The Globe Weekly News ENTERTAINMENT: WORLD OF MUSIC THIS YEAR International Edition
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BY MAXIMILLIEN de LAFAYETTE
MUSIC GENIUSES OF THE YEAR
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Britain's first
period of musical greatness spanned the Elizabethan period through the
Restoration period--from the late 1500s, with composers such as Byrd,
Gibbons, and Dowland, through the life of Henry Purcell (d. 1695). For
virtually the next 200 years, Britain was the "Land without Music"--or at
least, without any real music of its own. While there was musical life, it
was entirely dominated by foreign--primarily German and
Italian--musicians. Not one British composer during this period created
works remotely comparable to those produced on the continent. With the
appearance of Elgar, Britain at last produced a composer of international
stature, and he is the first in a series of composers who created a 20th
century Renaissance of British music, a series that included composers
such as Vaughan Williams, Delius, Holst, Britten, Bliss, Finzi, Bax, and
others. The backdrop of Elgar's life is the Victorian era, the Edwardian
era, the First World War, and its aftermath. It was the apex of the
British Empire, followed by the shattering of the old world order that had
dominated Europe since the time of Napoleon. It became fashionable after
Elgar's death to deride his music as pompous, ceremonial music celebrating
empire. Indeed, for some people, visions of empire crop up when Elgar's
music is mentioned, even when totally unwarranted (as when Time
Magazine's vapid music critic referred to Elgar's "king and country"
violin concerto--even though it is no more patriotic than those of
Beethoven or Brahms!). It is true that some of Elgar's music has a
patriotic element and expresses the opulence and confidence of the era; he
was a patriotic man, and the British Empire was viewed positively in his
time, not negatively as it often is now. (Unfairly, IMHO. It did, after
all, bring more peace, prosperity, law, and order to more people in more
places of the world than they have known any time before or since, with
the possible exception of the Roman Empire under Hadrian--a not altogether
insignificant accomplishment). However, the Edwardian era--the dozen years
or so prior to World War
Photo: King Edward VII. (The Edwardian era took its name from King Edward VII, whose picture appears to the left.) It was an era of economic prosperity and world leadership for Britain, but with domestic unrest (suffragettes, labor movements, Irish problems) and international uneasiness (an arms race with Germany). And, of course, the Great War which followed shattered Britain incalculably. All this influenced Elgar's music, so that confidently ceremonial music is often juxtaposed with music of uncertainty and uneasiness. But like any great composer, his music goes beyond extraneous influences to express his personality, which--oddly enough--paralleled the times. Outwardly, he looked more like an English country squire than a composer--dignified, with a mighty moustache, down to earth. Inwardly, however, he was acutely sensitive, often doubtful, occasionally depressed.
His Life: Peak Years: With the appearance of his first great orchestral work, the Enigma Variations, in 1899 and his greatest choral work, The Dream of Gerontius, in 1900, Elgar's reputation as the greatest British composer since Purcell was well underway. Here, at last, was a British composer whose works were equal to contemporaneous French, German, Italian, and Russian composers. (Indeed, Elgar's works were performed in all these countries.) The period 1899--1919 brought forth all of Elgar's major compositions: the two symphonies, violin concerto, cello concerto, Cockaigne and In the South Overtures, Pomp and Circumstance Marches Numbers 1 through 4.
Photo: Elgar Playing His Own Recordings on His c. 1930 Record Player. His other oratorios (The Kingdom and The Apostles), and his chamber music (violin sonata, string quartet, and piano quintet). He received a knighthood and other awards from the British government; he was, in essence the composer laureate of Britain and was called upon to provide music for state occasions. With the end of World War One in 1918--which swept away the entire world Elgar had known all his life--and the death of his wife in 1920, Elgar virtually ceased composing. Following 1920, he experienced an inner emptiness that seemed to sap his creative energies. His final years would instead be spent conducting a remarkable series of recordings encompassing most of his major compositions in masterful performances. His Life: Final Years: However, Elgar (for reasons not entirely clear) did renew serious composition near the end of his life. In particular, he commenced work on both a comic opera based on a Ben Jonson play which Elgar entitled The Spanish Lady, as well as a third symphony. Neither was complete at his death, though both were probably near completion in the composer's mind and only had to be worked out on paper. The Elgar biographer Percy Young arranged some themes from the opera into a dance suite for string orchestra. On his deathbed, Elgar forbade anyone to complete the surviving sketches for the symphony, and his wishes were observed until a few years ago. At that time, the Elgar estate authorized the British composer Anthony Payne to assemble and fill out the sketches into a completed symphony. Elgar died on 23 February 1934, a revered public figure who had, in many ways, outlived his era.
