#1: The Return of Live Performances

There isn’t any one show that could top the fact that we were able to finally return to the glorious experience of live performance in theaters, concert halls, outdoor venues and more. As great as streaming programming, it could never replace the centuries old practice of communal celebration of life through plays, musicals, concerts and dance.

Yes there were new rules to get accustomed to. Some required masks, others didn’t. Proof of vaccination became required (and that’s a good thing in my book). The first time I returned to a theatre and found my seats was the best possible therapy for my soul. If you read Cultural Attaché I’m sure you feel the same way.

#2: Fire Shut Up In My Bones – Metropolitan Opera

While I wasn’t able to see Terence Blanchard‘s powerful and moving opera in person, I did take advantage of the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series to see a live transmission from New York. Blanchard and librettist Kasi Lemmons have taken the memoir by Charles M. Blow and created an opera that is going to be performed around the world.

So rich is the storytelling, so brilliantly was the production directed by James Robinson and Camille A. Brown (who also choreographed), so spectacular was the singing, Fire Shut Up In My Bones was easily the single most impressive performance of the year.

Hopefully the Met will add additional showings of Fire Shut Up In My Bones via their Live in HD series or make it available for streaming online.

The opera will be performed at Lyric Opera of Chicago beginning on March 24th of this year. For more details and to get tickets, please go here.

#3: Caroline, or Change – Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54

I’ve been a fan of this Jeanine Tesori/Tony Kushner musical since I saw the first production (twice) in New York at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre in 2004. I loved the show so much I saw it a third time when it came to the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles later the same year.

Color me pre-disposed to like this revival. What surprised me most was that even though this Michael Longhurst production was more lavishly produced than the original, it never lost one bit of its heart. Hugely contributing to the emotional wallop of this show was Sharon D. Clarke’s towering performance as Caroline. She’s definitely going to receive a Tony Award nomination and deserves to win for her remarkable work.

Caissie Levy, Kevin S. McAllister, Harper Miles and N’Kenge all made incredible impressions. Plus it’s always great to see Chip Zien on stage – I’ve been a fan of his since Into the Woods.

If you are in New York or going this week, you still have time to catch this amazing production before it’s last performance on January 9th. For tickets go here.

#4: Santa Fe Opera 2021 Season – Santa Fe Opera

I had never attended a production at Santa Fe Opera prior to this summer. I don’t intend to miss any seasons going forward. This is a truly magical place to see opera. This summer found a smaller line-up than in non-COVID years, but the four consecutive nights in early August were a great introduction to this wonderful tradition.

On tap this year were The Marriage of Figaro, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Benjamin Britten), the world premiere of The Lord of Cries (John Corigliano and Mark Adamo) and Eugene Onegin. My personal favorite was Britten’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s play.

Each night, however, had plenty of joys to be found: whether it was my second time seeing Anthony Roth Costanzo in a opera (the first being Ahknahten), revisiting the joys to be found in Tchaikovsky’s brooding opera, enjoying the staging of Mozart’s classic opera or experiencing the tailgating experience that is de rigueur before each performance.

I’m excited about this summer’s season as my favorite opera, Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, is being performed at Santa Fe Opera for the first time.

#5: West Side Story

I was completely skeptical about what Steven Spielberg would do with one of my favorite musicals. That he had Tony Kushner working with him gave me some optimism. Try as I could to wrangle details from colleagues who were working on the film, I was completely unable to glean any information about what kind of updating and changes were being made.

When I saw the movie on opening weekend I was thrilled to discover that my concerns had all been for naught. Simply put, I think this is a vastly superior film than its Oscar-winning predecessor. I’ve always found this Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents musical emotional (let’s face it, it’s Romeo and Juliet), but seeing it so close on the heels of Sondheim’s passing probably intensified my emotional response.

Sondheim said how excited he was for audiences to see what had been done to West Side Story. I know he wasn’t a fan of the original film – feeling it was too close in presentation to the stage version – so I had my fingers crossed he was right. And he was. If you haven’t seen the film yet, do so. It’s the kind of film that must be seen on a big screen with terrific sound.

#6: Head Over Heels – Pasadena Playhouse

If you had asked me what the odds were that a jukebox musical using the songs of The Go-Go’s would be a show I would see at all, let alone twice, I would have given you huge odds against that happening. And I would have lost my shirt! What Sam Pinkleton and Jenny Koons did with this production was create the best party of the year.

