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SOUNDNEWS VOLUME 61 – Spring 2008 Commentary, News and Events
(scroll down for THREE LIVE EVENTS!)
PLUS NEW JOANIE PALLATTO MUSIC VIDEO ON YOUTUBE: “IT’S NOT EASY-CD VERSION”
Southport Records
American Idolatry on Fox, Bottle Water Segregation, Smoking Prohibition by b. p. sparrow
When the hit reality show American Idol dusts the 80th Academy Awards ceremonies in national viewer ship by several million it lets you know just where the minds and hearts of the American public are. Even if the bloated gold statue show is like a side view of Paris Hilton’s left cheek, it still does say something. It seems that the American mind is mushing out, like a brain puree of soft light tissue, or a Disney movie about some lost puppy dog in Beloit, Wisconsin.
The mouth-full-of-cotton Paula Abdul has to be on some LA form of downers. And Simon always lashes into something that he doesn’t like, before he sees or hears it. What the bloated I-pod audience really wants is to be witness to the bad and out of tune. The same way folks want to hear about some movie star in rehab. The third critic, a large black man that once played bass named Randy Jackson, usually states "A couple of notes were pitchy" and is perhaps commenting on the pitchlessness of the spectacle that we all live in.
Talent is forced to learn dated pop songs that their parents and grandparents remember (the ones on da couch). These young singers can not sing new pop songs because they do not exist, unless you want to do a cover of 50 Cent’s "Get Rich and Die Young," in the minor key of the castle by the moat DX7 groove.
We are the children of Ted Mack and the original Amateur Hour, treading water in a sea of Geritol. We ignore the minds of the creative youth, and bury prematurely the art of those who live past youth, say into their 50's. We underpay the artists and create living gods of baseball and hockey players. The Americanization of Idol is the decentralization of our hearts, minds, brains and human integrity.
Howard Reich To The Rescue... With the shrinking staff at both the Tribune and Sun-Times it is very amazing that veteran writer Howard Reich continues to explore the musical landscape called "Chicago Local." A recent feature in the Friday Section on Southport veteran horn man Bobby Lewis was a pleasant surprise. Also going back to the legendary days of Chicago's Northbranch Saloon on Armitage, circa 1979-80, Reich supplied another fine feature on resilient tenor sax player and composer Mike Finnerty in that same Friday section! And in within the same month a rare Tribune Magazine cover story on classical violinist Rachael Barton... this is what Chicago writing is all about. Does Howard Reich ever sleep?
Lost Jazz Man Lloyd Sachs... See what happens when you write jazz and features for over 20 years for the Sun-Times? Well if you are our man Sachs, and you get "bumped" upstairs to the hallowed editorial board, you end up fired! All artists will miss the craggy humor of Mr. Sachs... after he was let go last month. Is this the same company that sold its riverside downtown land to Donald Trump and moved its printing plant? Hey corporate cats, ever heard of leasing to billionaires? Lloyd we hope you end up at The New York Times!
WTTW and Black People… A fine multi part show on the ancestry of black people in this country ran recently, we salute WTTW and it’s window to the world, the real world...
Tax On Water Bottles As the City of Chicago taxes us to death, they put a tax on fancy bottles of water. In the last period Peanut Butter, Mayonnaise, Ketchup, and Coffee have lost the use of glass as a container form. This is bottled water segregation. You can no longer reuse that Mayo jar for storage. That Peanut Butter jar will not hold nails or nuts and bolts… more plastic… more waste as we move backwards on this planet.
Thousands of Batteries Wipe Out The Universe Ever try to get a replacement battery for that cell phone? If you can find it, it will cost about 1/2 the value of the phone, like $30. So throw away your phone and get another. The Grand Waste. With each new electronic toy is a new battery, size and voltage. Hey, that Canon mini DVD camera, the battery costs $65 and only fits model 277777790000, and the Camera is $275?
