Robert Plant paid a visit to the Nonesuch Music Library to talk about a few of the records he found inspiring.
Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant – a self-described "nerdy collector," constantly exploring new sounds – recently spent some time rooting around the Nonesuch Music Library and pulled a few albums off the shelves he found to be inspiring. Check out his discussion of the records he selected right here. Watch Robert discuss record collecting while on tour with guitar player JD McPherson righthere.
David Herrington and crew will perform music from Sun Ra, Steve Reich and George Crumb in Toronto on Thursday night.
Here's the scoop...
To celebrate five decades of sound, Kronos will perform a carefully curated selection of its work, spanning brand new works and signature pieces from composers around the world. The 50th anniversary season marks the debut of Kronos Quartet’s recently appointed cellist Paul Wiancko, performing alongside founder and violinist David Harrington, and longtime members John Sherba (violin) and Hank Dutt (viola).
For 50 years, San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet has pursued a singular artistic vision, combining a spirit of fearless exploration with a commitment to continually reimagine the string quartet experience. They have performed thousands of concerts worldwide, releasing more than 60 recordings of extraordinary breadth and creativity, collaborating with many of the world’s most accomplished composers and performers, and commissioning more than 1,000 works and arrangements for string quartet. Kronos has received over 40 awards, including the Polar Music, Avery Fisher, and Edison Klassiek Oeuvre Prizes, some of the most prestigious awards given to musicians.
Get tickets for Kronos Quartet: Five Decades at Koerner Hall (273 Bloor St. West) on Thursday (May 9) right here.
Program:
George Crumb: Black Angels +
Aleksandra Vrebalov: ilektrikés rímes * (Canadian premiere)
Steve Reich: Triple Quartet * (Toronto premiere)
Peni Candra Rini: Movement I from Segara Gunung * (arr. Jacob Garchik & Andy McGraw) (Ontario premiere)
Sun Ra, Terry Riley & Sara Miyamoto: Kiss Yo’ Ass Goodbye * (arr. Paul Wiancko) (Canadian premiere)
Nicole Lizée: ZonelyHearts * (Ontario premiere)
* Written for Kronos
+ Laurence Neff, lighting & stage designer;
Brian Mohr, sound designer; Calvin Ll. Jones, technical director
Kronos Quartet & Ghost Train Orchestra's tribute album Songs and Symphoniques: The Music of Moondog is out now.
Here's the scoop...
On "Songs and Symphoniques: The Music of Moondog," Ghost Train Orchestra teams up with the trailblazing Kronos Quartet to celebrate and reimagine the music of Louis Hardin, aka Moondog, the ground-breaking composer and poet who lived on the streets of New York City in the 50s and 60s, and influenced the minimalists Philip Glass, Steve Reich and Terry Riley. A blind composer who moved from Kansas to New York City and built his own instruments and mythology, Moondog's story and music continue to be an inspiration to many.
Along with guests Sam Amidon, Jarvis Cocker, Petra Haden, Karen Mantler, Marissa Nadler, Aoife O'Donovan, Rufus Wainwright and Joan Wasser, the two groups explore Moondog's sense of whimsy, wonder and adventure through a cross-section of songs and instrumentals for large ensemble, string ensemble, percussion and voice.
The vinyl and CD packages include an essay by biographer Robert Scotto, Moondog's song lyrics, extensive in-studio photographs by Dan Efram, and an interview with Kronos Quartet founder David Harrington and Ghost Train Orchestra founder Brian Carpenter, mediated by music historian Irwin Chusid.
Get a copy right here. Check the clip for "High On A Rocky Ledge" feat. Marissa Nadler following a short documentary about the tribute project below.
