൯ TWELVE GIRLS BAND

Twelve Girls Band (traditional Chinese: 女子十二樂坊; simplified Chinese: 女子十二乐坊; pinyin: Nǚzǐ shí'èr Yùefǎng, sometimes abbreviated to 女樂 or 女乐) is a music women artists group who started with twelve members but later become thirteen, that use traditional Chinese instruments to play both traditional Chinese and Western songs. Formed on June 18, 2001, the women were selected by audition from more than 4,000 contestants. Each woman is classically-trained, and the band members come from various conservatories in the People's Republic of China (PRC), including the China Academy of Music, the Chinese National Orchestra, and the Central Conservatory of Music.

Chinese numerology gave Wang Xiao-Jing the idea for the Twelve Girls Band. When the Xiao-Jing decided he wanted to create a woman ensemble, he knew it needed 12 members. Per Chinese mythology it is the twelve jinchai (12 hairpins) representing womanhood. The twelve women that Xiao-Jing assembled were experienced musicians from the People's Republic of China's orchestras, played traditional Chinese instruments, and all were in their twenties. For the new project, the women were inspired by the art of the Yue Fang, the ensembles who played in the Tang Dynasty courts during the years A.D. 618 to 907.

The group debuted their modern compositions on ancient instruments in China and Japan during the Northern summer of 2003. Word of mouth spread, show after show were sold-out, and in Japan their debut album topped the charts for 30 weeks. Their self-titled debut was released in North America in August 2004 with cover versions of Coldplay's "Clocks" and Enya's "Only Time" included, and a massive television advertising campaign announcing the group's arrival.

Among the instruments used by the women: erhu (Chinese fiddle), pipa (pear-shaped lute), guzheng (zither), yangqin (hammered dulcimer), dizi (transverse flute), and xiao (vertical flute). Occasionally, the duxianqin (single-stringed zither) and hulusi (three-piped gourd flute) are employed.

They took 1500 years of legacy and traditional Chinese music and weave into contemporaries of pop, jazz and classical.

In July 2003, Beautiful Energy, their first album in Japan, reached the top of the J-pop chart. They won Japan Gold Disc Award in 2004.

The Twelve Girls Band toured in the United States in 2004 Miracles tour and again in 2005. In July 7, 2007 the Twelve Girls Band performed at the Chinese leg of Live Earth in Shanghai.

Bao Zhong/pipa; Bin Qu Liao/dizi,hulusi,xiao; Jian Nam Zhou/gu zheng; Jin Jiang/erhu; Jing Jing Ma/yangqin; Kun Zhang/pipa; Shuang Zhang/pipa; Song Mei Yang/yangqin; Ting Sun/erhu; Yan Yin/erhu; Ying Lei/erhu,duxiangqin; Yuan Sun/dizi,hulusi,xiao;

Whoa! I was completely blown away, fantastic..awesome

൯ LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN, Fur Elise|Moonlight Sonata|Symphony 9|Symphony 5|Bagatelle, Opus 33 #5|Sesta Sinfonia - la "Pastorale"|

Ludwig van Beethoven (English pronunciation: /ˈlʊdvɪɡ væn ˈbeɪtoʊvɨn) (16 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He was a crucial figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western classical musicand remains one of the most acclaimed and influential composers of all time. Born in Bonn which was then capital of the Electorate of Cologne in present-day Germany he moved to Vienna in his early twenties and settled there studying with Joseph Haydn and quickly gaining a reputation as a virtuoso pianist.

Around 1796 Beethoven began to lose his hearing. He suffered a severe form of tinnitusa "ringing" in his ears that made it hard for him to perceive and appreciate music he also avoided conversation. The cause of Beethoven's deafness is unknown but it has variously been attributed to syphilis lead poisoning typhusauto-immune disorder (such as systemic lupus erythematosus) and even his habit of immersing his head in cold water to stay awake. The oldest explanation from the autopsy of the time is that he had a "distended inner ear" which developed lesions over time.

