booker prize. Excellent!

We believe the jar of olive spread that she couldn’t remember the name of is Muffalata… This is our second jar, delicious. Great program Sunday. Loved all of it!

Wow, I’m going to take the high ground. I just saw the President’s press conference which dealt among other things with the topic of Syria using nerve gas and whether or not this merits US involvement in another Middle East ground war. The Trojan Women was written about 2,400 years ago. Was this or was this not a good production? I will leave this for the Classics professors. I fear I’m better versed in Classic Rock. Joe, good luck wherever you are going…but buy a Detroit car on the way out of Michigan. My final thought on the UMS season is summed up in a quote a graduate professor in history once told our reading table, “You pays your money & you takes your chances.” Now was that P.T. Barnum?

Wasn’t sure what to expect. Studied history so could put myself in the time period. Sort of PBS. Very nice to hear. Could do it again some day.

Nice variety. Enjoyed the band. Started the day with a high decibel hour of club music at the Nordstrom grand opening. Interesting experience as I haven’t gone in dance clubs for a long time. Glad to have the humanistic sensibilities of Bobby McFerrin to recalibrate my musical meters. I will sleep well!

WEMU plays the Dickens out of her albums, so I knew all the music. The show was tight and well produced. She certainly has an unusual & light voice. I’m a little concerned the fans at the Michigan Theater wouldn’t play along with her fanfare song at the end. It was a strange night with the basketball game and Hash Bash. Some people may have missed the bass /drum duo in her encore that was true to the roots of jazz. My partner pointed out in the program that she was the youngest faculty member of the Berklee School of Music. She may have underestimated the jazz knowledge of her audience. She does a show in Columbus or Des Moines and she has to wonder what the audience knows about jazz. Her show certainly didn’t do anything to rankle the jazz Police.

Great show…Would have been better at 4pm Sunday. Tomorrow won’t be my fun day.

I ran out of money in Germany one Winter and fled to Morocco. In my several months there I was able to sample Arab culture…this was long before 9-11. Was wonderful to daydream about this journey during the traditional half of the show. The second half was interesting jazz. I liked the bassist very much…kept the program glued together very well. Loved the instruments seldom seen in jazz. Everyone at Hill had a great time…

Correction: the students did the other Solstice play, Midsummer Nights Dream last Fall, also w lots of flourishes and laughter…shouldn’t type before Jeeves brings my bacon and coffee in the morning…

Amazing detail, flourishes & energy. Glad I read 12 Night rather than go to 12 Oaks Mall on Presidents Day. These guys are so good but it really helps to know the play well. Malcom Tullip did a great job w the play in the Fall. The Residential College did it in the Arboretum a few June’s ago. A lot of credit goes the Shakespeare I guess. Propeller tough to market to Americans I know. What do you say, it’s Monty Python’s version of the drinking play?

Interesting performers but a bit too loud. I’m glad everyone got into dancing. The African shows UMS has presented have been enjoyable. Could I suggest more Latin Jazz? Gracias.

Lots of happy accidents this evening. A bit more toned down than recent years, but the WX the same bad business. As a frequent listener of the Paul Keller Orchestra I’ve heard a lot of big band pieces. Tonights program was challenging, Wynton found gems infrequently played. I look forward to their visit next Winter. Vaya con Addidas!

What a buffet of locally grown jazz. There were parts I liked better than others but it was all good. What a day! Things can get better! When it’s cold outside your life can be a living Hill.
Hope everyone got home safely…

Glad to hear the DSO after their annum horriblus. I used to listen to Carl Haas announce the DSO on WOSU…that’s right, Ohio State University’s very righteous classical transmitter. They give the best traffic reports in Columbus as well. Anyway, the organ was wonderful. The trumpets made for a rousing final number. And best of all Hill was nearly full to capacity. A Russian Orchestra would have played an hour longer but this Sunday afternoon outing hit the spot.

Nice holiday warm up. Got to see Raul Midon for the first time. Sound levels were good. Could have been held @ Michigan Theater given the house but glad to be at Hill. Just being in that building adds an air of elegance. Diane Reeves was like a luxury car with a great transmission. Think the President is at Daimler in Redford right now checking out engines and transmissions being designed and built under the same roof.

Some people thought it would be Take the A Train & such but it was more jazz by a large ensemble. There was no piano so the drums and bass had to be very steady. The horns were held back until needed and then unleashed beautifully. I knew one of the ablums for sale in the lobby…still have a lot to explore w Dave Holland. There are louder and crazier bands but one had to admire the control and the timing…the vibraphone was about the freest instrument. What a gem of a performance!

