Music heals everything “Soul Sounds” concert

By Sherwani Synon

Music is undoubtedly a universal language whether it’s singing, instrumental music or opera; it’s a unique method of expressing one’s views or feelings. It was once said by a gentleman named, H.A. Overstreet “I have my own particular sorrows, loves, delights; and you have yours. But sorrow, gladness, yearning, hope, love, belong to all of us, in all times and in all places. Music is the only means whereby we feel these emotions in their universality.”

Soul Sounds is one such group that has united in the name of music, this group which comprises only of young girls has been singing since the year 1997. Having started out as a school choir in one of the popular schools in Colombo, Soul Sounds has broken the limit of a choir in many ways. To show off their God given talent Soul Sounds, with the assistance of the Rotary Club of Battaramulla have organized a concert the Rotary Aid 2007, on the 9th of June at Ananda College Auditorium.

Speaking to the Music Director of the group Soundarie David, “these girls are very talented and I want to show the world what Soul Sounds capable of”. Having participated in many competitions here and abroad this group of young girls have brought fame not only to themselves but to Sri Lanka as well! The group has passed many milestones such as singing for the 1997 Hollywood movie, Mother Theresa- In the name of God’s Poor, raising funds for tsunami victims by performing songs with popular singers. The choir has performed on invitation at prestigious venues including Westminster Cathedral in London, at Nehru Park for the Bhakthi UtsavVatican Chapel, the India International Centre, in Delhi; and at the Grand Hall of China in Xiamen. Having taken part in the World Choir Games 2006 with 2000 choirs from 60 different countries, the choir won 2 silver medals and has also had the privilege of touring Australia in February. It is difficult to describe the achievements of Soul Sounds for they have not only won awards but also won hearts around the word with their soulful voice.

The choir has no age barrier for these girls ranging from the young age of eleven to mid twenties, most of them working and doing higher studies in various fields. Speaking to Nilanga Jayawicreme one of the choir members, “I think by performing in different countries and places we are getting a chance to portray our country and its various cultures and give a positive outlook to everyone outside.” The choir is not nearly complete without the backbone of the choir Soundarie David the Music Director and their musicians Neranjan de Silva Sound Engineer/ Keyboardist, Christopher Prins Drummer/ Percussionist and Jerome L. de Silva Artistic Director.

The event will be colourful and energetic with songs performed from different genres such as serious Classics, Jazz, Broadway and some popular Sinhala hits. So if you want to know the whole fuss with this awesome choir be there at Rotary Aid 2007 and experience their music…!! …via Mirror Life

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Internationally-renowned Sri Lankan pianist Rohan de Silva performs at New York’s Avery Fisher Hall

The internationally-renowned Sri Lankan pianist Rohan de Silva collaborated once again with violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman in a superlative performance at New York’s Avery Fisher Hall last week.

Both performers, who had earlier appeared at the White House East Room during Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Washington DC last month, were given standing ovations by the New York audience.

De Silva’s partnerships with other violin virtuosos Cho-Liang Lin, Midori, Joshua Bell, Benny Kim, Kyoko Takezawa, Vadim Repin, Gil Shaham, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, and Julian Rachlin have led to highly acclaimed performances at recital venues all over the world.

With these and other artistes, he has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall and Alice Tully Hall, the Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, Philadelphia Academy of Music, Ambassador Theater in Los Angeles, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall in London, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Mozarteum in Salzburg and La Scala in Milan and Tel-Aviv, Israel.

His festival appearances include the Aspen Interlochen, Manchester, Ravinia and Schleswig-Holstein Festivals, the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan, and the Wellington Arts Festival in New Zealand.

He performs frequently with Itzhak Perlman and was seen with Perlman on PBS’ Live from Lincoln Center broadcast in early January 2000.

De Silva recently toured Japan with Perlman, and in August 2002, they toured the Far East including performances in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

In spring 2006, he toured with Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman, including stops in Chicago, Boston, New York and Washington DC. In the 2006-07 season, De Silva appeared in recital with Perlman across the United States.