Acoustic Recordings: 1914 to 1925: Beginning in 1914, Elgar conducted recordings of a number of his compositions, recordings using the acoustic method. Basically the players clustered around a large recording horn which funnelled the sound down to vibrate a stylus and cut a disc. Under this primitive method, the size of the orchestra had to be dramatically reduced, since only so many players could cluster around the horn. These recordings are obviously for the aficionado. The sound recording is primitive; scores were often drastically abridged to fit on a few sides. As a result, they cannot duplicate a true performance the way a modern recording can, or even the way Elgar's subsequent electronic recordings can. However, they are interesting from a historical standpoint and do often contain a very high-spirited, freewheeling style of performance. Pearl Records issued all of Elgar's acoustical recordings in the late 1980s on CD. Electric Recordings: 1926 to 1933: Then, beginning in 1926 and ending in 1933, Elgar re-recorded most of his major compositions (and numerous minor ones as well!) using the new electric method of recording. Using the new technology of the microphone, a full-sized orchestra could be captured with much greater realism; and this time around, complete works were recorded. EMI Records has released all these recordings in three volumes, each containing three CDs. The original recordings--mostly produced by the famous American record producer, Fred Gaisberg, who became a close friend of Elgar's--were technically excellent for their day, and EMI's remasterings are superb. Using computerized processing systems, EMI has eliminated most of the annoying pops, crackles, and swooshes found on the original recordings. The results sound amazing--the CDs sound like they were taken from taped source material rather than 78 RPM discs! Some critics have complained that computerized remastering can desiccate a recording, eliminating not only background noise but certain frequencies in the music. However, EMI's remastering job sounds like these pitfalls have been skillfully avoided. (A certain amount of low-level background noise has been retained to ensure that certain frequencies remain intact.) Composers are often not the best conductors of their own music, since they often lack the conductorial skills (e.g., baton technique) to convey their intentions. It is generally agreed that Elgar's recordings of his own music are of the first rank (he had considerable experience as a conductor). In some cases--notably the 1932 recording of the Violin Concerto with the 16-year old Yehudi Menuhin--Elgar's recording probably remains the best ever made. (Indeed, I have heard that this recording has been available for most of the intervening 65 years since it was made!). In all cases, Elgar's interpretations of his own music are fascinating. He consistently employs tempi that seem lightning fast by today's standards (no one plays the music this fast today).
Yet the recordings never seem brusque or slapdash, largely through Elgar's subtle and effective use of rubato (variations in tempi within a movement). While the overall fast tempi create a sense of excitement and drive, there is just enough decrease in tension after a climax, and gradual buildup to the next, to create a sense of fluidity and plasticity while avoiding rigidity. In general, the performances sound clearer, lighter, brisker, bolder, and more flexible than many modern Elgar performances. As Robert Philip writes in his excellent program notes accompanying Volume Two of the Elgar Edition: "Tempos in the 1920s were often very fast by modern standards, and attitudes to rhythm and attitudes to tempo are of course closely related. In fast movements, modern performers generally aim for the greatest possible clarity and precision, and this limits the speed. In a period when people were less obsessed with the precise placing of details, musicians often took fast movements very fast indeed." Some have alleged that Elgar employed these fast tempi to fit compositions on a certain number of 78 sides dictated by the record company (each side could accommodate only about five minutes of music). Yehudi Menuhin, however, has attested that neither he nor Elgar were ever pressured to tamper with tempi because of time constraints; so we can safely assume this was merely Elgar's interpretive style for his music.The recordings are also interesting because they display a very different style of orchestral playing from what we hear today, as Robert Philip writes:
As Philip notes, Elgar's own recordings document the stylistic change British orchestras underwent in the period 1920--1940. The early recordings were made with orchestras such as the Royal Albert Hall Orchestra which disbanded c. 1930; for the later recordings, newly formed orchestras such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra and London Philharmonic Orchestra were used. The early recordings show the older, less disciplined, more free-wheeling style; the later recordings the more modern, more disciplined, less free-wheeling style. At any rate, you should sample these old recordings after you come to know and love Elgar's music from modern recordings. The contents of the Elgar Edition are as follows:
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MUSIC CONTEMPORARY GENIUS
The mysterious, delightful, reclusive, elusive but brilliant Russian pianist Mikhail Pletnev.
He mumbled something," says the concierge, "but I'm not sure what." This is not a good start. The photographer, Barry Marsden, and I have arrived at a block of flats in central London to meet the musician for whom the adjectives enigmatic and unpredictable could have been coined. Mikhail Pletnev, pianist, conductor, composer and famously difficult to get hold of, has bidden us for 11.30 on a Saturday morning, while he is over here from his base in Moscow, but the concierge is undecided whether we should go up or stay put. I put Barry at his ease by telling him that, however much Pletnev dislikes giving interviews, he hates having his picture taken even more. The concierge's second call elicits a more positive response. "And another thing," I tell Barry confidently in the lift, "however many times you meet Pletnev, it's always like shaking hands for the first time." "Ah, how nice to see you again," says Pletnev cordially as he opens the door, ever ready to confound expectations. Emboldened, I proffer my right hand. He immediately retracts his. Russian tradition has it, he admonishes, that it is unlucky to shake hands across the threshold. To this faux pas is added another one - that we have obviously interrupted Pletnev while he is still in the middle of breakfast. But he carries on eating it, while watching a large-screen television tuned to a rolling news channel. You never quite know where you are with Pletnev, nor where the conversation might lead."What I am going to tell you is all lies," he says. There is, of course, no particular reason