Wilhelm Walter Friedrich Kempff (November 25 1895 – May 23 1991) was a world-renowned German pianist and composer.

Beethoven is acknowledged as one of the giants of classical music occasionally he is referred to as one of the "three Bs" (along with Bach and Brahms) who epitomize that tradition. He was also a pivotal figure in the transition from 18th century musical classicism to 19th century romanticism and his influence on subsequent generations of composers was profound. Beethoven's compositional career is usually divided into Early Middle and Late periods. In this scheme his early period is taken to last until about 1802 the middle period from about 1803 to about 1814 and the late period from about 1815.

Herbert von Karajan (5 April 1908 - 16 July 1989) was an Austrian orchestra and opera conductor.

In his Early period Beethoven's work was strongly influenced by his predecessors Haydn and Mozart but he also explored new directions and gradually expanded the scope and ambition of his work. Some important pieces from the Early period are the first and second symphonies the set of six string quartets Opus 18 the first two piano concertos and the first dozen or so piano sonatas including the famous Pathétique sonata Op. 13.

His Middle (Heroic) period began shortly after Beethoven's personal crisis brought on by his recognition of encroaching deafness. It is noted for large-scale works that express heroism and struggle. Middle-period works include six symphonies (Nos. 3–8)the last three piano concertos the Triple Concerto and violin concerto five string quartets (Nos. 7–11) several piano sonatas (including the Moonlight Waldstein and Appassionata sonatas) the Kreutzer violin sonata and Beethoven's only opera Fidelio.

Beethoven's Late period began around 1815. Works from this period are characterized by their intellectual depth their formal innovations and their intense highly personal expression. The String Quartet Op. 131 has seven linked movements and the Ninth Symphony adds choral forces to the orchestra in the last movement. Other compositions from this period include the Missa Solemn is the last five string quartets (including the massive Große Fuge) and the last five piano sonatas.

Beethoven was bedridden for most of his remaining months and many friends came to visit. He died on 26 March 1827 during a thunderstorm. His friend Anselm Hüttenbrenner who was present at the time claimed that there was a peal of thunder at the moment of death. An autopsy revealed significant liver damage which may have been due to heavy alcohol consumption. [wikipedia]

Friedrich Gulda - (16 May 1930 - 27 Jan 2000) was an Austrian pianist who performed in both classical and jazz fields, nicknamed "terrorist pianist" because of his unorthodox practice..he's kinda cute..

൯ VOCA PEOPLE

The Voca People is a new international vocal theater performance that combines amazing vocal sounds and an acapella singing with the art of modern beat-box which imitates the sounds of drums, trumpets, guitars and other instruments and musical effects without using any musical instrument on stage, performed in a humoristic way and with audience participation.

The Voca People is an ensemble of 8 talented musician-actors; 3 female singers that bring the very best female sounds (alt, mezzo, soprano) and 3 male singers (bass, baritone, tenor. In addition there are 2 beat box artists that create extraordinary human beat box sounds and are considered to be the best performers in their field. Artistic Director: Lior Kalfo, Music Director: Shai Fishman, Producers: Revital & Lior Kalfo. Performers: Eyal Cohen, Oded Goldstein, Liraz Rahmin, Adi Cesare, Adi Kozlovsky, Naama Levi, Boaz Ben David, Inon Ben David

This innovative performance is one of the only acts in the world that combines singers and beat box performers to bring an entire orchestra without any musical instruments.This unique comical and theatrical framework and the mega mixes they bring to the stage - distinguish them from other vocal groups.

൯ STOMP

STOMP, a unique combination of percussion, movement and visual comedy, was created in Brighton, U.K., in the summer of 1991. It was the result of a 10 year collaboration between its creators, Steve McNicholas and Luke Creswell. They first worked together in 1981, as members of the street band Pookiesnackenburger and the theatre group, Cliff Hanger.