As of July 2000, Rohan de Silva has been a faculty member at the Perlman Music Programme on Long Island.

 

Singer Norah Jones jumps blindly into acting

Singer Norah Jones took a leap of faith when she agreed to star in Chinese director Wong Kar Wai’s latest movie “My Blueberry Nights”.

When she was approached about the part of Elizabeth in his first English-Language movie, she had never seen any of Wong’s films and was focussing on a tour.

But once she watched his acclaimed “In The Mood For Love” Jones agreed to try her hand at acting.

“I was not planning on making any kind of acting debut, and he knocked on my door and I hadn’t a clue and just thought … ’I’m on tour and I’m not an actress, so whatever’,” Jones told reporters after the film was screened to the press in Cannes.

“My Blueberry Nights” is the opening picture at the 60th Cannes Film Festival, one of 22 movies in competition for the coveted Palme d’Or. It has its world premiere at a red carpet gala screening in the evening.

“I watched ’In The Mood For Love’ and I thought ’Wow, that’s just the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Jones said.

“I thought, ’Let’s have lunch, maybe he wants the music,’ and he said: ’Do you want to be in a movie?’.

“I said: ’OK, you’re amazing.’ I really just jumped in with a good feeling of trust for him.”

It was a risk for Wong too. He decided to cast Jones without having met her, attracted by her looks and cinematic voice.

Love lost and found

Jones is a Grammy-winning artist who at the age of 28 has sold tens of millions of albums. She appears alongside British heart throb Jude Law in a story of losing and finding love set in New York and across the United States.

Law plays New York cafe owner Jeremy from Manchester, England, who tells Elizabeth that her boyfriend has been cheating on her and they gradually become soul mates.

Elizabeth embarks on a journey where she encounters a policeman who drowns his marital sorrows in whisky (David Strathairn), his wife (Rachel Weisz) and gambling addict (Natalie Portman).

Wong said he was outside his comfort zone with the film, which critics in Cannes initially praised for its visual beauty and soundtrack more than the narrative or dialogue.

“The challenge of this film is it is in English, which is not my language,” said Wong, the president of the jury in Cannes last year.

He said he had often found foreign directors’ attempts to make films about China “very embarrassing”, with characters distorted or too exotic.

“I always wanted to make a film in a different language, but I wanted to avoid this problem. I wanted to do justice to Americans, to the characters, which I expect from other films.”

Asked why he had chosen blueberry pie for the title of the film, he replied:

“At the very beginning I decided it was blueberry pie. I asked Norah also what kind of pie you hate the most, and she said blueberry pie, so it’s like a torture.”

CANNES, France, May 16 (Reuters) –

28th Annual Blues Award Nominees Announced

 

The Blues Foundation has released the nominees for the 28th Blues Music Awards (formerly known as the W.C. Handy Awards). The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Memphis May 10, 2007.

 

If you are planning on getting in on the voting, you can join the Blues Foundation at their website.

 

Acoustic Album of the Year

John Long – Lost & Found

Bob Brozman – Blues Reflex

Guy Davis – Skunkmello

Rory Block – The Lady and Mr. Johnson

Cephas & Wiggins – Shoulder to Shoulder

 

Acoustic Artist of the Year

Cephas & Wiggins

David “Honeyboy” Edwards

Paul Oscher

Rory Block

Guy Davis

 

Album of the Year

Charlie Musselwhite – Delta Hardware

Watermelon Slim & the Workers – Watermelon Slim & the Workers

Irma Thomas – After the Rain

Janiva Magness – Do I Move You?

Nick Moss & the Flip Tops – Live at Chan’s

 

B.B. King Entertainer of the Year

Bobby Rush

Bettye LaVette

Tab Benoit

Watermelon Slim

Lil’ Ed

 

Band of the Year

Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials

Mannish Boys

Nick Moss & the Flip Tops

Watermelon Slim & the Workers

Magic Slim & the Teardrops

 

Best New Artist Debut

James Hunter – People Gonna Talk

The Kilborn Alley Blues Band – Put it in the Alley

Eric Lindell – Change in the Weather

Slick Ballinger – Mississippi Soul

Dave Gross – Take the Gamble

 

Comeback Album of the Year

Andy Fairweather Low – Sweet Soulful Music

Chicago Bob Nelson – Flyin’ Too High

Dion – Bronx in Blue

Jeremy Spencer – Precious Little

Jerry Lee Lewis – Last Man Standing

 

Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year

Marcia Ball

EG Kight

Barbara Blue

Janiva Magness

Shemekia Copeland

 

Contemporary Blues Album of the Year

Janiva Magness – Do I Move You?

