The Music Court

I cannot wait to hear the soothing sounds of St. Lucia tomorrow night. No, not St. Lucia but St. Lucia; well, maybe I’ll be listening to St. Lucia. Confused? I think I am too. Let me try to explain with the pictures (above). Tomorrow, I will be vacationing with my lovely wife to the island of St. Lucia. St Lucia, though, is also the name of South African-born, New York-based musician Jean-Philip Grobler, who, since 2012, has been releasing music through Neon Gold Records. So, to announce my week-long sojourn from the blog, I will keep with the theme and talk a little about St. Lucia’s electric sound.

St. Lucia, the artist, has been known to experiment with music, remixing tracks for bands like Passion Pit and Foster the People. He grew up on a steady diet of 80s tunes, and this effervescent 80s sound influences his music. In October of 2013, St. Lucia released his debut album When the Night, and he found success to the tune of the 191 on the US album charts and 6 on the US Heat chart; this success was due to several solid tracks, one being “Elevate.”

“Elevate” immediately features a bouncy drum beat with staggered, reverbed guitar. Grobler’s voice certainly has an 80s flair and the percussion helps the song take on more of that 80s feel. Though, while it does have that almost Indies/80s blend, it is such a mature track, so concise in its production, that it eliminates the choppy feel that some 80s tracks have; I credit his Phil Simon inspiration. The mix of horns at the end of the track is also sweet, and, almost tropical. That fits well! Sweet harmonies, beach beats, and an awesome sound. A little St. Lucia to get me in the mood for St. Lucia. Enjoy!

A good century before Beatlemania took over the world and saw scores of individuals rip and tear at the four British boys as they travelled throughout England, the states, and beyond, Franz Liszt, the Hungarian-born pulchritudinous (to many) composer, engendered a mania of his own, one that rivaled (perhaps even beat out) the Beatlemania of the mid 20th century.

Yes, Franz Liszt, a musical prodigy, who, after receiving musical lessons from his father (a talented musician in his own right) at 7, went on to start composing and playing music at 11 and honing his skill on piano, sparked a frenzy that is still commemorated today (Remember that Phoenix song “Lisztomania”?). Liszt, who shares a birthday with my brother (thought I’d tell you), was born in 1811, and, when he was 28, he embarked on an extensive European tour, where he demonstrated his tremendous talents to listeners; by 1842 many of the listeners went full on insane.

How bad could mid 19th century folk be, right? Come on, right? Right? Well … Liszt admirers would crowd around him and fight over any detritus that fell from his body, tearing at gloves and handkerchiefs. Have you ever seen crazed teens wearing buttons on their clothing of their favorite musician; fans would wear his portrait on brooches. That’s dedication. Fighting over a guitar pick was replaced by skirmishes over broken piano strings (for bracelets of course). Heck, fans went so far as capturing his coffee dregs in glass containers. Why the spell? What caused this infatuation? The answer has two parts. First, he was good-looking, and this generally helps musicians of any kind. Secondly, he was just so unbelievably talented that a mystical ecstatic aura formed over his performances and fans were entranced by his music. And, you know, I can’t blame them.

Here is the Cologne New Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Volker Hartung performing an orchestral version of my favorite Liszt piece (in my opinion his best work), “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.” The piece, which is often considered for piano, is performed even better by an orchestra (also my opinion), and the potency of its sound is intoxicating. Everything from the lassan (the rousing, short introduction to the piece) to the friska, the piece’s second part, which bounces with an effervescent playfulness captures a jubilance that reflects Liszt’s Hungarian folk music inspiration. The piece, which features nationalistic fervor, is breathtaking and remarkable in its power. If I had to pick any classical piece as my favorite, this would be it. It just has that draw, and although it was composed after the Lisztomania craze, it can surely spark those feelings in any listener!

For those more unfamiliar with the piece who know you have heard it somewhere before, let me quench your consternation.

Credit: Bruce Weber (http://m.billboard.com/entry/view/id/96297)

Dr. John was not only born on the bayou; he is the bayou. A true New Orleans performer, Dr. John has combined funk, jazz, and boogie woogie blues with zydeco, the unique form of Creole rhythm and blues, for more than 50 years, and after more than 20 albums that have traversed decades of musical history, this true mountain of a performer is still at his finest.

It’s not every day a musical legend stumbles into a venue a stone’s throw away from your place of residence, but last night Dr. John and his vivacious Nite Trippers played to an effervescent crowd at The Space in Westbury, a quaint venue in the town of Westbury, NY. From the set-up, classic Hamlet-skull over a draped cloth on the piano, the crowd knew it was in for a night of inspired New Orleans tunes. And, from the first notes of vivacious band leader Sarah Morrow’s potent trombone, it was clear the night would be a good one.

Dr. John grew up in the Third Ward in a musical family. He grew up inspired by Jazz and Blues musicians who he heard in his father’s record shop. When he was a teen he met legendary New Orleans blues singer and pianist Professor Longhair, whose zany dress and passion inspired Dr. John who quickly learned how to play and soon after took on the persona of Dr. John, taking the name from a Hoodoo guy he read about. Fit with his New Orleans flair, he started performing a blend of genres under the persona of Dr. John, The Night Tripper, and he quickly found success with albums like Gris-Gris, a 1968 release that propagated the New Orleans R&B Voodoo-style that Dr. John became known for in all of his future releases. A long collaboration with Doc Pomus and several contributions to other artist’s releases has placed him in the upper echelon of legendary performers, and, last night, he proved why.

The concert featured everything you could expect from a Dr. John show. His elegant flair permeated through his brown/orange suit, his recognizable snake-cane, and his colorful hat. His growly vocals and skillful tickling of the ivories and occasional guitar stylings invigorated the crowd who danced with each bluesy piece. The four-piece band (guitar, drums, bass, and trombone) surrounding Dr. John was adept and bouyant; the stand-out was the jaunty, knee-bending trombone stylings of Morrow, who played with an intensity that pumped up the crowd and band. The highlights of the night were some of Dr. John’s biggest hits (“Right Place, Wrong Time”, his cover of “Iko, Iko”, “Such a Night”) which he played with his classic, raspy voice that is most reminiscent of a particularly suave Van Morrison. My pick from the night was his cover of “Goodnight, Irene,” which turns a slow, blues staple (by Leadbelly) into a rollicky song that glides with ardor. Here is Dr. John performing it in 2011. If you have a chance, go see Dr. John! Check out his tour schedule here.