 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Posted: |
Nov 24, 2015 - 11:38 AM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Morricone
(Member)
|
It’s hard to do a review of your own event but since I have done elaborate ones of many film music events I guess I will try to do this one in the third person.
First of all the programs handed out for the night were pretty cool with color renditions of selected films front and back such as THE BIG GUNDOWN, ORCA THE KILLER WHALE and the obscure E PER TETTO UN CIELO DI STELLE (untitled). It had an intro by the party host explaining the purpose of the night and a breakdown of the evening (exhibits, dinner, concert, video presentations and dessert). These were designed and put together by Nancy Hoven.
For the exhibit section our oddball host (who seems to have a lot of time on his hands) went through quite a lot of trouble to represent practically every feature Ennio Morricone ever scored. Each of 405 films had anything from enormous six sheets to maybe just a CD cover to represent it. He put bright pink post-it notes with numbers on each exhibit title, which I discovered represented the chronological order of Morricone’s scores from #1 IL FEDERALE to #405 THE HATEFUL EIGHT. 405 posters, lp covers, lobby cards, CD covers, etc. were plastered on every wall, fence, door in the place. The way Richard Kraft put it “it is surreal.” Still you couldn’t help be impressed. It was organized thematically, westerns by the food park, gangsters at the end of the pool, love stories in the living room and even a section of “controversial Morricone” near the kitchen. In that last section I learned many of Morricone’s recent TV movies actually are hard hitting exposes on subjects like mental illness, the postwar massacre of Italians in Croatia and the Serbian genocide. My favorite section was one of big posters of totally unreleased Morricone scores like LE RICAIN, THE THRUSTER, LABBRA DI LURIDO BLU and I MARZIANI HANNO 12 MANI (THE TWELVE-HANDED MEN FROM MARS). Talk about oddball.
The dinner portion was in the “Western section” accompanied with Morricone western music. A tasty buffet of Chicken Marsala with all the Italian fixin’s and the sound of the rehearsal of the show in the distant background. All prepared and delivered by the Nancy Hoven and Carla Sanders. Plus Lynn Tweedy of "Takes The Cake" bakery did the best Morricone cake I have ever seen:
After the concert event there was a video presentation of home movies from Morricone's label (GM records) anniversary party during the 80s. Super editor Marshall Harvey cut it down to 8 minutes accompanied by Morricone pieces. This was followed by a video of Morricone getting his Oscar impressively coming in at 14 minutes. And to top it all Carlos Rafael Rivera, composer of Walk Among The Tombstones did a tribute to James Horner using clips. It might seem incongruous but it was really more about how film music works and Horner's approach to it, which kinda addresses what this night was about. Creating a widely rounded film music evening.
The concert portion (luckily covered on video by Kaya Savas for posterity) began with a long winded intro by the party host, which you have to put up with these freebies. He did make a couple good points about Morricone’s coming up with a vast array of types of music for his some 400 scores by using his noggin. Then our concert host showed, Bruce Kimmel, who did the honors last year and also every other month in cabaret at the Federal in NoHo. This night he was very funny and informative. He got us to relax for the show and underlined why Morricone isn’t just Ennio composer (and I hear Bruce also molded and polished the show to give it it’s final shape).
Then it began.
EL TELEFONANDO, which wasn’t from a film but was a hit song originally written as a radio theme, wasn’t what I expected. It has always been sung as a dance song. Mariana Ramirez, with her rich full bodied tones and operatically trained voice gave it more gravitas and turned it into a ballad. And, damn, it totally worked.
A GRINGO LIKE ME from DUELLO NEL TEXAS came next delivered by Kritzerland alumnus and all around chameleon, Robert Yacko. He sauntered out in Johnny Cash black and instructed us “the only good man is a dead man…or a Gringo like me.” Message received and now I have much more of an appreciation for dead men and Gringos like him.
DA QUEL SORRISO CHE NON RIDE PIU from LE DUE STAGIONI DELLA VITA is the most obscure movie of the night. It is also one of, if not THE, most breathtaking melodies Morricone ever wrote (and he wrote quite a few). Maegan McConnell manages to get to the emotional core of this bittersweet song about nostalgia and loss. She brought a tear to my eye and kept the melody going in my head for a long time.
INVESTIGATION OF A CITIZEN ABOVE SUSPICION is one of my favorite Morricone scores. The spiralling , almost absurd theme propels the movie along. Tom Griep at piano and Sara Andon with flute seem to play off of each other, resulting in a very catchy rendering indeed.
