...and Bowie wraps up 2020.

Spotify’s “2020 Wrapped” rolled out a few days ago, one of the better ways to recap this year. For those unfamiliar, this is a feature of the app’s user “experience,” a personalized summary of top artists, songs, podcasts, etc., streamed over the past 12 months. 2020 Wrapped contains some flashy quizzes, stories, recommendations, and playlists, making it an overall snazzy time. While I won’t bore you with the details of mine, I guess I listened to quite a few live albums, probably to make up for the dearth of in-person concerts we’ve all had to deal with this year.

One of my all-time favorite live albums is David Bowie’s Live Nassau Coliseum ’76, from his Isolar I tour promoting Station to Station as the Thin White Duke. Station to Station was recorded at the height of Bowie’s cocaine addiction (the artist himself had no recollection of the process), yet the album holds some of his most fascinating and memorable work, paving way for the influential Berlin Trilogy (1977’s Low, Heroes, and 1979’s Lodger). Live ’76 showcases some of the staples from Station to Station, as well as gems from past albums. Live performances are exciting precisely for their unpredictability, and sometimes it’s a fine balance between hanging on and letting go. Live ’76 manages to capture one of those rare moments when all the stars align, creating an atmosphere that’s mastered in control but gripping with vitality. As a performer, it’s inspiring.

Live ‘76 is best enjoyed in its entirety; the arrangements, riveting and spirited, segue fluidly from one number to the next. This is the golden period of Bowie’s voice: it’s warm, round, supple yet strong. His ’76 band (Carlos Alomar, Stacey Heydon, George Murray, Tony Kaye, Dennis Davis) is absolutely electric, the energy tangible in each track. The title song “Station to Station” has the most scintillating instrumental intro among the song’s recorded versions…Heydon’s guitar solo still gives me goosebumps each time (this is #6 on my 2020 Wrapped list, FYI). Other highlights include a soaring “Word on a Wing,” a powerful rendition of “Suffragette City,” funky “Fame,” “Waiting for the Man,” and a snappy “Rebel Rebel.” The best moment comes at the transition following “Panic in Detroit” as Bowie introduces his band in a charming and cheeky manner, his laugh at the beginning of “Changes” effuses a real, infectious moment of joy that keeps me smiling throughout the rest of the album.

Hopefully, we’ll safely return to in-person live performances soon, but thank goodness there are online platforms keeping the arts available and accessible in the interim. To those making, sharing, and supporting artistic content, thank you truly. You are all heroes. Here’s to a bright 2021 ahead….Happy Holidays!

Bowie & Cher, Young Americans Medley, Live on The Cher Show (1975)

The original version of Young Americans was recorded in August 1974, and released as a single in February, 1975, and in March, on the David Bowie album, Youn...

Ys, a masterpiece

As we accumulate and grow with new life experiences, our taste and preferences often change as well. Among many things, COVID-19 has certainly altered my recreational music listening habits (frequently, and more active!). While I remain fiercely devoted to many of the artists, albums, songs and pieces that make up the soundtrack of years past, it is both fun and incredibly rewarding to discover and rediscover music that I, for any number of reasons, glossed over the first time around. All this to say that it took me, sadly, until now to delve into the goldmine that is Joanna Newsom’s Ys.

Joanna Newsom’s music can be daunting upon first listen. Hers is a voice of unique timbre, and while perhaps not traditionally soothing, once you have embraced it, none other will work for her songs. A true wordsmith, her lyrics are often dense in both substance and meaning, requiring multiple, active listenings to sort out just the words alone, and even more to arrive at an understanding. Her sophomore album, Ys (2006), contains only five songs….the shortest some 7+ minutes, and the longest clocking in at almost 17. Such timings are usually found on a classical album, and in fact, Ys is symphonic in more ways than one.

From a sonic standpoint, the album is, simply put, gorgeous. Each of the five songs on Ys features Joanna’s harp melodies interwoven within the rich tapestry that is a full supporting orchestra (scored by iconic producer Van Dyke Parks). The lengths of the songs are never indulgent; as I follow the melody’s journey across each track, noting the occasional electric bass or accordion line popping out among the texture of lush strings and winds, it is apparent that the complexity of form and meaning necessitates the need for such long-form structure. Similar to substantial classical works, many of these songs contain embedded B and C themes that are hauntingly beautiful, rewarding the listeners for their attention and dedication to the adventure. If nothing else, the lyrics themselves are impressive. With no repeating stanzas, each song is a fleshed out story, speckled with themes of love, loss, and human existence. Like any powerful novel or piece of music, Ys leaves a tangible presence that will remain with listeners well after the final note has sounded.

I did not expect to focus fully on all 55 minutes of Ys during my initial listen; some three hours and consecutive playbacks later, my jaw remained on the proverbial floor, bowed down to the album’s sheer artistry. And that is what sums up Ys for me: art that is unapologetic and staunchly firm in its essence. It may sound “outdated” for some, but if style is all about confidence and staying in your own lane, then Joanna Newsom has plenty to burn for sometime yet.

