FRIDAY, JAN. 23 2015 >>>
1. Feel like your life could use a little more "je ne sais quoi"? Well, we know quoi: You need a classy joint, a night out on the town, some sweet percussion action. Perhaps in the form of a world premiere duet for marimba and euphonium, written by award-winning composer Neil Thornock, professor of music composition and theory at Brigham Young University in Utah. That's the ticket! The wooden-keyed marimba - loved by Latino and modern classical musicians alike for its softly resonating tones - traces its history back centuries to the Mayan tribes in Guatemala. The deep-voiced brass euphonium, a four-valved sister of the baritone horn, had its earliest origins in Renaissance Europe. Together the two instruments create a melodious and otherworldly sound. "It is going to be an exciting night," said concert conductor and University of Puget Sound Director of Bands Gerard Morris. "Audiences will hear works including percussion instruments of all sorts, richly combined with euphonium, clarinet, piano, strings, and a video-recorded carillon located in the Centennial Carillon Bell Tower at Brigham Young University." The 7:30 p.m. recital in Schneebeck Concert Hall also will include the piece Amnesia Variance, by the late lee Hyla, featuring the hammered dulcimer. Sweet.
2. In 1922, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote a short story called "Winter Dreams," which formed the basis for his most celebrated novel. Other than the novel's title, however, every other detail was true. Fitzgerald did meet his Maker with every reason to believe The Great Gatsby would vanish into obscurity. What Fitzgerald couldn't know is that during World War II, paperback copies of the book (among many others) were handed out free to U.S. soldiers, who lapped it up by the hundreds of thousands. It has since sold more than 25 million copies, and is considered among the greatest of all American novels. Read Christian Carvajal's full feature on The Great Gatsby in the Music & Culture section, then catch Tacoma Little Theatre's production at 7:30 p.m.
3. Weekly Volcano music critic Rev. Adam McKinney says there are vocal similarities between Kurt Lindsay and late cult singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley. The Rev. says, "Lindsay's voice, like Buckley's is simultaneously full of bravado and wounded timidity. It quivers with feeling, though it might be noted that Lindsay's voice often comes across as more lost, searching, which adds a nice element to what is largely music that errs toward modern rock, with some detours to friendly mixers like R&B and folk." See for yourself at 8 p.m. when Lindsay performs at Treos in Old Town Tacoma.
4. Jazz drummer Maria Joyner-Wulf performs with many groups in the region including Seattle Women's Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Senators and Bevy. She's also a music educator, band leader, composer and multi-instrumentalist. She'll join pianist Reuel Lubag, bassist Wayne Bliss and saxophonist Cynthia Mullis for a righteous show at 8 p.m. in the Washington Center.
5. Unh, get on up! Sometimes you just got to get funky. The 10 Seattleites in DoctorfunK may not look like a prototypical funk band - no bell bottoms, star shades or afrofuturist hairstyles here - but they do have some serious chops. Their music is informed by emphatic, Tower of Power-style horns and Bay Area humanism. As Parliament said, they'll put a glide in your stride and a dip in your hip. Get down at 8 p.m. in Jazzbones.
LINK: Friday, Jan. 23 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area