Music: The 88

Last night my husband and I were watching Season 3 of Grey's Anatomy on DVD with the subtitles on; when the screen flashed the artist name and song being played during a scene, Adam Merrin's "Still Alright," I told my husband that I knew an Adam Merrin in high school and immediately flipped open my laptop to Google him. And lo and behold, it was the one and very same guy. Upon further research, I found that he was also the pianist in a band called The 88, whose lead singer, Keith Slettedahl, sat in front of me in Spanish in high school. That very guy used to turn around and bug me with his singing in his creamy pseudo-falsetto voice; I'd tell him to stop.

Well, it's a very good thing that he didn't listen to me and pursued his passion because The 88 is probably one of the greatest alternative bands I've heard in a very long while, and clearly, I didn't get the full range of Keith's vocal capabilities during Mrs. B's Spanish class. Songs like "All 'Cause of You" and "Coming Home" showcase the the band's overall Beatle-esque sound well, but one of my favorite songs, "You Belong to Me", a love ballad, demonstrates the beauty of Slettedahl's vocals and guitar playing. Don't you love it when the guys from home make good?

www.the88.net
www.iTunes.com

Photo: Yahoo

Yo-Yo Ma: The Silk Road Ensemble

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of seeing Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble perform. My DH humored my lifelong crush on this virtuoso (still as handsome and charming as ever by the way) by scoring some tickets from Craigslist since the performance had been sold out. Since we were out of town just prior to the performance, he enlisted the help of a loyal friend to do the drop-off and pick-up of the tickets from the seller--which took place in a parked car creepily enough.

I went to the concert completely oblivious as to the program content; while I've always been a fan of his interpretations of classical pieces, I had not been a faithful listener of Mr. Ma's performances with the Silk Road Ensemble, even though he had been performing with the ensemble for eight years. The only piece from the Ensemble I had heard up to that point was "The Desert Capriccio" from the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" soundtrack.

The Silk Road Ensemble performs pieces commissioned by the Silk Road Project, a not-for-profit arts and cultural organization Mr. Ma founded in 1998. The organization derives its name from the Silk Road, which per the organization's website, "refers to a series of routes that crisscrossed Eurasia from the first millennium B.C.E. through the middle of the second millennium C.E. The best known segment of the Silk Road began in the Chinese capital of Chang'an (Xian), diverged into northern and southern routes that skirted the Central Asian Taklamakan Desert, converged to cross the Iranian plateau, and ended on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean in cities like Antioch and Tyre." As such, the pieces commissioned have a strong Asian and Middle Eastern influence, using classical instruments from each that are hardly seen or heard in the Western world.

These influences came to a heady intersection with the program's opening piece, the lively and rousing "Gallop of a Thousand Horses," which showcased each performer's talent and ability right from the get-go. I have to admit that I expected the ensemble to be overshadowed by Yo-Yo Ma's performance and presence, but I was happily mistaken. Each artist more than held their own; each, clearly a master of their own instrument, yet more than able to work beautifully together to create some moving and intense performances.

I immediately hopped onto iTunes when I came home to check out the ensemble's existing recordings ("Distant Valley" is a favorite). Hopefully you'll be as intrigued as I was to find out more about this fantastic ensemble and will be quick to order tickets should they tour in a city near you.

http://www.silkroadproject.org/
photo: crossovermedia.net

Then Sings My Soul: Stories of the Hymns by Robert J. Morgan

Some of the world’s most beautiful music and poetry can be found in the hundreds of hymns written by devout believers over the centuries. I have to admit that I preferred more contemporary worship music during my youth, but over time, when the first sprigs of white hair seem to be here to stay, I have come to appreciate the beauty and magnificence of the hymn. Robert J. Morgan offers stories and perspectives behind 150 well-loved hymns in this first volume (there is a second one) complete with music and lyrics.

Among all the hymns, there is one that always brings a tear to my eye, and after reading the story behind Horatio G. Spafford’s well-loved 1873 hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul,” I will have an even greater appreciation for the lyrics—“when sorrows like sea billows roar.”

Mr. Spafford was an attorney who had lost most of his fortune in real estate investments during the great Chicago fire in 1871. He lost his only son to scarlet fever during the same period of time as well. Two years later, he planned a vacation abroad to Europe with his wife and four daughters; however, when an urgent matter detained him, he sent his wife and his four daughters ahead of him on another ship. That ship wound up colliding with another vessel, and sank, killing the majority of the passengers, including all four of his daughters. His wife was found barely conscious. En route to join his wife, when he passed the waters where the ship had sank it is written that he said, “It is well; the will of God be done.”

I hope that when my head is fully crowned with silver (or hopefully a nice salt- pepper gray), I will have attained that level of contentment and confidence with whatever comes my way. One thing I know, I am sure I will be wondering then as I do now, why we don’t sing hymns more often.

Available at www.amazon.com

Leigh Nash: Blue on Blue

One of the few albums I can recommend to purchase in its entirety, Blue on Blue is the beautiful solo debut from Leigh Nash, the former lead singer of the now sadly defunct group, Sixpence None The Richer. Melodic and not over-produced, the album is gorgeous. Favorite tracks: "All Along the Wall," "My Idea of Heaven," and "Ocean Size Love."

Available through www.iTunes.com