In Memoriam - Fernando Correia Martins

Portuguese composer/arranger/conductor/musician Fernando Correia Martins passed away today in Lisbon, Portugal.
Maestro Correia Martins had arranged/composed & conducted for such artists as Olivia and Marina Mota. He was also known for being the Music Director for the television program Sábado à Noite, as well as conductor, arranger and composer for several Festival of Song on the Portuguese public television channel RTP.
Most recently he was the Conductor & Musical Director for the show Piratada à Portuguesa in Lisbon.
On Friday March 27, he was awarded the Máscaras do Teatro on the stage of the Teatro Maria Vitória.
Our deepest condolences go out to his family and anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.
Rest in peace.

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band-Convention Hall 3/23/09

Just when I might begin to forget why I love Bruce so much, I see him live and it all comes back in a flash.
Bruce's new world tour starts on April 1 in California. As with his last few tours, he decided to do a couple warm up shows at Convention Hall in Asbury Park, a tradition he started in 1999 with the Reunion Tour and continues through to today. I was lucky enough to attend the first of the two scheduled rehearsal shows.
Although there were still a few kinks to be taken care of, they showed for the millionth time why they are one of the greatest live bands around.
The band was augmented by two back up singers, Curtis King and Cindy Mizelle of Bruce's Sessions Band. At several points I felt as though the E street Band was a combination of both bands, since Charlie Giordano, Soozie Tyrell and Patti Scialfa are also in the Sessions Band. Drummer Max Weinberg's son Jay will be filling in for Max when needed, so he got to perform on a few songs also.
The setlist included 7 songs from Bruce's new Working on a Dream CD, several older songs, and a few covers.
This first warm up show was better than the warm up show I saw at Convention Hall for the Magic Tour. The sound was very good, in a space that is known for terrible sound. The pacing of the show was also better. The Magic tour seemed to be one fast song after another, whereas the setlist for this show had more variety.
The highlights for me were I Ain't Got No Home which was performed with the back up singers up front with Bruce and Soozie, Charlie and Patti alongside them. The Woody Guthrie song, which Bruce covered years ago, sounded like an electric version of the Session's Band. The same can be said of Hard Times Come Again No More, a Stephen Crane song that got the Session's Band treatment.
The pacing, for the most part, was pretty solid. The only glaring issues were the length of time between a couple of the songs, a few botched vocals and a few miscues, which were pretty noticeable. However, this is a rehearsal show and that is to be expected.
One moment which I am sure will get tossed, was an audience sing along during This Life. It was pretty clumsy, and broke the rhythm of an otherwise good performance. The bands vocal arrangement on this song was very impressive, reminiscent of Pet Sounds era Beach Boys. Also, going from Long Walk Home into Surprise,Surprise and then into Badlands seemed very unconnected, despite loving all 3 of those songs. The final songs of the main set, Badlands and No Surrender were also too reminiscent of the end of the main set during the Magic and Rising Tours.
Drummer Max Weinberg's 18 (or is he 19) year old son Jay will be filling in for Max when he joins the Max Weinberg 7 on the Tonight Show. Jay played a 5 song stretch about midway through the main set. After which Bruce stated, "There will always be a Weinberg behind the drums at an E Street Band concert". Jay is very good, and seemed to be having the time of his life. Who wouldn't. He has a harder style than Max, which sounded great on Good Eye and Radio Nowhere. I am curios to see how he will be on some of the quieter songs. Max is known for being able to slip from one style to another effortlessly, not to mention a vast knowledge of classic songs and the drum part required.
During the encores, Bruce brought up local legend John Eddie for a cover of Mustang Sally. A little sloppy, but fun nonetheless. Since they covered the first verse twice, I assume no one really knew the words. But seeing the two of them together was a lot of fun.
The show closed with another cover song, Seven Nights to Rock. This was played almost regularly on the later part of the Rising tour.
Overall a very good show. Do improvements need to be made, of course. Traditionally the E Street Band hits their stride about 10 shows into their tours, then they get better night after night after night.
Looking forward to seeing them this summer.
Here's the setlist.

Outlaw Pete
My Lucky Day
Night
Out in the Street
Working on a Dream
Johnny 99
I Ain't Got No Home
Good Eye w/Jay Weinberg
Radio Nowhere w/Jay Weinberg
Candy's Room w/Jay Weinberg
Because the Night w/Jay Weinberg
Mary's Place w/Jay Weinberg
The Wrestler
This Life
Long Walk Home
Surprise, Surprise
Badlands
No Surrender

Hard Times
Mustang Sally w/John Eddie
Thunder Road
Born to Run w/Jay Weinberg
American Land w/Jay Weinberg
Seven Nights to Rock

Natasha Richardson 1963-2009

It was announced that Natasha Richardson has passed away as a result of injuries sustained in a skiing accident yesterday. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends. Rest in Peace.

