Soundcheck

Musicians and the 'Real Me'

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Ever wonder why some musicians mask their identity behind stage names and elaborate P.R. machinery while others seem like an open book? We look how musicians relate to their audience and how it affects our appreciation of their art. And, composer and vocalist Nora York talks about her ongoing musical project, "Power/Play." Plus: Soundcheck’s CD picks of the week.

The Artist Presently Known As...

Some musicians are like an open book. Others create elaborate stage personas for their audiences, masking their true identities. Today, guests including the rising young classical pianist Jonathan Biss , the marketing executive Albert Imperato and the soprano and rising Metropolitan Opera star Anne-Carolyn Bird discuss how artists relate to their audiences and when it becomes "too much information."

Anne-Carolyn Bird's blog
Jonathan Biss's web site
Albert Imperato's "Insider" blog

Soundcheck's CD Picks of the Week

Each week, the Soundcheck staff digs through their inboxes for the best, catchiest, or strangest music they can find. Here are Soundcheck's pick for the week ending Oct. 19

McCoy Tyner: Quartet (McCoy Tyner Music/Half Note)
McCoy Tyner played in John Coltrane's quartet in the 1960s and is today one of the most influential pianists in jazz. Quartet was recorded live last year with a heavyweight group: Joe Lovano on tenor sax, Christian McBride on bass and Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums. Solid compositions, and you can feel the evening’s fun. --Gisele Regatao

Quartet is available for purchase at Amazon.com.

Marco Benevento, Live at Tonic (Rope-a-Dope)
The keyboard half of the instrumental indie-jazz-rock band known as the Benevento-Russo Duo steps out with three – count ‘em, three – CDs of live performing, some solo, some with musical friends like Joe Russo, Bobby Previte, Mike Gordon of Phish, and others. --John Schaefer

Marco Benevento: Live at Tonic is available for purchase at Amazon.com

Byrd: Second Service, Consort Anthems (Harmonia Mundi HMU)
One of the giants of the late English Renaissance period, Byrd wrote "Second Service" for Queen Elizabeth I. The piece is accompanied by anthems and chamber pieces, richly performed by the Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford, along with instrumentalists from Fretwork. --Brian Wise

Byrd's Second Service is available for purchase from Amazon.com

Iron and Wine: The Shepherd's Dog (Sub Pop)
Leaving his bedroom and four-track recorder behind, songwriter Sam Beam decamped to a studio with a full band. The result: Beam's whispery vocals float atop backing tracks that rumble, thunder and shimmer. A great band gets even better. --Joel Meyer

The Shepherd's Dog is available for purchase from Amazon.com