The big crowd for the Sunday Cape Ann Big Band St Peter Fiesta show was treated to glorious live music, strong solos and Kate Barry’s voice soaring Fiesta high. The Fiesta 50/50 raffle was at $1890 at Strike up the band time and climbed throughout the set.
O’Maley bands and choruses killing it. Great job Gloucester!
And no wonder. Listen to this teacher and share: Carlos Menezes delivers an awesome introduction inspired by his students and the extraordinary Charles Allan Winter WPA-era mural at City Hall.
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Packed and happy house
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Last night, July 3, 2014, was the 7th anniversary of the annual Runaround Sound Extravaganza, a free concert on the Boulevard after the Horribles parade. Last night we had the biggest crowd of the past 7 years even though there were no fireworks. It really is all about the music. Check out the finale.
All I can say is that I’m honored to live in the City that brought us the tremendously talented Carlos Menezes, Jr., who, along with some of Gloucester’s best musicians perform this show for free every year — and Ringo Tarr, who, along with his team, do more work behind the scenes in one day than many people do in a month.
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The Toasters (called Ska “Pioneers” by Billboard Magazine) will bring their infections brand of Ska, Reggae, Jazz, Punk & Soul to Gloucester as part of their 2014 world tour.
Mile 21’s 2014 reunion features Lead Vocalist Mike Francis, Carlos Menezes, Jr. on trombone, Keith Amero on Bass, Steve Russo on Drums, Mike Lentini on saxophone, and Mike Goulart on lead guitar. These guys alone are worth the price of admission.
Tickets are only $35 in advance and include this very special Concert PLUS a Gloucester Harbor Cruise and Party Buffet featuring Seafood Grille’s world famous Lobster Rolls!
As you might expect, seating is limited (this is a cruise ship, remember) so if you want to get aboard, you’re going to have to act quickly and get your tickets here.
You don’t want to be one of those losers who waits until it’s sold out and then tries to convince Homeland Security to let you aboard, do you?
Just in case you’re not sure what I mean by infections, watch this video:
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A Cape Ann Big Band concert is one of those rare treats that comes along only a couple of times a year — and this Saturday, May 3, they’re going over the bridge (for their only spring concert this year) to Beverly’s fully restored, historic Larcom Theatre. Come Swing into Spring with Cape Ann Big Band playing hits from the swing, soul, jazz, and rock’n’roll songbooks as well as show tunes and pop songs.
If you haven’t been down the road to the Larcom Theatre yet, this is your chance. It’s the perfect venue for a big band. Built in 1912 (the same year as Fenway Park) by Vaudeville musicians, this gorgeous theatre has spectacular acoustics. And we just installed a new, top-shelf sound system for perfect sound in every seat! Get yours now.
A Cape Ann Big Band concert is one of those rare treats that comes along only a couple of times a year — and next Saturday, May 3, they’re going over the bridge (for their only spring concert this year) to Beverly’s fully restored, historic Larcom Theatre.
If you haven’t been down the road to the Larcom Theatre yet, this is your chance. It’s the perfect venue for a big band. Built in 1912 (the same year as Fenway Park) by Vaudeville musicians, this gorgeous theatre has spectacular acoustics. And we just installed a new, top-shelf sound system for perfect sound in every seat! Get yours now.
Remember, Cape Ann Big Band sold out last year at Shalin Liu. You don’t want to be stuck waiting ’till the last minute and then not able to get a seat, do you? Get your tickets now!
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FOBs find out first! If you haven’t been down the road to Beverly’s fully restored, historic Larcom Theatre, this would be a good time to get tickets to see two top local bands in one of the best listening venues north of Boston.
With superb acoustics, world-class stage lighting, comfortable seats, and excellent sight lines, this gorgeous theatre is a perfect place to experience the area’s best live music — and it’s only about 20 minutes away with plenty of free parking. (Here’s some info on previous shows.)
Cape Ann Big Band’s Larcom Theatre Debut is Saturday May 3, 2014. 17 top players led by Gloucester’s Carlos Menezes (one of the area’s most talented young musicians) this big band will feature guest vocalists for a special spring concert. GET TICKETS HERE.