In the summer of 1991, Luke and Steve produced, financed and directed the original STOMP, previewing at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre and premiering at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh, where it became the Guardian’s “Critic’s Choice” and won the Daily Express’ “Best of the Fringe” award. Originally a seven-piece (with Luke, Theseus Gerard, Fraser Morrison, Carl Smith, Nick Dwyer, David Olrod and Sarah Eddy) STOMP grew to be an eight person outfit with the addition of Fiona Wilkes in the fall of ‘91.

Between 1991 and 1994, the original cast of STOMP played to capacity audiences around the world from Hong Kong to Barcelona, from Dublin to Sydney. The touring culminated in a sell-out season at London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre in January 1994, where STOMP received an Olivier nomination for Best Entertainment Award and won Best Choreography Award in a West End show.

STOMP began its run at the Orpheum Theatre in New York in February 1994 and quickly went on to win an Obie Award and a Drama Desk Award for Most Unique Theatre Experience. STOMP also created the “Mr. Frears’ Ears” series of short films created for Nickelodeon. “Brooms,” a 15-minute short film based on the opening routine, was nominated for an Academy Award. This STOMP-oriented film was also selected for screening at Robert Redford’s Sundance Festival and for competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

Luke and Steve began production of their IMAX movie Pulse: A Stomp Odyssey, in Brazil during Carnival 2000 and completed it in the summer of 2002. Pulse takes the IMAX audience on a spectacular global journey, featuring performances from Kodo, Timbalada and Eva Yerbabuena. It was released to critical acclaim in the fall of 2002 and won 2 major awards at La Geode's film festival in Paris the following year. In 2004 it received the ultimate Imax Award for Best Film at the GSTA in Montreal. Pulse is still playing in IMAX theatres worldwide.

In September 2002, STOMP finally entered London’s West End at the Vaudeville Theatre, and later that year STOMP performed as part of the Royal Variety Show for the second time. STOMP is now in its fifth year in London. In 2003, a unique Dolby Digital trailer featuring STOMP performances debuted in cinemas across the globe and the following year an Emmy nominated sequence was created for ABC Sports coverage of the World Figure Skating Championships.

In 2004, in celebration of ten years of STOMP in New York, 2nd Avenue at 8th Street was renamed Stomp Avenue. In 2007, STOMP OUT LOUD opened in Las Vegas at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino with an expanded cast and performed inside a new $28 million theater specifically created for the production. [wikipedia]

൯ ENNIO MARCHETTO

Ennio Marchetto (born 20 February 1960 in Venice) is an Italian comedic live entertainer whose performances feature quick-change artistry, impersonations and his trademark bi-dimensional paper costumes. In his one hour show he goes through 50 costume changes, often in front of the audience without hiding behind drapes or screens and without any assistance by stage hands.

His costumes are created from cardboard and paper, often folding from one character into another character. In 18 years, Ennio has performed in over 70 countries for more than a million people. His show has received numerous awards and international critical acclaim. He has around 350 characters in his repertoire. His characters are often celebrities, but also include other cultural icons and works of art. His first international engagement was during the 1989 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where his show became a cult hit. His show has travelled all over the world ever since and has been part of major television productions worldwide.

Awards

1987: Golden Lion, Venice Entertainment Festival

1988: Zanzara d'Oro, "Best New Comedian" category, Bologna

1994: nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment

1995: "Best Show", Cannes Performance d'Acteur

1996: FAD Sebastià Gasch Award, Barcelona

1999: nominated for Drama Desk Award for a "Unique Theatrical Experience", New York

1999: Back Stage West Garland Award, "Best Costume Design" category, Los Angeles

2008: nominated for the IRNE Award, "Best solo performance at a large theatre" category, Boston [wikipedia]

He is truly amazing, versatile & talented! Thanks to Steven Lee.