why musicians should want to open up, or be able to explain why or how they make their impact. But Pletnev is a prime example of one who protects under layers of mystery the emotions and the brilliant, albeit sometimes provocative and idiosyncratic sparks of imagination that fire his piano playing. It was in 1978 that he gripped worldwide attention by winning the piano section of the international Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, at the age of only 21. Two years later he made his Russian debut as a conductor, following in the footsteps of such artists as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Daniel Barenboim and Christoph Eschenbach, who have successfully straddled the piano stool and the conductor's podium. Those qualities that make Pletnev such a fascinating musician now were in evidence then, with his commanding technique and broad tastes in repertoire, marked with the imprint of his distinctive, vital musical personality. When he is not playing, however, there is an all-pervading, impenetrable ennui about him. In the concert hall, when he comes on to the platform, his air is agonisingly world-weary, as if he would rather be anywhere else. But from the moment he touches the piano keys or raises his arms on the rostrum, the atmosphere can be spellbinding. "It's quite spontaneous," he says. "I haven't the slightest idea how I will play. I know when it starts that I will be inspired." The legendary Russian pianist Sviatoslav Richter once wrote in his journal, "Why does Pletnev look so unhappy? You'd think it was sheer torment for him to play." Richter never managed to resolve the conundrum. One thing to his credit in this media-conscious age is that he certainly does not court publicity. The snappy sound bite is not his sort of thing at all."I am a night animal," explains Pletnev, who next week starts touring Britain with the Russian National Orchestra, by far the most interesting and go-ahead of the Moscow orchestras and, on best form, a match for the St Petersburg Philharmonic and Valery Gergiev's Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra. "The only difficult thing for me as a conductor is to wake up early for the rehearsals," says Pletnev, who founded the RNO in 1990. "The musicians came to me with an idea for me to be a conductor. At first it seemed strange to me, and then I thought, ‘Why not?' It was a time of democratic change. There was enthusiasm for something new. There was fresh air, a taste of liberty. "In the late 1990s he yielded the principal conductorship to Vladimir Spivakov. But in a rather unseemly public dispute a couple of years ago Spivakov resigned, and the management decided instead to have a roster of conductors - among them Kent Nagano, Paavo Berglund and Vladimir Jurowski - with Pletnev as artistic director. Why does he not want to go back to his old post? "I could be a chief conductor, but not in Russia," he explains. "It's time-consuming. A chief conductor in Russia has to take care of too many things. In orchestras abroad, the chief conductor is generally only around for certain weeks of the year. "Also, Russian orchestras very often go on tours, and I hate tours. First of all, there are too many concerts, one after another. And then the programmes are very limited. I hate to travel. I'm too old," says Pletnev, 46. Nevertheless, he is scheduled not only to bring the RNO to Britain next week but also to take it on to Liechtenstein and Switzerland, then in September to dates in Spain and on to a cruise down the Volga. Maybe he finds something sustaining in the orchestra itself? "I am very happy with it," says Pletnev. "Now we have wonderful new musicians. They play in a very flexible manner. They are great virtuoso players in their own right, and they have great enthusiasm. Working with them is a real pleasure. I conduct music I love." And he certainly voices all this with conviction. But now it's time for the photographs. "Must we?" he sighs. "I don't want to do any photographs. It's you who wants to do the photographs.", wrote Goffrey Noris
Keith Urban on the verge of stardom He hears the talk on Music Row about being the next big thing. He tries not to listen. "To me, I'm still this 15-year-old guy in his first garage band. That's how I feel every night when I play," says Keith Urban, who launched his tour Friday in Muncie, Ind., to support his new album, Be Here. Urban's 2002 breakthrough Golden Road sold two million copies and yielded four hits, including Somebody Like You and Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me. The first single, Days Go By, is already No. 1 on the country charts, and Urban is up for male vocalist of the year at next month's Country Music Association awards, alongside superstars Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith and George Strait. "There's been a very tangible buzz over the past year or year and a half that Keith Urban is a star ready to break out," said Neil Pond, editor of Country Weekly magazine. "He's a great poster boy for where country music can go and wants to go, and that is into a much broader demographic of musical integrity, sexiness and commercial success." Earlier this week, in an empty, dimly lit arena, Urban and his band rehearsed into the evening. The guitar riffs had to be loud, but not too loud. The dobro had to come in at the right moment. The harmonies had to be just so. On stage, Urban looked like a rock star - slight build, shoulder length hair, scruffy jeans, black T-shirt, earring and tattoos. His electric guitar was amped up and a little distorted (he's widely considered a virtuoso on the instrument and counts Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits and Angus Young of AC/DC as influences ). The drums and bass thumped at a fast, heavy clip. And when he spoke, his Australian accent made him seem like a character from the British invasion. But while other pop and rock-edged country acts often avoid or downplay the banjos, mandolins and fiddles, Urban embraces them. Not only does he use them in most of his songs, he puts them right up front. His musical epiphany came during a John Mellencamp concert in 1988. "I finally saw a guy who had blended fiddle and acoustic guitar and rock drums and rural lyrics into this amazing package. Because I was thinking, 'Am I rock? Am I country?' - I don't know what the hell I am. Every time I pick up an acoustic it comes out country. Then when I pick up an electric guitar it's a little bit of the other. I think John showed that you can just find your voice, whatever that is." Fans who liked Urban's last album will like this one. The big, full arrangements are there, the smooth vocals and stinging guitar. Urban wrote one of the 13 tracks and co-wrote eight others. He covers Rodney Crowell's Making Memories of Us and Elton John's vintage 1970s Country Comfort. |
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WORLD ENTERTAINMENT: EUROVISION: More than 100 million people are expected to watch the contest.
