25 Results for : merkin
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Gravity
Founded in 2008, the high-octane modern jazz group Gravity performs mostly original compositions created for it's unusual instrumentation of two saxophones, bass, and drums. While deeply rooted in the jazz tradition, the band members enjoy a wide scope of musical passions and can be heard digging in to anything from the jazz canon to Led Zeppelin and beyond. Recorded in Brooklyn, New York, Gravity's new CD includes eleven tracks, nine of which were composed by saxophonist Joel Taylor Camp. The album opens with the Monday morning battle charge 'Nemesis'. Savor the poetry and raw emotion of the poignant lyric: "AAAARRRGH!". The mood lightens up with 'Calypso Bob and the Three-Legged Fish' which features a playful melody and infectious beat. A funky, flower child vibe comes forth with 'Environmental Sweep of the Nostalgic Core Mine', a mind-altering extended composition with a spacious, New Age atmosphere at the end. 'Road to Transition' is a thoroughly modern composition with roots in the music of Thelonious Monk and Ornette Coleman. 'Santi' is a beautiful ballad dedicated to Joel's lovely wife. The band pays it's respects again to Monk with 'Innersphere' featuring guest pianist Ralph Pugliese. The tempo heats up with 'L.N.S.C.', a tune with a blistering melody and quite possibly the first hard-bop tenor sax solo ever recorded through a distortion pedal! Evocative of film noire, Bassist Matthew Schneider penned the composition 'Bad Dude on a Good Day' which includes guest musicians Michael Lipsey on conga drum and Paul Schellack on guitar. The band follows up with a hard-swinging, bluesy approach to Cole Porter's 'Love For Sale'. Gravity spontaneously appropriated a blue toy megaphone and ran it through an overdrive effect for the lyric at the end of the opening melody of 'Smack Ya in the Eye'. This was by far one of the best laughs that we enjoyed during the recording session! Despite the antics, this is a tightly composed, deeply-swinging tune with several contrasting sections. The final track 'Positive Energy' sums up the band members feelings about this music as being a positive, healing force for good. This blues tune opens with a ripping bass solo in dialogue with the drums. The horns fly through their improvisations before finally relenting to the the riff-based melody at the end. Musician's Bios: Tenor and soprano saxophonist, composer, and educator Joel Taylor Camp is a rising star in the jazz world. He has performed on Broadway in the musical "Jump" at the Hudson Theater and at festivals throughout the United States and Canada. He has composed over one hundred works for classical and jazz ensembles. Matthew Schneider is one of the most versatile bassists on the New York scene having worked in classical music, jazz, rock, and commercial TV studio recording. A graduate of Oberlin Conservatory, Matthew has served as Principal Bassist with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Knoxville City Opera, Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, and at several festivals including Aspen, Spoleto, and Cape May. He has also performed at venues throughout the United States including the Blue Note, Merkin Hall, and the Apollo Theater in New York City. Don Torrillo has been playing the tenor and alto Saxophones for 30 years. His inspired improvisations are steeped in the influences of saxophone greats such as Booker Ervin, Frank Foster and Stan Getz. Drummer, author, and educator James Guarnieri studied music at North Texas State University and has performed with a diverse list of artists including the progressive rock group Frogg Café, The Chiffons, The Long Island Jazz Orchestra, and legendary jazz pianist Red Garland.- Shop: odax
- Price: 16.88 EUR excl. shipping
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Circus
She Loves Me She Loves Me Not is the solo project of Merkin Dream member Brian Volk-Zimmerman. The Circus is a throw back to the days when an album was more than a collection of singles, when the album was a complete thought. The rich layered vocals on songs like 'No Birds' and 'The Circus' recall Smile-era Beach Boys, while the rhythms and melodies of songs like 'No Birds #2 and 'If You Got A Secret' might make you think of contemporaries Panda Bear or Vampire Weekend respectively. The Circus is an album full of catchy songwriting and rich arrangements that will make you wish that summer lasted all year long.- Shop: odax
- Price: 20.41 EUR excl. shipping
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Verissimo Tenore
Mr. Giuseppe Taormina has performed in Italy, Europe, and the United States, as well as a worldwide tour of the Middle and Far East with the 'Ambassadors of Opera'. He was born in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. He started voice training at a very early age and began performing in Sicily. When he arrived in America, he immediately auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera Company, where he was accepted into the Young Artist Program. He received two scholarships as primo tenore while at Hunter College. He won the leading roles in La Traviata, Tosca, and Cavalleria Rusticana, which are now all favorites among his repertoire.Most notably, Mr. Taormina has received the very prestigious honor of Necklace Knight,'Cavaliere di Collona.' The noble title of Saint George in Carinzia Supreme Military Order bestowed upon Mr. Taormina is the only one in the United States. Mr. Taormina's operatic appearances include performances with the Philadelphia Opera, The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (under the direction of Maestro Alfredo Silipigni), The Metropolitan Repertory Ballet's 'An Evening with Verdi, The Tribecca Performing Arts Center, The Merkin Concert Hall, The Waldoff Astoria Hotel in New York, The Garden State Arts Center, and at the world-renowned Carnegie Hall. Mr. Taormina has given command performances for Kings of both Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, also Imelda Marcus, the former First Lady of the Philippines. He recently traveled to St. Croix, in the Virgin Islands, where he sang in concert in a Castle, hosted by Countess Nadia De Navarro. Mr. Taormina remembering his roots has given a command performance at Carini Castle, his hometown on the outskirts of Palermo Sicily. Mr. Taormina has performed in concert, and at cultural, civic, and charity events across the USA. Among these were performances at: The Hotel Plaza, Milford Plaza, Westchester Theater, several Atlantic City Resorts & Casinos, the Wisconsin Arts Festival in the Park, The Asbury Park Convention Hall, The 15th Annual Juniper Park Concert Series, Shea Stadium, The Lakewood Theatre, and Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo Theatre. He was honored to sing for the Mario Lanza Society, The Beniamino Gigli Memorial Concert, and two events marking the 100 years anniversary of Enrico Caruso's Metropolitan Opera House debut. Mr. Taormina was honored to sing for The Italian Heritage and Culture Council Chamber at City Hall, in NYC, for the Italian-American State Legislators, and the American Parkinson's Disease Association. Recently, Mr. Taormina sang at masses that were celebratedby Cardinal Egan in cathedrals throughout the Vatican and Rome. Mr. Taormina sang at a memorial ceremony in Washington D.C. for Constantine Brumidi, who was known as 'The Artist of the U.S. Capital'. He has also sung at the Casa Italiana in Washington D.C.. Mr. Taormina was honored to sing in commemoration of 100 years of Order Sons of Italy in America. Mr. Taormina's powerful voice expresses his passion for music, while his talent, warmth and joy of performing are evident to live audiences. He has recorded three albums and most recently a CD, 'King of High C' and Verissimo Tenore, on which he sings his favorite operatic arias and beloved, classical Neapolitan and American love songs. Mr. Taormina's powerful voice expresses his passion for music, while his talent, warmth and joy of performing are evident to live audiences. Mr. Giuseppe Taormina can do a program with piano and accompanist, up to full orchestra. Mr. Taormina provides an entertaining program of great music filled with the deeply emotional songs and arias of his Italian heritage. For engagement availability of Mr. Giuseppe Taormina: Call: (718) 981-9429.- Shop: odax
- Price: 34.98 EUR excl. shipping
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Piano Works: Beethoven Chopin & Debussy
Moonhee Hwang: Pianist A native of South Korea, Ms. Hwang made her New York recital debut in April 2001 at Carnegie hall's Weil Recital hall. The New York Concert Review critic wrote Moonhee Hwang had "gratifyingly nonpercussive, musical and lyrical tone quality." Ms. Hwang has performed extensively throughout North America, Europe and in her native South Korea. She has performed many orchestras, including St. Petersburg State Hermitage Orchestra in Russia, Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra in Czech, Opole Philharmonic Orchestra at Summer Music Festival Concert Series in Poland and Pleven State Philharmonic Orchestra and Sofia philharmonic Orchestra in Bulgaria, as well as Seoul Symphony Orchestra in Korea. She was invited to perform concert series at Yamaha Piano Salon, Merkin hall, Carnegie hall's Weill hall and WMP Concert Hall in New York City, Steinway hall and Goethe-institut in Boston, Steinway piano gallery in New Jersey as well as Peter hall in Pennsylvania. Moonhee Hwang was a prize-winner at IBLA Grand Prize International Competition in Italy and a winner at New York International Solo Piano Competition and MTNA Piano Competition in Michigan. She was also given a special presentation award at New York's Artist international Audition. Ms. Hwang received her Doctor of Musical Arts at Boston University. She also studied her Master's degree and Professional Studies of Certificate at Manhattan School of Music and received her Bachelor of Music with Summa Cum Laude from Michigan State University. Ms. Hwang had been on piano faculty member at Moravian College in Pennsylvania during 2007-2010 and is currently teaching at several universities in South Korea. YoungChil Lee: Conductor Maestro YoungChil Lee is currently a chief conductor of the Europa Philharmonie in Germany. Since 2008, Maestro Lee has been holding the position of a Chief conductor at the Bohemian Symphony Orchestra in Prague. Between 2006 and 2008 he is a foreign guest conductor at the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra in Bulgaria. Also he is a chief guest conductor at several other orchestras including at the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra (from 2007-2009), since 2008 he has been a permanent guest conductor of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra in Bulgaria and at the MAV Symphony orchestra in Budapest, Hungary. Maestro Lee has performed together with famous soloists, such as the violinists Julian Rachlin, Svetlin Roussev - Concertmaster of Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, Vesko Eskenazy - Concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Guy Braunstein-the first concertmaster of Berliner Philharmoniker, with the cellist Alexander Knyazev, the pianist Vadim Rudenko and with many different orchestras around the world. Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra The Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra had it's origin in 1928 under the aegis of the Music Academy by the initiative of the violinist Sasha Popov, chiefly employing staff and students of the Academy, the latter later forming part of the Royal Military Symphony Orchestra. In 1945 the orchestra was re-formed as the State Symphony Orchestra, known from 1949 under it's present title. Sasha Popov remained principal conductor until 1956, when he was followed by a number of leading musicians in that position. Emil Tabakov was appointed chief conductor in 1985 and served as artistic director from 1988 to 2000. Yordan Dafov was principal conductor from 2000 to 2002, succeeded by the present chief conductor, Yavor Dimitrov. The orchestra now has 120 players and continues to hold an important position in the cultural life of Bulgaria, in addition to it's many recordings and concert tours abroad.- Shop: odax
- Price: 27.84 EUR excl. shipping
