It is not always easy to find a contemporary jazz musician whose repertoire is not at least a slight throwback to a particular formula or style of any one of jazz’s great pivotal legends. What makes guitarist Bill Frisell an exception to this is his ability to carry a primarily jazz rooted sound to the […]
At a very early age, South African-born singer-songwriter Vusi Mahlasela seemingly stumbled upon his own unique musical calling. As a child, almost as if by accident, Mahlasela began beating against pots and pans, as if in search of some semblance of rhythm. “I played with objects as toys when I was young,” he said. “I […]
For students, D.C. and surrounding areas of Maryland and Virginia offer up a generous variety of live music venues, nightclubs, dive bars and a seemingly overwhelming yet necessary surplus of coffee shops (of which the variety is much less apparent). One thing that is less certain to be found in abundance in this city is […]
A first listen to music from the San Francisco string four-piece Kronos Quartet provides an obvious recognition of talent and expertise of the classical string technique. But classical string sounds are only part of Kronos’ musical package, which is primarily experimental – drawing on sounds from sights as diverse as Bombay, India and the German […]
A band with a name like “Pink Martini” might initially conjure up images of smoky, dimly lit piano bars where customers gather for dreamy lounge music and colorful cocktails. While some sounds from this 12-piece, Portland, Ore.-based ensemble may lend themselves to these associations, many fans would insist that the lounge element is only one […]
For many students, the freshman convocation signifies a formal entrance into the GW community. While perhaps much less of an official or traditional welcome to GW, the University’s annual Fall Fest, or concert on the quad, is also an important, albeit different, major college experience for incoming students. Fall Fest 2006 kicks off Saturday, Sept. […]
In Ben Cocchiaro’s senior year of high school, he received a gig from an online ad that read “Wanted: guitarist for a wedding. Must play Bob Dylan.” While the sophomore’s entry into the wedding circuit as a musician at such a young age may be impressive, don’t call him the wedding singer – it is […]
There are several defining characteristics of British films that, aside from obvious differences in speech and dialect, set them apart from American productions taken from the same genre. British dramas, for example, tend to exercise more control than American dramas in their generally slow, more deliberate treatments of plots and storylines. While American television and […]
On a typical Friday afternoon most GW students breathe a sigh of relief for the week’s end of classes, papers and exams. However this is not the case for ComboNation – a group of six aspiring GW musicians who can be found in the basement of Phillips Hall deep in the midst of a musical […]
Acclaimed music video director Dave Meyers could tell you a few surprising stories about the artists he has worked with. Who knew that Dave Mathews, who Meyers describes as “a soulful, serious person” drank half a bottle of Jack Daniels and launched into a stand-up comedy routine before filming the video for “I Did It”? […]