Friday, June 27 at 11:59PM EST
I spent my high school years obsessing over Billie Holiday, listening to every recording I could get my hands on. Her sound is almost as familiar to me as my own voice, and I never tire of her bold behind-the-beat style. Holiday took risks in her music and in her personal life. She dealt with racism, addiction and a self-destructiveness that left her ragged, yet she still produced a breathtaking body of work. Listen carefully, you'll hear no self pity.
Friday, June 13 at 11PM EST
Rosalie Sorrels left her husband in the mid-60's, going on the road with her five children to begin a career as a musician. Her homes in Boise and then in Salt Lake City became stopping places for just about any creative person who came through town, including not only musicians but some of the pivotal figures of the Beat Generation. Oscar Zeta Acosta, Hunter S. Thompson and Studs Terkel wrote introductory liner notes for her albums. Don't miss this unique talent, compelling storyteller and social activist.
Friday, June 6 at 10:30PM EST
I just couldn't resist using this pic of Bernadette Peters, the quintessential Broadway Baby. From the little crack in her voice to her show stopping belts, I find her flawless. You don't want to miss her version of There is Nothing Like a Dame which has been described as a tribute to female superiority. Whatever it is she's selling, I'm buying. http://www.bernadettepeters.com/
Saturday, May 31 at 10PM EST
This show features Cape Verdean artist, Cesaria Evora. Her style as a morna singer combines Portugese fado with West African rhythms. Think Bossa Nova meets the blues. She is luminous, mystical and sweet and known affectionately as the "barefoot diva." Join me as we drift away on her honeyed voice. http://www.cesaria-evora.com/
World Food Program, School Feeding Program Ambassador, Cesaria Evora
Friday, May 23 at 11PM EST
It was a time when democratic ideals and artistic inspiration were one and the same. If gay rights and women's equality were worth singing about, the status quo and moral strictures were worth flouting. It was not long after the turn of the 20th century. Weimar Germany. The hard-won, short-lived peace between the First and Second World Wars, before Hitler's murderous rise made his Prussian predecessors look lax in comparison. It was a time when popular entertainment was live, every night, in cabarets. Bourgeois husbands and prim wives flocked to Berlin's smoky caverns of the night, where the booze, and the satire, flowed freely. Pointed lyrics. Red hot women. And anthems that resonate still. Tune in for a night of cabaret, featuring the incomparable Ute Lemper. http://www.utelemper.com/index_2.html
An interview with Ute by New York Magazine
Ute sings Youkali-Tango by Kurt Weil
Monday, May 19 at 10PM EST
Listen in for a show peppered with tunes by the legendary Nina Simone, http://www.blogger.com/www.ninasimone.com. And, find out more about her talented daughter, Simone, at http://www.simonesworld.com/ I fell in love listening to Nina Simone and will never be the same. Her regal bearing and commanding stage presence earned her the title "High Priestess of Soul." Her live performances were regarded not as mere concerts, but as happenings. On stage, Simone moved from gospel to blues, jazz and folk, to numbers infused with European classical styling, and counterpoint fugues. She incorporated monologues and dialogues with the audience into the program, and she often used silence as a musical element, comparing it to "mass hypnosis." Having seen her daughter in concert recently, I believe she has definitely inherited the same ability to transfix. I was so moved by her talent, energy and commitment to song that I wept through most of the concert.
Nina Claymation
Ain't Got No...
Friday, June 27 at 11:59PM EST
