BETTE MIDLER, CHER, ELTON JOHN In the year 2005..wmv
Descrição do arquivo: BETTE MIDLER, CHER, ELTON JOHN In the year 2025 (complete).wmv
Tamanho do arquivo: 56.56 MB
DOWNLOAD
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=M1EZDPOW
Saturday, November 27, 2010
The Union Tour - Elton John and Leon Russell
http://tulsagentleman.blogspot.com/2010/11/union-tour-elton-john-and-leon-russell.html
Their new joint album, "The Union"
Senior rockers Elton John and Leon Russell performed together Friday night, October 22, 2010 at the BOK Center. They jointly released a new album, "The Union" on October 19, 2010 which contains songs they wrote together along with lyricist Bernie Taupin. Sue and I attended and were blown away. Elton John is a very big name in popular music and the crowd loved him. But Leon Russell is Tulsa’s own and the ovation he received when he walked off stage was long and deafening. The tickets were pricey but they definitely gave us our money’s worth. I purchased the CD several weeks ago when it first came out. I suspected that the security people would not let me bring my big Canon SX20 into the center but had my new Iphone 4G in my pocket and got a few useable snaps
The concert started promptly at 8:00 PM with a solo set by Elton John, Then he introduced Leon Russell who did a solo set of his music. Elton John came back onstage and the two of them did a set together, essentially all the tracks from their recent duo album “The Union”. Following this Elton came back on and did a very long set of his music. The total performance went three and one half hours but seemed much shorter. Elton John is a tireless performer and looked to be thoroughly enjoying himself, feeding off the enormous energy of the crowd. While John and Russell each could catch a breath while the other performed, the large stage band performed non-stop as there was no real intermission.
In Elton John’s four-decade career he has sold more than 250 million records, making him one of the most successful artists in music history. Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex, England, he learned to play the piano when he was very young. In 1962 at the age of 15 he became a weekend pianist at a nearby pub. In 1964, Dwight and his friends formed a band called Bluesology. By the mid-1960s, they were backing touring American soul and R&B musicians. In 1966, the band became musician Long John Baldry's supporting band. Soon Dwight was going by the name "Elton John", in homage to Bluesology saxophonist Elton Dean and Long John Baldry. In 1967, Elton teamed up with Bernie Taupin to write lyrics for Elton’s tunes and what would become the first Elton John/Bernie Taupin song, "Scarecrow", was recorded.
Leon Russell is a native Oklahoma Musician. He was born April 2, 1942 in Lawton, Oklahoma, grew up in Tulsa and went to Will Rogers High School. At the early age of 14, Leon was already playing Tulsa nightclubs. His first band "The Starlighters" which included J.J. Cale, Chuck Blackwell and Johnny Williams were instrumental in creating the style of music known as the Tulsa Sound. Leon worked extensively as a session musician and has played with numerous artists like Jerry Lee Lewis, Eric Clapton, B. B. King, Bob Dylan and Frank Sinatra just to name a few. In 1970 he was the supporting band for Joe Cocker’s “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” tour. During the summer of 1971, Russell was asked by George Harrison to participate in the Concert For Bangladesh, organized by Harrison and Ravi Shankar, at which Russell performed a medley of his songs. Also during 1971 Russell released two studio albums by his own name that year (Leon Russell And The Shelter People and Asylum Choir II with Marc Benno). Further, Russell helped Freddie King to revive his career by collaborating with him on three of his albums for Shelter during the early 1970s. Leon has spent a good part of his career supporting other more well known musicians.
Elton John and Leon Russell's paths seemed fated to cross: Both grew up at the piano, learning to play as little boys. Both played piano in bars while in their teens, and both started their careers as piano players for hire. But, according to John, there's one important difference. "He is a better piano player than I am," John says. "As far as gospel and stuff like that, that's why I wanted to make this album. He is my idol." The Union is a collaboration Elton John thought up to pay tribute to Russell, an artist he'd feared might be forgotten. There was a time when Leon Russell was a sensation. Russell wrote songs recorded by Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Rita Coolidge and Sonic Youth, to name a few. As a session player, he was much in demand. Elton John and Leon Russell's history stretches back four decades, to the night they first met at a legendary club in West Hollywood: the Troubadour. That's where John gave his first-ever concert in the U.S. For an upstart 23-year-old with a soulful voice and piano skills, those performances were like being shot out of a cannon. John says "The second night I was confident, because the first night was out of my way, and then halfway through 'Burn Down the Mission,' I'm playing the piano solo, and I glanced right and I see Leon, with the silver hair and the Ray-Ban glasses. I temporarily froze, I kind of semi-panicked because this was the man I really idolized. Soon after that night, John went on the road as the opening act for Russell, but their careers took them on different paths. They wouldn't meet again until John hatched the idea of a collaboration.