N.B. “Only Skin” from Ys, live. As a harpist, I can only imagine how difficult this is: frequently changing patterns at a good clip, pedal changes, SO many words…not to mention by memory!

Joanna Newsom plays her song "Only Skin" live in concert at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, California on November 25, 2019. Only Skin was released on N...

Inspirational Stories: Eddie Van Halen (1955-2020)

The world lost a brilliant musician yesterday. Eddie Van Halen’s fiery, virtuosic musicianship reached the souls of countless people; his tireless and innovative spirit constantly sought new ways to push musical boundaries, often out of necessity, but resulted in experimentation that has left quite a mark in the history of rock and roll. Besides his work, what really hits home for me is his experience growing up as a child of immigrants, moving to America with his bi-racial parents and brother with just a piano and the hope of something better. Some twenty-plus years ago, my own mother embarked on a similar journey across the ocean with just $100 to her name. Previously a teacher at the collegiate level, she worked various odd jobs permissible under her circumstances to support her young family, all while simultaneously pursuing a higher education degree. While there were certainly bumps in the road along the way, my parents’ work ethic and optimism in the land of opportunities never fail to inspire me. Their story, like that of Eddie Van Halen’s family and many other immigrants, is one that reflects the core American value in which I believe: a nation built on the strength of hard work, diversity, and an all-embracing kindness.

Talking about Van Halen’s journey from a persistent local band to rock stardom, Eddie Van Halen stressed the importance of self-belief, resilience, and the tenacity to simply not take “no” for an answer. As a musician navigating the ever-changing but always delicate ecosystem of a musical career, it’s always comforting to hear from the masters to just “keep on going.” Clichés, after all, are built on grains of truth: make the sky your limit, and if you fall short, you’ll land somewhere awesome anyway.

Lessons from Björk...

Currently, the world at large can seem both isolating and overwhelming. We are faced daily with a range of opinions about almost everything from almost everyone we encounter in person and online. Technology has made so much of our lives easier than ever, yet it has also exacerbated the need for immediate pleasure and cultivated a culture of rage. Instead of having thoughtful discourse or taking time to understand something foreign, many choose to channel their view through the quick power of anger or simply linger within the safe community of those who do not challenge the status quo. As a 21st century musician and citizen, our cultural climate is troubling, to say the least.

How can we utilize our craft to relate and not alienate to those around us? Be it art, music, fashion or food, culture is what makes us human, for it connects us to the past and future by expressing basic thoughts and emotions that are universal and timeless. As musicians, it is our job to build a bridge to our busy listeners with all the tools at our disposal, propelling culture forward in an entertaining but educational way. Perhaps the key to engaging with our audiences lies within a multimedia, all encompassing approach.

Björk is an Icelandic pop artist known for her unique voice and experimental work featuring a wide variety of influences. Previously, I’d been “casually acquainted” with Björk…I think I’ve heard a few of her songs here and there, but if hard pressed, would not place her in the top 25 most listened to artist on my Spotify account. This being the 21st century, the app’s algorithms must have tracked the random spikes of harp music playback (was it Berio’s Sequenza II or Florence and the Machine?) and one day, I heard something that caught my attention. The song had what sounded like multiple harps phased in and out, each playing a unique accompanying line in a folk-like tune. The few lyrics I could grasp in “Moon” hit a spot, “best way to start the new is to fail miserably.” A quick glance at the album cover pulled me in further: glossy and black, speckled with spots of color, with Björk at the center focal point in a paper-looking textured dress and donning an enormous, bright red wig. My brain made the immediate connection to Ms. Frizzle à la The Magic School Bus, and silly and shallow as the thought may be, I decided to click on the entire album.

What I heard in Biophilia stayed with me for quite awhile. Inspired by nature, science, and technology, Björk’s Biophilia is a multidimensional concept album that feature both folk-like pure singing and electronic experimental music. Several unusual instruments were utilized or made specifically by robotic engineers for the album and its subsequent tours, including the sharpsichord, a gameleste, Tesla coils, and the gravity harp. Much of the album was composed on an Apple iPad, and the final product was accompanied by an official app that allows users to interact with the songs via a videogame-like music sequencer, manipulating specific outcomes and thus making the audience active collaborators and composers through their own unique experience of the album. Not limited to sound creativity, Björk also collaborated with several graphic and fashion design artists to craft the distinctly colorful yet sharp look of Biophilia.

What drew me to the album was such a minute detail, but I was rewarded with over one hour’s worth of experimental artpop music that has inspired a renewed energy to just be creative. With its unique blend of rich sounds balancing play and emotive seriousness, Biophilia’s lyrics unfold into fascinating reflections on nature, society, and universal humanity, approachable yet unforgettable. In Björk’s own words, Biophilia came about as “a message that all the old systems don’t work anymore. You have to start from scratch.” This is the lesson we as growing musicians should embrace as we move forward carving out our own niches in the world. Old methods of performance are no longer enough to engage the average listener. Like Björk, we must utilize our creativity through diverse paths to create an entry point that can connect to people across a wide range of backgrounds and interests, challenging audiences to explore outside their comfort zones to hear and recognize the universal emotions within what we do.