Alaska 5000, Lea DeLaria, Yurel Echezarreta, Freddie, Tiffany Mann, George Salazar, Emily Skeggs and Shanice Williams put their hearts and souls into this story of family, acceptance and love. The all-female band rocked the house.

Both times I saw the show I opted for the on-stage/standing room seats and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. At the first performance Lea DeLaria made a comment during the show about my pants. For the second performance I had a better idea where to position myself to have an even better time than I did at the first performance.

This was a party I never wanted to end.

#7: desert in – Boston Lyric Opera

This streaming opera/mini-series is definitely not your parent’s opera. It is guided by its own rules as it tells the story of a unique group of strangers (or are they) who congregate at a seedy motel.

The music was composed by Michael Abels, Vijay Iyer, Nathalie Joachim, Nico Muhly, Emma O’Halloran, Ellen Reid, Wang Lu and Shelley Washington. The libretto was written by christopher oscar peña.

Appearing in desert in are mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard (for whom the project was written), soprano Talise Trevigne, Tony-nominated performer Justin Vivian Bond (Kiki & Herb Alive on Broadway), actors Carlis Shane Clark, Alexander Flores, Anthony Michael Lopez, Jon Orsini, Ricco Ross and Raviv Ullman with vocal performances by tenor Neal Ferreira, Tony Award-winner Jesus Garcia (La Bohème), baritone Edward Nelson, tenor Alan Pingarrón, soprano Brianna J. Robinson, mezzo-soprano Emma Sorenson and bass-baritone Davóne Tines.

The project was directed by James Darrah who also oversaw the Close Quarters season of films from Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra; directed a production of Les Enfants Terribles for Long Beach Opera (that took place in a parking lot) and, underachiever that he is, also directed The Lord of Cries at Santa Fe Opera.

You can still stream desert in. Go here for details.

#8: Cécile McLorin Salvant – The Ford

Without a new album to promote jazz vocalist Salvant took to the stage at The Ford in Los Angeles for a concert with Sullivan Fortner that was nothing short of pure joy. She and Fortner have such a musical bond that she can make up the setlist on the spot and he’s ready to dive right in to dazzle the audience. As they did on this late September evening.

The only problem with seeing Salvant perform is you can never get enough. Truly. Rare is the performer who can so thoroughly enrapture an audience with their skill the way Salvant can.

That should come as no surprise for an artist who has won three consecutive Grammy Awards for her three most recent albums. Her newest album, Ghost Songs, is being released by Nonesuch Records in March. No doubt the next Grammy Awards season will find Salvant’s latest album on their list of nominees.

#9: Billy Porter: Unprotected

Porter’s memoir was released in the fall and it is one of the most inspirational and entertaining memoirs I’ve ever read. He’s a Tony Award (Kinky Boots), Emmy Award (Pose) and Grammy Award (also Kinky Boots) winning performer. He’s also been setting the fashion world on fire with his inventive and creative looks on runways from the Academy Awards to the Met Gala in New York. Let’s just say he knows how to make an entrance.

In Unprotected Porter details the many obstacles put in his way through challenges at home to being subjected to harsh criticism from his church to casting directors who thought he was too much. Though it all he remains steadfast in his individualism and his talent. It’s a lesson we can all use. As he says in his memoir, “My art is my calling, my purpose, dare I say my ministry.” I, for one, found a lot to learn from his ministry.

Gay men and women are not the only audience for Porter’s ministry. The life lessons he endured and his response to them is precisely the nourishment our souls need today. You can also clearly hear Porter’s voice in the book. So engaging and entertaining is his book I read it in one sitting. I found it impossible to put down. I think you will, too.

#10: Ledisi Sings Nina Simone – Hollywood Bowl

Anyone who is brave enough to tackle material made famous by the incomparable Simone either has a lot of guts or a lot of talent. Ledisi proved she had both in this memorable concert at the Hollywood Bowl in July (which she performed elsewhere as well.)

Ledisi wisely chose not to emulate her idol. Instead she made each song her own while still retaining a sense of what Simone’s original recordings offered. She released a seven-track record, Ledisi Sings Nina Simone, but added more songs to her concert. It was particularly interesting to her performance of Ne Me Quitte Pas and then hear it performed by Cynthia Erivo less than a week later at the same venue. Who sang it better? Let each who saw both shows answer that question.