൯ MAKSIM MRVICA, Flight Of The Bumble Bee|Exodus|Amazonic|Hana's Eyes|Wonderland|Claudine|Olympic Dream|Cubana Cubana|

Maksim Mrvica (Croatian pronunciation: [ˈmaksim ˈmr.ʋitsa] born May 03, 1975) is a popular pianist from Croatia. In 2003 Maksim released one of his first albums The Piano Player. Mrvica took up piano lessons from the age of nine from Marija Sekso and gave his first public performance in the same year. Just three years later he gave his first concert performance of Haydn’s Piano Concerto in C major. When war broke out in 1991 both Mrvica and his professor were determined that this would not disrupt his music studies. In spite of the war and surrounding turbulence Mrvica entered in and won his first major competition in Zagreb in 1993.

Mrvica went on to study at the Music Academy in Zagreb where he spent five years under Professor Vladimir Krpanwho himself was a pupil of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. He then spent a year at the Franz Liszt Conservatoire in Budapest and during this year he won first prize at the Nikolai Rubinstein International Piano Competition. In 2000 he moved to Paris to study with Igor Lazko and gained first prize in the Pontoise Piano Competition in 2001.

When he returned to Croatia he found himself to be the focus of intense media interest and he made frequent television appearances as well as giving a great number of interviews. He soon found himself recording his first CD Gesturesan album of contemporary Croatian piano pieces. Gestures became one of the fastest-selling classical recordings to be released in Croatia and Mrvica was even invited to officiate the Porin award ceremony an honour not usually granted to a classical artist.

Soon after this launch Mrvica was spotted by the musician author and manager Tonči Huljić who composed several tracks for the crossover string quartet Bond and it was Tonči who put Mrvica in touch with British impresario Mel Bush. Mel had by chance been looking for a new pianist for some time and he recognised Maksim's potential to appeal to a wide range of audiences. EMI Classics was also interested in Mrvica and soon a new album was underway. This album was The Piano Player which gave a new spin to compositions by Handel and Chopin. Since its release in 2003 it has been very successful particularly in Asia where it has achieved Gold status in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and China. Platinum in Taiwan and Croatia and Double Platinum in Hong Kong. It was also in the number 1 slot in the HMV international pop chart in Hong Kong for twelve consecutive weeks.

Mrvica has performed in a couple of international beauty pageants and MTV awards. His image and charisma also attracted the interest of global brands such as American Express who sponsored him in Singapore and automobile giants Chevrolet and BMW for whom he performed at their respective Colombian and Malaysian car launches.

There is a Chinese lyrical version added to the non-lyrical song of Maksim Mrvica's "Claudine". This musical piece was sung and written by singer Edmond Leung from Hong Kong. According to Boxup.com Edmond was so captivated by Maksim's performance of "Claudine" that he asked Maksim's permission to do a lyrical version in Cantonese. Soon after in 2004 their collaboration produced the bitter sweet ballad called "Xin Wang Ai" ("Trust in Love"). [wikipedia]

൯ KITARO

Takahashi Masanori (高橋正則), better known as Kitarō (喜多郎), is a Grammy award-winning Japanese musician, composer and multi-instrumentalist. Inspired by the R&B music of Otis Redding, Kitaro taught himself how to play guitar. While attending Toyohashi Commercial High School, he started the "Albatross" band with his friends, performing at parties and in clubs. "I started out playing the guitar but then changed to the keyboards. Before one of our gigs, the drummer was injured. I had no experience at all on the drums, but I had to learn it because I was the leader of the band, and we had to do the gig…Later, the bassist had injuries, so I had to learn how to play the bass. [These accidents are] the main reasons why I can play all these instruments; I had a crash course in how to play them. It was a hard time for me, but a very good experience.”

