Music Artists

Posts Tagged ‘Coming’

“The First Lady of Song,” Ella Fitzgerald was arguably the finest female jazz singer of all time (although some may vote for Sarah Vaughan or Billie Holiday). Blessed with a beautiful voice and a wide range, Fitzgerald could outswing anyone, was a brilliant scat singer, and had near-perfect elocution; one could always understand the words she sang. The one fault was that, since she always sounded so happy to be singing, Fitzgerald did not always dig below the surface of the lyrics she interpreted and she even made a downbeat song such as “Love for Sale” sound joyous. However, when one evaluates her career on a whole, there is simply no one else in her class.One could never guess from her singing that Ella Fitzgerald ’s early days were as grim as Billie Holiday’s. Growing up in poverty, Fitzgerald was literally homeless for the year before she got her big break. In 1934, she appeared at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, winning an amateur contest by singing “Judy” in the style of her idol, Connee Boswell. After a short stint with Tiny Bradshaw, Fitzgerald was brought to the attention of Chick Webb by Benny Carter (who was in the audience at the Apollo). Webb, who was not impressed by the 17-year-old’s appearance, was reluctantly persuaded to let her sing with his orchestra on a one-nighter. She went over well and soon the drummer recognized her commercial potential. Starting in 1935, Fitzgerald began recording with Webb’s Orchestra, and by 1937 over half of the band’s selections featured her voice. “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” became a huge hit in 1938 and “Undecided” soon followed. During this era, Fitzgerald was essentially a pop/swing singer who was best on ballads while her medium-tempo performances were generally juvenile novelties. She already had a beautiful voice but did not improvise or scat much; that would develop later.On June 16, 1939, Chick Webb died. It was decided that Fitzgerald would front the orchestra even though she had little to do with the repertoire or hiring or firing the musicians. She retained her popularity and when she broke up the band in 1941 and went solo; it was not long before her Decca recordings contained more than their share of hits. She was teamed with the Ink Spots, Louis Jordan, and the Delta Rhythm Boys for some best-sellers, and in 1946 began working regularly for Norman Granz’s Jazz at the Philharmonic. Granz became her manager although it would be nearly a decade before he could get her on his label. A major change occurred in Fitzgerald’s singing around this period. She toured with Dizzy Gillespie’s big band, adopted bop as part of her style, and started including exciting scat-filled romps in her set. Her recordings of “Lady Be Good,” “How High the Moon,” and “Flying Home” during 1945-1947 became popular and her stature as a major jazz singer rose as a result. For a time (December 10, 1947-August 28, 1953) she was married to bassist Ray Brown and used his trio as a backup group. Fitzgerald’s series of duets with pianist Ellis Larkins in 1950 (a 1954 encore with Larkins was a successful follow-up) found her interpreting George Gershwin songs, predating her upcoming Songbooks series.After appearing in the film Pete Kelly’s Blues in 1955, Fitzgerald signed with Norman Granz’s Verve label and over the next few years she would record extensive Songbooks of the music of Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Rodgers & Hart, Duke Ellington, Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, and Johnny Mercer. Although (with the exception of the Ellington sets) those were not her most jazz-oriented projects (Fitzgerald stuck mostly to the melody and was generally accompanied by string orchestras), the prestigious projects did a great deal to uplift her stature. At the peak of her powers around 1960, Fitzgerald’s hilarious live version of “Mack the Knife” (in which she forgot the words and made up her own) from Ella in Berlin is a classic and virtually all of her Verve recordings are worth getting.Fitzgerald’s Capitol and Reprise recordings of 1967-1970 are not on the same level as she attempted to “update” her singing by including pop songs such as “Sunny” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” sounding quite silly in the process. But Fitzgerald’s later years were saved by Norman Granz’s decision to form a new label, Pablo. Starting with a Santa Monica Civic concert in 1972 that is climaxed by Fitzgerald’s incredible version of “C Jam Blues” (in which she trades off with and “battles” five classic jazzmen), Fitzgerald was showcased in jazz settings throughout the 1970s with the likes of Count Basie, Oscar Peterson, and Joe Pass, among others. Her voice began to fade during this era and by the 1980s her decline due to age was quite noticeable. Troubles with her eyes and heart knocked her out of action for periods of time, although her increasingly rare appearances found Fitzgerald still retaining her sense of swing and joyful style. By 1994, Ella Fitzgerald was in retirement and she passed away two years later, but she remains a household name and scores of her recordings are easily available on CD. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
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There are multiple artists with this name

1) Him , a love metal band from Finland.
2) HiM, a solo project put together in 1995 by Doug Scharin (drummer for June of 44, Rex, and Codeine).
3) HIM, acronym for “Hiromasa Ijichi Melodies,” a Japanese group.

