He has a radio program on WXOU out of Oakland University
Wild At Heart
Overlooked by the passing of Ronnie Dio is a local jazz great, pianist, bandleader, and composer Hank Jones who passed away at the age of 91. He was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi but his father moved the family to Pontiac, Michigan. Inspired by the bop musicians, he started playing that style of piano and got his first big break when from 1948 to 1953 he was accompanist for Ella Fitzgerald. During this period he also made several historically important recordings with Charlie Parker (one of the greatest jazz musicians ever). He continued with an impressive resume which saw him working with the likes of Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman, staff pianist From 1959 through 1975 for CBS studios (including backing guests like Frank Sinatra on 'The Ed Sullivan Show'), being on stage at the piano behind Marilyn Monroe as she sang "Happy Birthday Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy and contributing as pianist and conductor with the Broadway musical "Ain't Misbehavin'". I had the pleasure of seeing him at Jazzfest last year for a beautiful performance and I'm glad I did. I'm at that point where a lot of the musicians I love are getting to that age where they will retire or pass away and I'm thankful for festivals like Jazzfest that keep bringing in quality performers like Hank. This is an earlier Band Of Week contribution from me.
Speaking of which, it looks like Tastefest might not happen this year which has always been a rich collection of recording artists coming through like the Avett Brothers, Spoon, George Clinton, etc. I hope things turn around before more wonderful events like this disappear like the Michigan State Fair or Belle Isle Grand Prix. Please support the festivals and events which happen in and around Detroit that help take away the bad taste of some of the more serious issues in the area.
Speaking of something exciting in Detroit, we have the current production of "Tosca" at the Detroit Opera House which will be there all weekend. I have covering the opera for the past five years and can honestly say this is perhaps the finest opera I have had the privaledge of seeing. The story is about an escaped political prisoner who escapes and is hidden by the help of his friend who is a famous painter. The painter's wife is very jealous and thinks that her husband is hiding a secret affair. The city's police chief and his second in command are corrupt and cruel (for Robin Hood fans, think the Sheriff of Nottingham and Sir Guy of Gisborne) and lay a trap for the girl to give the whereabouts of the prisoner that her husband so gallantly refuses to tell. When she betrays him, he refuses to forgive her and he is soon sentenced to death. She plots to free him and win back his trust but like most opera, the heroes don't have very happy endings. All the actors in this piece have strong voices and moments to really show their talent. After the first act, we basically have three 1/2 main characters to follow which gives a lot of time to get in depth and really start to feel for the characters (whether it be anger at the viallians or pride in the hero). If you are going to see 1 opera in your life, this might be the one you want to watch. I give the production a A+ and you can find more info at www.motopera.org.
Enjoy the weekend and tune into my show tomorrow for you chance to win some nice Iron Man 2 items or midnight movie passes for Tim Burton's "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" at the Main Art Theatre (8-10AM Saturday morning on 88.3FM or www.wxou.org). Going to see Die Mommie Die @ the Ringwald so look for reviews on Monday's blog.