A FLOWER IS ALL YOU NEED is from the 1971 Italian animated feature AROUND THE WORLD WITH THE LOVERS OF PEYNET and both Mariana Ramirez and Maegan McConnell brings the lyrical loveliness of it to life. Actually this is better than the original recording.
THE BALLAD OF HANK MCCAIN from MACHINE GUN MCCAIN gives Robert Yacko double duty with the song’s staccato beginning and ending surrounded by it’s bluesy center. This is a fine rendition of this musical bonbon with Noir lyrics. “No one knows better than McCain just how angry you can be when they cage you in with laws”
LA CALIFFA is in the competition of most exquisite love theme by Ennio. Mariana sings it in both English and impeccable Italian. It never sounded better and it has been sung by the best.
MORRICONE MEDLEY In May 2015 Sara Andon performs Morricone before thousands in Krakow. November 22nd she performs in front of 50 people on a back porch in Silverlake. There you saw the power of her performance conveyed on big screens as she created intimacy on a large scale. Here it was more one on one, where you saw that intimacy directly. Each performance is like a prayer, where she goes inward to capture the wistfulness of THE LEGEND OF 1900, the poetic aria that is Jill’s theme from ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST and the totally nostalgic longings of CINEMA PARADISO. Then she comes out of it, sits back and smiles. I had heard there was absolute magic in her performance and indeed, seeing it up close, there is.
THE BIG GUNDOWN is a song on the edge of forever. Morricone’s theme to this film is like a stalking animal. It races along, up hills and dales. It goes quiet then loud at a moment’s notice. It pushes the envelope of expression. Christy on the original recording practically screams it. I believe it would be a challenge for any singer anywhere. Bruce said the middle section is the first rap song. Yes and no, since I have actually heard few rap songs that had this incredibly fast pace. Maegan took it on totally. She is an actress as well as a singer. Her passion and focus is what makes this performance one of the best and convincing I have ever seen. I guess this qualifies as an absolute gush.
UN AMICO from REVOLVER Back to poetry, this melody that might be more familiar as one of the more memorable themes in INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, is delivered as a glorious hymn to love and friendship by Robert Yacko. And in French yet. Robert is the OTHER chameleon here taking on roles during this night. Here a lover, then a gangster, and then again a gringo. Each of which he totally immerses himself in to the point you think you might be listening to 3 different singers.
E PER TETTO UN CIELO DI STELLE ( A SKYFUL OF STARS FOR A ROOF) also released as BILLY BOY is Morricone’s simplest and prettiest western theme that no one ever heard of. Guy Haines, Bruce’s expert whistler on all his albums got lost in traffic (someone should get him a GPS), and Bruce subbed for him. He may not have hit the heights of Alessandro Alessandroni, who made a living whistling constantly for spaghetti westerns ( and never had to do it out in the cold), but he came damn close! In fact the low key element made it more lonely and touching. Kudos to Bruce for mastering something most of us only can do as raspberries.
WE ARE ONE from ORCA, THE KILLER WHALE. This movie about a killer whale whose mate, and offspring, is killed by Richard Harris is wrong on too many levels to describe here. But if we kept sitting in the theater it was because Morricone’s music kept describing a deeply moving story about an epically tragic event - that wasn’t onscreen. And Carol Connors, who wrote the lyrics, seemed to sing it a key too high in the credits of the film. This is the first time I really heard this song as it should have been done. Thank you for bringing out it’s innate beauty, Mariana.
METTI UNA SERA A CENA Ennio Morricone has written more lounge music than even Henry Mancini. This is his most famous. Robert Yacko changes into Sergio Mendes, Maegan McConnell and Mariana Ramirez provide back-up and then front-up as they join the song. This thing was more contagious than the winter flu and a hell of a lot more fun. And all to a disco ball background!
GABRIEL’S OBOE became Gabriel’s flute from THE MISSION. His most famous non-western theme delivered by Sara Andon. I have heard this almost too many times over my lifetime. But when it is done with this type of simple direct intimacy it returns to the sublime. A masterpiece delivered by a masterful performer. It doesn't get better than this.
ECSTASY OF GOLD from THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY Bruce described this as one of the most perfect marriages of sound and images there is in cinema. Indeed, it has become legend. The original recording was used at the beginning of every Mettalica performance during their glory years “to whip their crowd into a frenzy”. Tom Griep had to figure out how to get the equivalent of a hundred piece orchestra with what he had. And like everything that has ever been thrown at him he seems to wangle it, making him eligible to be a member of the Magic Castle. Yes, he IS a magician. The whole ensemble was utilized in imaginative ways to deliver the goods.
THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY from THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY. Leave it to Bruce Kimmel to end a totally fun and spectacular night with a totally fun and spectacular finale. A sing-along but unlike any he has done at the Federal. This time "Ah a aha aaaaa! DUM DA DA".
This whole thing sounds more like a publicity hand-out rather than a review. But I have been to many incredible film music events during my lifetime. A magical Williams, Goldsmith, Raksin, Lionel Newman, etc. night at the Dorothy Chandler in the 70s. The Sundance concert with Delerue, Jarre, Mancini, etc.at Royce Hall. The AFI top 25 film scores at the Hollywood Bowl with John Mauceri. Jerry Goldsmith at the Bowl. Elmer Bernstein tribute at the GSPO. Lalo Schifrin intimate one at the Ford Theater. Ennio Morricone at Radio City Music Hall. Varese GSPO anniversary at the Warner Grand.
This little back yard concert of 18 pieces of music (!!!!) belongs with those.
If any of those who attended have spotted flaws I missed, especially major ones. Please chime in. I welcome perspective.
I have the feeling they will be minor alterations.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well done henry sounds like an unbelievable night and full credit to all your performers - anyone attempting it will testify morricones music is not easy to deliver. Even alessandronis original whistling was done quietly to make it easier for him, and then amped up in volume for the recording, so bruce deserves a medal. And your girl who did Ecstasy - ive spoken to sopranos before about this track - most were in awe of edda - from a professional point of view - and most were genuinely frightened to even attempt both the extreme note changes and such difficult rapidity. Even susannah rigacci live misses notes out from eddas original!
Top job, sounds like an unforgettable night.
And a good review.
Someone will ask - any videos?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sounds absolutely wonderful. If you decide to take it on tour, then feel free to pop round my back garden (but I wouldn't recommend doing so in November).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Excellent. Look forward to checking it out.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Just wanted to go on record as having had the time of my life, as I always do at Henry's events, only even more so this time. For openers, there were the music-makers, professionals all, and highly talented. To paraphrase one of my favorite songwriters, they played and sang real good for free. For free, did you hear me?! Every one of us attendees got in without having to pay a cent for the privilege pf hearing Morricone music, both famous and obscure, performed by experts. This sort of thing doesn't happen every day, folks. (And three of the experts were babelicious, by the way -- at no extra charge!)
Henry and wife Nancy and our own Bruce Kimmel all outdid themselves in every department. An evening to treasure in memory.
Thanks, big guy!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Posted: |
Nov 26, 2015 - 7:32 PM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Morricone
(Member)
|
Here in America today is a day we give thanks. Which is hard because the nature of a film music collector, as you see on this board, is to complain and remain cynical. Coming off one of the loveliest nights I have ever experienced I have decided to get past bitterness and pain and give thanks as humbly as I can. Not easy after a long haul like this one. One by one who I owe for this night:
But the story isn’t pleasant going. The Deatheaters showed up right away. The caterer, an old friend who in his old age is starting to get psychic “lights,” declared he has received blue lights on this event which means it simply isn’t going to happen. I asked how he interpreted these lights and no matter how I wangled it the result was always “no go”. And for him it was absolutely true because he ended up bailing. So my first set of thanks go to my wife Nancy who listened to what his plans were in detail, took notes and recreated as much as she could with our dear friend Carla Sanders.
I had a big lumbering VHS video of home movies of a party Morricone participated in which Marshall Harvey whittled it down to 8 minutes and made into the celebration it was. Thank you.
Then there was setting up the decorations which this time was the most ambitious yet. As usual all who volunteered after previous parties to help were extremely busy or sick or had some other good reason. But this time my wife also had a bout of bad health AND insomnia. My team was me, myself and I. Trying to figure out the outside decorations was difficult as the weather did a number on them so I staged them indoors to be taken out at a later point. But I had to light them too so they all had to go out and come back in, which was exhausting. I took on too much. Needless to say much remained undone but not many knew that. Thanks this time again to Nancy who regained strength just before the party and did enormous work chores non-stop, which took care of the fundamentals of presentation. Carla again supplemented to keep things going and is included in this thank you of major proportions.