1) Formed in 1991 by vocalist Ville Valo, guitarist Mikko Lindström (Linde), and bassist Mikko Paananen(Mige). Today the band consists of the previously named as well as a drummer Mika Karppinen(Gas) and a keyboardist Janne Puurtinen(Burton). The name HIM was originally an abbreviation for “His Infernal Majesty”, but was changed to the initials to avoid confusion with the occult. Also, the Finnish people were rarely able to actually pronounce the name correctly. The name “HIM” later caused confusion when touring in the US, because of another band using the same name (read below at 2)). For this reason, the band was -jokingly – for some time known as “HER” in the States, and even more jokingly HIM&Her in Germany.

The EP, ‘666 Ways to Love: Prologue’ (1996) was their EP released only in Finland and only 1,000 were produced making it worth up to $700 and has been sold on eBay for more. HIM’s first full length album ‘Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666’ (1997) gained European fame due to the success of the cover of Wicked Game the album also featured a popular cover of (Don’t Fear) The Reaper.
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The Misfits are an American horror-themed punk rock, or horror punk, band formed in 1977 in Lodi, New Jersey and originally led by singer and songwriter Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Anzalone). Though bassist Jerry Only has been the only consist member through every incarnation since joining in the early days of the band.

Current members include:
* Jerry Only (Gerald Caiafa) – bass guitar, backing vocals (1977–1983, 1995–present), lead vocals (2001-present)
* Dez Cadena – guitar, backing vocals (2001–present)
* Robo (Roberto Valverde) – drums (1982–1983, 2005–present)

Misfits ’ iconic skull graphic was lifted from the 1946 television serial, ‘The Crimson Ghost,’ while the typeface is from the 1950s-’60s magazine, ‘Famous Monsters of Filmland.’

Glenn Danzig was very interested in Marilyn Monroe, and took the band’s name from “The Misfits ”, Monroe’s last film. The band’s early lyrical and graphical focus was on retro (1930s-’50s) science fiction, horror films, and B-movies.

The early Misfits were often quite melodic, featuring Danzig’s versatile singing, which had a style rooted in Italian tenors such as Mario Lanza and in 1950s doo wop. Early Misfits songs tended to have catchy, sing along choruses backed by Danzig’s distorted keyboard accompaniments. The band began as a largely untrained ensemble. The song Last Caress (a very rare track for years) is now commonly regarded as the epitome of an early-Misfits song, with blaring instruments and Danzig’s melodic vocals finding a medium between Frank Sinatra and the Sex Pistols.
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The Fratellis are an alternative rock band from Glasgow, Scotland who took their name from the villains in the film “The Goonies” (although, by coincidence, Barry’s mother’s maiden name is in fact Fratelli). The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli (real name John Lawler), bass guitarist Barry Fratelli (real name Barry Wallace), and drummer, backing vocalist, occasional guitarist and banjo player Mince Fratelli (real name Gordon McRory). They are currently touring with a pianist / rhythm guitarist, Will Foster.

History

2005-2006: Beginnings and The Fratellis EP

They played their first show on March 4, 2005 in the O’Henry’s bar in Glasgow across the road from the famous Horseshoe bar, and received their first radio play in 2005 on central Scotland’s Beat 106 (later XFM Scotland, now Galaxy Scotland) Beatscene show hosted by Jim Gellatly. They were signed by Fallout Records.

The Fratellis EP was released April 3, 2006, featuring the tracks “Creepin’ Up The Backstairs”, “Stacie Anne” and “The Gutterati?”. The NME ran a two page feature on The Fratellis in the August 10, 2006 issue, proclaiming them “the best new band in Britain”. “Creepin’ Up The Backstairs” was never a single released by the band, even though a video was made for it. It was not eligible for the charts. The first single released by the band was “Henrietta”, which was released on June 12 2006 and charted at number 19 on the UK Charts.
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You don’t have to wait until December to see the lean, green, Christmas hating machine. You can get Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas The Musical starting a month early in Boston! This classic children’s story has been adapted to stage and features a longer version of the original Dr. Seuss story about the creature with a heart two sizes too small.

If you forgot the gist of the show, it revolves around a large, mean green creature, The Grinch. Although The Grinch hates a lot of things, he hates Christmas the most, especially the singing of the local townspeople, the Whos. From his home high atop a mountain, the sweet voices of the Whos seem like nails on a chalkboard to the grumpy Grinch. He finally has a plan and employs the help of his faithful dog, who is also the narrator of the show. He dresses as Santa Clause and proceeds to loot Whoville on Christmas eve to prevent the Whos from celebrating. See how Christmas spirit finally finds The Grinch with your own Dr. Seuss How The Grinch Stole Christmas The Musical.

Timothy Mason wrote the book and scripts for the show. His other credits include Human Club, Levitation, Only You and The Fiery Furnace. The music for the show is by Mel Marvin. His musical endeavors include A History of the American Film, What’s Wrong With This Picture and The Gershwin’s’ Fascinating Rhythm. Some music and lyrics were by Albert Hague and Dr. Seuss.
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