John says singing with Russell now is different from when they sang together years ago. "We're older and wiser," John says. "If we're not wiser now, we damn well should be; both of us are in the last third of our lives. How many times do you get the chance to make a record with your idol? And someone who is your peer? That's all I can say. It's just one of the greatest things that's ever happened to me personally, and definitely musically."
It's a gift that both artists seem to cherish. Russell wrote and sang the last song on the album, "The Hands of Angels," and dedicated it to Elton John. "I wanted to give him something, for doing this for me," Russell says. "I've thought this was a pretty magnificent gift he was giving me. What do you give to a guy who's got six fully staffed houses and 10 of everything else in the world? I thought I could give him a song. And he liked it. I was very thankful for that."
(And now I am finally able to post about this fine concert Sue and I attended over a month ago. Since then I have had internet problems, a crashed computer and some family excitement that have seriously damaged my long string of consecutive posts. But it has ended well with a lovely new computer and a pair of external hard drives that should keep me on an even keel for a long time. I hope you have had a happy Thanksgiving and I wish you all the best for the holiday season.)
Lady Gaga Dishes On Born This Way During London Show
During her concert on Friday, the pop star said her upcoming album 'doesn't have a bunch of rock ballads,' confirmed that it will feature 'You and I.'
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1654614/20101220/lady_gaga.jhtml
Throughout the year, Lady Gaga has not only talked up her forthcoming album, Born This Way, but she's also previewed a few new tracks that may or may not appear on the release. On songs like "You and I" and "Living on the Radio," Gaga strays from her usual dance-hit formula to explore a more Elton John-esque sound. However, during her recent Monster Ball Tour stop at London's O2 Arena on Friday, the pop star told the roaring audience that the project won't be full of too many piano-driven ballads.
After asking concertgoers if they wanted to hear a new song, Mother Monster said, "Want to hear 'You and I'? This one is going to be on Born This Way. It's one of my favorites. The album doesn't have a bunch of rock ballads or anything, but this is one of them."
Following her chit-chat with the audience, Gaga launched into tune, which finds the singer recalling a reunion with a lover.
"There's something, something about this place/ Something about lonely nights and my lipstick on your face/ Something, something about my cool Nebraska guy/ Yeah something about/ Baby you and I," she sang while pounding away on her piano.
In the midst of her "You and I" performance, the songbird took time to give herself props for the originality and creativity she puts into her material.
"Now I don't know if you know this, but for those of you who don't know, I write all my own music," she announced. "Every single lyric, melody and note was created by me. I am not manufactured. I'm a bad cat and coming for you 'cause I believe in you and I."
Later on in the song, she added, "It's not that I don't like to be humble, it's just that pop music has a pretty bad rap," before indulging in some of her usual impulsive piano antics.
Gaga's Little Monsters can expect to hear even more new tunes as early as February. Just a few weeks ago, she told fan site Lady-Gaga.net that the lead single from Born This Way will be released that month, while comparing the album to "bad kids going to church, having fun on a high level."
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2214845307
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2214845307
293 membros participe você também / 293 members join you too
288 miembros, ven y únete
The Union
Out Youth gets $25K from Sir Elton’s foundation
http://www.dallasvoice.com/youth-austin-25000-sir-eltons-foundation-1057182.htmlPosted on 20 Dec 2010 at 6:31pm
Out Youth Austin today announced that the organization for LGBT youth has received a $25,000 grant from the Elton John AIDS Foundation for Out Youth’s K.Y.S.S. (Knowing Your Status is Smart) program for HIV prevention, testing and counseling for young people, ages 12-19, in Central Texas.The group received a $25,000 grant for the same program in March from the London-based Red Hot Organization. The Elton John AIDS Foundation is based in New York.Out Youth Austin Executive Director Candice Towe called the latest grant “a tremendous Christmas present” for the organization.
Monrovia Van Hoose, Out Youth’s clinical director who oversees K.Y.S.S., said, “It’s critical that GLBTQ youth have regular access to confidential HIV testing and counseling. Staff, clinical interns and volunteers have received intensive training to provide testing and counseling for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.”
According to a 2009 report from the Centers for Disease Control, 48 percent of Americans ages 13-24 who are infected with HIV are unaware of their HIV status. In 2008, CDC noted that American youth are at “persistent risk” of HIV infection, and that many are “not concerned” about the risks of infection.
