Boston.com -- Music news

When musical cultures collide

Andrew Gilbert, Globe Correspondent — 2009-11-28T17:54:43Z

Pianist Erik Deutsch came of age in the wide-open spaces of Colorado, and his music still carries unmistakable traces of the alpine air and sweeping CinemaScope views. But the band he brings to Boston Tuesday evokes the Rockies refracted through the urban grit of Brooklyn.

Critic's picks - pop music

2009-11-28T17:54:32Z

EYEDEA & ABILITIES The Minnesota duo’s latest album, “By the Throat,’’ showcases off-the-beaten path wordplay and inventive backing tracks, delving deeply into a punky band sound. Nov. 28, 9 p.m., $15, Middle East, 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com

An emotional link to a nation’s past

David Weininger, Globe Correspondent — 2009-11-28T17:54:15Z

The violist Kim Kashkashian has been a muse for several important composers, having worked with and elicited new music from Luciano Berio, György Kurtág, and Arvo Pärt, among many others. But her bond with Tigran Mansurian is different. They are marking more than two decades of collaboration with a rare series of American concerts with percussionist Robyn Schulkowsky. The brief ...

Critic's pick: classical music

2009-11-28T17:54:10Z

Borromeo Quartet As New England Conservatory’s quartet-in-residence, the versatile Borromeo offers a free performance of Gunther Schuller’s String Quartet No. 4, Bartok’s Quartet No. 4, and “Lamentation and Satire’’ by the 24-year-old Egyptian composer Mohammed Fairouz. Nov. 30, 8 p.m., Jordan Hall, 617-585-1260, www.necmusic.edu.

The Pixies party like it’s 1989

Sarah Rodman, Globe Staff — 2009-11-28T05:31:10Z

The full album concert concept that has become so popular in the past few years is on one level a gimmick to help juice catalog sales and draw out those less inclined to see a group they’ve already spent time and money on. But with a record as exhilarating and irresistible as “Doolittle,’’ it’s easy to understand the desire for ...

Al Alberts, founding member of The Four Aces, dies

2009-11-27T19:11:32Z

Al Alberts, a founding member of the singing group, The Four Aces, and a longtime TV talent show host in Philadelphia, has died. He was 87.

A shift in tone for music awards

Jonathan Perry, Globe Correspondent — 2009-11-27T17:39:13Z

The Boston Music Awards have managed a tricky feat this year. The annual showcase, which honors the best musical talent that Boston has to offer, is simultaneously scaling back and expanding its reach.

The winners’ circle

June Wulff, Globe Staff — 2009-11-27T17:35:25Z

Cellist Jonah Park Ellsworth and pianist Daniel Kim, both New England Conservatory Preparatory students, will show you why they won the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra concerto competition at tomorrow’s Wunderkinds of Music. Ellsworth is 15, attends Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, and will perform Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1. Kim, a seventh grader at Jonas Clarke Middle School in Lexington, ...

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2009-11-27T17:35:25Z

Sing it out

June Wulff, Globe Staff — 2009-11-27T17:32:36Z

We won’t mention the holiday singalong until we think you can handle it, OK? Cape Ann Symphony’s Holiday Pops: Holiday Sparklers concerts feature the Cape Ann Singers with gifts of song including “Twelve Days of Christmas’’ and “Gloria.’’ (We’re still not mentioning the singalong.) The Cape Ann Symphony performs “Trumpeter’s Lullaby,’’ “Song of the Bells,’’ selections from Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker,’’ ...

Pinetop Perkins' 80-year career still going

Shelia Byrd, Associated Press Writer — 2009-11-27T08:11:28Z

Noisy crowds in smoky bars don't bother 96-year-old bluesman Pinetop Perkins. It's all part of his job. Most nights, after he snuffs out his menthol cigarette, Perkins slides onto the piano bench in some club and eases into a wail about hard times and treacherous women.

For tenor from Malta, a star-making role?