Brazil fascinates me. Gil is a wonderful ambassador of culture. I am reminded of a year when there were a half dozen or so Brazilian themed shows. Perhaps 2016 UMS can again feature Brazil as they are host of the Summer Olympics…..& World Cup, I just got up, isn’t that there in two years?? Anyway, the music was a bit loud but I liked the variety of instruments. I could imagine I was David Byrne or Paul Simon licking my chops waiting to get back into the studio!

Phil, as a part time usher I apologize for the man who was checking the ball scores during the symphony. I’m sure that the UMS paid staff will pick up on this & I’ll be sure to mention it at the next ushers meeting should they not. My attitude is that I like everybody & I like everybody with their phones OFF!!

It came fearsomely close to being complete rubbish. The first part was interminable. It was only saved by some witticisms in the part after intermission. I am in no way deterred from seeing NTL productions in the future, I just didn’t care much for this one.

I don’t know if their plane was held up by the “Frankenstorm” over the Atlantic or what but the evening ended O.K. The orchestra was eager to please and there were some bright moments…the conclusion to the piano concerto in particular. The Rite of Spring is a piece I played on record a million times in college so I sort of wish it were at the Michigan Theater so I could get their great popcorn. I have to marvel at how many people have terrible coughs all ready. I hope you all get a FLU shot before it is too late.

Really loved it. Glad UMS is bringing great theater to Ann Arbor, & not just English and Irish and Scottish. I spent my senior year in college near Paris and could catch the jist without subtitles, but found myself checking and it was an enjoyable brush up on French. This wild political season has even the United States quivering a bit….never mind the European Union which is facing demise. Let Rhinoceros be a lesson for us all.

Tonto and I had never seen the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet despite horseback riding through most of the West. Gated communities have carved up our trails. Glad to see such fine healthy dancers in Ann Arbor. They kept the weirdness to a minimum and had interesting music and also lack of music was enjoyable, could hear footfalls on the stage…much like tracking a cattle rustler!

Giving Kidd Pivot a passing grade…am functioning w false case of the Flu after innoculation this afternoon….Could really relate to the robotics. Also glad I missed the football game!

Able to clarify on Sunday morning, I did very much enjoy the performance…Tonto did too!

& now for something completely different. Went into the Power Center in shorts, left wishing I had my ski jacket. Last show I saw at Power C. Was Anderson Project and the Dexter tornado occured. Saw Einstein On the Beach during a snow storm, left for a break from the fog machines and trudged in the sugary snow. So what am I saying? Well, I’m not wild about the Power Center as a venue…seems like one of those here come the baby boomer kids, rev up the cement mixer buildings onBig Ten campuses from the sixties. I was a bit off to the side and missed some of the action. Pays to get your tickets early. This was a wonderful send off to Summer. The Renegade season was great…I’m anxious to see the line up for next school year tomorrow, will it be in A2.com?

People, we got the same sushi bar that they will be enjoying at Carnegie Hall this week! I for one prefer not to sleepwalk through life. This was not ear splitting decibel-age. We got to see what they teach about in better music schools. And for a final time, I grew up with the Cleveland Orchestra and close family members went to Oberlin. “Ditto” Music Lover

I too was thinking of the expense of having a full orchestra flown from S.F. And quartered for 4 days in Ann Arbor and weighed it against the dissonance on stage. I ran into a music professor friend from another school in the lobby afterwards and he said he had seen it performed before and not only that, he had once sung part of it! So I guess this is a big To-Do in the rarefied world of modern composers. At the end of the show I ran out, not because I was upset, rather the opposite but walked to the garage with a man who said he hoped it wouldn’t give him nightmares. Well I said what I always say about Friday performances, avoid them if you can, everyone is sleep deprived and traffic is horrible. But he said he was retired. The series is titled American Mavericks so the label is accurate. I was not as overjoyed as I might have been if I had seen my hometown Cleveland Orchestra. All opinions count!

First off I was glad that Hill Auditorium was cool, the last time I saw SFS it was a bake house. All the pieces were spectacular. I’ve really heard a lot of Orchestras in the time I’ve been in Ann Arbor & vivre le difference of SFS! The piano player looked like he was having so much fun on the second piece I had to bite on a pice of buffalo jerky to keep from laughing. Can’t wait to see what they’ve cooked up for us tonight!

