Tag: ArtDontSleep
Timeless IV with David Axelrod: Cancelled
by Joy on Mar.23, 2009, under Concerts & Tours, Festivals, Timeless
March 23, 2009
Verocai triumphant, Axelrod cancelled – Timeless to return late Summer, 2009.
It is with saddened hearts that we must announce today that Timeless, the extraordinary musical series, has ended without its fourth installment.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the David Axelrod concert scheduled to take place on April 5, 2009 is now cancelled. Pre-concert ticket purchasers for the show will be automatically refunded via credit/debit cards. Patrons who purchased tickets at the Harriet and Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex box office should return to the theater for a refund.
On a personal note, I don’t really know what to say – my arduous attempts to make this event a reality did not work out as planned. We had luminaries from as far away as Ethiopia and Brazil grace the Timeless stage; and to have to cancel a local legend in the end has been very difficult. Those of you who know me and know my personal relationship to David will know the enormity of my disappointment. Though we are unable to present our series in its entirety, it was still an undeniable success. From the composer-arrangers to our special guests to the incredible orchestra, we made history and breathtaking magic.
I would like to extend our complete gratitude to VTech - more personally Tom Bacon for taking this chance with us and sticking with it. Tom isn’t one to want to be in the limelight but I can say that none of this would have been possible without him, his wisdom and patience.
Worth revisiting, here is our take on last Sunday’s show:
It isn’t often that the cosmos align as perfectly as they did on Sunday to bring Arthur Verocai to L.A. for the first time. Though some people in attendance may have been familiar with his work through hip-hop’s skillful integration of his epic sound, there was no mistaking that Verocai’s symphonic artistry extends beyond the confines of sampling. With a 36+ piece orchestra – including Brazilian heavy hitters Ivan “Mamao” Conti, Aloisio Aguiar, Jose Bertrami and Airto Moreira – Verocai made his fabled 1972 self-titled album unfold before a “timeless” group of admirers.
Leading his troupe through cascading horns and soaring string arrangements, Verocai looked like an elegant prophet sent to take us on a journey to an unknown heavenly destination. Without hesitation, he opened the night with the intense “Karina (Domingo no Grajau),” dominated by an all-pervading horn section and the soulful twangs of Woody Aplanalp’s purposeful electric guitar.
Sultry classic “Dedicada a Ela” was given new life by Justo Almario’s saxophone, while soon after, the mestre himself took the microphone to sing his futuristic lament “Caboclo.” The most anticipated song of the evening was the larger-than-life “Na Boca do Sol,” which serves as an emblem of Verocai’s decidedly Brazilian approach to his visionary fusion of soul, jazz and psychedelic funk. Sung exquisitely by Clarisse Grova, Diana Booker and the recording’s original vocalist, Carlos Dafe, it was only fitting that the concert ended with a stepped-up encore of it.
The momentous night ended too soon, but we hope this is not the last time our city’s humble ears will be graced by this living legend’s brilliance. Obrigado, Arthur – we love you!
And indeed, thank you, Los Angeles. It has been an astonishing journey – one that has proven to be a learning curve for all of us at Mochilla and ArtDontSleep. It has raised the bar for all concert goers in this city, and hopefully, institutional programmers will finally come to comprehend that with their budgets, they can make bigger and better things happen in this city. We’ve broken the mold, and there’s no turning back.
With total gratitude…
B+ (Mochilla)
The “Ides” Have It: Arthur Verocai Live Tonight @ the Luckman
by Joy on Mar.14, 2009, under Concerts & Tours, Timeless
Though some may say the Ides of March evokes a dark mood, VTech and Mochilla couldn’t disagree more (Sorry Julius Caesar). It’s time to rejoice and cheer, Verocai is here!
Arthur Verocai with a 36 piece orchestra will be performing live in Los Angeles for the very first time, and you won’t want to miss it.
For hip hop fans and music lovers alike, come experience Arthur Verocai’s self-titled 1972 debut album in its entirety.
How can you resist this? Opening DJ sets with Madlib and DJ Nuts. A 36 piece orchestra featuring Brasilian heavy hitters Ivan “Mamao” Conti and Jose Roberto Bertrami from Azymuth, Carlos Dafé (the originally singer on Verocai’s album), Airto Moreira, and more!!
TONIGHT! TONIGHT! TONIGHT! TONIGHT!