Mike Silverman, For The Associated Press — 2009-11-27T05:11:43Z

There's something about the honeyed sweetness of Joseph Calleja's voice that seems to evoke memories of a golden age, as if this young tenor carried within his vocal cords a secret passed down from bygone generations.

Some Calleja performances

The Associated Press — 2009-11-27T05:11:42Z

Some opportunities to hear tenor Joseph Calleja: --Recordings: Calleja has released two solo albums, Tenor Arias (2004) and The Golden Voice (2005), both on Decca Classics, and is heard on complete recordings of Donizetti's "Maria Stuarda" (2003, Dynamic) and Bellini's "I Capuleti e I Montechhi" (2009, Deutsche Grammophon).

For tenor from Malta, a star-making role?

Mike Silverman, For The Associated Press — 2009-11-27T05:11:38Z

Sting keeps to the shadows in ‘Winter’s Night’

Mark Shanahan & Meredith Goldstein — 2009-11-27T01:33:49Z

Sting and his wife, Trudie , keep with tradition on Christmas Eve: They go to a local church, sing along to carols, then head back home to their English estate to open presents with their family.

DVD gift guide

2009-11-27T01:21:09Z

If you have a classic-rock geek on your list - the kind who still rhapsodizes about the warmth of vinyl and can name great sidemen through the ages - and you want to splurge on them, look no further than the nine-DVD set “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum Live.’’ Culled from 24 years of induction ceremonies, this ...

iPod shuffle

2009-11-27T01:08:03Z

Once upon a time Elvis Perkins received an iPod as a gift. “I really couldn’t forge a relationship with it,’’ he says. “It left me feeling empty.’’ Perkins’s preferred music delivery system is “vinyl straight into my brain.’’ Happily, the singer-songwriter recently indulged us by setting iTunes on his home computer to party shuffle, and based on the set list ...

Pixies return to their ‘Doolittle’ days

Lucy Barber, Globe Correspondent — 2009-11-27T01:07:19Z

Devoted fans of bands that have broken up are like casualties of divorce. They cherish the stories of the good times long after the fighting starts and the records stop.

Listen to the bells

2009-11-27T01:04:49Z

This concert is a welcome ringing in your ear. The 14 members of the New England Ringers handbell ensemble will cover six octaves of handbells and seven octaves of chimes at Sunday’s holiday Sweets concert. The set list features “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,’’ “Unto Us a Child Is Born,’’ “O Little Town of Bethlehem,’’ and “Holiday for Strings,’’ the ...

Blame it on the bossa nova

2009-11-27T01:04:36Z

Carnegie Hall is not an easy gig to get, but it happened for Bebel Gilberto at age 7 when she sang with her mother, Miucha, and was accompanied by sax player Stan Getz. The New York-born Brazilian vocalist, who blends Brazilian, European, and electronic pop, recently released “All in One,’’ a CD sung primarily in her native language of Portuguese. ...

Lambert not exactly sorry for his racy performance

David Bauder, Associated Press — 2009-11-26T02:18:38Z

NEW YORK - Adam Lambert admits he got carried away with his sexually charged American Music Awards performance, but he’s offering no apology.

Top music book

2009-11-25T22:29:59Z

‘They both knew that they would be best friends for a long, long time. Not that they talked about it; it was just there.’’ This is one of many things that Clarence Clemons writes about Bruce Springsteen in his highly entertaining new memoir, “Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales.’’

Bocelli scores with Christmas CD

2009-11-25T22:29:38Z

This should not come as a surprise: Andrea Bocelli, the Italian tenor singing sensation, has the No. 1 album on Billboard’s holiday and classical charts. “My Christmas’’ (Decca) is also sitting pretty in the No. 2 slot on the general Billboard 200.

Becoming ‘Dolly,’ a four-disc set

2009-11-25T22:28:55Z

Dolly Parton is many things - country queen, caricature, pop-culture icon, astute businesswoman - but the last thing you’d call her is an unsung songwriter. Yet that’s the premise, and a mighty convincing one, of “Dolly,’’ a new four-disc set that rescues a trove of Parton’s songwriting gems that never made the leap from scratchy (and pricey) vinyl to digital ...