Turks deliver Eurovision delight
The Turkish hosts of this year's Eurovision Song Contest made the show their own with a riot of colour and an exotic dash of eastern promise.
Photo: Bosnia-Herzegovina's entry won votes from the Balkans. Istanbul's Abdi Ipecki stadium is usually a sweaty basketball stadium, but was transformed into a stage fit for one of the biggest musical events in the world. With an enthusiastic capacity crowd flying flags of many nations, the atmosphere was electric - clearly this contest was shaping up as a night to remember. Last year's Turkish victor Sertab Erener set the stadium ablaze with a rousing rendition of her winning song, surrounded by a coterie of gold-dusted nymphs and then the magical whirling dervishes. Presenters Meltem Cumbul and Korhan Abay followed the Eurovision tradition for elaborate costumes, indulging in cheesy banter and slightly stilted delivery. But the crowd had turned out to see 24 live performances, cheer on their favourites and see who could live up to the big occasion.
Photo: Ukraine's leather-clad Ruslana won with Wild Dance. T his year's contest turned out to be a melting pot of musical flavours, with many worthy of winning - and the others being relegated to musical also-rans. The winning performance was enough to cause a riot in the stadium, with Ukraine's Ruslana packing a fur-clad, whip-cracking punch which bowled over the audience and Europe alike. Serbia and Montenegro's captivating folk tune was the first that really drew a response from the stadium crowd, with an intense hush followed by a thunderous reception for singer Zeljko Joksimovic and a deserving runners-up spot. Greece and Turkey were also huge crowd-pleasers in Istanbul, with Sakis Rouvas providing some great moves and a touch of deft undressing, and local heroes Athena sending the arena into a cacophony of chanting, clapping and pogoing - but it wasn't
quite convincing enough for Eurovision voters.
Photo: France's Jonatan Cerrada led a trend for white suits The UK's James Fox inspired some patriotic flag-waving from the British camp, but the stadium seemed to find him just too gentle and easy-going and the do-or-die Eurovision vote left the Welshman languishing in the doldrums of 16th place. The Turks put on a riotously colorful and scintillating interval act which filled the stage and was a clever Anatolian take on Ireland's Riverdance. Instead of being a time filler, this was true entertainment which won the unanimous approval of Abdi Ipecki's Eurovision devotees - quite unlike some of the competing songs. The voting this year was the biggest in Eurovision history and seemed to show that regional biases fail to diminish. Cyprus and Greece gave one another maximum votes, prompting howls of derision in the stadium, and Balkan neighbors stuck firmly together. It appears that the UK and Ireland only have each other for company now. Experiencing Eurovision in the flesh is on occasion not to be forgotten and a million miles away from watching it on the small screen at home - even if it means missing Terry Wogan's legendary commentary. Turkey's first contest was a huge success with few hitches, and will ensure Eurovision survives well beyond its 50th year in 2005, in Kiev. Fans pilgrimage Thousands of fans of the Eurovision Song Contest have descended on Istanbul for Saturday's grand final, turning the city's Abdi Ipecki stadium into a united nations of musical devotees.Among the crowds of people milling around the venue are many British fans of the annual spectacle, who have made the trip to Turkey especially for Eurovision. Simon Bennett has been making the annual pilgrimage to Eurovision for five years, and says his earliest memory of the contest is 1972. "I always thought it was a TV event and that's where I wanted to watch it," says Mr Bennett. "But live it is even better - there's such an atmosphere," adds the Londoner. Happy: "It's just fun - a happy thing. There are people here from all these different countries, but they get along," says Mr. Bennett, who works in the city. At 19, Bill Holland is one of the new breed of Eurovision fans, who says he "brings the average age of fans down by about three or four decades", and has been to five contests on the trot.
"Sometimes the contest is just a by-product of the enjoyment you have all week long," says Mr Holland, pointing out that many fans come early to soak up the atmosphere. "In the UK we're in a minority, but when you come here you meet other people who are enveloped in it. To come to Eurovision is the best thing a fan can do," says the gap-year student. Meanwhile, Richard Crane is the UK president of OGAE, an organisation which brings together Eurovision fans from across the continent, and remembers Sandie Shaw's landmark victory in 1967 when he was just six. " UKRAINE CELEBRATES EUROVISION WIN
Photos from L to R: Eurovision winner Ruslana, from the Ukraine, was one of the most energetic performers at the song contest in Turkey, singing Wild Dances.Zelko performed Serbia's first-ever entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, singing Lane Moje, and impressing many. Ukraine has won the 2004 Eurovision song contest in Istanbul, Turkey - only the second time the country has taken part in the competition. Ruslana, a successful singer, producer, dancer and composer in her home country, won for her song Wild Dance. Contest debutants Serbia and Montenegro were second, with Greece third. The UK's James Fox took 16th spot. More than 100 million viewers were expected to watch the TV coverage of the event, now in its 49th year. Thirty-six member countries of the European Broadcasting Union voted in the contest, including 12 countries eliminated from the final in earlier rounds. Last year the event was won by Turkey's Sertab Erener with the UK coming last, receiving no points. James Fox's 29 points was a distinct improvement on the zero points received by Jemini in 2003. Ruslana's winning song mixed folk music with a troupe of leather-clad female dancers. Her song was inspired by the folk music and dances of highlanders in the Carpathian mountains and included traditional instruments, a fast dance routine mixed with acrobatic moves, as well as flamboyant costumes. Greece's Sakis Rouvas had been the favorite to win the contest. The success of Zeljko Joksimovic and the Ad Hoc. Orchestra from Serbia and Montenegro was a major surprise - it was the country's first-ever performance at the competition. British singer Lisa Andreas, 16, took joint fifth place with Sweden, performing a song for Cyprus. Her mother was born on the island. The host country Turkey took fourth spot in the competition. As is traditional with the Eurovision song contest, neighbors often voted for each other with the Balkan countries giving each other a major share of the votes. British TV host Terry Wogan, who was commenting on the contest for the BBC, said the "biased" voting was worse than ever. He said: "Someone has got to stop this. The European Broadcasting Union has to take a hand." Ireland who traditionally do well at Eurovision were in 23rd position only one place higher than Norway who came last. The 2005 event will now be held in Ukraine. In pictures: Eurovision Song Contest
Photo: James Fox was hoping to restore the UK's Eurovision pride after last year's disastrous showing. He was 14 to 1 to win.