Sunday, March 15th, 2009
7-11pm / All Ages / $32.50
The Luckman Box Office +1 323 343 6600
(Please keep in mind that these are assigned seating events - in order to sit together you MUST purchase your tickets together - to view seating chart please go http://luckmanarts.org/seatingchart.php)
*Early arrival is STRONGLY suggested*
Harriet and Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex
Cal State University Los Angeles
5151 State University Drive. Los Angeles. 90032
Just Around The Corner: Arthur Verocai (III of IV)
by Joy on Mar.09, 2009, under Concerts & Tours, Timeless
For the third installment of Timeless, a four-part series honoring legendary composers/arrangers, VTech, Mochilla and ArtDontSleep are proud to present Brasilian folk-soul-jazz composer and arranger Arthur Verocai with a 36-piece orchestra.
Why Arthur Verocai?
“For me Arthur Verocai’s music typifies a spirit that links the world of Rogerio Duprat’s Tropicali with the Milton Nasciamento’s Clube D’Esquina school from Minas Gerais to the powerful string soul coming from Charles Stepney in Chicago and David Axelrod in Los Angeles. But it is more too - ask Ludacris or 9th Wonder or MF Doom or Quantic. His arrangements ooze emotion”
-B+, Mochilla
Born in Rio de Janeiro on June 17th, 1945, Arthur Verocai first earned widespread attention in 1966 when Leny Andrade recorded his song “Olhando o Mar”. A product of a classical music education, Verocai embraced the contemporary pop, soul and jazz sounds emerging from all over. Gradually honing a sweeping orchestral psych-funk sensibility that has put him in the same category as producers David Axelrod and Charles Stepney.
He has collaborated with artists including Paulinho Tapajos, Elis Regina and Maria Creuza, and arranged sessions for Gal Costa, Marcos Valle, Quarteto em Cy, and others.
In 1972, Verocai released a self-titled solo LP, an innovative effort bridging the gap between Tropicalia of the late 60’s and the funk of the 70’s. “I was in an adventurous mood on this album and that led me to explore new melodic, harmonic and rhythmic paths.” Unfortunately due to the album’s poor sales, Verocai became a commercial arranger and producer, and failed to produce another solo album till Saudade Demais, 2002.
Though Verocai only released two albums, his 1972 self-titled album struck a cord with musicians from all walks of life. There seems to be no end to the praises artists have for Verocai.
“Arthur Verocai is a genius, one of the finest”- Quantic
“I could listen to the (Arthur Verocai) album everyday for the rest of my life“ - Madlib
“Em 1972 falaram que ele estava maluco… sua musica é agora.” - DJ Nuts
“Arthur Verocai is living proof that soul transcends generations, races, and creeds. If you are a producer and don’t know who this guy is……. then you don’t know soul music at its best….. Welcome to Brazillian Soul……………. meet Arthur Verocai” - 9th Wonder
“When I listen to Arthur’s music it makes me glad to feel alive. It doesn’t get any better than this” - Mark Pritchard/ Troubleman
“Of all the Brazilian music I have encountered, this is my favourite record” -Yoshihiro Okino, Kyoto Jazz Massive
“A touch of folk, more than a hint of funk, jazz-style solos, amazing 20-piece string arrangements, and a blending of electronics and keyboards with organic sounds and social commentary… You could easily get laid to this stuff.” -Water Magazine
“With influences stretching from Milton Nascimento and Herbie Hancock to Frank Zappa and Jimmy Webb, Verocai was very much a product of the Tropicalia era, drawing on the music of the exterior to speak to the oppressed youth. Touching on folk, jazz cinema music and early electronica Verocai’s self-titled album is a stunning piece of work and worthy of comparisons with the lo-fi sound of Shuggie Otis and the orchestral soul of Charles Stepney. A wonderful discovery.” -Straight No Chaser
A Suite for Ma Dukes…revisited
by bacon on Mar.02, 2009, under Timeless
It’s been a week and a day, not that I’m counting, since the Timeless #2: A Suite for Ma Dukes. I’ve found it hard to write about the weekend, the rehearsal, the show for that matter. I was sitting on B+’s couch, again, late last Friday night as we did our final decompress from the heavier than norm week that was behind us. We were both still in a state of awe about what transpired, trying wrap my head around the things that unfurled along the way. Walking into rehearsal straight from Burbank and seeing Dukes for the first time in a year and half. Seeing Miguel work his magic and feeling it like I’ve never seen, his months, hell, years of prep leading him to this moment. The playful glee in the smiles of the musicians making up the amazing ensemble as they practiced what was definitely a bit outside their comfort zone - and KILLING it. Looking around the room: Pas from De La Soul, Bilal, my man Shafiq, Mochilla crew shooting everything…Nino posted next to dukes, me right behind her….soaking it in, being quiet. Holding hands, crying, laughing, smiling, bouncing…..it was all there. Drew of course handling biz, Bekka handling Drew…..It was different than #1…smoother…more like watching an opera.
