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Jazz/Blues

Tony DeSare Announces Sunday Night Residency at the Carlyle Hotel

Tony DeSare, originator of the Sunday Night Bemelmans series, has announced an extended Sunday night residency at The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel, in New York City.As a vocalist and pianist, DeSare has reached critical and popular acclaim for his performances throughout the United States and all over the world and was named a rising star male vocalist in "Downtown" magazine's recent Critics’ Poll. He also has three top 10 "Billboard" jazz albums and has been featured on the "CBS Early Show," NPR and "The Today Show."DeSare is also an accomplished, award-winning composer, having written the theme song for the motion picture "My Date with Drew" and the 20th Century Fox film "The Tooth Fairy" along with several broadcast commercials. His compositions include a wide-range of romantic, funny and soulful tunes that can be found on his top-selling recordings as well as on his YouTube page, which has accumulated nearly 1 million total views.He has also made numerous symphony appearances this season, including The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, the Dallas Symphony, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and The Philly Pops.
By Jaime Prisco

  • Gotham Chamber Opera Presents 'The Tempest Songbook' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Co-Production with Martha Graham Dance Company, Directed by Luca Veggetti

    Gotham Chamber Opera’s final production of the 2014-15 season will be "The Tempest Songbook.""The Tempest Songbook" is comprised of incidental music for "The Tempest" composed in 1695 and attributed to Henry Purcell and Kaija Saariaho's 2004 "Tempest Songbook" for soprano, baritone and period instrument ensemble. This is the show's U.S. and world-stage premiere.The performance will be a co-production with the Martha Graham Dance Co. The Martha Graham Dance Co. has received international acclaim from audiences in more than 50 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The Gotham Chamber Opera has also received many accolades and has been recognized as a pioneer in creating opera productions in alternative venues."The Tempest Songbook" will explore the themes of William Shakespeare’s "The Tempest" using dance, movement and song. The singers and dancers will express the words and actions of various characters, which will result in a lyrical vision of Shakespeare's iconic play."I am thrilled to be invited to share my vision for 'The Tempest Songbook' with Gotham Chamber Opera," said director and choreographer Luca Veggetti. "Through my association with Kaija Saariaho, I became acquainted with her 'Tempest Songbook' and her suggested pairings with Purcell, which serves as the starting point for the production."
    By Jaime Prisco

  • William Onyeabor Does First-Ever Radio Interview with BBC, Discusses New Album and Future Plans

    William Onyeabor spoke about his newest LP in his first radio interview with BBC Radio 6.Throughout the past week, BBC Radio 6 aired a series of segments from elusive electronic artist William Onyeabor’s first radio interview conducted by Lauren Laverne. In the interview, Onyeabor discusses his plans for a new album to be released by Luaka Bop.“I’m sending out another LP now, but this time around I’m talking strictly about Jesus Christ. It will come to you through my men from the U.S., from New York [Luaka Bop],” he said.This interview comes at an exciting time for Onyeabor, whose complete discography box set was named “Best New Reissue” with a 9.0-rating from Pitchfork. Onyeabor is a bit of a mystery to the music world. Following the eight albums Onyeabor self-released between 1978 and 1985, he became a born-again Christian, refusing to speak about himself or his music again.
    By Jaime Prisco