Books

2009-11-25T22:26:59Z

“Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story Behind the Song,’’ Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Jo-Ann Geffen Funny, poignant, and insightful essays written by the songwriters of some of pop music’s biggest hits. The best - like the adulterous backstory to “Stop! In the Name of Love,’’ involving a disgruntled girlfriend and a baseball bat - deepen, entertain, and ...

Holiday CDs

2009-11-25T22:18:56Z

Various artists, “A Very Special Christmas 7’’ The latest iteration of the all-star Special Olympics benefit albums targets the young, with folks like Miley Cyrus, Sean Kingston, and Colbie Caillat working the merry and bright lane. The standout here is Carrie Underwood with “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.’’

Music gift guide -- DVDs

Globe Staff — 2009-11-25T22:12:50Z

Pink, “Pink’s Funhouse Tour: Live in Australia’’ See the daring young lady on the flying trapeze sing “Sober.’’ Witness her have a silly pillow fight with her dancers during “So What.’’ Watch her “Get the Party Started’’ in this document - which includes a CD - of one of the year’s most vivid and enjoyable concert tours.

Box sets

Globe Staff — 2009-11-25T22:09:22Z

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Live Anthology’’ Some bands are studio titans while others are kings of the road. Petty and his merry cabal of rabble rousers are both. This four-disc set collects the best live stuff - hits, covers, and rarities - into one rip-roaring, “no overdubs, no fixes’’ package.

Nightlife

2009-11-25T17:26:25Z

COMEDY

Music

2009-11-25T17:23:44Z

POP EYEDEA & ABILITIES The Minnesota duo is back, and their latest album, “By the Throat,’’ continues to showcase off-the-beaten path wordplay and inventive backing tracks, delving more deeply into a punky band sound this time out. 9 p.m. Nov. 28. $15. Middle East. 800-745-3000. www.ticketmaster.com

Haydn expert HC Robbins Landon dies at 83

Robert Barr, Associated Press Writer — 2009-11-25T16:41:49Z

H.C. Robbins Landon, a musicologist noted for his pioneering research on Franz Joseph Haydn and for writing popular works on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, has died at age 83.

Sting offers a 'spooky, ghostly' seasonal album

Nekesa Mumbi Moody, AP Music Writer — 2009-11-25T14:11:44Z

Sting and his wife Trudie keep with tradition on Christmas Eve: They go to a local church, sing along to carols, then head back home to their English estate to open presents with their family.

Lambert says he got carried away, but not sorry

David Bauder, AP Television Writer — 2009-11-25T13:02:00Z

are you sure about the "?" I'm on Lambert's site and it's not there. Young kids today with their weird punctuation...

Students get schooled on hip-hop at Minn. college

Jeff Baenen, Associated Press Writer — 2009-11-25T12:12:11Z

DJ Freddy Fresh slaps a vinyl record on the turntable, cues it up and tells a student, "Remember, the top of the note was there, right? Grab it."

Julie Andrews to sing in London, first in decades

2009-11-25T11:21:49Z

Julie Andrews is to perform in London, 30 years after her last appearance on the British stage.

At BSO, a substitute and a fresh cadenza

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-25T06:00:56Z

The Boston Symphony Orchestra is not catching many breaks these days from the podium. Sir Andrew Davis has withdrawn from this week’s set of concerts because of a family illness, and the Frenchman Yan Pascal Tortelier has stepped in, making his subscription debut last night in Symphony Hall. (He has also tweaked the program, replacing Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements ...

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2009-11-25T06:00:56Z

25 recordings inducted into Grammy Hall of Fame

2009-11-25T01:51:25Z

The Doors' "Riders On The Storm" and the Beach Boys' "California Girls" are among 25 recordings being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Sade to release new album

2009-11-24T19:51:32Z

Sade is making music again. The soulful English group fronted by 50-year-old singer Sade Adu will release a new album Feb. 8, according to Epic Records. "Soldier of Love" will be the group's first studio album since 2000's "Lovers Rock." All five of Sade's studio albums have landed in the Top 10 on the Billboard Top 200, selling more than ...

A.R. Rahman, Jennifer Hudson headline state dinner

2009-11-24T19:32:00Z

It's an all-star lineup for Tuesday's first state dinner of the Obama White House: Oscar-winners Jennifer Hudson and A.R. Rahman headline the entertainment list.

Warner Music posts surprise 4Q loss; shares tumble

2009-11-24T18:41:50Z

Warner Music Group Corp., one of the nation's largest record companies, on Tuesday posted an unexpected loss in the fourth quarter as severance costs weighed on results despite a strong slate of music releases from artists including Jay-Z and Madonna.

The top 10 singles and albums on iTunes

The Associated Press — 2009-11-24T17:51:45Z

iTunes' top 10 selling singles and albums of the week ending Nov. 23, 2009: Singles:

Q&A: Shakira says new CD looks out for single gals

Mesfin Fekadu, Associated Press Writer — 2009-11-24T12:11:45Z

All the single ladies -- Shakira is looking out for you! The Colombian-born singer says the songs on her new album "She Wolf," out this week, is a reflection of a woman who is looking for her prince charming.

The audacity of hype

James Reed, Globe Staff — 2009-11-24T06:12:44Z

Can a first impression be trusted anymore? That was the prevailing question in pop music in 2009, which could very well go down as the year we fabricated superstars out of entertainers who had little to warrant the wave of hype they rode right into our living rooms and into our hearts.

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2009-11-24T06:12:44Z

Shakira: She Wolf

James Reed, Globe Staff — 2009-11-24T01:18:41Z

From the outrageous video, in which she writhes around in a cage in a flesh-colored leotard, it seemed a very blond Shakira had gone deliciously lowbrow.

Lady Gaga: The Fame Monster

James Reed, Globe Staff — 2009-11-24T01:17:51Z

You have to hand it to Lady Gaga: She wasn’t really a superstar until she started acting (and dressing) like one. Of course, it helped that you couldn’t turn on the radio this year without hearing “Just Dance’’ and “Poker Face’’ every half-hour. She named her first album “The Fame’’ long before she had any, which makes her follow-up all ...

Adam Lambert: For Your Entertainment

Sarah Rodman, Globe Staff — 2009-11-24T01:16:45Z

Adam Lambert was commended for knowing who he was while competing on “American Idol.’’ The eighth-season runner-up might want to let his handlers in on it. From his provocative performance on the “American Music Awards’’ Sunday night to the album-by-committee feel of his debut, his musical identity isn’t completely clear.

Susan Boyle: I Dreamed a Dream

Sarah Rodman, Globe Staff — 2009-11-24T01:11:28Z

Along with Adam Lambert of “American Idol,’’ Susan Boyle was 2009’s most famous second-place finisher. Now that the people who couldn’t seem to get their heads around the idea that a middle-age woman who didn’t fit the current standards of beauty could actually have a pretty singing voice have recovered from feeding their YouTube jones, what does Boyle do? She ...

Serene ancient music, crossing centuries

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-24T01:08:20Z

Trio Mediaeval, the Oslo-based vocal ensemble, made a rare local visit on Sunday afternoon for a hypnotically beautiful sold-out performance at the Gardner Museum. These stars of the early music movement combine exquisite, pure-voiced ensemble singing with a vital and freshly contemporary approach to music of the distant past. The repertoire may be ancient but nothing about Sunday’s program had ...

Sonic Youth and the Feelies still do it with feeling

Michael Saunders, Globe Staff — 2009-11-23T23:34:21Z

What’s not to love about New York? For one raucous, revelatory Sunday night, the Wilbur Theatre should have been named “CBGB North’’ with its double dose of alternative rock from Sonic Youth and the Feelies. These influential New York acts have cast a long shadow over the past 30 years, encouraging countless bands to explore the fertile landscape beyond traditional ...