Photo: Sixteen-year-old Lisa Andreas from England sang the Cypriot entry. Her mother is from a small village in Cyprus. "Without you nothing can turn out right" went the lyrics by Re-Union from Holland, a country which has not won since 1975.
Photo: Last year's winner and Turkey's first Eurovision success, Sertab Erener, opens the song contest from Istanbul.
Photo: Norway's Knut Anders Sorum was the third to sing, performing the up-tempo ballad High. Norway came fourth last year.
Photo: Julie and Ledwig gave the first duet of the evening, singing the English-language On Again... Off Again. More than 100 million people are expected to watch the contest.
Photo: "Music is what I want," explained Bosnia's Deen, singing the club theme In The Disco. Bosnia's highest-ever placing before 2004 was seventh in 1999.
Photo: Belgium's Xandee was one of the favorites, with her performance of 1 Life.
Photo: Chris Doran sang Ireland's entry, If My World Stopped Turning. Ireland have won the content seven times before 2004.
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JAZZ/POP
Photo: Claire Martin.
It
seems everybody wants to be a jazz singer nowadays. People of all ages turn
up at 'open mic' sessions to perform their party piece. But why this sudden
eruption of would-be vocalists? Maybe because singing looks easier than
playing an instrument, although it isn't. Or maybe it's because there are so
many good jazz singers in Britain to inspire them. There's Stacey Kent,
Tina May, Claire Martin, Clare Teal, Barb Jungr, Anita Wardell,
Sheena Davis, Cathie Rae and plenty more. Until recently, the
guys had fewer role-models, but then along came Jamie Cullum whose
career received a mighty boost when he was signed by Universal. Of course,
Universal didn't actually discover him; he already had a CD out on the
smaller Candid label.
Some of the most impressive
British jazz of the past year has come from Scotland, in
particular from
Caber, another shoestring label, in this case run by drummer Tom Bancroft.
Three Caber releases were quite outstanding, those by pianist Dave
Milligan, bassist Mario Bacuris and trumpeter Colin Steele.
And then there is saxophonist Tommy Smith, Scotland's one-man music
industry, whose own label, Spartacus, came up with a couple of gems, a
series of duets between Smith and pianist Brian Kellock and a set by
Smith's own sextet.
Photo: Rachel Stevens.
Photos from L to R: #1. Elton John. #2. Jamie Cullum. Posh went hip hop, to the dismay of her record label. It didn't do her much good, but it made Roc-A-Fella magnate Damon Dash a household name in the UK. Love, meanwhile, lost the plot on prescription drugs, lost custody of her daughter, and her debut solo album, America's Sweetheart, was delayed for the umpteenth time. Trouble flared around Michael Jackson, arrested on suspicion of child abuse. Phil Spector's mansion was the setting for a gun drama that left an actress dead and Spector arrested on suspicion of shooting her.
As December closed a triumphant year for The White Stripes, Jack White was accused of assaulting the lead singer of Detroit band The Von Bondies, who had spent 2003 making disparaging comments about the Stripes. Pete Townshend and Massive Attack's Robert '3D' del Naja were swept up in the UK's child porn investigations, but cleared. It was tempting to connect 3D's arrest with his outspoken views on the Iraq conflict, but it left his commitment undimmed. Blur's Damon Albarn also took a principled stand, as did the Dixie Chicks whose criticisms of George W. Bush caused a furor in the US. Radiohead's Hail To The Thief was the most obvious musical response to the war, but Super Furry Animals's Phantom Power also decried the hubris of The Man. In a year where pop's glitz and sparkle shone especially bright, it was heartening to see a few were not blinded to real events.