Attendance has always been a sore spot at these parties. Being kind of an abused kid I have been used to no one wanting to hang out with me. So one time when the excuse was “I REALLY have to do my laundry this weekend” my only criticism was you could have thought up a more imaginative one. But since these became performance parties, it wasn’t my stupid feelings that were at stake but of artists I consider major league deigning to perform in my backyard. Last year it came easier because it aligned with a film music event which brought in a good fourth of the audience. I was determined to wait for this event. I waited days, weeks, months until the weather wouldn’t allow me to wait any longer. Ironically as soon as I announced my final date of the party the event was announced for 2 weeks later. The gods were laughing their head off. So I took time from decorating to concoct the most enticing invites I could. It got a wave of indifference. I called, e-mailed, pleaded and cajoled to some avail, but many found me annoying. The thanks this time go to people like Rob Word who brought quite a few people in, and to the many who brought at least one other, plus all the first timers and the small group of good friends who can be relied to come almost every time.
And now to the troop of performers who came through magnificently. Above all Maegan McConnell who teaches for an educational system that no longer gives her set schedules, a theater production who would give her rehearsal days but not times and her co-writers on a screenplay with a deadline who would not have a set schedule either. She looked at me in desperation and I declared I would be happy with anything she could muster. The result was two of the best moments of the night. THANK YOU, Maegan. Maegan brought in Mariana Ramirez who has the sweetest voice ever and took on everything Maegan couldn’t and with great aplomb. THANK YOU. Bruce Kimmel who not only hosted, supervised and polished the show but took on a whistling tune that was very tricky. Much of Morricone is hard but whistling doubly so, to the point he wanted to switch it off for something else. And yet I was in love with it and he managed to make it work and it was all the more haunting because of how unfamiliar it was. BIG THANK YOU for that. Robert Yacko is so adept at switching major gears he made it look easy. It isn’t. THANK YOU, sir. Sara Andon, who dropped in at the last moment and brought real magic to the night. THANKS AGAIN. And then Tom Griep who took everything I, and everyone else, threw at him in stride and made it all look like a fresh bouquet of roses. Morricone is not that easy to manage, let alone 18 pieces (!!!) so MUCHO THANK YOU.
Last but not least thank you Ennio Morricone. I have the feeling you are the one who kept us hanging in. My greatest pleasure of the night was also the reason why I wanted to do this in the first place. To reveal a treasure trove of music no one had ever heard. More people asked about more specific pieces than last year. More people responded strongly to these pieces than last year. And more people picked up the list of 405 scores and followed around the place to connect the chronology to the score. I wouldn’t have imagined this. Yes, there is an entire world of Morricone music out there, the size of Jerry Goldsmith’s and John Williams’s combined, and just as good. All you have to do is enter and explore it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
No, thank YOU Henry for keeping this stuff alive and well.
And I will give a special shout out to the singers and Tom, especially. Henry chooses all the music, they rehearse it, someone came up with some kind of show order, and as soon as I know the song list, I write some commentary. Then I make everyone come to my house and play through the show. I hear it, and I restructure it the way I think it will have the best flow - in this case it was a bit radical - a lot changed. But I also hear the way the songs are being done, the layout, and I throw stuff at Tom and he is just so adept at hearing me and making the fixes - mostly on endings, but sometimes cutting stuff to make it more concise, or whatever. This is the kind of thing I do every month at the Kritzerland show, and it's the most fun part. When you work with pianists like Tom, it's a very simple process. Robert Yacko is a Kritzerland regular and I brought him into this and I knew he'd do his usual stellar job, as did Maegan and Mariana - we all laughed a lot.
I'd never met Sara before - and didn't until show day, but we'd been conversing via e-mail and I knew she was collaborative and a nice person, which she was in spades. And her artistry is without question superb. While I was most surprised not to really know very many people, I always enjoy meeting new folks, so that was fun, too. Nancy is a wonderful person and anyone who can put up with a film music nerd is pretty special. At one point in my commentary I even said, "I wonder how many marriages have gone to hell because of film music?"
And the attendees really did seem to have fun - I can usually tell, after five years of Kritzerland shows, how it's going to go within the first twenty seconds. I knew this would go well and it did.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Excellent stuff.
Living a tad closer, me - and im sure tallguy in the north - wouldnt have made any excuses, henry.
And i bet there us a lot of collectors on here from around the world who would have loved to have attended.
A lot of work involved.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I would have been arranging my CD covers from dark to light that evening, but i would have put them away for henry n bruce's ennio extravaganza!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