After graduating, Kitaro moved to Tokyo to experience and become a part of the music scene, and it was there that he discovered the synthesizer. His first synthesizer was analog, and recalls he “just loved the analog sound that it made compared to today's digital sound”. His parents were first opposed to the idea of their son having a musical career. Indeed, in an effort to manoeuvre him towards their vision, they made arrangements for him to take a job at a local company. In return, he left home without telling them. He supported himself by taking on several part time jobs such as cooking or civil service work, meanwhile composing songs at night.

In the early 1970s, he changed completely to keyboards. He joined the band "Far East Family Band" and toured with them around the world. In Europe, he met the German synthesizer musician and former Tangerine Dream member Klaus Schulze. Schulze produced two albums for the band and gave Kitaro some tips for the use of synthesizers. In 1976 he left the band and travelled through Asia (China, Laos, Thailand, India).

Back in Japan, Kitaro started his solo career in 1977. The first two albums Ten Kai and From the Full Moon Story became cult favorites of fans of the nascent New Age movement. He performed his first symphonic concert at the 'Small Hall' of the Kosei Nenkin Kaikan in Shinjuku, Tokyo. During this concert Kitaro used a synthesizer to recreate the sounds of 40 different instruments, a world's first. But it was his famous soundtrack for the NHK series "Silk Road" that brought him international attention. [wikipedia]

൯ TAKE ME TO YOUR HEART

Wow! Wow! Wow! Superb job by Jammers 02! Love this version of "Take Me To Your Heart", you have got the Hindi, Korean and English version, all three in one. The Hindi version was sung by Shaan and the Korean version by Shin Hyesung (Shinhwa, YEAH~!). Lastly the English part sung by Michael Learns To Rock aka MLTR.

Although MLTR are credited for the song, the melody is actually from an old Chinese song called "Kiss Goodbye" by Jacky Cheung. Million thanks to [jammers02] for putting this together so neatly.

Standing on a mountain high

Looking at the moon through a clear blue sky

I should go and see some friends

But they don't really comprehend

Don't need too much talking without saying anything

All I need is someone who makes me wanna sing

Take me to your heart take me to your soul

Give me your hand before I'm old

Show me what love is - haven't got a clue

Show me that wonders can be true

They say nothing lasts forever

We're only here today

Love is now or never

Bring me far away

Take me to your heart take me to your soul

Give me your hand and hold me

Show me what love is - be my guiding star

It's easy take me to your heart (repeat)

In case you are curious to know who is that gorgeous lady featured in the video, she is Crystal Liu Yi Fei, a star actress and singer from China.

൯ COOKIN' NANTA

‘Nanta,’ which literally means random drum-beats is a non verbal performance based on the rhythms of samullori (traditional Korean percussions) that is uniquely Korean. The typical Samullori musical percussions have been replaced with diverse drums improvised from kitchen utensils. Going back and forth from cooking to pounding out their rhythmic cadences, from cheerful banter to playful animosity, the kitchen crew creates visual humor and aural fun that entices the audience to participate. As they complete the best dishes of the day, the performance culminates in a feast that is shared with the audience to highlight and celebrate the communal bond found in a traditional Samulnori performance. The show is designated as one of the ‘Top Ten Things to See in Seoul’ by the Korea Tourism Organization.

Nanta made its international debut in 1999 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where it received an award for best performance. Since then it has been staged in the U.K., Germany, Austria, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Australia. With plenty of support from successful oversea performances in February 2004 Nanta finally opened a long term performance in Broadway New York being the first in Asia.

൯ PAUL MAURIAT, Love Is Blue|Toccata|Penelope|El Bimbo|Romeo&Juliet|

Paul Mauriat (Marseille, 4 March 1925 – 3 November 2006 in Perpignan) was a French orchestra leader, specializing in light music. He is best known in the United States for his remake of André Popp's "Love is Blue," which was #1 for 5 weeks in 1968. Other recordings for which he is known include "El Bimbo," "Toccata" and "Penelope."

Mauriat grew up in Marseilles and began leading his own band during the Second World War. In the 1950s he became musical director to at least two well-known French singers, Charles Aznavour and Maurice Chevalier, touring with them respectively.

