Word: jazzed
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When I listen to a jazz or classical record (or a folk record—not that I have more than two) it hardly matters how loud it is. As a recording it’s already a second-degree experience of the musicianship, without the spontaneity or theatricality of the performance. You can still hear some of it, but there’s no fundamental connection. The only essence that’s preserved is the notes themselves, their tangible ideas and relationships. As long as they’re clearly audible the music conveys enough
Opener “The Wrong Way” begins with pumping jazz saxophones and turns into some kind of evangelical gospel cry as soon as the vocals kick in. The song is a poignant call to arms for liberty in the face of racial and social adversity, a message that resonates powerfully despite the track’s playful pace. “Hey, desperate youth! / Oh, blood thirsty babes! / Oh your guns are pointed / your guns are pointed the wrong way,” Adebimpe sings with disarming import...
...Jazz pianist Brad Mehldau seems to be pulling off a similar feat with much less fanfare and indignant old ladies in the similarly stuffy realm of classic jazz. Mehldau packages his music like a popular rock artist and has the quirky, rumpled good looks of an indie frontman. But it is the music that makes the man. For his latest album, Anything Goes, Mehldau tackles a collection of standards with his accomplished trio. Mehldau ably reinterprets songs by Thelonius Monk and Henry Mancini, his lithe playing superbly set off by the popping rhythm section...
Local director Pamela Corker presents her debut feature film, a light-hearted exploration of the musical genre known, often with little fondness, as Muzak. The story centers on Burt, a trumpeter whose work is only appreciated tangentially in elevators and barbershops. He has aspirations of playing professional jazz, but is unable to come to grips with natural flair for nerdiness. A miracle arrives in the form of Linda, who admires his playing and eventually allows him to embrace his EZ listening roots. Tickets $9. 7:30 p.m. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline...
Randy Newman, gifted singer and composer, will speak and perform about his life and work. Sixteen-time Academy Award nominee, and 2003 Academy Award winner for Best Original Song, Newman is known for his diverse music compositions ranging from New Orleans jazz and ragtime to movie soundtracks to R&B pop. His stylistic pieces often play and reflect upon American Society and will be hard to forget. Performance is presented by Learning From Performers, dedicated to giving students an opportunity to converse with professional artists. The show will be hosted by Jack Megan. 8 p.m. Tickets $10 General Admission, free...