Billy Elliot, the Musical"
'Billy Elliot' dances into the Cities
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/112154879.html?elr=KArksc8P:Pc:U0ckkD:aEyKUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUoD3aPc:_27EQU
REVIEW: The mega-musical Broadway tour show about a British boy who dreams of a life in dance soars, for the most part. But something is missing.
As the title character in "Billy Elliot," Michael Dameski bounds across the stage of Minneapolis' Orpheum Theatre with flawless technique. He executes Peter Darling's inventive choreography -- whether leaping onto police shields or tearing his elevated bedroom apart in anger or frustration -- with evocative flair at Friday's opening night performance of the mega-musical.
One of five young actors who take turns playing the title character in Minneapolis, Dameski was skillful and captivating in the Broadway tour of a show with a sentiment-tugging book by Lee Hall and derivative music by Elton John.
That this musical lacks memorable, anthemic songs (candidates include the choral numbers "Once We Were Kings" and "Solidarity" as well as the spoof-inviting "Born to Boogie") almost doesn't matter.
"Billy" is a show about the irrepressible urge to move -- to find one's mojo in rhythmic leaps and tap dance. Dance is the personal expression of the motherless 11-year-old title character who lives with his forgetful Grandma (Patti Perkins), older brother Tony (Jeff Kready) and hard-bitten coal miner dad (Rich Hebert).
Dad, a vociferous man who is on strike with his co-workers, would rather have Billy learn boxing in the tense 1984 working-class British community setting of the show. But dance, which Billy discovers by accident in a class taught by hard-driving ballet mistress Mrs. Wilkinson (Faith Prince), also is about healing and social uplift. Even though ballet is little understood and regarded with suspicion by the rugged men around Billy, it is a path for the lad, under the guidance of his teacher, to escape a dead-end future in a declining town.
This clash between old and new values, between batons and tutus, is staged with mechanical fanfare by Stephen Daldry, who delights a little too much in it. The show is a bit long, and at Friday's opening, the first act seemed rough around the edges.
Still, it is easy to see why "Billy," ballyhooed in Britain, where it originated, and New York, where it won 10 Tony Awards, has been such a juggernaut. It has a touching story that could be set in America's Rust Belt. And the action is centered on youngsters on whom we can project our own dreams.
In this "Billy," the youth cast is especially appealing. Assured actor Jacob Zelonky deserves special praise for his portrayal of Michael, Billy's self-possessed friend who likes to play dress up with his mother's clothes.
Zelonky, one of two young actors to alternate in the role, has spot-on comic timing and a charismatic stage presence that probably make him the envy of many an adult actor.
Star Dameski turns "Angry Dance," which comes at a moment of despair, into something fiercely beautiful. And he is a strong actor.
Most of the adults in "Billy" are commendable, including Hebert as tough Dad and Patrick Wetzel as rehearsal piano player Mr. Brathwaite. He does the splits.
Prince, who plays Mrs. Wilkinson, may have been having an off night Friday. She played her role at the surface -- all stern visage and malcontent.
Darling's choreography, including a memory come alive for Grandma, feels rooted in the feelings and action of the stage. For example, in one scene, clashing miners and police were braided like two sides of a zipper, with tensions bringing them together and Mrs. Wilkinson's dancers pushing them apart.
Despite the dance and the beautiful images, I found the show wanting. This was made evident at the end of the night when the mega-musical seemed to end, but continued on. Ordinarily, a coda would be an offering for ravenous fans, but as the smiling singer-dancers of "Billy" launched into another number and standing patrons took their seats again, it felt like something else.
The manifold goodbyes were a way to make up for the fact that this Broadway show, up through Jan. 9, ends not with a bang but with a whimper. The tension that pitted the metal implements of the miners and the feather props of the dancers had been decided in favor of lightness and grace.
Rohan Preston • rpreston@startribune.com
One of five young actors who take turns playing the title character in Minneapolis, Dameski was skillful and captivating in the Broadway tour of a show with a sentiment-tugging book by Lee Hall and derivative music by Elton John.
That this musical lacks memorable, anthemic songs (candidates include the choral numbers "Once We Were Kings" and "Solidarity" as well as the spoof-inviting "Born to Boogie") almost doesn't matter.
"Billy" is a show about the irrepressible urge to move -- to find one's mojo in rhythmic leaps and tap dance. Dance is the personal expression of the motherless 11-year-old title character who lives with his forgetful Grandma (Patti Perkins), older brother Tony (Jeff Kready) and hard-bitten coal miner dad (Rich Hebert).