Photos from L to R: #1.Soweto Kinch. #2. Gillian Welch. POP TOP TEN #1 The White Stripes Elephant (XL). #2 Dizzee Rascal Boy In Da Corner (XL). #3 Rufus Wainwright Want One (Dreamworks). #4 My Morning Jacket It Still Moves (RCA). #5 Super Furry Animals Phantom Power (Sony). #6 OutKast Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (Arista). # 7 The Distillers Coral Fang (Warners). #8 Jay-Z The Black Album (Def Jam). #9 The Rapture Echoes (Vertigo). #10 Gillian Welch Soul Journey (Acony/WEA). Turkey of the year: Blur Think Tank (Food)
Queen Latifah: "I couldn't see me rapping" At 34, Queen Latifah is decades away from receiving a Social Security check. Still, she already knows what she wants to be doing when she becomes a senior citizen -- and rhyming on stage to the hip-hop beat that made her famous isn't one of them. "I couldn't see me rapping," says Latifah between drags of a cigarette, lounging around her hotel suite. "With acting, I can see me doing that until I'm old and grey. But I couldn't see personally rapping forever and ever." Which explains why the rap pioneer, who broke into the male-dominated field with hits like Ladies First and U.N.I.T.Y in the late '80s and early '90s, has downshifted on her new album to a soothing blend of soft jazz, big band, soul and standards.
Photo: Queen Latifah "I wanted to be able to grow somewhere, and I felt like, when I start making this kind of music, this is really the kind of music I can do for the rest of my life," she says of The Dana Owens Album, titled after her real name. "I can continue to build on it and get more creative with it. I can sing these songs 'til I'm old and grey." Latifah is always thinking long-term, which may be why she's been able to morph from successful rapper to sitcom star (Living Single) to talk show host (the ill-fated Queen Latifah Show) to one of Hollywood's potential superstars -- an Oscar-nominated actress with box-office draw (Chicago, Bringing Down the House). Now she hits the big screen again in the action-comedy flick Taxi, costarring Jimmy Fallon from Saturday Night Live -- but it's Latifah who gets top billing. So far, the flood of projects has included last fall's hit Scary Movie 3, Barbershop 2 and the upcoming Beauty Shop -- a female spinoff of the Barbershop franchise. It's a gratifying time for the star, who struggled to find the right vehicle for her talents after wowing movie audiences and critics with her explosive turn as Cleo in the 1996 girl-robber flick Set It Off. "A lot of the roles were actually on their way already, but it just took time. I think the opportunities have come after the Oscar (nomination)," she says, referring to her 2003 performance as Matron Morton in the musical Chicago. Chicago not only opened doors for her in acting, but also in the musical arena. Ron Fair, president of the A&M record label and a producer on the Dana Owens album, had long been a fan of Latifah's pipes. "I first became aware of Dana as a singer from her performance of Lush Life in Living Out Loud," he says of the 1998 movie that featured Latifah as a nightclub singer. "I was struck by the fact that she was a rapper who could sing that well. ... It's kind of like somebody who first got their driver's licence and their first car is a Ferrari. Her instrument is that evolved that it's a very natural thing." Now she hits the big screen again in the action-comedy flick Taxi, costarring Jimmy Fallon from Saturday Night Live -- but it's Latifah who gets top billing. "It was that combination of critical acclaim of Chicago and this body of work that I brought already to the table and the financial success of Bringing Down the House that at the same time created this little perfect storm of Queen Latifah business," she says. "Consciousness and different things going on in the world and personal experiences, those are the kind of things that I wanted to get more into." While Latifah isn't willing to compromise herself for her music, there were some critics who felt she did just that in her acting career with last year's blockbuster Bringing Down the House, co-starring Steve Martin. Although it grossed more than $130 million US, some (including Spike Lee) felt her role as a jive-talking con who shakes up the Martin's whitebread world was stereotypical. Boondocks mastermind Aaron McGruder skewered her endlessly in his comic strip, while others questioned her judgment. Latifah didn't see a reason to apologize -- and still doesn't. "I can't be worried about that. To me, I would rather push the envelope a little bit, go right to the edge, as long as it's fun." If it ain't funny, you can forget about it anyway," she says, comparing herself to comedians like Red Foxx, Whoopi Goldberg and Richard Pryor, who used race in their acts to talk about cultural barriers. "I think there were some over-the-top things in the movie, but I don't think there was anything extremely stereotypical that was that offensive. I'm not trying to make some major political statement," she says. "It's easy for people outside of what we do to talk about it, but they don't see the real battles that we fight everyday, that we break down stereotypes ... There's really nobody out there that could tell me anything. Because they don't see those battles." Besides, Latifah adds, as the movie's executive producer, she was able to employ more minorities and become a Hollywood power broker. "I've employed a huge amount of African-Americans for positions they were qualified for, and for positions they had no experience in, but they had the drive to learn -- hundreds of people, from my management company to my talk show," she says forcefully. "Now they're all out producing all over town." As far as her future, she says she would like her next "production" to be a baby, and jokes that she's already practicing for it. But ask her about her private life and the fiercely private Latifah makes a "putting on the brakes" signal, letting you know you'll get no farther on that subject. She'd prefer to put the focus back on her projects, and right now, the one that seems closest to her heart is the Dana Owens album. "I just hope that people will be receptive to it and give it a listen," she says. "I hope they'll enjoy it enough to buy it and if they buy enough of them -- then I'm going to come out and perform it for them."
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Photo: Outkast's Andre 3000 has picked up a host of awards in the past year. Hip-hop duo OutKast are leading the field for the MTV Europe Music Awards, with five nominations including best group and best song, for Hey Ya. US R&B star Usher has nominations in four different categories. Mercury Music Prize winners Franz Ferdinand collected three nominations, the most for a British act. The awards will be staged at Tor Di Valle in Rome on 18 November, with Eminem, Beastie Boys and Maroon 5 all confirmed to perform. Other artists who will be performing live on the night include Nelly, Usher, Gwen Stefani and The Hives. OutKast enjoyed huge success at the US MTV Video Music Awards held in Miami in August, picking up four awards. Among their five nominations at the European awards are best video for Hey Ya and best album for Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below. Seven artists have been nominated in three categories, including the newly-wed Britney Spears for best pop, best female and best song for Toxic. Anastacia, Beyonce Knowles, Jay-Z and Maroon 5 are also up for a trio of awards.
