Author Archives: Laura

Theater Thursday 03/03/08: Ordinary People

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Ordinary People is an Academy Award-winning 1980 American motion picture drama and the directorial debut of Robert Redford. The story is about the disintegration of an upper middle class  family inLake Forest, Illinois, following the death of the oldest son. It was based upon the 1976 novel by Judith Guest. The film was a critical and commercial success, winning that year’s Academy Award for Best Picture and various other major film awards. The Jarretts, a family from Chicago’s North Shore, try to return to normal … Continue reading →

Lenny Bruce

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I wonder if anyone out there remembers Lenny Bruce. I’d like to know what people thought of him. I was sort of young when he was around and I understand he caused quite a lot of controversy. I remember listening to a tape of a couple of his routines. I think they must have considered him to be the first “shock” comedian. He made Howard Stern look serious. His biography according to Wikpedia: Lenny Bruce (October 13,1925 – August 3, 1966) – born Leonard Alfred Schneider, was a controversial American … Continue reading →

Theater Thursday 03/17/08: The Four Seasons

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The Four Seasons is a 1981 romantic comedy film starring Alan Alda, Carol Burnett, Len Cariou, Sandy Dennis, Rita Moreno, Jack Weston and Bess Armstrong.  The story revolves around three couples who take vacations together during each of the seasons.  After this pattern has been established, Nick (Cariou) leaves his wife Anne (Dennis) for a much younger woman, Ginny (Armstrong).  Nick then brings Ginny on the couples’ shared vacations, causing the other two couples to be uncomfortable with the situation.  I think this movie is … Continue reading →

Music Masters of the Sixties: Richie Havens

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One of my Multiply friends, Instrumentalpavilion reminded me that June is black music month. One of my favorite black artists that I admired throughtout my life is Richie Havens. I have posted some of my favorite songs.   Richie Havens is gifted with one of the most recognizable voices in popular music. His fiery, poignant, always soulful singing style has remained unique and ageless since he first emerged from the Greenwich Village folk scene in the early 1960’s. It’s a voice that has inspired and electrified audiences from the … Continue reading →

In The Studio – David Bromberg

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David Bromberg (born September 19, 1945, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American guitarist. Bromberg has an eclectic style, playing bluegrass, blues, folk, jazz, country and western and rock & roll equally well. He is known for his quirky, humorous lyrics, and the ability to play rhythm and lead guitar at the same time. Bromberg attended Columbia University in the 1960s and studied guitar with Reverend Gary Davis during that period. He has played with many famous musicians, including Jerry Jeff Walker, Jorma Kauonen, Jerry Garcia, and … Continue reading →

In the Studio: Earth, Wind, and Fire

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Earth, Wind & Fire drew from various streams of black music, synthesizing soul, funk, R&B, pop, gospel and African styles into a polished, precision-tooled approach. During the latter half of the Seventies, they issued a string of albums that changed the face of black popular music, linking thrilling music with uplifting messages of racial pride, African consciousness and spiritual unity. A large and visually resplendent ensemble, its members often wore colorful African robes. The group was known for employing magic tricks (often directed by the … Continue reading →

A Tribute To Buddy Miles (1947-2008)

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George Allen Miles, Jr. (September 5, 1947 – February 26, 2008), known as Buddy Miles, was an American rock drummer, most known as a member of Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys from 1969 until Hendrix’s death in 1970. George “Buddy” Miles was born in Omaha, Nebrask on September 5, 1947. He was known as a child prodigy, originally playing drums in his father, George Miles, Sr.’s, jazz band, The Bebops, beginning at age 12. Miles Sr. had played upright bass with Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Charlie Parker, … Continue reading →

Theater Thursday: The Chosen

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One of the most interesting novels I have read growing up was The Chosen by Chaim Potok. The book was made into a film in 1981. It was directed by Jeremy Kagan, starring Maximilian Schell, Rod Steiger, Robby Benson.  The story begins in 1944 with a softball game in a Jewish section of Brooklyn, New York between students from two different schools. Each team represents a different Jewish sect with a different level of Jewish observance. Danny Saunders represents the Hasidic sect led by his father, … Continue reading →

Friday Fluff 07/11/08: Where is Everybody ?

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“Where is Everybody?” is the first episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. The place is here, the time is now, and the journey into the shadows that we’re about to watch could be our journey. A man, Mike Ferris, finds himself alone in a strange town. He is dressed in an Air Force jumpsuit, but he does not remember who he is or how he got there. The town seems deserted, but everywhere the man goes, he seems to almost find … Continue reading →

Music Masters of the Seventies: America

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America was one of my favorite bands growing up. America are an English-American folk rock band, originally composed of members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, and Dan Peek. The three members were barely past their teenage years when they became an overnight musical sensation in 1972. They reached a peak in popularity in the early to mid 1970s and early 1980s. Among the band’s best known songs are “A Horse with No Name,” and “Sister Golden Hair” (both of which reached Number 1), “Ventura Highway,” and “Tin Man“. … Continue reading →