Dad, a vociferous man who is on strike with his co-workers, would rather have Billy learn boxing in the tense 1984 working-class British community setting of the show. But dance, which Billy discovers by accident in a class taught by hard-driving ballet mistress Mrs. Wilkinson (Faith Prince), also is about healing and social uplift. Even though ballet is little understood and regarded with suspicion by the rugged men around Billy, it is a path for the lad, under the guidance of his teacher, to escape a dead-end future in a declining town.
This clash between old and new values, between batons and tutus, is staged with mechanical fanfare by Stephen Daldry, who delights a little too much in it. The show is a bit long, and at Friday's opening, the first act seemed rough around the edges.
Still, it is easy to see why "Billy," ballyhooed in Britain, where it originated, and New York, where it won 10 Tony Awards, has been such a juggernaut. It has a touching story that could be set in America's Rust Belt. And the action is centered on youngsters on whom we can project our own dreams.
In this "Billy," the youth cast is especially appealing. Assured actor Jacob Zelonky deserves special praise for his portrayal of Michael, Billy's self-possessed friend who likes to play dress up with his mother's clothes.
Zelonky, one of two young actors to alternate in the role, has spot-on comic timing and a charismatic stage presence that probably make him the envy of many an adult actor.
Star Dameski turns "Angry Dance," which comes at a moment of despair, into something fiercely beautiful. And he is a strong actor.
Most of the adults in "Billy" are commendable, including Hebert as tough Dad and Patrick Wetzel as rehearsal piano player Mr. Brathwaite. He does the splits.
Prince, who plays Mrs. Wilkinson, may have been having an off night Friday. She played her role at the surface -- all stern visage and malcontent.
Darling's choreography, including a memory come alive for Grandma, feels rooted in the feelings and action of the stage. For example, in one scene, clashing miners and police were braided like two sides of a zipper, with tensions bringing them together and Mrs. Wilkinson's dancers pushing them apart.
Despite the dance and the beautiful images, I found the show wanting. This was made evident at the end of the night when the mega-musical seemed to end, but continued on. Ordinarily, a coda would be an offering for ravenous fans, but as the smiling singer-dancers of "Billy" launched into another number and standing patrons took their seats again, it felt like something else.
The manifold goodbyes were a way to make up for the fact that this Broadway show, up through Jan. 9, ends not with a bang but with a whimper. The tension that pitted the metal implements of the miners and the feather props of the dancers had been decided in favor of lightness and grace.
Rohan Preston • rpreston@startribune.com
Musically Speaking: Three CDs that almost made the year's top 10
01:52 PM CST on Monday, December 20, 2010
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/DN-musically_1221gd.State.Edition1.14e776c.htmlThe list is done and ready to run. I'm talking about my top 10 CDs of 2010. Those stellar discs will be revealed in GuideDaily next Monday and online later this week. But I wish I had three more slots. The top 13 CDs of 2010 doesn't flow, so I'm left with three runners-up. They deserve merit, too. Here they are.
Elton John & Leon Russell, The Union (Decca): A richly beautiful collaboration of two musical legends produced by the acclaimed T Bone Burnett. John coaxed his hero Russell back into the studio for a loving trip through American roots music – gospel, R&B, pop, rock and country. "When Love Is Dying" is gorgeous, while "Eight Hundred Dollar Shoes" sports a stunning melody. "Never Too Old (To Hold Somebody)" and "In the Hands of Angels" close the disc on uplifting notes.
COLUMBIA
John Legend and The Roots' Wake Up! John Legend & the Roots, Wake Up! (Columbia): Legend's meeting of music with the revered masters of hip-hop was meant to explore our current societal struggles. But there's hope waiting beyond the turmoil. They interpreted a batch of '60s and '70s soul sparklers to tell the tale. Most noteworthy are Curtis Mayfield's "Hard Times," Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes' "Wake Up Everybody" and Bill Withers' "I Can't Write Left Handed." The effort loses some steam toward the end, but it's definitely worth the listen.
Robert Plant, Band of Joy (Rounder): Plant truly found his new stylistic calling. Stemming from the surprising success of his 2007 duets project with Alison Krauss, Raising Sand, the former Led Zeppelin frontman continued his journey through Americana with this heartland-inspired offering he co-produced with Nashville's Buddy Miller. It's brooding, organic and joyful. You'll find yourself giving it repeated spins, particularly the cuts "The Only Sound That Matters," "Angel Dance" and "Even This Shall Pass Away."
http://theeltonjohntapes.blogspot.com/
-- 