Save Your Lungs, Lose Your Liver The Great Prohibition 2008. No smoking in Chicago bars. But you can drink, drink and drive anything. Bacardi 151 on fire, 9 Millers. The Prohibition of smoking awaits a modern day Al Capone to open smoke free joints in Kankakee, IL.
THREE LIVE EVENTS FROM SOUTHPORT RECORDS!!!
Event #1: Southport Records CD Release Performance Joanie Pallatto - "It's Not Easy" Tuesday, April 15, 2008 12:15pm Admission is Free Chicago Cultural Center, Randolph Café Jazz, Blues & Beyond LunchBreak Series 78 E. Washington St., Chicago, IL 60602 312-744-6630
“Joanie Pallatto has a voice that is forever young, and enchanting.” Lee Prosser - jazzreview.com (February, 2008)
“However, it may be Pallatto's intelligent and creative songwriting that is the star of the show.” Brad Walseth - jazzchicago.net (March, 2008)
The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs along with Southport Records will present a free concert in the Randolph Café on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 from 12:15-1:00 with vocalist and songwriter Joanie Pallatto. The live event is a part of the celebration of Pallatto's new Southport CD, "It's Not Easy" and will feature songs from the CD, with Dave Gordon on piano, Alejo Poveda, drums/percussion and john E. Magnan, electric bass. Special musical guests are John Devlin, guitar and Bradley Parker-Sparrow, piano.
Vocalist-Songwriter Joanie Pallatto delivers ten original songs with her clear, soulful voice on "It's Not Easy" from Southport Records, from mellow jazz-tinged vocals, pop-reggae fun, flowing ballads to fiery Latin grooves. The CD features Fareed Haque, Howard Levy, Alejo Poveda, Eric Hochberg, Bradley Parker-Sparrow, John Devlin, john E. Magnan, Eldee Young and Michael Raynor (and Magic, the Dog.)
Liner Notes (excerpt) by b. p. Sparrow: "It's Not Easy is a record. There isn't a side A and B, but the work falls from the voice and heart of Joanie Pallatto. Images flow in black and white, with color past small towns, exotic locations and large smoked out cities. Musicians blend like families at a picnic. Time is frozen, and no one ever leaves, but stays the season."
Jazz, Blues & Beyond is LunchBreak's Tuesday program featuring jazz, blues and gospel music.
The Chicago Cultural Center is located in downtown Chicago at Michigan Ave., with entrances at 78 E. Washington and wheelchair accessible at 77 E. Randolph (312-744-6630).
This event is presented by The City of Chicago, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Southport Records.
For more information on programs presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, call 312-744-6630, or visit www.chicagoculturalcenter.org. For more information on Southport Records, call 773-281-8510, or visit http://www.chicagosound.com
Programs presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs are partially supported by grants from the Chicago Cultural Center Foundation and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency
# # #
Event #2: Steppenwolf Theatre Company 2008 Traffic Series Tatsu Aoki’s Miyumi Project: East Meets the Rest Friday, May 9, 2008 7:30 p.m. $40 Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60614 312-335-1650
Plus: Southport Records CD Release Concert and Reception!
In conjunction with the May 9th Steppenwolf performance, Southport Records will celebrate the release of the fourth CD from The Miyumi Project, "The Miyumi Project Live In Poland."
A champagne reception will follow the event! Artists and Musicians attending the reception will be on hand to sign copies of the new CD release. There will be a giveaway with 10 free "The Miyumi Project-Live In Poland" CDs, along with the grand prize package of 11 Tatsu Aoki CDs from the Southport Records Catalog.
Tatsu Aoki and his band, The Miyumi Project, celebrate the collaboration between African-American and Asian-American jazz artists with a multi-generational group fusing avant garde jazz with taiko drumming. Featuring many of Chicago’s leading musicians, including Mwata Bowden, Jeff Chan, Jonathan Chen, Amy Homma, Cinatsu Nakano, Yoko Noge, Melody Takata, Joel Wanek, Francis Wong and Hide Yoshihashi, this performance will also feature members of the Japanese American Service Committee’s Tsukasa Taiko Youth Program.
"Miyumi Project... 10 best of the year” (2001) The Chicago Sun-Times, Lloyd Sachs
"Tatsu Aoki... 1 of 16 Inspirational Artists of the Year” (2001) The Chicago Tribune
Tatsu Aoki is a prolific musician, bassist/composer, educator and ensemble leader. He is the international producer for Chicago’s Southport Records, founder and artistic director of the Chicago Asian-American Jazz Festival and is an artist-in-residence at the Japanese American Service Committee. Aoki began his artistic collaboration with Southport Records on the CD "If It Wasn't For Paul," a direct to digital recording with label co-founder and pianist/composer Bradley Parker-Sparrow. In the last ten years Aoki's Southport excursions have included recordings with Famoudou Don Moye, Roscoe Mitchell, Von Freeman, George Freeman, Fred Anderson and Joanie Pallatto.
Southport Records was founded in 1977 by pianist/composer/engineer Bradley Parker-Sparrow in response to the lack of production of new music in Chicago, from Chicago. The label focuses on new music of any form from Chicago artists and projects it to a world market.
The "Southport Quartet" CD Releases Of the Miyumi Project Opus: 1. "The Miyumi Project" S-SSD 0078 May 2000 2. "Rooted: Origins of Now" S-SSD 0092 March 2002 3. "re: ROOTED" S-SSD 0122 July 2006 4. "The Miyumi Project-Live In Poland" S-SSD 0125 May, 2008
# # # “Traffic continues Steppenwolf’s season-long conversation about what it means to be an American – this time with a decidedly made-in-Chicago focus. Traffic provides a vibrant platform for dialogue between our multi-generational audience and an eclectic pool of artists,” comments Director of the Traffic Arts Series, Sylvia Ewing. “Traffic provides the opportunity for Steppenwolf to be a place where people come together for an experience that bridges entertainment and discovery, the familiar and the unknown.” Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ, 91.5 FM) is planning to re-broadcast the one-night only Traffic events as part of its partnership with Steppenwolf.
Steppenwolf is located near all forms of public transportation and is wheelchair accessible. Street and lot parking are available. Assistive listening devices are available for every performance.
# # #
Event #3: THE PARTY GOES ON… Southport Records CD Release Celebration Joanie Pallatto “It’s Not Easy” Friday, May 9th 10:00 p.m. $10 Katerina’s 1920 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago, IL 60613 773-348-7592
Vocalist-Songwriter Joanie Pallatto delivers ten original songs with her clear, soulful voice on "It's Not Easy" from Southport Records, from mellow jazz-tinged vocals, pop-reggae fun, flowing ballads to fiery Latin grooves. The live event is a part of the celebration of Pallatto's new Southport CD, "It's Not Easy" and will feature songs from the CD, with Dave Gordon on piano, Alejo Poveda, drums/percussion and john E. Magnan, electric bass. Special musical guests are John Devlin, guitar and Bradley Parker-Sparrow, piano. Musicians from Tatsu Aoki’s Miyumi Project are expected to join in and jam!
Katerina’s – an eclectic club with its soul in the arts. Southern European Cuisine is served until 1 a.m.
# # #
See Joanie Pallatto’s 4 Music Videos on youtube! http://www.youtube.com/joaniepallatto
NEW VIDEO: JOANIE PALLATTO-IT’S NOT EASY-CD VERSION See and hear Joanie Pallatto sing about life - at home, in the shower, and with her dog, Magic. Fareed Haque plays the guitar, from the Southport CD "It's Not Easy" (© 2008 Southport Records) Directed by B. P. Sparrow. On-camera Joanie is with her Mother's Martin guitar, circa 1945.
Visit Joanie Pallatto on myspace! http://www.myspace.com/joaniepallatto
Southport Records 773-281-8510
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