My French is not very good but I went to school near Paris for a year and have been to Montreal twice. I liked Paris and found that people either wanted to deal with you or they didn’t and they let you know right away. That said the sometimes seemy side of Paris was fairly accurate. I enjoyed the gentleness that is Canadian humor…big fan of that country. A one man show is hard to pull off but Anderson did just that. The tornado in Dexter beforehand sort of a dramatic precursor for a very good show. And nobody got hurt on or off the stage!

I never noticed buttons on the ushers @ Severance Hall. I guess I’ve been going to the Summer home of the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Music Center when I visit my brothers when their kids are out of school. The birds sing along with the symphony, it’s a nice scene. I also used to spend an inordinate amount of time at Oberlin College and caught the Cleveland Orchestra at Finney Chapel. I’d bike over there and go to student recitals. All told Ann Arbor is pretty civilized, the end of Winter is hell on the nasal passages.

Great show. Tonto & I enjoyed every bit. We grew up with Lawrence Welk on the dude ranch & is good to see some real German music. Thanks for the opportunity to be photographed in20’s garb in the lobby. Wore some period pieces ourselves. Question, some of the songs were from 1934… The Weimar Republic ended in 1933. Germany came under new management.

Jeff I salute your getting it out of your system. I have noticed that Friday events are full of jostle…I don’t even like to drive over from Northville on Fridays. Try a Saturday or Sunday performance. I mean I used to go to Cleveland Orchestra concerts at Severance Hall in painters pants. The Russians got it right that you can open your lunch bucket and enjoy the music without the stuffy verbiage. Weather next week in the 60’s!

well the poorest behavior I ever saw at an orchestra performance was in Jr High. We went to Lakewood High on the West side of Cleveland for the pro-bono rehearsal of the Cleveland Orchestra as we did every year. Lakewood kids naturally got the front rows and someone flicked a paper clip with a rubber band and it tracked off a cello. Well, this nearly spelled the end of the free s hook performances. Fortunately my school system was out of range.

Chicago surely has an accomplished symphony. They kept their eyes on the prize all the way through and the conclusion was fabulous. I’ll be anxious to hear the San Francisco Symphony do some way out pieces but for this orchestra lover from Cleveland the classics done well can’t be beat!

More fun than two spoons and a quart of Hagen Das! The Monday Night School has been helpful in understanding the shows this semester. Thanks to the dept. Musicology for the pro bono work. Best of all the roads were fine when we got out. Beethoven Rules!!

Superb as ever! So controlled this time around. I had no volume issues which I sometimes have at UMS performances. The diagonal stripe ties were from my vantage point, green for sax, orange for trombone, yellow for trumpet and the rhythm section was brown. Would any women care to correct me? Bring them back next year.

Thank you UMS for providing transportation to Music Hall. Had never seen the building, muy interesante! The show was amazing and plenty long. We ran around to the stage door afterwards and said HI to some of the cast. The buses were really comfortable. I should probably end with an academic note…above the stage was a sign that said African Shrine but I kept reading it African Spring. The problems with inflation and corruption in Nigeria are very real this year. Perhaps the young and oppressed will rise up agains the dictators.

I’m going to give the performance an A. I would give it an A plus but I found the music a bit too machiney at times. Other times the synthesizer was a bit of a rush as I’m sure Wayne McGregor intended. The movement was well, quite random. The lighting was ingenious for a road troop. The dancers were terrific. Yeah American dancers are good too, but add these guys to the repertoire. I’ll be interested in seeing the piece he worked up for the Summer Olympics in London.

Wasn’t Shanghai’d tonight, this was better than I thought…decent length, good translation, nice mix of modern and traditional. Satisfying evening.

The music was interesting. The video did not put me at ease like a trip to Southern Utah. The constant reference to the landfill made me think of the unfortunate label, “Eurotrash.”. ..if the New Yorker reviewed the concert it would get two thumbs down…Please let me end with a heart felt compliment to the musicians.

Quick comment, was anyone else seeing the connection to Laurie Anderson violin and narration and David Byrne and the oversize business suit and briefcase in the Stop Making Sense tour…Your collective genius should point to many other artists in New York influenced by Einstein On the Beach. And last of all I think Einstein would have fallen asleep or walked out half way through…I think he was a big fan of Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse!