Runners up: Vijay Iyer’s latest album Uneasy; Veronica Swift for her album This Bitter Earth; The Band’s Visit touring production at The Dolby Theatre in Hollywood; Jason Moran solo piano performance as part of LeRoy Downs’ Just Jazz series; Springsteen on Broadway; MasterVoices’ Myths and Hymns and Cynthia Erivo singing Don’t Rain on My Parade at the Hollywood Bowl.

Here’s hoping there’s even more to see and hear in 2022. What’s on your list? Leave your choices in the comments section below.

Happy New Year!

The post Top 10 of 2021 appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

In June of 2019 we spoke with composer and musician Terence Blanchard about the world premiere of his second opera, Fire Shut Up in my Bones at Opera Theatre of St. Louis. On Monday, September 27th, the opera will have its first performance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. This marks the first opera written by a Black composer to be performed at the famed New York venue. The opera will be performed eight times. The final performance on October 23rd will be streamed into theaters as part of their Met Opera Live in HD series.

The cast for the Metropolitan Opera production features Angel Blue, Will Liverman and Latonia Moore.

This is a great time to re-visit our conversation with Blanchard about Fire Shut Up in my Bones. 

Last week we spoke to Grammy winner Terence Blanchard about his gig with the E-Collective at the Playboy Jazz Festival. We also mentioned in that interview that his second opera, Fire Shut Up in my Bones, is having its world premiere this weekend at Opera Theatre of St. Louis.

The opera is based on Charles M. Blow’s memoir of the same name. Blow is an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times. The title comes from a passage in the Bible from Jeremiah 20:9. The King James version has it as:  “Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.”

Collaborating with Blanchard on Fire Shut Up in my Bones is filmmaker Kasi Lemmons. Blanchard scored her films Eve’s Bayou, The Caveman’s Valentine and Talk to Me. He’s also writing the score for her new film, Harriet, about freedom fighter Harriet Tubman.

Fire Up in my Bones is Blanchard’s second opera. His first, Champion, was written with Michael Cristofer and was based on the life of boxer Emile Griffith. Champion had its world premiere in 2013.

In this column we pick up our conversation from last week and focus on Fire Shut Up in my Bones.

You’ve said that writing film requires you to put aside your ego. What does writing opera require of you?

Prayer. [He lets out an enormous laugh.] It’s hard to say. Writing opera is such a different animal. It requires a high level of focus and dedication. With this new opera, that’s two years of my life sitting down writing these melodies and putting this whole show together. It also takes great collaborators. Kasi Lemmons wrote a beautiful libretto. Jim Robinson, the director, is putting together an amazing show. 

Your life and journalist Charles Blow’s would seem to be very different. What resonated about his story and did you find commonality in his life experiences?

Obviously the first thing in the book was being molested by a family member, which is a tragic thing to go through. I’ve never been through that, but that had to be such a traumatic thing for any kid to go through. I did resonate with how his family labeled him a peculiar kid. He was smart, he had different interests. I experienced that growing up, not from my family, but the neighborhood. There weren’t too many kids going to piano lessons on Saturday and who had a father who sang opera. [Joseph Oliver Blanchard] I don’t know how to explain it. I knew those things were different, but it didn’t mean I hated those things. I loved opera. I knew others wouldn’t listen to it. I can see the same thing in Charles, his character. That’s what resonated. When you’re a kid you don’t know which way your life is going to go, but you can look back and look at those as an amalgamation of all those events.

Memoirs cover a lot of ground. How did you as Kasi Lemmons narrow the focus to make a manageable story for the opera?

A lot of that was due to Kasi. We did have a meeting with Charles Blow at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis where we sat down and talked to him and let him talk to us. He was open about major events in his life. Kasi used that session as a springboard to send her in a direction.

This is your second opera. What does writing for that form offer you that your other writing does not?

It’s different in that I have more control of the creative process. When I’m working on a film I’m helping someone else do a story. When it’s the E-Collective, it’s my own thing, but it’s within the confines of that sonic palette. With opera I have words, voices and a full orchestra at my disposal. The wild thing about it is I sit in my room and in my studio and create this music. Then you get to the point where singers are moving about the stage. It’s a phenomenal experience. Every time when we’ve gotten to this stage it blows my mind. I don’t know. It takes so much energy. One of the singers said to me, “For your third opera” and I said “Whoa. Slow your roll. This is a lot of work.”

Charles Blow said, “Trying hard and working hard is its own reward. It feeds the soul. It affirms your will and your power. And it radiates from you, lighting the way for all those who see you.” Do you agree and how does that apply to your career and life to date?

