WMV Music Web Log

Here are some photos from the opening of "Strong Work Hot Topics" at PG Community College's Marlboro Gallery last Friday night:

Artist Donté Hayes in front of his work.








Artist Dylan Scholinski












Artist Tom Block

It was a full house at the Atlas Performing Arts Center this afternoon. A plugged-in audience soaked up classical and jazz musicians performing sort-of-jazz and sort-of-classical music. These people really like to shake it up.

It's refreshing to see artists do something that's way not mainstream and manage to be unpretentious about it.

These men and women have found a way to function in "normal" society while keeping their freshness and originality. I am moved to see that musicians from the jazz and classical worlds, two notoriously normative musical currents, are able to remember that what matters is playing rather than conforming.

Carl was recovering from the flu but you wouldn't have known it, he looked so delighted to be there.

Duncan W. McHale

So how do you get great media coverage? (Listen in today to WAMU's Metro Connection at 1:00 pm - Stephanie Kaye interviews me about the March 19 Atlas "Jazz at our Roots" program).

Well, it's all due to the guy standing next to Marilyn in the blue hat! David Cheng, poet, web designer, IT wizard, board member, hand clapper, and new music enthusiast somehow sent some kind of magic pitch....

Here is a clip from the first rehearsal of Charley Gerard's "The Godfather of Soul". Linda Smith hadn't picked up her violin in time, so she sings. Jodi Beder counts us in (and yes, she is playing ZiZi).


>gerard_clip.mp3

Some more performers on the March 19 program at the Atlas Performing Arts Center (this will be quite a show!):






Jodi Beder with her famous cello, "Zizi" (photo Mark Czajkowski)

Carl Banner, piano






Ben Redwine, clarinet

Here are some of the folks performing at the Atlas program on March 19:




Gary Poster, bass singer













Holly Bass, poet













Blair Goins, tuba

Blair Goins, tuba