Posts for 'Music' Category

Andrés Segovia is a Spanish guitarist and a classical musician. He was born in 1893. Perhaps he was one of  the best figures to represent his art in  the 20th century, Segovia was widely known as "ambassador of the guitar". He travelled the world, had stage presence, charisma, and approached his music as a skilled conservative, working within Spanish traditions.

One of the  greatest accomplishments of his life was transcribing and adapting the works of J.S. Bach (1685-1750). During his very first recording session, in 1927, Segovia played a Gavotte and Rondeau from Bach's Partita. During this period, Andrés worked on Bach's Chaconne, also from Partita, but did not perform it until 1935 in Paris.

It has been reported that Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel have rekindled their romance and were seen together over the weekend.

Timberlake and Biel reportedly were spotted partying it up at a friend of the SexyBack singer’s birthday party on Friday. The couple reportedly arrived at the party holding hands and looking very comfortable with one another. A source said, "If Jessica was talking to a group of girls, Justin would come over, kiss her neck, and start making out with her." The couple reportedly left together after the party.

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After winning music fans over with his 2003 multi-platinum debut Trouble, Senegalese singer Akon returns with more stories from his personal journey via his sophomore CD Konvicted. If Trouble was Akon’s ode to redemption (before his music career took off he served time for car theft), Konvicted picks up at rebirth. His mission now is to reinvent himself through his salvation - music.

The son of accomplished jazz musician Mor Thiam, Akon was introduced to varied musical styles early on. “I grew-up listening to all kinds of music. Obviously I love soul songs, but I also like mixing in other types of music,” Akon confesses. “For every Stevie Wonder track I’ve listened to, there is another by Steely Dan that helped shape me as an artist.”

Sadi Punjabi girls whose real names are Neena and Veena, are on a roll—they are rocking Hollywood,The identical sisters— voted America’s sexiest twins—already have a long list of admirers and a celebrity fan list that’s as long as the distance from Patiala to Pennsylvania. Their song and dance routine has hypnotised the West, enough to have the likes of Jenna Elfman and Steven Tyler of rock legend Aerosmith, and current Latino flavour Ricky Martin rooting for the ‘kudis’, who have featured in the videos of these stars and performed in hundreds of international shows.

In fact, so pervasive has been their influence on contemporary dance forms that they are credited with popularising and bringing into the mainstream belly dancing in America. Those in entertainment circles say Britney Spears and Shakira, too, haven’t remained unaffected by what Neena and Veena dish out. How could they? Some of the 12 fitness videos they have starred in have had long runs on Billboard Top Ten charts, selling over 4 million copies worldwide. Now considered to be a part of the Hollywood A-list, it hasn’t been an easy ride for the girls, though. “In the entertainment field, it’s not easy to be a working performer for anyone, especially Indian women. Thousands and thousands of people come to Hollywood every week to become a star,’’ Veena told TOI in an e-mail. “Neena and I have been very lucky to constantly get work as actors, singers, voice-over artists and, of course, dancers. It was a very hard climb for us in the beginning.’’

Asked how they got hooked to belly dancing, hooking large hordes of the glitterati in the process, they say, “We started belly dancing as an exercise, when everyone said it would not work (as money spinning showbiz item). But today belly dancing is a multi-million dollar industry.’’

Known as the “Nightingale of India,” Lata Mangeshkar, not just only loves cricket but also understands the game and the players. Like an expert cricket commentator, she can talk about various aspects of cricket. How the players differ from each other, their strong points and weak points and so on. Since she has been the most celebrated singer of India, fortune took her to all the cricket playing countries. She watched many famous matches. Her age could not dampen her love and spirit for cricket. Still now, Lata Mangeshkar, fixes her schedule according to the matches. She may have given her voice to produce beautiful melodious songs but had the situation been different she could have become the first female Indian cricket commentator with a beautiful voice.

Hill Briggs is a one man show on his simply and fittingly titled Solo Album. I find it difficult to begin to articulate all the feelings and complete satisfaction I felt listening to this music. Briggs is an outstanding musician. He spent two years putting this amazing project together. What I find astonishing is the fact that Hill composed all 16 tracks and then played all the instruments, live off the floor, except the saxophone on "Jez G." He is currently rehearsing a band to play the project live. Too bad I am not in UK to see this event unfold, I would find it very interesting after listening to this CD several times, knowing that he played everything himself except one sax part. It is hard for me to fathom this but every time I hear it, it becomes more real and that much more incredible.

Briggs walks you through his worlds of music one track at a time effortlessly like the polished pro that he is. Someone that can paint such a textured palette of colors and grace as this must be totally in touch with his innermost feelings. I may be getting a little too deep here but I tend to enjoy music totally in every way. I process everything I am hearing on a personal level, which actually feels like another plane of existence entirely from my everyday life. Tracks like "Latino Dance" take me to that special place in seconds, with its soothing rhythms and gentle overtones that seem to blow right through you like the warmth of a July breeze.

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Moving On, the third album from Chicago-based artist Jen Porter, showcases the singer's sultry, gutsy voice and ability to seamlessly blend rock and roll, blues and country-folk influences into a contemporary sound. Featuring a solid backing band, this collection of songs is polished, down-to-earth, and full of energy, the perfect soundtrack to a dinner party with friends or a night out on the town. Residents of Chicago can easily catch a live performance, as the hard-working Porter plays four to five shows a week around her hometown; for the rest of us, Moving On brings Porter's powerful vocals right to our living rooms.

The album gets started with "Along the Way", a pop-tinged blues anthem that quickly sets the stage for Porter's no-holds-barred vocals and fine piano work.. "Get Out", a driving ode to a former lover, calls to mind the intensity of Fiona Apple combined with the self-sufficient attitude of Alanis Morisette. Other tracks, such as "Aaron's Song" and "Brotherly Love" are softer both musically and lyrically, highlighting Porter's diverse talents as a singer-songwriter. Throughout the album, Porter's technical skill is apparent.

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JoJo does Toto. Delicious, and not just phonetically. This clever third single from the teen`s sophomore album, 'The High Road,' takes the melodic hook from the group`s 1982 No. 1 chestnut "Africa," places it on endless loop and adds an entirely new lyrical melody on top. "Anything" is not a cover, not a sample, but a new composition sung over the instrumental hook . Breezy, loose vocals from our young heroine offer exceptional companionship to the music, which, surprisingly, avoids becoming monotonous thanks to the winding, escalating performance. Previous "How to Touch a Girl" failed to connect as "Too Little Too Late" did. "Anything" should restore JoJo`s chart course, connecting with the kids and their moms, who will instantly pick up on the inventive gimmick.

The first ever musical performance at Perth's brand new concert hall was taken on stage on Monday night. In just over three short years Buddy Holly came from watching Elvis Pressley on stage in Texas to being as big a star as the king. He passed away tragically taken away in a plane crash in 1959. The stage version of the Buddy Holly story charts his rise to fame and untimely death through his songs - from That'll be the Day to Peggy Sue. Elliott Harper hopes his portrayal of the pop star will help ensure his legacy does not fade away.

A DNA sample has been taken from Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter Dannielynn as ordered by a Bahamian judge earlier this week. Howard K Stern took the tot to a doctor’s office in Nassau yesterday morning for the sample and Larry Birkhead was also there to be tested. Howard wasn’t required to provide a sample himself as he is presumed by law to be the father since he is named on the birth certificate. The samples have reportedly been now sent to a lab in Ohio and the results will be returned early next week