Michael Powers – Prodigal Son

Guitar Shorty – We the People

Fiona Boyes – Lucky 13

John Mooney – Big Ol’ Fiya

 

Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year

Kim Wilson

Tab Benoit

Guitar Shorty

Ronnie Baker Brooks

Michael Powers

 

Historical Album of the Year

Delmark Records – Live at Theresa’s 1975 – Junior Wells

Delta Groove Productions – Larger Than Life – Hollywood Fats Band

Delmark Records – All Your Love I Miss Loving – (Live at the Wise Fools Pub Chicago) – Otis Rush

Shout! Factory – Live at the Electric Ballroom 1974 – Freddie King

Shout! Factory – Hooker – John Lee Hooker

 

Instrumentalist-Bass

Bob Stroger

Larry Taylor

Mookie Brill

Bill Stuve

Calvin “Fuzz” Jones

 

Instrumentalist-Drums

Willie “Big Eyes” Smith

Sam Carr

Sam Lay

Jimi Bott

Richard Innes

 

Instrumentalist-Guitar

Duke Robillard

Kid Ramos

Lurrie Bell

Nick Moss

Guitar Shorty

Hubert Sumlin

 

Instrumentalist-Harmonica

Charlie Musselwhite

Kim Wilson

Mark Hummel

Billy Branch

Big George Brock

James Harman

Mitch Kashmar

 

Instrumentalist-Horn

Deanna Bogart

Kaz Kazanoff

Calvin Owens

Eddie Shaw

Doug James

Greg Piccolo

 

Instrumentalist-Other

Robert Randolph – Steel Guitar

Rich Del Grosso – Mandolin

Otis Taylor – Banjo

Sonny Rhodes – Steel Guitar

Guy Davis – Banjo

 

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year

Mitch Woods

Marcia Ball

Floyd Dixon

Henry Butler

Dr. John

Honey Piazza

 

Song of the Year

“Icicles in My Meat Loaf” – Ed Williams, Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials – Rattleshake

“Hard Times” – William Homans, Watermelon Slim & the Workers – Watermelon Slim & the Workers

“Church is Out” – Charlie Musselwhite, Charlie Musselwhite – Delta Hardware

“Baptized in Dirty Water” – Chris Thomas King, Chris Thomas King – Rise

“Prodigal Son” – Michael Murchison, Michael Powers – Prodigal Son

 

Soul Blues Album of the Year

Frankie Lee – Standing at the Crossroads

Irma Thomas – After the Rain

Jackie Payne & Steve Edmonson Band – Master of the Game

Johnny Rawls – Heart & Soul

Calvin Owens Blues Orchestra- I Ain’t Gonna Be Your Dog No More

James Hunter – People Gonna Talk

Trudy Lynn – I’m Still Here

 

Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year

Bettye LaVette

Irma Thomas

Trudy Lynn

Mavis Staples

Sugar Pie DeSanto

 

Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year

Bobby Rush

Frankie Lee

Mighty Sam McClain

Solomon Burke

Jackie Payne

 

Traditional Blues Album of the Year

Last Of The Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen – Live in Dallas

Charlie Musselwhite – Delta Hardware

Nick Moss & the Flip Tops – Live at Chan’s

Big George Brock – Round Two

Watermelon Slim & the Workers – Watermelon Slim & the Workers

 

Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year

Zora Young

Diunna Greenleaf

Etta James

Nora Jean Bruso

Ruth Brown

 

Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year

Charlie Musselwhite

Robert Lockwood, Jr.

Big George Brock

Hubert Sumlin

Watermelon Slim