Cut to Sunday before the show, backstage was buzzing. Ma Dukes brilliant in white, biggest grin I have ever seen, feeling the moment and ready to take care of all of us, if you know here you know what I am saying. So much love that night in Luckman on both sides of the stage. Karriem Riggins, Thundercat, so many friends and fam in the seats and on stage. J. Rocc and House Shoes rocked the 1’s and 2’s as only they can, knowing Dilla so well for so long. Miguel’s 1st time conducting, and for all of you that were there, it was nothing short of unbelievable. 5 standing ovations, encore and finale took us past the drop dead time, and the Luckman is Union….needless to say everyone was feeling the moment. I had the pleasure of sitting with Dukes during the show. At one point I hit Dru ” what time should I bring Dukes back?” ‘10:15′….So i leaned over and let her know we would need to get her on stage for “Stakes is High” et al…at which point she said ” Oh no, they have every one they need, they are full”….we secured the largest stage in LA for a reason….” No way Mom, we’re going…”
As i took her back stage we ran into Talib Kweli, surprise…around stage right we run into the whole crew, surprise….Oh No, Alchemist, Frank, MED, Rhettmatic…all the fam….from that point on you can imagine. We’ll put up another video of the encore shortly, we thought Hoc n Pucky was the essence you really needed to see right away.
All 4 of these shows are special, unique and close to our hearts. This show was complex on many levels, and allowed a lot of amazing people take their own gifts to another level, and we are grateful to have been there to witness it and to be supporting them. Los Angeles, again, than you for your support. Our special guests who came in from all over the country, Thank You. Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and Carlos Nino- congrats!.Mochilla, Artdontsleep and the entire crew, killing the game and get some rest. J Dilla: We miss you. Ma Dukes: we love you.
a quick video of Ma Dukes on stage with Common and Illa J during the show:
Suite For Ma Dukes - Miguel Atwood-Ferguson
by andrew on Feb.26, 2009, under Concerts & Tours, Timeless, Video
If you listen closely to the music, the possibilities are endless
Ma Dukes (February 22nd, 2009.)
The energy onstage was infectious, and the audience was just as emotionally invested in the performance as the musicians. One could feel the grand swoops and shimmering intricacies of the music just by the motion of Atwood-Fergusons hands. When Dwele came out to do Angel, he had to stand back in awe for several moments to take in the beauty of what he was about to sing over.
In true Dilla fashion, one classic begets another, and we got to see that progression take place right before our eyes.Diana Moreira led us through the bossa nova lilt of Stan Getz and Luiz Bonfas Saudade Vem Correndo,containing the famous hook Dilla sampled into the Pharcydes Runnin. Minutes later, the orchestra changed tempo and transformed the bossa nova mood into Dillas inspired jam with vocal contributions by Amp Fiddler, Bilal andShafiq Husayn of Sa-Ra. Bilal then sang Reminesce and brought the crowd to the verge of rapture.
The night rounded out when Posdnuous surprised everyone and did his verse of De la Souls Stakes is High, and then brought on Talib Kweli to do Doves verse. The chorus which included OhNo, Alchemist, Illa J, Frank Nitty, Rhettmatic, Ma Dukes, J Davey, Houseshoes sang out the refrainLove, Vibration - eventually turning the mic over to the audience to sing along. An encore of Slum Villages Fall in Love left everyone with the sweet high that only falling in love can bring about.
People will be talking about this majestic performance for years and blessed are the ones who were able to see it bloom firsthand.
Suite For Ma Dukes rehearsal: Day 1
by andrew on Feb.22, 2009, under Concerts & Tours, Timeless
So thought I’d throw another Flip Vid in the mix from that day, Pas and everyone practicing Stakes is High in the smaller auditorium across from the spot due to a dancing convention or something going on the main stage Saturday.