Little Richard asks fans for prayers after surgery

2009-11-23T23:31:40Z

Little Richard is asking fans to pray for his speedy recovery after undergoing hip surgery at a Tennessee hospital.

ABC gets complaints about Lambert's performance

2009-11-23T20:31:50Z

ABC says more than 1,500 people have called to complain about Adam Lambert's sexually charged performance at the American Music Awards.

AC/DC, MJ, Miles Davis, Def Jam and more box sets

The Associated Press — 2009-11-23T18:31:30Z

Here are a selection of box-set offerings this season: AC/DC "Backtracks" ( Sony )

LA committee to review Jackson memorial costs

2009-11-23T16:11:31Z

A Los Angeles City Council committee plans to discuss the $3.2 million taxpayers spent on the Michael Jackson memorial.

Q&A: 50 Cent gets back to gritty roots on new CD

Mesfin Fekadu, Associated Press Writer — 2009-11-23T15:41:29Z

To create an album as hard-hitting as his multiplatinum-selling debut, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," 50 Cent says he had to tap into the troubles he dealt with before he became one of hip-hop's biggest stars.

Winners at the American Music Awards

The Associated Press — 2009-11-23T05:21:26Z

Complete list of winners at the American Music Awards: -- Artist of the Year: Taylor Swift

Metric’s energy beyond measure

Marc Hirsh, Globe Correspondent — 2009-11-23T01:51:00Z

The typical picture of Metric on stage Friday night at the House of Blues was somewhat as follows: guitarist Jimmy Shaw and bassist Joshua Winstead holding steady on either side of the stage, Joules Scott-Key thwacking away at his drums with vigor in the background and Emily Haines stage center, flailing madly over her small synthesizer. Occasionally, she’d add some ...

Philharmonic gets Wagner right

Matthew Guerrieri, Globe Correspondent — 2009-11-23T01:50:56Z

Most of the time, a concert devoted entirely to one composer is a feast; with Richard Wagner, it’s merely a sampler. Nevertheless, the Boston Philharmonic’s all-Wagner concert last weekend still provided ample sustenance -and, at its heights, some of the Philharmonic’s finest music-making.

A vital chronicle captured live

2009-11-23T01:50:15Z

My first impression of Tom Waits's concert in Atlanta last year was that it could never be captured on disc.

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2009-11-23T01:50:15Z

Holiday shows’ various guises include off-color

Geoff Edgers, Globe Staff — 2009-11-21T17:31:22Z

There is no Santa Claus at the Ramrod. But starting next week, you’ll find the holiday spirit in a basement theater at this gay bar, where a gussied-up Ryan Landry and his Gold Dust Orphans bring back their camp-fueled comedy “All About Christmas Eve.’’

Tanglewood season starts with Mahler

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-20T10:39:31Z

The Boston Symphony Orchestra will open its summer season at Tanglewood on July 9 with a performance of Mahler’s Second Symphony under the baton of James Levine. In a Mahler-filled summer for Levine, he will also lead the BSO in the composer’s Fourth Symphony, and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in the Third Symphony. The BSO announced these and other ...

In his eclectic repertoire: �tudes with attitude

David Weininger, Globe Correspondent — 2009-11-20T07:14:15Z

On his home page, composer David Rakowski lists some of the adjectives that have been applied to his music: pretty, opaque, accessible, unremarkable, total rockout, borderline Neoclassical, zany, too melodic, not melodic enough, postmodern, eclectic, and highly unified. If that doesn’t make you curious to hear what the man writes, you’re just not curious.