Patti Scialfa - Paramount Theatre Asbury Park NJ 09/15/04

I have very mixed feelings about Patti Scialfa. Whereas I think there are moments during the E Street Band concerts when she is crucial (Empty Sky on the Rising Tour, Factory on the Reunion Tour), many times I feel she does not add anything critical to the band. There are many times during the E Street Band tours when she doesn't even perform. I think she would be best used as a guest performer during certain songs.
Having said that, I LOVE her solo work. She obviously is a good songwriter and I think her voice sounds great on her own recordings. So when she did a small tour in late 2004 I was excited at the chance to see her perform some of her solo work. I was lucky enough to see her do a couple of those songs at Bruce's Holiday Concerts and at the Come Together Concert in 1998.
Opening the show was Griffin House. Too many times I am not impressed with opening acts, but Griffin House was excellent. After about 2 songs, he had the crowd in the palm of his hands. He was accompanied by Paul Moak on guitar. He opened with Amsterdam and proceeded to perform many songs from his CD Lost and Found.
Patti took the stage shortly afterward and gave a great show. She had a great stage presence and had a genuine connection with the crowd. She reminisced about working on the Asbury boardwalk and growing up in the area. She performed many songs from her first 2 Cd's Rumble Doll and 23rd Street Lullaby.
Her band included fellow E Streeters Nils Lofgren and Soozie Tyrell and also the great Steve Jordan on drums. For the last 2 songs of the main set, Mr. Patti Scialfa, Bruce Springsteen, joined in on guitar and backing vocals.
Patti opened the show with Spanish Dancer accompanied by Nils on guitar. Her band, for having limited rehearsal time, I would imagine, were very tight. Nils also had a remarkable solo to end In My Imagination.
As it might be expected, the vocal arrangements stood out, and separated this from from the other band she performs in. Don't get me wrong, I love the E Street Band, but great harmonies do not come to mind when you talk about them. The addition of a cellist and Soozies violin added a wider range to the musical landscape that Patti covered.
Here is the setlist.

Spanish Dancer
Rumble Doll
23rd Street Lullaby
You Can't Go Back
Rose
In My Imagination
Yesterday's Child
Each Other's Medicine
State of Grace
Charm Light
Baby Don't
Stumbling To Bethlehem
Lucky Girl
As Long as I (Can Be With You) w/Bruce Springsteen
Love (Stand Up) w/Bruce Springsteen

Young in the City
City Boys
Valerie

It may be a little better, but only a little

*****This is an update for the previous post.*****
I read an updated article regarding the 9 year old girl in Brazil who was raped by her Stepfather. It seems she may not have been excommunicated because she is considered a minor. Her Mother and the Doctor were excommunicated though. The Stepfather is now in custody and it seems he may have been abusing her for years. Hopefully he will be spending the rest of his life in prison. And still he will not be excommunicated.

God have mercy on Archbishop Jose Cardoso Sobrinho & the Pope

Today I read about a poor 9 year old girl in Brazil who was raped by her Stepfather. The poor child wound up being pregnant with twins. It was recommended that she get an abortion since she most likely would not be able to carry the babies to term. I vaguely remember in High School Health class being told that the odds of a baby being born to someone so young would increase the risk of a baby not being fully developed. That seems to be a no brainer.
So of course the regional archbishop, Jose Cardoso Sobrinho of the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, did what would be expected. He excommunicated the little girl and her Mother. Let me repeat, he excommunicated the rape victim, a 9 year old girl, a child.
Luckily the rapist, her Stepfather, was not excommunicated since his crime was not as terrible.
And on cue, the Vatican defended this decision.
I really wouldn't expect the Catholic Church to condone abortion, but do you think they might just keep their mouth shut due to the disgusting nature of this crime, and the fact that a little girls life has been scarred for life. Of course not.
I hope that maybe some of the reports jumped the gun on this, and that the Archbishop did not actually excommunicate these people and that he realizes the true tragedy of what has happened.
It's more than likely that most Catholics probably find that there are times when abortion may actually be the more humane thing to do, for both the sake of the Mother and the child. But as usual, the people of the church usually see things in a more realistic way than the hierarchy do.
Welcome to the 1400's.

Greatest Movie Moments - Toy Story 2

Yes, Toy Story 2.
One of my all time favorite movie moments, animated or live action, is in this movie.
Woody, voiced by Tom Hanks, is stolen by Al, voiced by Wayne Knight. Woody is the final piece to complete the full set of Woody's Round Up toys. He meets Jessie, voiced by Joan Cusack. Woody wants desperately to go back home and be with Andy, the little boy who he belongs to. He tells Jessie that she can come with him, that Andy has a little sister. She then proceeds to tell Woody about the little girl that she use to belong to and how they were inseparable.
The entire flashback is told in song, the beautiful "When She Loved Me" by Randy Newman (Sung by Sarah MacLachlan)which should have won the Oscar that year. The flashback shows how Jessie was always with the little girl she belonged to, but was quickly forgotten once she started to grow up. When the little girl finds Jessie under her bed years later, she smiles in recognition of her, and takes her with her to where they use to play together, only this time to be donated as a used toy.
It sounds, pretty simple, and it is, but this is one of the most beautiful scenes ever put on film, and one of the most touching. At some point, everyone has had that toy which meant everything to them, and probably could never fathom parting with. But we eventually do, and we probably even forget why it meant so much to us.
This scene is probably the most moving scene I've ever seen in an animated movie, rivaled only by the Baby Mine scene in Dumbo and Bambi's mother being shot in Bambi.
If you love animated movies and have not seen Toy Story 2, see it but have a box of Kleenex nearby.