Boston.com -- Music news

Haydn expert HC Robbins Landon dies at 83

2009-11-25T16:41:49Z

H.C. Robbins Landon, a musicologist noted for his expertise on Franz Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, has died. He was 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

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

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 Sir Andrew Davis has withdrawn from this week’s set of concerts because of a family illness, and the Frenchman Yan Pascal Tortelier has stepped in, making his subscription debut last night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:

Ready, willing, and Abel

June Wulff, Globe Staff — 2009-11-24T17:32:27Z

Taddy Porter is this year’s “freshman’’ band on the inaugural Class of 2009 Tour , joined by platinum-selling headlining rockers Saving Abel (below). The idea behind the tour is that every year, rock artists with Top 10 radio hits in the current calendar year go on the road with one unsigned band that will open the show. Red and Pop ...

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

Television: Two standards, or too racy?

2009-11-24T03:00:05Z

The openly gay entertainer Adam Lambert is complaining that ABC edited his American Music Awards performance to scale back some of the raunchy simulated sex and bondage with his backup singers. He says female entertainers are allowed to be more explicit. That may be true, as Madonna and Britney can attest, but they and Lambert could use the same lesson: There's beauty in restraint.

Rapper Wale taps into his emotions

2009-11-24T01:21:05Z

NEW YORK - Wale wanted to infuse his debut album with a woman’s touch, so the rapper recruited divas like Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Chrisette Michele, and Jazmine Sullivan.

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 ...

He keeps on chooglin’

Sarah Rodman, Globe Staff — 2009-11-24T01:07:47Z

Back in the day

June Wulff, Globe Staff — 2009-11-24T01:00:29Z

Don’t be surprised if you run into Pete Seeger, Janis Joplin, Jackie Washington, Maria Muldaur, Odetta, and other folk icons while you’re window shopping in Harvard Square. Vintage photos, folk art, and folk music ephemera fill shop and restaurant windows for the Forever Young Community Gallery Window Show . Items from the New England Folk Music Archive and private collections ...

Together in song

June Wulff, Globe Staff — 2009-11-24T00:58:15Z

Rachael Sage and Seth Glier have their own agendas for tomorrow’s concert, but they will also perform together. Sage’s show is “Sequins & Shpiel,’’ and the self-taught, alt-pop songstress and keyboardist made it onto the new “Fame’’ soundtrack with “Too Many Women’’ from her “Public Record’’ CD. Glier, a Massachusetts native, celebrates his new CD, “The Trouble With People.’’ The ...

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.

Adam Lambert ready to shake up pop world with CD

Derrik J. Lang, AP Entertainment Writer — 2009-11-23T12:41:06Z

During rehearsals for his outlandish American Music Awards performance, amid a thundercloud of throbbing theater lights and special-effects fog, Adam Lambert effortlessly governs the sprawling stage while gripping a microphone in his gloved hands and donning a tight T-shirt slathered with an image of David Bowie's face.

Jackson's doctor returns to his Houston clinic

Juan A. Lozano, Associated Press Writer — 2009-11-23T09:11:22Z

Michael Jackson's doctor returned to work at his Houston medical clinic on Monday for the first time since the pop star's death and his patients welcomed him back without reservation.

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

Sting warns of hydroelectric project in Amazon

2009-11-23T02:51:11Z

British pop star Sting says Brazil's government should listen to the voices of local indigenous groups before building a massive hydroelectric dam in the Amazon rain forest.

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.

Bon Jovi, 'The Circle'

2009-11-23T01:50:30Z

The circle of which Bon Jovi speaks via the title of its 11th album is the return to the big rock sound that fueled this band's ride out of New Jersey back in the 1980s heyday of pop-metal.

50 Cent, 'Before I Self Destruct'

2009-11-23T01:50:21Z

It's tough for an insanely rich MC to try to go back to the streets - it's easier going back to insane, like Eminem - but that's what 50 Cent does here with mixed success.

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

How low can he go?

2009-11-23T01:19:03Z

Berklee College of Music professor Danny Harrington says that for him, choosing the baritone sax was as natural as breathing. It just felt right. Since he picked an instrument that weighs 15-20 pounds, we think Harrington must have developed some biceps in addition to his affinity for the lower register. He brings his big horn and his quartet to Berklee ...

Bad news, good news

2009-11-23T01:17:32Z

Sadly, you can’t see the real thing anymore. But tributes to the late, great Michael Jackson remain. Who’s Bad , a band started by North Carolinian Vamsi Tadepalli, has been honoring the music and artistry of the king of pop since 2004. The group’s performances are tours through three decades of Jackson’s canon, from “ABC’’ to “You Rock My World,’’ ...

Attorney: Jackson's doctor returning to work

Ken Ritter, Associated Press Writer — 2009-11-22T21:51:25Z

Michael Jackson's former personal physician is returning to work at his Houston clinic for the first time since before the pop singer's death, his lawyer said Sunday.