Ev Harlow and his band Roots 66 have agreed to open the free concert on the Boulevard beginning at 5pm on Wednesday 7/3. Their bluesy blend of roots, classic rock and Americana fits perfectly with the spirit of the day and will help us all get ready to celebrate our independence with music, dancing, parade, fireworks & a spectacular laser light show.
Then after the parade, and for the 6th year in a row, Carlos Menezes, Jr. will bring us music from Cape Ann Big Band and The Runaround Sound to Ringo Tarr’s Boulevard stage for a city-wide dance party by the Cut Bridge at the corner of the Boulevard and Centennial Ave (see map here). This free concert, presented by The Gloucester Fund and gimmesound.com, is only possible because of lots of hard work and generosity on the part of Ringo, his stage/event team and the musicians — all of whom donate their time and talent. Come down on Wednesday and show them some love!
Here’s the updated schedule: 5:00 Roots 66 kicks off the music 6:00 Music breaks for Horribles Parade
7:00 Cape Ann Big Band & The Runaround Sound after the parade
9:30 Fireworks over Gloucester Harbor
10:00 Spectacular LASER LIGHT SHOW by RK Lighting Design Then dance with Runaround under the stars & the lasers until 11 P.M!
March Continues With A Variety of Concerts at Rockport Music
Rockport Music presents the highest quality of concerts and presentations year-round at the stunning, seaside Shalin Liu Performance Center. This March provides a variety of musical opportunities for people to enjoy—from classical to jazz.
Classical Concerts
On Sunday, March 24, at 3 pm, Blue Heronperforms under the direction of Scott Metcalfe. Blue Heron – Boston’s top early-music vocal ensemble—presents Divine Songs, connections and exchanges between secular song and sacred music, featuring the music of Johannes Ockeghem. Unknown to many, Ockeghem is one of the greatest composers of all time. His endlessly fascinating sacred music has been characterized as mystical; his songs—each one a gem of invention—can be funny, heart wrenching, or profound. The program includes Ockeghem’s songs Ma maistresse, Fors seullement, and Presque transi; De plus en plus by Gilles Binchois; and movements from the masses by Ockeghem based on those songs. The Boston Globe proclaims, “Sensually rich, yet balanced and incandescent.” Tickets: $28-$48
Jazz, Folk, Pop, and World Music
On Friday, March 22 at 8 pm, Larry Coryell, known as the pioneer guitarist merging jazz, rock, free-form improvisations, and Eastern influences will perform at the Shalin Liu Performance Center. Larry Coryell brings his eclectic style described by critic Whitney Balliett as “the most innovative and original guitarist since Charlie Christian,” Coryell’s career spans four decades, over 60 albums (dozens more as a sideman), and performances with some of music’s heavy-weights like Eric Clapton, John Scofield, Elvin Jones, and Chick Corea, to name a few. Also a consummate composer, he tells Rockport Music, “I write music because I can’t help it. I think perhaps I want to complement all the great compositions already out there…Wayne Shorter and Sonny Rollins come to mind, and of course, Monk!” Tickets: $19-$34
Back by popular demand, the 17-piece Cape Ann Big Band will delight audiences at the Shalin Liu Performance Center on Friday, March 29, at 8 pm, with jazz, swing, soul, and rock n’ roll that will make you want to dance. Led by Carlos Menezes, the diverse 17-piece big band performs big band classics from a nostalgic era like “Mack the Knife,” “I’ve Got You Under my Skin,” and “Take the A Train.” Tickets: $19-$34
HD Broadcasts
On Saturday, March 16, at 12 pm, the Metropolitan Opera Live in HD broadcast of Zandonai’s early 20th-century melodrama Francesca da Riminireturns to the Met for its first revival in more than 25 years, in Piero Faggioni’s production. Marco Armiliato conducts Eva-Maria Westbroek in the title role of a noblewoman who is tricked into marrying the brutal Gianciotto, sung by Mark Delavan, instead of her true love Paolo, sung by Marcello Giordani. Tickets: $20-$32
National Theatre of London presents People in a HD broadcast on Thursday, March 21, at 7 pm.