Photo: Franz Ferdinand have three nominations. British contenders : Among Franz Ferdinand's nominations are best new act, best UK and Ireland act and best alternative act. The Glasgow band won the breakthrough award at the Miami ceremony for their single Take Me Out. British R&B singer Jamelia has also been nominated in the best new act category, following on from her triple success at the UK's Music of Black Origin Awards. Other British artists nominated include Robbie Williams for best pop and Muse and The Prodigy for alternative act. Competing for the best group title alongside Outkast will be the Beastie Boys, Black Eyed Peas, D12 and Maroon 5. Alicia Keys, Anastasia, Avril Lavigne and Beyonce feature alongside Spears in the best female contest. Last year's big winner at the MTV Europe Awards, which were held in Edinburgh, was Justin Timberlake, who walked away with three trophies.
"We used a Moog synthesizer to give the song this futuristic feel." If you have ever lost yourself on a full dancefloor as Donna Summer sings I Feel Love or Love to Love You Baby, Bellotte is the man to thank. With Italian Giorgio Moroder, Bellotte co-wrote and co-produced all of Donna Summer's influential hits from 1976 to 1981. As disco began to rise up from US underground clubs, Munich-based Bellotte and Moroder added their own continental twist that would take it into every bar, radio station and supermarket. The pair had already given Chicory Tip a number one hit with Son of My Father and had released three European singles with Summer when they struck disco gold. "When it all took off for us, it was just serendipity," said Bellotte. "For Love to Love You Baby we incorporated a four-to-the-floor bass drum pattern which funk band The Crusaders had just used, and a hi-hat pattern that was on Rock the Boat by The Hues Corporation," he explained. "We were pretty excited by the result." The erotic, hypnotic song became a hit after a suggestion by the late Casablanca Records head, Neil Bogart. "He was having a party at his home and everyone was getting off on the song, so he had to keep re-playing it," said Bellotte. "He suggested making the track longer, to fill an entire side of vinyl." The original drummer had difficulty with the timing so Moroder and Bellotte bought a music box, as used in Munich restaurants to keep the beat for "awful little one-man bands".
"The box kept a regular tempo, enabling us to easily extend the song for as long as we wanted," Bellotte said. "It was the first time a type of drum machine had been used in this manner." Love to Love You Baby became a huge dancefloor and radio hit in 1976, and the following year electro anthem I Feel Love turned Bellotte and Moroder into Europe's most sought-after producers.
"I Feel Love was the last track on the concept album I Remember Yesterday, on which Donna sang the first track in a 1940s style and through various other genres until the final song was intended to represent the future," Bellotte explained. "We used a Moog synthesizer to give the song this futuristic feel, and discovered a new way to lay level upon level of sound onto the track in perfect sync. We had no idea it was going to sound so special." The throbbing track remained funky enough for the coolest of nightclubs, and continues to inspire dance music today. The trio notched up a further 10 hits including Love's Unkind, MacArthur Park, Hot Stuff and Bad Girls. Success also enabled Bellotte to work with Sir Elton John and R&B star Melba Moore, and to form dance duo Trax. But disco's dominance came to an end in 1979 with the rise of punk in the UK and a vocal US backlash inspired by criticism of its black and gay origins. "In New York I remember seeing graffiti everywhere saying 'disco sucks'," said Bellotte. "I knew it was the end of an era. 'Disco' became a dirty word for a long time." Record company Geffen delayed the release of the trio's final album, I'm a Rainbow, for 15 years. Bellotte parted company with Summer in 1981 and Moroder in 1984, after the pair collaborated on a new soundtrack for Fritz Lang's Metropolis. The British producer took an extended break from music before setting up a recording studio in West Sussex. "I'm looking for a new singer at the moment but my standards are just incredibly high," he said. "Donna was one of those phenomenal one-take artists - she could just come in, sing the song and go. She was always spot on." He is delighted by the renewed interest in disco by chart stars such as Scissor Sisters, Kylie Minogue and Beyonce Knowles, who revived Love to Love You Baby on her recent hit Naughty Girl. Nevertheless Bellotte has wide tastes in music and is currently most impressed by stylish US rock band The Killers. While he was unable to attend the Dance Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony, at which The Bee Gees and the late Barry White were also praised, Bellotte was "very pleased" with the honour. "Dance music has become such a big thing now, I expect its influence to just keep growing and growing," he said. "It is very nice to be remembered." said T. Bisho.