Relative to his peers, Paul Mauriat has one of the largest recording catalogs, featuring more than 1,000 titles just from his Polygram era (1965-1993). He was awarded with the Grand Prix from the French recording industry, a MIDEN trophy, and in 1997 won the prestigious distinction of "Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres" from the French Ministry of Culture. He has sold over 40 million albums worldwide and held 28 tours in Japan from 1973 to 1998.

In the early-mid 1980s, Paul Mauriat appeared in several Japanese coffee and wine TV commercials, which featured music from his orchestra. A line of saxophones are named for Paul Mauriat, known as P. Mauriat Saxophones. Paul Mauriat died on November 3, 2006 at the age of 81. [wikipedia]

൯ SITAR

Ravi Shankar (Bengali: রবি শংকর) (born 7 April 1920), often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian classical musician and composer who plays the sitar. He was described as "the most famous Indian musician on the planet" by Ken Hunt of Allmusic. Shankar was born in the Indian state Uttar Pradesh and spent his youth touring Europe and India with the dance group of his brother Uday Shankar. He gave up dancing in 1938 to study sitar playing under court musician Allauddin Khan. After finishing his studies in 1944, Shankar worked as a composer, creating the music for the Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray, and was music director of All India Radio, Delhi, from 1949 to 1956. Shankar was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists, in 1962, and became a fellow of the academy in 1975. He was awarded the three highest national civil honors of India: Padma Bhushan in 1967, Padma Vibhushan in 1981, and Bharat Ratna in 1999. Shankar received the music award of the UNESCO International Music Council in 1975, three Grammy Awards, and was nominated for an Academy Award. He was awarded honorary degrees from universities in India and the United States. Shankar received the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize in 1991, the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1992, and the Polar Music Prize in 1998.

Thokchom Prasanna Singh initiated his Sitar studies at the age of 11 under (Late) Prof. L. Mangi Singh (Lucknow Gharana / Traditional School), under the Head of Sitar Department of Manipur State Government Music College, Imphal, India. Prasanna was awarded the Manipur State Fellowship for 5 years for further study and research in the traditional sitar style of Bishnupur Gharanas under world renouned Sitar Maestro, Pandit Manilal Nag of Calcutta. From 1984 to 1993 Prasanna was a professor for Sitar at the Minipur State Government Music College in Imphal. He had performed on All India Radio, Indian TV and All India Music conferences. In 1996 Prasanna moved to New York and continues as a performer and instructor.

Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan (born 14 October, 1955) is a Sitar player of Hindustani Classical Music. He carries on a legacy of sitar playing that goes back seven generations in his family. He is one of India’s more celebrated younger musicians, prized especially for the vocalistic phrasing of his raga improvisations. He is privileged with both belonging to an illustrious musical family, and for achieving success in not only preserving the tradition but in pushing its boundaries to even greater heights of aesthetic beauty. He belongs to the famous Etawah Gharana and belongs to the seventh generation of this musical lineage. His family has produced the many of the most revered and influential instrumentalists in Hindusthani Classical Music including the likes of Ustad Sahabdad Khan, Ustad Imdad Khan (his great grandfather), Ustad Enayat Khan , Ustad Wahid Khan (his grandfather) and Ustad Vilayat Khan.

Anoushka Shankar (Hindi: अनुष्का शंकर), born June 9, 1981) is a sitar player and composer in the United States. She is the daughter of Ravi Shankar, Indian sitar player, and Sukanya Rajan, a bank employee. Through her father, she is the half-sister of Grammy Award winner Norah Jones. Shankar was born in London and divided her childhood between London and Delhi. As a teenager, she lived in Encinitas, California and attended San Dieguito Academy. A 1999 honors graduate, Shankar decided to pursue a career in music rather than attend college. [wikipedia]

Prasanna Leads this group in a medley of Beatles covers. FULL VERSION. www.prasanna-sitar.com

The Beatles were instrumental in introducing Sitar music to the West way back in the 60s and the late George Harrison was the only Beatle who was eager and interested in Sitar music.