I liked it but I wasn’t head over heels forit. I took frequent breaks and went to the lobby and also quick walks in the snow…it helped me stay alert. At one point the repetitiveness was making I’ll, we’ll I rode it out and things got better. The part about the air conditioned grocery store and the multicolored bathing caps was neat, I did want to book a Carribean vacation on a cruise ship that hopefully won’t capsize because of a hot dog captain. But we are in capable hands with UMS guiding us to new visions, they rightfully earn the designation Renegade for this performance.
P.s. spell Chzeck is a menace, Dream On fellow Einsteinians!

Super cala fragilistic ex pee alla docious
Renegade contest entry

What a beautiful church. The acoustics were great. The voices were wonderful. The announcer with the English boarading schooll accent could have been a little louder. On the whole I thought the audience did a commendable job of getting to the show on time in spite of the new venue and the tight parking. Everybody gets an “A”.

Nice way to conclude the year. London will be in the spotlight next Summer. Lotta trouble in England, hope they weather the storm as well as the orchestra. I felt a persistent energy through out. The first piece was a bit odd though.

I didn’t see any dogs on stage, somebody told me there would be an hundred red pointer-setters. All I saw were flowers!

After a whole turkey on Thursday and another one on Saturday & all the relatives…Good to let the PRO’s handle the entertainment. Canadian Brass helped me shift gears from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Nuttier than a fruit cake!

The performers mixed up the show nicely. I always love classical guitar…this was no exception. The Chinese women had such beautiful hair. I think I’ll check out some classical guitar CD’s at the public library this afternoon. !Muy Bueno!

Treme-Ndous! Second half really rocked. Thanks to WEMU for playing rebirth all week.

I agree that the musicians were superb, particularly the guitarist. Did I get a macho/Fabio vibe off Diego, hmmm, bothered me for only a few songs but I know Spanish and could understand the interactions with the audience and it was genuine and sincere. I just go to the barber more often, loved the show!

Classical music with a pulse! Wow, loved it, such stage presence, all standing and bowing in unison. It looks like these guys know when to push away from the supper table too…I,m reminded of my childhood in an inner ring suburb of Cleveland, the Hungarian school teachers and the music training that w e got in elementary school. And riding the orange buses in Jr. high for the Cleveland Orchestra morning practice at Severence Hall. And later hearing music at Finney Chapel in Oberlin, OH. Bring them back!

Got home just in time for the final out of the World Series. After last nights epic game I was glad to sit and watch a bucket of Beckett. Tonight was like being a Father in the waiting room. Go St. Louis!

Was hard to watch at first but grew to like it. Friday was a hectic day for me and the serenity of a Sunday matinee would have worked better. But all told I am not dissatisfied, just wish American life wasn’t so crazy. I think the show last Saturday, Weddings and Funeral Orchestra proves beyond a shadow of a doubt there is something for everyone to like, and conversely, something for everyone to dislike! My senior year in college near Paris was sort of like that.

Earpugs: They are an evil of the modern world. I agree with our classical brethren that the thought of having to block sound coming into our ears is crazy…But I carry earplugs. I think a nice audiologist from U of M should chime in next and tell us why we will all be wearing hearing aids pretty soon if we don’t cool it with the volume. In the case of the Weddings and Funeral Orchestra…well, I said in an earlier post that I got the CD free at SAVA’s and it is marvelous and subtle and sounds great at a civil volume in the living room. The messiness of the live performance was ideal for Saturday night. I hate to sound like the judges on Dancing with the Stars but the audience was fantastic!

Fun! High tailed over to Sava’s and got the CD and his studio work very nice. They announced the CD give away from stage in two languages for those fussy people who did not think to bring ear plugs. Did you ever think that Europe has computers and electric guitars now…

I have so many memories but will impart this one. Not long after I moved to Michigan in the mid 90’s I attended a Ravi Shankar concert that went on for hours. I had never seen so many Indian people and they were so peaceable and got up whenever they pleased and went to the lobby or greeted friends. It seemed as though I was in a crowded marketplace and I liked the experience very much. Every so often I play some Raga music!

We saw John Malkovich play a swishy Balkan general at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago and again his European accent fades in and out like AM radio at night. But I’m crazy about his movies. Nothing ventured nothing gained…won’t be flying my time share jet to Santa Barbara for the next show.

