Interviewer: Krista Tippett

Date of Interview: November 17, 2011

On a sleepy Sunday morning, I was woken up by a re-broadcast of this interview on my local public radio station and was blown away.

I loved Cash’s singing from The List but I had never realized how much spirituality influenced her music. This interview covers everything from science and religion, how she toured with her father Johnny Cash when she was a teen, God’s love for us before we were born, her life as a Buddhist-Episcopalian, and how she writes her music (she says that she feels the songs already exist, she just captures them from the ether.)

I never realized what a mystic Rosanne Cash was.

Definitely would recommend downloading this show if you are looking for inspiring listening.

http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2012/time-traveler/video-cash_interview.shtml

Style: Hard to define … I’d say world music with twists of metal, flamenco, popular
Mood: Upbeat, dramatic, energetic
Good for: Background music, chilling out, catharsis

This acoustic guitar duo plays at superhero levels. The album begins with a rocked out Hanuman, a dynamic piece inspired by the Hindu deity, followed by another equally intense Buster Voodoo dedicated to Jimi Hendrix. Then they become contemplative in Logos, inspired by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, as they depict the beginnings of the universe, and then move on to a string of flamenco-like pieces in Santo Domingo, Master Maqui, Savitri, and Hora Zero. Fun to relax to, at times metal-inspired, at times new-agey, and some amazing fingerwork.

Image via Wikipedia

Apologies for the radio silence on Ladder for the Soul. I’m still listening to a lot of great music, but as usual, I have overcommitted myself — this time, with a full-time internship at NPR, plus working as a blogger and copy editor at NPR’s Intern Edition. Catch me from now til April 2011, as I blog about life in the music library at NPR at http://www.npr.org/internedition/spr11/

I guess I must be feeling a little homesick … was pleased to see Polish-Canadian Basia Bulat featured at this Tiny Desk Concert http://www.npr.org/2011/01/21/133113463/basia-bulat-tiny-desk-concert?live=1

at NPR. I had recently cataloged her 2010 CD Heart of My Own for my library back home and I remember her being interviewed by CBC’s Jian Ghomeshi on Q at http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/1221254309/ID=1441506245

I’m glad Basia is getting coverage from both public radio stations in North America. I still feel like I’m living in a parallel universe. I’ve been listening to CBC so long that  it’s still kind of neat to see how music is covered at NPR.

Cover of Icarus at the Edge of Time

 
Title: Icarus at the Edge of Time [Live Performance]
Artist: Baltimore Symphony Orchestra / Marin Alsop, Conductor
Date: January 16, 2011

Style: Classical, film music
Mood: Inspiring, imaginative

This was a great concert for anyone who loves sci fi, space travel, and science in general. My favorite was Icarus at the Edge of Time which showed the importance of striving to reach your dream — with a cautionary note of the sacrifices and losses that may occur along the way. It started with author Brian Greene’s ovation-worthy introduction to some basic physics concepts — gravity, theory of relativity, space, time, black holes — needed to understand the multi-media performance. Oh, and we also shouldn’t forget an excellent narration of the story by Scott Simon of Weekend Edition at NPR. I’m still wondering how he kept track of when to read, especially in the midst of a Philip Glass score. Perhaps he had a copy of the score?

Being a Star Wars fan, my second favorite was the Star Wars Suite. One thing I did not realize was the importance the violas had in setting the rhythmic introduction to the Duel of the Fates theme. I guess I never heard that before because I’ve always listened to the version with full chorus. There were some amazing solos by the french horn and oboe, as well.

Also quite fascinating was Ceres by Mark-Anthony Turnage. This was a musical depiction of the largest of the asteroids in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

As conductor Marin Alsop mentioned at the beginning, it was a concert to inspire the kid in all of us. Overall, I felt it was really clever programming (instead of the usual classical lineup) to base a concert on a theme of science and exploration. It was definitely a concert to uplift and inspire.

Link: http://www.bsomusic.org/main.taf?p=3,1,6,4

Cover of Ella of Thee I Swing

Title: Ella … of Thee I Swing
Artist: Nikki Yanofsky
Date: 2008

Style: Jazz
Mood: Upbeat, happy, joyous

Another young Canadian artist to watch out for. In this album, Nikki is performing live at the 2007 Montreal Jazz Festival, at the tender age of 13.

Some of my favorite tracks include  Lullaby of Birdland, Relax Max, The Way You Look Tonight, ‘Deed Do I, Vote for Mr. Rhythm.

 At a very young age, Nikki has the musicality, timing and sensitivity of someone much older. However, what I really enjoyed in this album was just getting a sense of Nikki’s joie de vivre and how much she just loves to sing.

For a sampling of this work, go to http://www.amazon.com/Ella-Thee-Swing-Nikki-Yanofsky/dp/B001GE6UMQ%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dzemanta-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB001GE6UMQ

Since this blog is about how music serves as a ladder for the soul, I felt this was a really good example of this. As a Baha’i, I believe that all religions come from the same divine source, so I don’t feel that one has to be Christian to necessarily appreciate this. This is truly about the transformative power of music and of the spirit.

As a sidenote, when I first saw this I also noticed the signs that this had to be a mall in Canada (tip offs: the man wearing the poppy for Remembrance Day and the New York Fries (which serves poutine, by the way, which is actually Canadian).

Truly inspiring …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE

Style: Singer/Songwriter
Mood: Reflective, pensive

Since I work in libraries and love music, I had to include this song about a nerdy girl who works the night shift at the library. It also reminds me of my first job at Northwestern University Library when I worked the night shift on Friday nights til 2 am.

Reina Del Cid has a knack for writing catchy melodies that grab at your heartstrings. Definitely a rising star to watch out for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPSV8CsshnM

Style: Children’s music
Mood: Upbeat, comical, fun, charming
Good for: Learning French

Although recorded in the 1950s, this album sounds just as current as any of the other children’s albums I’ve been listening to. Lucienne Vernay has a voice that I think would appeal to children … friendly, kindly, approachable. I didn’t like Les Quatres Barbus quite as much, but they sing in 4-part harmony flawlessly.

It’s a great album for learning French and getting a feel for some of the classics such as Sur le pont d’Avignon, L’Alouette, La claire fontaine.

My personal favorites were probably the ones with really awesome orchestral scoring. These three songs were definitely written back in the day when recording artists could hire entire orchestras as backup:
 L’Abeille et le papillon is fantastic with the flutes imitating butterflies in the beginning.  Le Petit Train has great sound effects and very imaginative train-like orchestral scoring. Really no one creates children’s albums like this anymore. Dansons la Capucine also has very lively scoring with fife and orchestra.

The only drawback of this album is that there are no lyrics included. However, you can easily find the lyrics of these classics online.

Sample the album at http://www.amazon.com/Songs-French-Children-Various-Artists/dp/B00005CEP5/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291422855&sr=8-1

When you feel that there is just no more hope in the world anymore, head on over to your local public library or video store and borrow Les Choristes. Without being overly saccharine or pedantic, the movie tells a quiet tale of how a struggling composer comes to teach at boarding school for troubled boys. He is able to see inside each student and bring out what is best in him through music. It’s a film about second chances and the transformative power of music. A beautiful, haunting film.

If nothing else, watch it to hear the voice of boy-soprano Jean-Baptiste Maunier and the Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc. Their singing is exquisite.

Trailer: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi801177881/