Jackson, Swift face off at American Music Awards

Sandy Cohen, AP Entertainment Writer — 2009-11-22T17:51:26Z

Janet Jackson kicked off the American Music Awards with a medley of some of her biggest hits, but it was her late brother Michael who was poised to be one of the night's big winners, up for five American Music Awards, including entertainer of the year.

Holiday Preview: Classical Picks

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-21T17:31:04Z

Yes, Handel’s “Messiah’’ is back but there’s a lot more on the holiday classical calendar. Here is a brief roundup of a few notable local events.

An interactive taste of Bulgarian folklore

Lydia Rebac, Globe Staff — 2009-11-21T17:30:05Z

instead, you grab your beloved, run off, and get married.

Holiday Preview: Music Picks

James Reed and Sarah Rodman, Globe Staff — 2009-11-21T17:29:55Z

HOLLY COLE Dubbed “A Night Before Christmas,’’ the swellegant Cole and her quartet will make merry with jazzed up hymns and carols and a smattering of her normal repertoire of vocal pop standards. If that’s not Christmasy enough for you, she’s got Holly right there in her name. 8 and 10 p.m. Dec. 4. $25. Scullers. 866-468-7619. www.ticketweb.com

They have it covered

Jonathan Perry, Globe Correspondent — 2009-11-21T02:22:20Z

In less loving hands, the idea might have been too much weight to bear. The premise, as “Cover-Up’’ series co-organizer Andrea Kremer recalls, was to assemble a clutch of Boston’s best bands to rehearse 25 or so songs from “The Last Waltz,’’ the Band’s farewell album and one of rock’s most revered musical (and film) documents - and then perform ...

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 ...

The good times are still with Davies

Marc Hirsh, Globe Correspondent — 2009-11-20T02:00:10Z

“Are there any individuals here tonight?’’ Ray Davies asked at the Berklee Performance Center on Tuesday, and a sizable portion of the crowd, missing the irony, erupted in cheers. The former Kinks frontman, ever the wag, then persuaded his audience to sing along with the title phrase of “I’m Not Like Everybody Else.’’ Having made his point with his typically ...

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 ...

Unwashed phenomenon

James Reed, Globe Staff — 2009-11-19T17:22:47Z

Early on in the new film “The Family Jams,’’ the camera zooms in on Devendra Banhart’s face, a thick tangle of dark hair, darker eyes, and a beard straight out of the Book of Exodus. The interviewer wants to know what kind of music Banhart makes, trotting out the tired labels that Banhart and his kindred spirits would never use ...

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 ...

High craft, dramatic heat spark ‘Crucible’

Matthew Guerrieri, Globe Correspondent — 2009-11-16T19:24:57Z

Consciences are, appropriately, stripped bare in Boston Opera Collaborative’s fine new production of “The Crucible.’’ After all, Robert Ward’s 1961 operatic adaptation of Arthur Miller’s play is all about witchcraft: Puritan Salem torn by reckless accusations, the flawed-but-noble farmer John Proctor and his wife snared in the irrational mania. What good would common sense do?

The world on a string

Steve Morse, Globe Correspondent — 2009-11-16T19:24:21Z

Violin prodigy Sam Weiser likes Tootsie Pops and fantasy football. And at 15 he’s already making a name for himself as a musician.

Without Aerosmith, Perry’s guitar stars

Jonathan Perry, Globe Correspondent — 2009-11-16T02:39:49Z

The title of Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry’s latest solo album, “Have Guitar, Will Travel,’’ couldn’t be more apt. While it’s still an open question (whose answer seems to change on a weekly basis) whether Aerosmith has its flighty lead singer, Steven Tyler, in the fold, the one sure thing Perry possesses is his guitar - and his irrepressibly stylish way ...

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 ...

Critic's pick - pop music

2009-11-14T18:23:24Z

RAY DAVIES Kinks fans may have reason to be hopeful. Davies has been recording with original drummer Mick Avory and a couple of latter-day Kinks. He’s even talked about working with his brother Dave. Until then, he’s touring in support of his new album, a quirky collection of Kinks classics performed chorally. 8 p.m. Nov. 17. $47.25-$92.25. Berklee Performance Center. ...

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 ...

Critic's pick - classical music

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-14T18:22:54Z

BERLIN PHILHARMONIC Boston is extremely lucky to have the Berliners back again so soon after their last Celebrity Series visit in 2007. Simon Rattle leads this mighty orchestra in two symphonies by Brahms (Nos. 3 and 4) as well as Schoenberg’s “Accompaniment to a Cinematographic Scene.’’ Today at 3 p.m., $52-$148, Symphony Hall, 617-482-6661 or www.celebrityseries.org.

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2009-11-14T18:22:54Z

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 ...

Aerosmith through the years

2009-11-10T00:59:31Z

1969 Steven Tyler meets Joe Perry in Sunapee, N.H. 1971 The band’s classic lineup - Tyler, Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, and Joey Kramer - is in place.

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: