preludes

sergei rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943) is considered to be one of the world's greatest composers, pianists, and conductors. during the romantic period, rach's compositions were expressive and inventive, influenced by the early works of tchaikovsky and the great five. from what i remember from my childhood, his music is bold, grand, and majestic. my personal connection with rach's music is the final piece in my 14 years of piano study, the rach 3 concerto.

here are a couple of my favorite rach pieces:

prelude opus 3 no 2 in c-sharp minor
performed by vladimir ashkenazy

prelude opus 23 no 2 in b-flat major
performed by vladimir ashkenazy

piano concerto no 3

performed by martha argerich

last night we watched an off-off-broadway show, preludes, by dave malloy at the claire tow theater at lincoln center. preludes is a musical, part fantasia and part reality, which takes place in the mind of sergei rachmaninoff during his three year writer's block and depression following the disastrous premiere of his first symphony. it was a really well-written and directed show, creative and sensual, highlighted by the amazing portrayal of rach by gabriel ebert.

the nytimes summed it up in the opening line of its review: "writer's block turns out to be a lot more inspiring than you could ever have imagined - and sad and stirringly fun."

i heart ingrid

today was the nicest day in a few weeks. temperatures were in the 60-70s and humidity was LOW. my mommy friends, elyse and susan, took the night off from their usual weeknight duties and we watched the ingrid michaelson performance at summerstage. 

it was a super relaxing, fun night, and as expected, ingrid, originally from staten island, charmed the crowd with her light-hearted childlike humor and touched us with stories about her family and celebrated with the momentous supreme court ruling from last week!

to apple, love taylor

on june 21, 2015, a twenty-six year old pop star's tumblr post resulted in the largest public company in the to cave. very impressive, taylor.

To Apple, Love Taylor

I write this to explain why I’ll be holding back my album, 1989, from the new streaming service, Apple Music. I feel this deserves an explanation because Apple has been and will continue to be one of my best partners in selling music and creating ways for me to connect with my fans. I respect the company and the truly ingenious minds that have created a legacy based on innovation and pushing the right boundaries.

I’m sure you are aware that Apple Music will be offering a free 3 month trial to anyone who signs up for the service. I’m not sure you know that Apple Music will not be paying writers, producers, or artists for those three months. I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company. 

This is not about me. Thankfully I am on my fifth album and can support myself, my band, crew, and entire management team by playing live shows. This is about the new artist or band that has just released their first single and will not be paid for its success. This is about the young songwriter who just got his or her first cut and thought that the royalties from that would get them out of debt. This is about the producer who works tirelessly to innovate and create, just like the innovators and creators at Apple are pioneering in their field…but will not get paid for a quarter of a year’s worth of plays on his or her songs.

These are not the complaints of a spoiled, petulant child. These are the echoed sentiments of every artist, writer and producer in my social circles who are afraid to speak up publicly because we admire and respect Apple so much. We simply do not respect this particular call.
I realize that Apple is working towards a goal of paid streaming. I think that is beautiful progress. We know how astronomically successful Apple has been and we know that this incredible company has the money to pay artists, writers and producers for the 3 month trial period… even if it is free for the fans trying it out.

Three months is a long time to go unpaid, and it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing. I say this with love, reverence, and admiration for everything else Apple has done. I hope that soon I can join them in the progression towards a streaming model that seems fair to those who create this music. I think this could be the platform that gets it right.

But I say to Apple with all due respect, it’s not too late to change this policy and change the minds of those in the music industry who will be deeply and gravely affected by this. We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.

tedeschi trucks band

since i heard "everybody's talkin'" by tedeschi trucks band a few months back, i have been loving their music! they're a husband and wife duo, derek trucks and susan tedeschi, who write and perform original works which combine some rock, blues, and jazz. susan's voice is deep, rich, and slightly raspy, leaving you wanting more when the song ends. seriously smooth like buttah ... and derek's guitar solos are amazing ... 

one day, though not this fall at one of their four concerts at the beacon, i hope to be able to catch them live. here's a little preview ...

sorbet friday

yes it was another glorious r1 fleece + jeans friday :) it was very very cold out, so kevin and i both donned our down jackets today. clearly we didn't think through the attire carefully as we looked like a bowl of sorbet with our bright shades of rose and orange. kevin is not a happy camper in this photo at 23rd street upon the realization that we looked like doofuses today. oops :p

the head us agency trader, larry, brought in a box of munchkins today and decided to leave them on my desk. people i haven't spoken to in ages were stopping by all morning making small talk. haha ..

oh yes, and i rocked out with beyonce ALL DAY listening to her 2014 vma awards performance. can i purchase this anywhere please?

finally, my friends ceasar, tom, and mary are launching their PHUMPLINGS at the shwick market this sunday! go out and support :)