OK I’Ll chuck one at you from the new IPad…Mr. Jamal and his band seem to be from the old school of less is more. I’m conditioned to drummers like Brian Blade and Herlin Riley who whoosh past you like a locomotive…a lot of thought went into tonight’ compositions. I’m glad I got to see this Jazz legend. He won’t play outdoors so I guess the Detroit Jazz Festival won’t be having him. Ahmad Jamal, like a corner piece in the jazz puzzle!

What a laid back rock show. The mix was terrific…I usually get earplugs so I can preserve what’s left of my hearing. It was like watching a soccer match…Didn’t know about Tony Allen..glad he has the stamina at 70 to tour…HA! Ringo’s age!!

!Esta muy bueno! Que ritmo y bailando. I only wish I had $20 bucks for the CD in the lobby!

Well Richard III was a delight. I so happened to see the Al Pacino film Looking for Richard last week on HDTV. What a wild interpretation by Propeller! I can only say that it was a cross between Clockwork Orange and that Corktown play Purple Rose was showing last Winter. Blood packs and comedy…but done tastfully. And my was the party at the Alumni Center fun…great food and everyone was having fun talking to the actors.

I know I’m a little late in leaving a comment but the memories are still fresh. I’m so glad UMS brought theater like this to Ann Arbor. Good to see something other than Kafka and Shakespeare. There is a whole world out there that I can’t afford to visit…Well no, we get to Chicago and Guthrie in Minneapolis…just can’t vault across the Atlantic like we did in our 20’s.

Good Morning, I just woke up…WOW, what a show last night…long…Such good music…we didn’t play the radio on the way home because we wanted the memories of the concert to linger. That minute of silence…felt like two minutes! We lived in San Francisco in 1989 and well remember “The Pretty Big One.” 9.0….that is unfathomable…glad they wanted to play for us.

Those dancers are strong! The music was crazy…but I like a little bit of techno-disco-John Cage/Radiohead funk. Call it what you will it was a very enjoyable evening. & we will never see such a thing again after tomorrow.

Oh man, this was so hot! I never go to New York anymore and don’t have money for a cab ride through 100 stop lights to two different clubs to hear music like this. Thank you UMS for bringing this unusual and challenging act to the Power Center. Too bad Vijay Iyer didn’t pick up a Grammy last night in L.A…his trio was in a hurry to catch the red eye on Sat. night. Kool! & Bunky Green…WOW!

Really a lot of energy by this young man. I would like to see him again in a decade.

This was a most enjoyable show. A tad loud…but I will still be able to hear the pianist tomorrow night at Hill. I saw Big Head Todd in the 90’s. I like how he has mellowed. The choice of songs played was excellent. The Pistons probably aren’t worth $420 million. Glad UMS threw the Blues Brothers a BONE!

I grew up in Cleveland and the schools would bus us to Severance hall once a year to hear a late morning practice of the Cleveland Orchestra. I liked the first half of the performance tonight the best. I did like all of it. I think everybody…including Franz Welser Most wanted to bug out ASAP…but they could have played a nocturn. I think UMS could have advertised the concert better so that there weren’t so many empty seats. I’m surprised the house was 2,300 as one usher told me…the DSO is on strike and I would have expected some traffic from Detroit…But what a horrible night to make that trek.

Well it was only a matter of time before Ken got this award. UMS continues to stun year after year. The whole organization works it's heart out. We are so lucky to have the opportunity to see the many great shows in our backyard.

This is good. We were approaching station 3 and there on the small wooden bridge we needed to cross was a beautiful young woman in a bikini and her two female friends were photographing her. The play continued on the IPOD and we had to wait about 3 minutes while the students got their shot. Nobody was particularly bashful and their photo shoot continued at station 4, the siren wadded in the fast running stream…alas, this was the last stop where we saw her. I couldn't make this up!!

Well we went to the University of Toronto for the Chester Cycle…28 plays based on the Bible from when they were performed in Chester England over 500 years ago. Numerous colleges in USA and Canada participated and they all performed on hay wagons with portable sets so as to approximate the wagons of acting troops that used to go from town to town in England. U of M Residential College did Noah's ARK. Most everyone stayed in the dorms @ Victoria College…rate there in the Summer is $35/night…included breakfast in the dinning hall. Matter of fact, I've stayed at Canadian school from the Atlantic to the Pacific in the Summers.

I see these guys every time they come to town. They seem to have an inexhaustible bag of tricks. I would hope that more people would get in to them…sort of build the genre…turn more alt rock freaks into jazz lovers and vice versa. Hey, I got their T-shirt and it was as cheap as the state fair!