A cute advertisement by Channel V reminding of us we all possess the full potential to be rock stars.. Sorry if I have missed out any of your favorite Sitar player as there are far too many. This compilation if mainly based on the availibility from YouTube at the time of posting, hope viewers can understand. Namaste.

൯ BLUE MAN GROUP

Blue Man Group is a creative organization founded by Phil Stanton, Chris Wink and Matt Goldman. The organization produces theatrical shows and concerts featuring music, comedy and multimedia; recorded music and scores for film and television; television appearances for shows such as The Tonight Show, Scrubs, FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman, and Arrested Development; and a children's museum exhibit ("Making Waves"). All of the organization's appearances star a trio of performers called Blue Men.

The Blue Man can be considered a type of homologue, a creature approximating a real male human being. The strongest and most obvious Blue Man characteristic is his static appearance, namely, the ear-less, bright blue head and face, and nondescript, utilitarian clothing. In action, the Blue Man does not speak and his face is usually expressionless, although suggestions of curiosity, surprise, wonder, chagrin, etc. are sometimes visible. The Blue Man does not communicate through speech or broad body language or gestures; rather, he communicates through intense eye contact and simple gestures. He acts impulsively and primarily as a group of three, "checking in" with the other two when making decisions and before moving to their next action. The Blue Man's outwardly apparent motivations are often presented in mild caricature in order to make a humorous and/or ironic point to the audience. Additionally, the Blue Man is inscrutably motivated to drum. They even have their own hand gesture, called the "Blue Man Salute", which is made by raising both arms in the air. These characteristics provide a character free of stereotypes or race and allow all members of the audience to identify with them equally.

Meryl Vladimer, the Artistic Director of The CLUB, saw their work and commissioned Blue Man Group to create a full-length show. The resulting piece, Tubes, took off after Vladimer persuaded New York Times theater critic Stephen Holden to review it. Blue Man Group's popularity continued to snowball, resulting in a performance at Lincoln Center titled "Serious Fun", and eventually an Obie Award and aLucille Lortel Award, which led producers to take the show to off-Broadway. Tubes opened in 1991 at the Astor Place Theater in New York City.

Blue Man Group won a special citation in the 1990-1991 Village Voice Obie Awards, and a special award in the 1992 Lucille Lortel Awards, which are for excellence in off Broadway theatre.

It was decided that cast members would stay in character at all times while in makeup, meaning after shows they would still not speak to audience members, and the only "autograph" they would sign would be a smudge of blue paint. When shown a "new" piece of technology, such as a cell phone or even an old pair of binoculars, they will simply stare at it in wonder. [wikipedia]

൯ STEELPANS

Steelpans (also known as steeldrums or pans, and sometimes collectively with musicians as a steelband) is a musical instrument and a form of music originating from Trinidad. Steelpan musicians are called pannists.

The pan is a pitched percussion instrument, tuned chromatically (although some toy or novelty steelpans are tuned diatonically), made from a 55 gallon drum of the type that stores oil. In fact, drum refers to the steel drum containers from which the pans are made; the steel drum is correctly called a steelpan or pan as it falls into the idiophone family of instruments, and is not technically regarded as a drum or membranophone..

The origin of pan has been the subject of theses in the USA; the University of The West Indies also conducts research into the history of the instrument. Although there has been past debate to determine whether Trinidadians or Antiguans were the originators of this instrument, the history of pan has been well documented by authors including Stephen Stuempfle and Shannon Dudley and has been conclusively shown to have grown out of Trinidad and Tobago's early 20th century carnival percussion groups known as Tamboo Bamboo. Pan is the National Instrument of Trinidad and Tobago.

