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BERKLEE SINGERS' NIGHT check out this concert I went to: Singers' Nite directed by Adriana Balic and the Singers' Nite Team This night was a slammin' tour de force from the Berklee voice department. Dag. When I wuz attending Berklee in 1973-6, there were just 6 or 7 singers. Now they have something like 30 faculty members alone! Cool! The students rocked the house tonight. The program consisted of: Love Me Like a Man - C. Smithers Mysterious Ways - Bono & U2 Been So Long - A. Baker Speed of Me - H. Schwalson I Touch Myself - C. Amphlett Paradise - Kizzy Getrouw Must Be Dreaming - N. Wilson Stay - A. Champion If I Were Your Woman - L. Ware, P. Sawyer, C. McMurray Stand - S. Stewart The Performers: Vocals: Neil Wilson, Jennifer Gray, Bridget Riffe, Heidi Schwab, Kizzy Getrouw, Paul Orne, Alicia Champion, Jen Lazar, Stacy Allyn Baker, Anna Westervelt Background Vocals: Khadijah Bdour, Syracuse, NY, Adam Hodges, Brian Bullock Electric Acoustic Guitar: Kay-ta Matsuno, Kanagawa, Japan Electric Guitar: Takuya Tanaka, Tokyo, Japan keyboards Jerome Kyles and Yukihiro Kanesaka Adriana Balic Bass: Katsuomi Goto, Oita, Japan Drums: Nikki Glaspie, Raleigh, NC Percussion: Ricardo Monzon Singers' Night Team: Adriana Balic, Armstead Christian, Jude Crossen, Gabrielle Goodman, Kudisan Kai, Jerome Kyles, Jeff Ramsay, Bob Stoloff, Jan Shapiro Jennifer Gray? hahaha she's a guitarist? Nice cowboy hat. Nice subtle touch natural -not glamorous excellent blues nice touch very sensual aggressive style reminds us that it's Valentine's day, lol. -guitarist gives back the hat and wails. This is the first song kind of cool yodel technique she has. u go girl! :-) The second song, Mysterious Ways is more poppish to follow up after the blues. The programming is effective there is lot's of variety. :-) Nice dynamics from mp to forte. Never double forte. At first it seemed weak... but in the final analysis it was just good dynamics. it's all right rock pop funk very very suggestive dancing. Wow! Valentines day it IS. Nice dancing very capable. Realistically speaking these singers seem to know how important it is to move when they are on stage. Director Adriana Balic appears onstage to support her students. How moving. :-) -smashing! very colorful! subtle! not egotistical :-) Third song -Been So Long- very sultry sensual again nice dancing too soft and subtle... like a star smiling sweet happy and sexy the background vocals are professional and rich and joyful scat singing actually sends chills down my spine as the song winds down the subtle gently slapping of the bass comes across- very cool, peeps! Congratulations! :-) next song calm and quiet in another way. pensive- the guy sitting next to me is out of his mind with joy! He's literally crying from excitement. wow. :-)! Ricardo Monzon is shaking the cabasa very subtle the guitarist sounds like a cello nice effect -this neil on guitar I'm lost when I once was found my mind is lost why won't you love me help me find my self- interesting. unusual touch just one background singer with him. Way to go dude. Jan shapiro is the head of the department wow. She deserves credit. :-) Nice "help me find my heart again" -very natural and organic it was announced that Neil is second semester. charming puppydog eyes. How could a girl say no to those lyrics? -so sincere and charming nice programming. That song is a nice breather.- a nice interlude Jan Shapiro says thanks... it's the end of voice week Four and a half years ago there were thirteen teachers now thirty teachers and sixty talented students, Jan says enthusiastically "At Berklee we have the best hippest voice faculty we have the most diversity." The students with the highest scores from every semester get to perform on this wonderful singer's night. So therefore, even first semester students get to participate Back to the concert: -she's got a lot of feeling warm bass lines support the mood hmmm dag ... nice melisma the warmth still pumping she takes control of the moment very nice very serious and soulful stylized. Nice she stands in one place and makes a charming performance very relaxed. Stacy Allyn Baker Stand by Sly Stone... I particularly love Sly...some of these people weren't even HALF born in 1968 when I appeared on stage warming up for Sly and the Family Stone. the red head takes the stage- Jenn Lazar the one charming dude (neil). The intense Alicia Champion! Adriana is conducting unleashing the funk in the vamp opening it up bass cool... nice nice Nikki is doing the job on drums. SLAMMIN' FEEL! :-) rocking the house with those nylon latex pants and chiffon shirt individual intensity Alicia has a controlled anger? -a dark quality -scary very good and again very sexy. she's not struggling with playing and playing very sharp rhythmically She has the height range staging ... nice she's on her knees- hey she screams great. -wow she's kind of like a demon sexy demon displaying another side... THE other side. lol :-) the announcer says it wouldn't be a show without a diva.. fourth semester Stacy sings "if I were your woman you'd be weak as a lamb. wow, I'm feeling chills again. What a low voice she has. :-) v she's warming up "I touch myself" by C. Amphlett is a song about physical touching for sure The vocals are so dramatic, I hardly notice the instrumentals. That's not a bad thing by the way. The backing musicians have done a great job if no one notices them. They are very supportive. What I DID notice from them is a slammin' groove and a very harmonious support and the ability to blend dynamically and showcase the vocalists. Well done! :-) paradise recorded by Nancy Wilson You know Adriana worked hard again on this one. Al Dimeola- esque guitar solo Kizzy Getrouw hits a nice climax before the birds eye and then out does herself with a higher climax ending on the "fa" of the key. how subtle! Fantastic ending Nikki exhibits subtleties of tempo she follows the singer like a professional. This is entirely impressive I touch myself rock and roll they're kind of touching each other it's so sensual I can only laugh. Is this song about sisterhood? Overall this concert was a very nice way to spend Valentines day. My assessment? 90% - 93% = excellent = "A-" = Great! Almost perfect. Way to go. This is an ideal performance. This is what I am referring to when I encourage striving for excellence or immediate mastery. Now let's go for that "extra mile". Beautiful! Plus I give this concert the x#4 because the guy sitting next to me cried joyfully. (I'm sure he had his reasons. :-) Here is a summary of my Just Advance Reviewing system: 96% is basically the highest score in my system. But I also use a series of 4 extra points! :-) I call them xpoints or just X#1, X#2, X#3, and X#4. Here they are: "X#1" = Super confident. You exhibit quite a flair, style, aplomb. Thank you so much for exhibiting such artistry. To me, Paganini is an example of flair and confidence. -born in Genoa, 27 October 1782; died Nice, 27 May 1840, by his technique and his extreme personal magnetism he was not only the most famous violin virtuoso but drew attention to the significance of virtuosity as an element in art. - Grove Dictionary "X#2" = Exhibiting some measure of ingenuity or genius. Humble thanks for your genius example. To me, Stevie Wonder is a wonderful example of musical genius. -The boy wonder burst onto the music scene when he was just ten years old, and his mission ever since has been to bring joy into people's lives. "He has been pop music's unquenchable optimist for nearly a generation," said The New York Times in 1986. "His skills at writing sinuous melodies and gently uplifting harmonies, and his cheerful yet determined eclecticism - from funk to ballads, bossa nova to quasi-showtunes - have made Mr. Wonder a one-man Tin Pan Alley through two decades of rock." "X#3" = cathartic or moves someone to tears. I'm feeling this in the depths of my heart. Thank you so much. I feel that Mahalia Jackson is a wonderful example of an artist whose performances exhibit heartfelt emotion and spirit. - "Mahalia Jackson sang only songs she believed in, positive anthems that uplifted the spirit. The first gospel song Mahalia wrote and recorded was her personal statement: 'I'm Going to Move on Up a Little Higher'". - thinkquest.org "X#4" = Moving towards global human happiness in your own way. Profoundly uplifting for the human spirit. Sincere thanks for your rare and praiseworthy example of artistry and mastery. I feel Martin Luther King is a wonderful example of such artistry and mastery. :-) One of the most visible advocates of nonviolence and direct action as methods of social change, Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta on January 15, 1929. This whole system was originally designed for affording the student a means for quantifying his/her performance in order to track his/her progress. However, it may hopefully have some value for professional artists as inspiration or as a tool for gaining perspective or as promoting their product. These grades do not assume that the author is perfect. I hope we all can engage in a journey towards dynamic perfect excellence as musical artists together. In my view a poor musical performance doesn't make one a bad person. Nor does a good musical performance make one a good person, so please don't interpret a poor review to have a negative personal connotation. Also, I hope you don't fall into the typical trap of becoming an arrogant artist based on positive reviews or excellent performances. I dedicate this system to my late step mom, Doris. Because of her kind love, I have determined to hold myself to the same high standards I hold for the reviewees or my students. :-) Together: LET'S ADVANCE! :-)
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