In this hilarious new play, celebrated playwright Alan Bennett (Madness of King George, The History of Boys) takes a stab at modern society by examining the consequences of a self-serving government that turns a once-dignified nation into a “captive market,” with its people “rebranded as customers… available for easier exploitation.” Through satirical social commentary, People offers up “classic Bennett comedy with a Downtown tinge” (Daily Express). Tickets: $22 Adult, $15 Senior
For ticket information and details on these and other 2012-13 Season offerings, please visit our website at www.rockportmusic.org. Tickets are also available through the Box Office at 978-546-7391 or visiting 35 Main Street, Rockport, MA. The Box Office is open Monday-Friday, 10am-4 pm.
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So you’re not confused, this is Peter writing today. Remember when I told you that Vickie took some of Gloucester’s best music to Iowa on the cloud? (See that post here, if you missed it.) I pointed out that we love having our music in the cloud because we can play it anywhere, any time and on lots of devices — PC, Kindle, phone, etc.
Now, all the music in our cloud is music we own — that is, we bought the CD or downloads, or someone gave it to us.
As you may know there are other cloud services that allow you to play music you don’t own. No, I’m not talking about Pandora. I don’t like Pandora. It’s radio without a DJ. Pandora’s algorithm selects music it thinks you’ll like and streams it. If I’m going to listen to music chosen by somebody else, I want that somebody to be a person who has chosen the music because he/she likes it. That’s why I don’t listen to top 40 radio. Those DJs just play what they’re told.
I’m talking about Spotify (click here if you don’t know what Spotify is). Spotify let’s you play any song in its massive library for free any time you like, plus it has a social angle, which can be very exciting, but with a rub. Here’s an example:
Yesterday, one of my favorite local musicians, Carlos Menezes (of Runaround, Cape Ann Big Band and other tremendously creative projects) created a Spotify playlist featuring Fitz and The Tantrums and, when he did that, Spotify sent me an email. Why, you ask, did Spotify send me an email when Carlos created a playlist? In a word: Facebook. Like most Spotify users, I log in using my Facebook account. So does Carlos. Whenever Carlos creates a public playlist, Spotify sends an email to all of his Facebook friends who are also Spotify users — automatically — and I got one, since Carlos and I are friends on Facebook (I like to think we’re friends in the real world too). I have a lot of respect for Carlos’ taste in music, so I clicked on the link in the email, which launched Spotify and showed me his playlist. Then I clicked on the first song (Breakin’ the Chains of Love) to play it. As soon as I played that song, a new post appeared at the top of the Activity section of my Facebook Page announcing to the world, “Peter is listening to Breakin’ the Chains of Love by Fitz and The Tantrums.”
That’s the rub.
Call me old-fashioned, but I really don’t want the world to know what I’m listening to and when I’m listening. So I “removed” the Spotify activity from my Facebook page. And when I did, I selected the option to “remove Spotify” and guess what? Having done that, I could no longer play any songs on Spotify. In order to play songs on Spotify again, I had to allow Spotify to post on my timeline.
Is it just me, or does this seem creepy to anybody else?
Well, I like Fitz and The Tantrums, so I might just buy their CD and put it in my cloud.
Owning the music has its advantages, not the least of which is that the artist gets paid a whole lot more if I buy a song than if I stream it on Spotify. According to published reports, I’d have to play Breakin’ The Chains of Love about 100 times on Spotify before Fitz and the Tantrums got as much as if I downloaded it from their website.
And then there’s the privacy bit. Once I buy the songs and put them in my cloud, my family and I can play them anytime we like without anyone else knowing what we’re playing and when.
Don’t get me wrong, I really don’t mind telling people what music I like and what I listen to, but I want to choose whom to tell and when. I don’t want Spotify and Facebook deciding that for me. I’ve been misquoted in the press and had things I’ve said taken out of context often enough to know that it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that somebody will draw an unintended inference from seeing all my listening published on Facebook.
If I’m going to take grief from people, at least I want it to be because I recommend something specific with intent, like tonight you might want to go to the Rhumb Line and see my friends Allen Estes and Orville Giddings. Or if that’s not your cup of tea, check out the other live music in Gloucester.
So to all you artists out there whose music I have in my cloud, don’t expect to see any Spotify posts in my Facebook Activity saying that I’m playing your music.
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Tickets are only $35 in advance and include this very special Concert PLUS a Gloucester Harbor Cruise and Party Buffet featuring Seafood Grille’s world famous Lobster Rolls!
On Sunday, March 24, at 3 pm, 
On Friday, March 22 at 8 pm, 
Good Morning Gloucester 