The steel pan evolved out of earlier musical practices of Trinidad. Drumming was used as a form of communication among the enslaved Africans and was subsequently outlawed by the British colonial government in 1883. African slaves also performed during Mardi Gras celebrations, joining the French that had brought the tradition to the island. The two most important influences were the drumming traditions of both Africa and India. The instrument's invention was therefore a specific cultural response to the conditions present on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago.

For many years now there have been attempts to use the steel pan in various contexts other than those with which it is stereotypically associated. The first known use of steelband in a theatrical performance (outside of Trinidad and Tobago) was in Harold Arlen's 1954 Broadway musical "The House Of Flowers" where Enid Mosier's "Trinidad Steel Band" performed in several of the numbers. British composer Daphne Oram was the first composer to electronically manipulate the sound of the steelpan after recording a band (probably Russell Henderson's Steelband) in 1960.

The first use of pan in a commercial pop record was by The Hollies in 1967 with "Carrie Anne" An international festival, the World Steelband Music Festival, has been held intermittently in Trinidad since 1964, where steelbands perform in a concert-style ambiance a test piece (sometimes specially composed, or a selected calypso) a piece of choice (very often a "classic" or European Art-music work) and calypso of choice. During Carnival celebrations in Trinidad, the largest steelband contest in the world Panorama takes place.

Among the best known Trinidadian solo performers on steel pan are Len "Boogsie" Sharpe, Ray Holman, Earl Rodney, Rudy "Two Lef" Smith, Ken "Professor" Philmore and Anise Hadeed. Liam Teague has worked to integrate the steelpan with conventional "classical" instruments in transcriptions and specially commissioned works. Many pannists have found that their instrument is particularly suited to use in jazz; in Britain Russell Henderson and Sterling Betancourt have utilised pan in a jazz context since the 1950s. Andy Narell is America's best known jazz pannist, along with Othello Molineaux. Ellie Mannette and Rudolph Charles are well known pan makers, along with Neville Jules and Dudley Dixon. [wikipedia]

So amazing they even make full use of used oil drums. Love to watch them in groups playing than solo. They are completely immersed with the rhythm and flowing freely as if in a trance. Cool..

൯ JAPANESE CLASSICAL 'ROCK'

You would straight away recognise the intro of Smoke On The Water without any difficulty. Very Cool indeed. If you wanna watch the original Deep Purple in action, click HERE.



Sorry do not know a word of Japanese just that I like the style and hoping the lyric is OK as per the direct translation of the original song and nothing of those abusive or unpleasant words. (feel free to drop a line for those who knows Japanese, thank you).


The 'Queen' meeting the 'Emperor..'


Presenting the Yoshida Brothers..Beauti-phewww music! Ichiban!!!! I love it. More of Yoshida Brothers.

൯ RADETZKY MARCH Op.228

Radetzky March, Op. 228 is a march composed by Johann Strauss Sr. in 1848. It was dedicated to the Austrian Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, and became quite a popular march among soldiers. When it was first played, in front of Austrian officers in attendance, they promptly clapped and stomped their feet when they heard the chorus. This tradition is carried over today when the march is played in classical music venues in Vienna, among members of the audience who are familiar with the tradition. It is almost always played as the last piece of music at the Neujahrskonzert, the Vienna New Year Concert. [wikipedia]

When the East meets West - The China Central Chinese Orchestra, Conductor: Chen Xie Yang, seems to me most of the conductors do have a hilarious look, full of action and expression especially for this particular piece of classical music. Thanks Nicky Beh for sharing in Facebook.

All the while I thought music Conductors are the serious kind of person with all those frowning and scowling appearance, oops guess I was very wrong..

The Conductor, Daniel Barenboim is kinda cute. He was born in Buenos Aires in 1942 to parents of Jewish Russian descent. At a tender age of five he started piano lessons with his mother, together with his father as his only other teacher. In August 1950, he gave his first official concert in Buenos Aires when he was seven years old.