SHERYL BAILEY'S "BULL'S EYES" REDEFINES LYRICAL VIRTUOSITY IN CONTEMPORARY JAZZ New Yorker master jazz guitarist, Sheryl Bailey offered the American contemporary Jazz world, a most impressive and lyrically-jazzy gift; her most recent CD "BULL'S EYES". And soon, she will be signing autographs during her forthcoming reception event in Manhattan, New York City. People have tendency to say "Jazz is Jazz, so what is the big deal?" But Jazz is more than Jazz, for more than two million reasons. I will give you two reasons for now. Primo, Jazz is the most truthful evocation and "representation" of human life with all its tragedies, ups and downs. Segundo: Jazz is the roots of American music, and perhaps the cradle of a universal symbolic musical platform. Ms Bailey does not proclaim herself the Moses of Jazz. But, most certainly, Bailey has become the rod and prescribed dogma of world-class jazz standards. It is true to a certain degree, that Jazz can fall prey to monotony, if constant "traditional" repetitions and rigidly structured interpretations dominate a musical piece. But, it is equally true, that those repetitions could and would anchor inner feelings and explode hidden emotions, if the Jazz musician succeeds in capturing and freeing original and individual musical virtuosity through lyricism and romanticism in jazz. Bailey has mastered this talent. Bailey has succeeded in freeing Jazz from stagnant dogmatic musicality and redefining its humanistic beauty. Rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars. "BULL'S EYES" is a jazz masterpiece! Two thumbs up! Buy it. Justin Timberlake thrill kids in Canada Justin Timberlake gave a group of Grade 8 students a thrill Thursday when he made a surprise visit to a Toronto Raptors basketball workshop held at a downtown elementary school. Wearing black shorts and a white Raptors sweatshirt, Timberlake strode into the gymnasium after being asked to "even out the odds" in a game between students and members of the NBA team. "It seems a bit unfair it's four of you guys and only three of us," said Raptors guard Rafer Alston, who was joined by forwards Chris Bosh and Donyell Marshall. "We need another participant. We're gonna grab ourselves another player. We're gonna bring out Justin Timberlake to be on our team." The gym then erupted with screams of: "No way" and "Oh my god." The publicity stunt was arranged by McDonald's Canada as part of a marketing campaign to convince people that eating at the fast-food joint can be part of a healthy lifestyle. And, like Timberlake's commercial says, the kids were "lovin' it." Girls fanned themselves in the overly dramatic way only a teen heart throb can inspire. The boys, meanwhile, were keen to bone up on professional dribbling techniques. The 10-minute appearance was arranged in true sleuth form. The 30 kids were told they'd be participating in a noon-hour clinic with the Raptors' mascot to promote a healthy lifestyle. Men in fancy suits and dark shades stood guard at the gym's two entrances ensuring no one from the outside could enter. "Right now it's a good thing to be on the positive spectrum, on the side of saying something," says Kyprios. "It's not about celebrating money and power because if that gives you escapism from reality and your reality is (crappy) or you're impoverished and this takes you out of your reality and lets you have a good time, then that's OK." He's not alone. Toronto-based emcee K-OS is also part of the movement changing the sound of hip-hop, known for pushing social awareness in his poetry. Kyprios sees his own path as a continual artistic journey upward: more shows, recording another solo record, continuing his work with Sweatshop Union. He also has plans for a book of poetry and wants to get back into acting, an interest he's had to shelve for the last 18 months amid the musical push. "I'm hoping when things slow down I'll be able to get back into it," said Kyprios, who has had parts on the TV series Smallville, Dark Angel, The X-Files and First Wave. All have been filmed in the Vancouver area. Destiny Child sings for McDonald McDonald's Corp. has a new music partner: Destiny's Child. The fast-food company announced Wednesday that the R&B group will play an integral role in its I'm Lovin' It ad campaign, which kicked off last year with Justin Timberlake in a starring role. McDonald's said it will sponsor the group's 2005 worldwide tour and feature the trio in new commercials and special restaurant merchandising. Destiny's Child will also make appearances on behalf of Ronald McDonald House Charities and other children's causes. "We're lovin' the chance to work with McDonald's and know that together we'll create lots of fun and cool surprises," said Beyonce Knowles, founding member of Destiny's Child, in a statement Wednesday.
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One,
which saw the peak of Elgar's creative activity--were hardly confident or
complacent. 
Early
Years: 
Elgar's
Own Recordings: 
Photo:
Cypriot entrant Lisa Andreas is highly rated by fans.
Fans
enjoy coming to the Eurovision Song Contest, as they can endlessly
speculate about who could walk away with the trophy - and are able to
watch several dress rehearsals before the live televised event." "Ukraine
has a very good chance," says Mr. Crane. "Song-wise it has to be the
Cypriot entry, while Malta perform strongly. Belgium and Turkey could
swing the vote with something more contemporary," he adds. But the three
men agree they are cautious about the UK's chances of winning this year,
saying James Fox is an excellent performer - but may not have the best
song in an impressive field. The first full dress rehearsal for the
Eurovision grand final on Friday saw Malta's performance troubled by sound
problems. Albania, Serbia and Montenegro, Cyprus, Belgium, Sweden, Greece
and Turkey' songs were the best-received by the audience.-Michael Osborne.
Photo:
Clare Teal.
Photos
from L to R: #1. Dizzee Rascal. #2. Damon Albarn.
OutKast
lead MTV Europe shortlist
The
Dance Music Hall of Fame has opened its doors in New York, and British
producer Pete Bellotte was among the first wave of musicians, artists and
DJs to be honoured.
Photos,
up and below: #1. Bellotte co-wrote 14 disco hits for Donna Summer from
1976. #2. Love to Love You Baby was the first song extended by a drum
machine 