Oh yeah. This is what I try to tell my students. If you have passion for something and you work hard and study hard and put forth the effort, the sky’s the limit. One thing I believe as an artist is when you’re honest about what you are creating, you are creating something that will touch other people who are dealing with the same issues. How many times have you heard, “That songs speak to my soul?” Or “I went to a performance I was swept away and was in tears?” That only comes from people who are honest about what they do. To get there you have to get over the hump of technique and theory. You learn and you refine, but those are just tools to where we can speak clearly in a musical fashion.

Main Photo:  Walter Russell III and Will Liverman in Fire Shut Up in my Bones

Photos from Fire Shut Up in my Bones by Ken Howard/Courtesy Metropolitan Opera

The post Fire Shut Up in my Bones – Terence Blanchard’s Second Opera appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Given the diverse amount of things on his plate, I figured this was a good time to catch up with Blanchard. It had been four years since our last conversation and a lot has changed, both with his career and our country. He spoke to me by phone from St. Louis where he was about to see the first full rehearsal with singers and orchestra (called a “sitzprobe”) of the opera.

When we last spoke you and the E-Collective had just started collaborating. You had the album Breathless coming out. The title being a reference to Eric Garner’s last words when he died in a chokehold by a New York police officer.  Subsequently you released a live album with them called Live, which found you and the band in cities where the abuse of power was at its most extreme.

What did playing in those cities give you as an artist and human that helps shape your perspective on America in 2019?

The best example I can give you how powerful that was is we were playing in Cleveland. A guy walked up afterwards and I thought it was going to be the normal conversation, “Why aren’t you playing with a jazz band instead of an electric band.” Instead he said, “I thought I was going to hear A Tale of God’s Will, but once you started playing it sounded angry.” Then he said “During the break you told us what the music was about. As I started listening to the rest of the show, my thoughts went when the guy who created God’s Will is this angry, then I have to rethink my position on gun control.” For him to share that with me was an extremely powerful moment.

[Note: A Tale of God’s Will had the subtitle Requiem for Katrina. This was music written for Spike Lee’s documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts.]

Jazz musicians seem to be addressing social injustice more prominently than other genres. Vijay Iyer’s Far From Over, for example does that. And the  music seems more muscular. Why does jazz seem to be leading the call for change as it relates to social justice?

I think it’s always bene that way. You look at Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite, the stuff [Charles] Mingus was doing, Miles [Davis] doing Jack Johnson. Even Louis Armstrong. He didn’t create some of the music, but he talked about it in some of his interviews. I think jazz musicians have a way of dealing with truth that is inherent in the music itself. In order to be a jazz musicians, you can’t lie to yourself. Either you are playing the  scales and chords or you are not. Dealing with that type of absolute truth all the time carries over into your life. It makes you look at things with that kind of prism, if you will. Two plus two will always equal four – you can’t spin that into anything else. When you look at the social justice system, it’s rough.

The festival happens one week before the premiere of Fire Shut Up in My Bones. Is the festival a great opportunity to take a break and clear your head for a few moments?

Oh man, Playboy is just a good time to be there any time of the year. There are certain music festivals like the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage –  Playboy is where you get to see many of your peers. I enjoy the shows just as much as the audience. It’s a great atmosphere to hear music and run into friends.

Singer Quiana Lynell is joining you for the Playboy Jazz Festival. You’ve mentored her after she showed up to join you for a gig in Poland at your manager’s suggestion. What does mentoring mean to you personally?

It’s huge. Huge. Because it is the mentors that actually open the doors for you and take you in and show you around. If you don’t get a chance to see how sausage is made, you’ll never be able to do it. You can approximate it, but it takes a huge role in being able to know down the myths, the folklore and just deal with the absolute truth. That’s what Art Blakey did for me. And by being in that band, automatically you were accepted in a family of musicians that would embrace you. Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Woody Shaw; all of them were extremely helpful to me.

What are some of those myths and folklore?

I guess mainly the thing is intuitive talent versus the hard work kind of things. When I got into the business I heard stories about how hard Dizzy and Clifford Brown worked. I even talked to Chick Corea about it. He said, “It ain’t no magic. It just takes a lot of time and practice.” That was one of the first lessons I really got to understand.

Next week will have part two of our interview with Terence Blanchard where he gets into details about Fire Shut Up in My Bones and its creation.

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