If you have the chance, by all means do not miss the opportunity to see this special event, this year marking the piano master - Richie Beirach's 70th birthday celebration (his having turned 70 last May).
It promises to be an absolutely magical event, counting on the awe-inspiring talent of the master himself and those close to him.
Joining him on stage shall be Jazz legend - David Leibman (old freind and spellbinding accomplice)
Also performing shall be The New Richie Beirach Trio that have just released the breathtaking álbum ''Gaia''.
(below is a short demo of that recording)
Recorded live, below is the Trio with one of the pieces from the álbum and in this case they were joined by Tobias Frohnhöfer who shall also be in attendance (as well as a number of other talented musicians)
LINK- to the event LINKto the event Schedule with the line up of concerts and each day's perfomaces' own event + details (available via the Festival's FB page)
(below is a *Gaia-side view of a painted trio - Oh yes, I was going to write *seaside, but, some seas are metaphors for others .. and ...)
For those who shall have the good fortune to catch this happy chain of concerts, eventhough you shan't be in want of anything to add to the enchantment of each date - may the Perseids that are currently still showering our spinning blue ship as is sails around the universe, tagging along with all it's sister ships in our mothership's Solar Fleet, bring extra blessings each day and night.
♥ Streep (Why? - because of the Art that lives within her, her Humanity, her obvious talent, and for every single word also - that she says here, with her faltering voice. Love her. It's impossible not to)
- ♥ Bowie (Why? - well, he's Bowie, I don't really feel a need to give any other particular reason...)
and now - ♥ ♥ ♥ a beautiful friend whom I cherish,
Christian.
(Why? Well, besides the friendship, the talent, the extraordinary heart, and will, it's similar to the two above, for his Humanity. Love him, and he knows it)
- So, I'll repeat two videos with him playing (two samples) - One where we can see another, so fabulously playing along side his beloved friend - (my goodness, speaking of talent, and art and so forth..) Richie Beirach. It's so pleasing (among other things) to see this quartet perform.
The other is a ''trio'', one I love to hear - so very much.
(well, I do of course have the Record, but I'll leave the demo of it, firstly)
(ok ok ok - I said I'd place two, but I'm incorrigible, so here's a third)
These five things I place above, other than exemplifying what I personally wish to dedicate this year on our tiny blue dot (as Sagan used to call it): Friendship, Love, Talent, Art, Humanity, and so much more than what I say (for not everything I know how to say, in words), they show great spirit - the kind that not only shine's through one's own talent, but even more when said talents are made stronger and even larger - through the bond of friendship shared therein.
As the country where I was born prepares its farewell to one of it's towering figures of the XX'th century, an unstoppable Human Right's lawyer - one that up to his age of 50 - amidst the known oppression of the prior regime, defending even others who were (attorneys for Human Rights), and great minds such as Salgado Zenha (to mention one, but there were more such lawyers and activists defended, and those from other fields as well), whom after 74 set the ground work for our latest ''democratic'' rule (the one occurring in the xx century still, born through the hands of other great minds and men as well - Alvaro Cunhal, instantly coming to mind, and of course others such as Sá Carneiro, not to mention who actually changed the regime in 1974 (among others), - in the nation's armed forces, the only ones who actually could ... but I shall not linger on the subject at this time) - and as a statesman, internationally, his working alongside other European heads of state, leaving at the time he had done so his ''footprint'' (so to speak) upon the EU during the timespan of his influence -
(I was saying)
- as the country prepares its farewell, I write this post.
Yes, the arts make us more Human, mirror us, are food for the soul (et cetera, yes, and indeed they are). The sciences take us further on our journey (within our Humanity - as a collective), and are somewhat similar (also so important) for such things (especially as the tool that it is, and depending on how and by whom it's wielded), just as contemplation / meditation and so forth, through our spirituality (be it though any ''organized'' religion or not) does, as well.
So now I leave three or four links - that concern the activity that seems to epitomize (mirror, make us more Human (in the noble sense of the word, as always when I use it), and yes - are also ''food for the soul'' (for so many reasons), and never any less than the afore mentioned ones (of the previous paragraph).
OOoops, I was searching for a LINK, in one of two blogs (pertaining to this one, that is) and since Gandhi is rather stretched ou in - and throughout either, I'll just simplify with an image I'd made some years back on the occasion of his birthday and place it here (also) as a symbol of the Civil Rights (Human Rights) Lawyer.
So this is my first post for the year (because the previous one, made two days ago, would have been made any time of year that a statesman such as he leaves...).
If you have the good fortune to be in the vicinity this upcoming Friday and Saturday (tomorrow Aug. 19th , and 20th), by all means don't miss this.
''trio'' - 2016 G. Almeida
Among some of the musicians you would catch are: Gregor Huebner, Arkady Shilkloper, the New Richie Beirach Trio (Richie Beirach, Regina Litvinova, Christian Scheuber) among other gifted musicians. The line-up is sumptuous and it will undoubtedly be a memorable event.
(i want this - just stating so the elves at the north pole know..)
(picture found - posted by Christuan Scheuber)
oh, and.....
(yes, it is just about to surface and....... i have been so well behaved, even the tooth fairy is on my side...)
This is the new recording - Gaia
(Richie Beirach - Regina Litvinova - Christian Scheuber)
The record is fresh out of the oven, so much so it hasn't gotten it's "clothes" on yet..
picture found - posted by Richie Beirach
So here it is.
My Christmas message this year seems to be all "want want want want want want want want"... (I know..)........, but, I also want,
each person that reads this blog,
to have a wonderful holiday season, no matter what I get or do not get.
We have seen such troubles through the year that I especially wish to see you receive the best of what life can give, and may Human kindness, be it where it may - relieve the load of those who need it most. I know it is commonplace to say it, and I say Human kindness because the troubles I mention are Human troubles. The best way to mend them is through Human action, the action of Human Kindness.
As for dogs, cats, strawberries, elephants, tigers, bears, whales, wolves, dolphins, ravens, squirrels, tadpoles, fish, giant redwood, olive trees, bees, blue spruces, cedars, kelp, tulips, carrots, cauliflowers (anything but turnips, they get on my nerves..) and the rest of the mob on the planet, just be as you are.. we need you, i for one need you (well, again the turnips..... We're still not on friendly terms...), and we also desperately need Human kindness (common sense, if you will).
A wonderful line-up of concerts, if you love music and are fortunate to be in the vicinity, by all means do not miss this.
Friday
- 19h
Red Orchestra: Angela Requena Fuentes (dr), Paul Janoschka (p), Jan Dittmann (b)
- 20.30h Richie Beirach (piano solo)
- 22h
Susan Weinert Global Players Trio: Susan Weinert (g), Martin Weinert (b), Florian Schneider (dr)
Saturday
19h
Ylativ Algo: Olga Reznichenko (p), Jan Kyncl (t sax), Vitaly Kiseleve (tp), Lukas Growe (b), Philip Theurer (d)
20.30h
Regina Litvinova (p), Tamara Lukasheva (v)
22h
Drei im roten Kreis meets the Talking Horns:
Achim Fink (tba/trb), Andreas Gilgenberger (sax), Stephan Schulze (tba/trb), Berns Winterschladen (sax), Reiner Witzel (sax), Joscha Oetz (b), Christian Scheuber (d)
(regarding the photos: I'm only aware at the moment of the author of Richie Beirach's (which is on his "Trust" Album) - an image by David Tan, and two others among those I just found on the internet : Drei im roten Kreis - by Manfred Rinderspacher, and Susan Weinert's which is by Michael M. Roth)
After the news of the mighty, and magnificent Cecil, loved by so many, who like few of his kind enjoyed posing in his natural habitat (in freedom) to show his beauty (i've always thought it just to call a group of lions - a Pride)
- we come to a day that exists to make us aware of other mighty, extraordinary cats, and how close we are to losing them for good.
I shall leave straight away two LINKs, one repeating the onlinePETITION I had posted in my last blog, for Cecil (please read and if you agree, sign), the other for TIGER_DAY_ORG with some facts and figures on the subject of tigers.
Of course I'm also partial to the exquisite Snow Leopard
with its large paws and incredible tail, other big cats, wolves, bears (♥ polar bears and others), dolphins, oh - and elephants (so wonderful), plus many more that share and inhabit this delicate blue spot in the universe.
The first time I came upon one of Julio Pomar's latest series of work - his Tiger series, it baffled me. He is one of those authors (artists) that I have a hard time finding work that doesn't "click" with me, every time i'd view his craft i was moved. With the Tiger series I felt something different and wasn't sure what I felt towards his work, I knew I had to see it "face to face", so to speak.
When I finally did get a chance to see work from this series I was struck to the core. It was incredible. I can't say enough times that, similar to the recordings of music, representations of the work are fine (in some cases extremely valuable, especially in music) but nothing substitutes the experience of seeing them "live".
In music, for instance, going to the actual concerts. even though the recordings may be magnificent, when it comes to the "live" experience of the work, well, what can I say? It is hard to put into words, and anyone with a love for music knows exactly what I mean.
I'll leave you with images of some of the work from Pomar's Tiger series that can be found in various different internet connections (making it hard for me to say who originally posted or took their pictures at the moment and for this I apologize for I always like to name the sources. I shall do so in the future, placing it in the comment section as soon as I find out the correct sources).
As a very small child, and growing up, I was so very fond of Winnie the Pooh's "Tigre" persona, had a large stuffed tiger
(or lion doll not sure any more, but since he had no mane, i believe he was a tiger - he was a solid pinkish, salmon colour, but i was told that that was due to it being washed so many times)
- that I'd take everywhere with me.
He was my first love.
Bigger than me for so long, more my size near the end, I remember him still with an affection one has for a beloved family member from one's most tender years and still have that feeling I had had when at age five or six he finally had to be taken. It took forever for the grownups to get him away from me as I felt he began to disappear for hours on end (to be washed), and feared his eventually not coming back.
Now that I think of it, I now appreciate all the more those who in the past showered me as an adult with Calvin & Hobbes when it came out, on birthdays and such. Yes, I see the added humour..
Three or four years ago, one of the culprits gave me this t-shirt..
Oh, by the way, since we're on the topic of magnificent creatures I cannot leave out this link to a past article, regarding Polar bears among other things. With the insane will to drill the arctic (a calamitous move) these days, I am left without words.., but say this: it is imperative that we protect the Arctic. LINK
Taking into consideration that they should be in their natural habitat, it is always the best and preferable, one knows that some people for bizarre reasons try to take them on as pets. Thankfully they can be, and sometimes are, rescued from this idiocy - and although their being able to be returned to the wild as they should be is compromised due to the folly
(no longer able to survive as they would had they not been "kidnapped") the following seems not only a lesson as to getting along despite our differences, but a good solution for such sad cases of animal mistreatment, and commendable when no other option is available.
When I think of the madness some of us commit to our own species, be they babies - adults, or elders of respectable age, as well as these magnificent creatures, my heart sinks.
Thank goodness not all of us are as daft as some.
We were born with brains, we should use them.
The world can be such a wondrous and wonderful place if we don't "complicate" things.
Here is "Gaia" (the Earth) once more;
I try my best not to but, I do sometimes repeat things I find beautiful.
Richie Beirach - piano Regina Litvinova - keys./vocoder Christian Scheuber - drums
(below is a painting that shares the músic in the video clip's name, that is currently the property of the city of Lisbon. - Gaia. ) I post this on the day another towering force in music turns 70 - Mr. Keith Jarrett. Wishing all a blissful day. Take care.
___________________________________________________________________________ Mal posso esperar para ouvir a gravação que em princípio estará pronta este mês. E, já que a música no video-clip se chama "Gaia" - deixo uma versão dela, pintada, aqui. (pois ao ouvir coisas assim, levanta-se e de imediato põe-se a dançar)
É um belo dia, este, para a música, já que outro grande da música faz hoje 70 anos - Keith Jarrett. Votos de uma boa tarde, a quem por aqui passar.