BSO celebrates birthdays, Debussy

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-20T05:48:39Z

The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s conductor emeritus Bernard Haitink is back on the podium this week. The conductor turned 80 in March, an occasion the orchestra is officially celebrating with these concerts. Last night in Symphony Hall, a stool on the podium, used only during breaks, seemed the one concession to Haitink’s ninth decade; the conductor generally looked vital and as ...

iPod Shuffle

James Reed, Globe Staff — 2009-11-19T17:25:17Z

“You’re lucky,’’ says Sonic Youth guitarist-singer Thurston Moore , “because just a few weeks ago and for a long time, my iPod only consisted of underground black-metal recordings.’’ But he’s since mixed it up to include everything from early punk to seminal jazz. We spoke with Moore this week ahead of Sonic Youth’s shows at the Wilbur Theatre Sunday (which ...

Pianists pair with gadgetry in Stockhausen’s theatrical ‘Mantra’

Matthew Guerrieri, Globe Correspondent — 2009-11-18T02:02:26Z

Few have taken the prerogative aspect of composition as seriously as Karlheinz Stockhausen. In composing his formidable “Mantra,’’ in 1970, Stockhausen said he felt as if it paralleled the construction of the universe. Realizing the work’s hour-plus expanse rivals that effort within the musical universe, so when the superb pianists Katherine Chi and Aleksandar Madzar took on the challenge at ...

A congress of noise convened in Jordan Hall

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-16T02:39:36Z

The human desire to produce a loud noise by striking one object with another must be as old as communication itself, and like all histories, it has its high points and lows. The period between the two world wars, for instance, was a very good time for the art and science of banging. The Boston Modern Orchestra Project reminded us ...

NEC program aims to train but not pigeonhole

Joan Anderman, Globe Staff — 2009-11-14T18:23:32Z

New England Conservatory is renowned as a premier institution for classical and jazz musicians. But a training ground for singer-songwriters, bluegrass artists, and jam bands? NEC’s department of contemporary improvisation is developing a reputation as just that: a place where promising popular musicians come for rigorous training. Alumni like singer Aoife O’Donovan, fiddler Lissa Schneckenburger, keyboardist John Medeski, and clarinetist ...

Wagner helped in finding her voice

Harlow Robinson, Globe Correspondent — 2009-11-14T18:23:02Z

When Linda Watson was studying at the New England Conservatory in the late 1970s and early 1980s, she did not imagine that some day she would be known as one of the leading Wagnerian sopranos of her day. So unsure was she of what she calls her “unruly talent’’ and career direction that she even gave up serious singing for ...

The freshman

Joan Anderman, Globe Staff — 2009-11-14T18:22:38Z

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE rarely lavished on the young, but Sarah Jarosz is downright gifted in the elusive art of waiting. Folks have been clamoring for an album from the mandolinist, clawhammer banjo player, and singer-songwriter since she began traveling the bluegrass festival circuit at the tender age of 12. Jarosz wouldn’t be rushed, biding her time until she had ...

Soul bellows

Joseph P. Kahn, Globe Staff — 2009-10-26T21:14:09Z

CUMBERLAND, R.I. — In any competition to crown the world’s geekiest musical instrument, the accordion would be a top contender. Invented in Germany in the early 1800s, it’s most closely associated in this country with polka music and Lawrence Welk’s bygone television show, the epitome of postwar squareness.

For Aerosmith, a summer of sour notes

Sarah Rodman, Globe Staff — 2009-08-23T02:22:52Z

Aerosmith’s summer of bad luck began when guitarist Brad Whitford banged his head getting out of a car, forcing him to miss the opening dates of the band’s tour in June. A few weeks later, lead singer Steven Tyler hurt his leg performing at the Mohegan Sun Arena, causing seven shows to be postponed. Then bassist Tom Hamilton, who was ...

Events listings

2009-05-16T17:00:00Z

Agganis Arena 925 Commonwealth Ave., Boston. 617-358-7000, www.AgganisArena.com June 16: Earth, Wind & Fire, Chicago. Tickets: $33-$95.

A busy schedule

Geoff Edgers, Globe Staff — 2009-04-02T15:21:33Z

Rafael Popper-Keizer will be easy to see in April. He's playing eight more concerts, including tonight's with Emmanuel Music: