Tag Archives: Grammy Awards

Mavis Staples in concert at new Pulaski Tech venue tonight

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mavisLegendary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Mavis Staples is bringing her stirring brand of classic soul music to Pulaski Technical College on Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. as part of the college’s week-long grand opening celebration of its new Center for the Humanities and Arts, located on the Main Campus at 3000 West Scenic Drive in North Little Rock.

Staples is known for her soul/gospel classics that she performed with The Staples Singers, such as “I’ll Take You There,” and “Respect Yourself.” Her thirteenth studio album, “You Are Not Alone,” won the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards in 2010.

She is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and a 2016 Grammy nominee. She has been named one of Rolling Stone’s Top 100 Greatest Singers of all Time. Her latest album, “Livin’ On A High Note,” features Neko Case, Justin Vernon, Nick Cave, Ben Harper and other guest artists. It will be released Feb. 19.

The concert will be in the college’s new theater. Doors open at 6 p.m. and a cash bar will be available. Reserved tickets are $65, $75 and $100 and are on sale now by clicking here: http://www.pulaskitech.edu/mavis/ – See more at: http://www.pulaskitech.edu/current_news/default.asp?ID=1851#sthash.EhoonNag.dpuf

Something New at tonight’s Arkansas Symphony Intimate Neighborhood Concert

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Stained GlassThe Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Philip Mann, Music Director and Conductor, presents”Something New” tonight (January 21) as the 2015-2016 Intimate Neighborhood Concerts series continues.

The concert begins at 7PM at St. James United Methodist Church.

PROGRAM:
FINE – Suite for Strings
RILEY – In C
MENDELSSOHN – Symphony No, 1

Grammy winner Michael Fine’s chamber version of “Suite for Strings” will receive its premiere performance at this concert.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at www.ArkansasSymphony.org or by phone at 501-666-1761, ext. 100.

ASO, I.N.C.: Intimate Neighborhood Concerts presents gorgeous and acoustically unique venues and music selected specifically to explore the spaces of the concerts. Patrons can get up-close and personal with musicians in chamber orchestra ensembles performing pieces in the settings intended by the composers.

Grammy winner Michael Fine speaks with ASO Music Director Philip Mann at Clinton School today

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Michael Fine, Composer featured on Something NEWArkansas Symphony Orchestra Music Director Philip Mann will moderate a wide-reaching discussion with seven-time Grammy Award winner and Classical Producer of the Year, Michael Fine.

Widely acknowledged as one of the top classical recording producers in the world, Fine has held the post of Vice President of Artists & Repertoire at Deutsche Grammophon – the first American to hold the post of Artistic Director in its hundred-year history. Highlights of Fine’s producing career include work with Andrea Bocelli, the Vienna Philharmonic, and the London Symphony. Fine will premiere the chamber orchestra version of his “Suite For Strings” with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra on its Intimate Neighborhood Concerts Series at 7:00 p.m. on January 21 at St. James United Methodist Church.

The conversation will take place at noon today (January 20) at the Clinton School.

 

Creative Class of 2015: Scott Walters

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scottwaltersOctober may have ended yesterday. But since this is about Creativity, the Creative Class stretches into November for one day this year.  Scott Walters uses his position as Rector of Christ Church to build connections and raise awareness of a variety of art forms and creative disciplines.

Through his leadership and encouragement, two different public gallery spaces have been created at Christ Church, an Arts at Christ Church series has been launched (featuring all types of music from Grammy winning soul to Renaissance chamber), the basement has been turned into The Undercroft music venue with regular performances, and a partnership with the Arkansas Literary Festival has been undertaken.

Concerned with the built environment, he has led walking tours of downtown which have focused not only on the history of the neighborhood but also looking at its present and envisioning its future possibilities.  Because Christ Church is at a hub of development in the River Market, Creative Corridor, SoMa, MacArthur Park and Hanger Hill, he is exploring ways to more actively integrate the church into its greater community.

Interested in historic preservation, he is currently shepherding an effort to restore the historic stained glass windows at the church. A student of poetry, philosophy and urban planning, he can often be found engaged in discussions about those topics.  But he is just as likely to discuss comedians, YouTube videos, and the local music scene.

Jazz Musician Gerald Albright closes 2015 A Work of Art Jazz Week tonight at 7 with a concert at Wildwood

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Gerald-Albright-Master-Saxman-PhotoMultiple Grammy nominee Gerald Albright will close out the 2015 “A Work of Art” Jazz Week with a concert tonight at Wildwood Park at 7pm.

“A Work of Art” is the primary fundraiser for the Art Porter Music Education scholarship program. All proceeds from the week-long fundraiser benefit the scholarship fund. “A Work of Art” concludes in early August in observance of the birth month of Art Porter, Jr. Attendees enjoy a week of unique educational experiences by an impressive group of local artists, music students and national recording artists.

Ticket information is available at www.artporter.org.

One of the biggest stars of R&B, contemporary and straight-ahead jazz, Gerald Albright has earned his reputation as a “musician’s musician.” During the ’80s, Albright became a highly requested session musician, playing on albums by a wide variety of artists – including Anita Baker, Lola Folana, Olivia Newton-John, and the Temptations. He also toured extensively with Quincy Jones, Whitney Houston and many others. Albright also went on to record numerous successful solo albums for Atlantic Records. Two albums hit the number one slot on Billboard’s Top Contemporary Jazz Chart and were nominated for GRAMMY® Awards in 1989 and 1990.

Albright was selected to be one of 10 saxophonists to play at President Clinton’s inauguration ceremony. Along the way, he has sold over a million albums in the U.S. alone and has appeared on nearly 200 albums by other artists.  Albright released Pushing The Envelope in June 2010. In December 2010, it received a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Album. His 20102 album 24/7 was nominated for a GRAMMY® Award in the category of Best Pop Instrumental Album.  On August 5, 2014, Albright releases Slam Dunk. In December 2014, it earned a GRAMMY® nomination in the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album category.

AMERICAN IDIOT rocks into Weekend Theater

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American Idiot at The Weekend Theater in Little Rock, ARFirst there was the album and the tour, then Billie Joe Armstrong and Tony winner Michael Mayer collaborated to create the stage musical.  Now Green Day’s American Idiot is coming to the Weekend Theater stage for four weeks.

The two-time Tony Award-winning hit musical American Idiot is based on Green Day’s Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum album. This energy-fueled rock opera, which includes every song from the album, as well as several songs from follow-up release, 21st Century Breakdown, brings us face-to-face with the perils of war, drug addiction, and escapism, and the power of true friendship.

The story centers on Will, Johnny, and Tunny, who struggle to find meaning in a post-9/11 world. When the three disgruntled young men flee the constraints of their hometown for the thrills of city life, their paths are quickly estranged when Tunny enters the armed forces, Michael is called back home to attend familial responsibilities, and Johnny’s attention becomes divided by a seductive love interest and a hazardous new friendship. We follow the three as they try to find themselves and learn that, with acceptance, comes the possibility of hope.

The cast features Robert Warner, Peyton Hooks, Courtney Williams, Luke Johnson, Brittany Sparkles, Charmaine Foster, Mackenzie Holtzclaw, Xavier Jones, Adam Smith, Jordan Lott, Nichole Henry, Angel Monroe, Angela Morgan, Anna Darr, and Simmery Branch.

The production is directed by Frank Butler with music direction by Lori Isner.  The show runs through August 9.  Performances are at 7:30pm on Friday and Saturday and at 2:30 on Sunday afternoons.  On Friday, August 7, the curtain time is 8pm.

Black History Month Spotlight: Smokie Norful

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bhm smokieEarlier this month, W. R. Smokie Norful picked up his latest Grammy Award.  Born in Little Rock, the son of an AME minister, he now pastors his own congregation in addition to his recording career.

He grew up in Pine Bluff, and was deeply involved in his fathers church. He was interested in music from a very young age, reportedly picking out one-finger piano melodies at age two. His parents supported him with music lessons, and unusual for his background, allowed him to experiment with and listen to the current R&B and soul music of the day as well as gospel music. Norful attended Pine Bluff High School, where he occasionally performed in school assemblies and programs. He graduated from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff as a History major.

After graduation, taught history for several years at Jack Robey Junior High School, Pine Bluff High School and Evanston Township High School.  For two years he also was the educational director for the Pine Bluff Housing Authority’s after-school program. He has also been a historian for the National Park Service and a congressional aid for the fourth congressional district.

He was ordained an elder in the African Methodist Episcopal church and has been a licensed preacher since 1997. Rev. Norful served as youth pastor, minister of music, and associate minister of St. John AME church in Pine Bluff, under the leadership of Rev. W.R. Norful Sr., and Teresa Norful until relocating to Chicago. He has also leads workshops for the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc.

Currently he serves as pastor of the Victory Cathedral Worship Center in Bolingbrook, which he founded in 2005.  He has since established a second campus also in the Chicago area.  In 2009, he was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame.

For more on Smokie Norful and other inductees into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame, visit the permanent exhibit at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center. That museum is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.