This list appeared in the weekend edition of the WSJ – it was created by DJ Jane Buffett, Jimmy Buffett’s daughter.
I saw 2 very good music concerts this week: Pink Martini & Anoushka Shankar.
Pink Martini
One of my favorite groups and my 2nd time to see them perform – They are a huge band, about 12 members. Most are Ivy League educated and speak & sing in multiple languages. China Forbes is the group’s diva and has an amazing voice. Forbes, a graduate of Cambridge, has performed in at least ten different languages, including English, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, Greek, Arabic, and Japanese.
Their music is impossible to categorize – you hear a song and think, “Ok, that’s what they are about” then the next one changes totally. The diverse Pink Martini have offered music from jazz (mainly swing), world music, cabaret, lounge, and 1940s-1950s film music. Their world music covers a wide range – French chanson, Afro-Cuban salsa, Argentinian tango, Brazilian samba and bossa nova, Italian folk, Greek rembetiko, Middle Eastern music, and Asian music. Not surprisingly, they have a cult following.
A defining moment in a group’s career arrived in 2007 and came courtesy of the United Nations …. Srgjan Kerim, the president of the U.N’s General Assembly, ordered 30 copies of Pink Martini’s second album “Hang on Little Tomato”. The Macedonian was so smitten after catching a recent show in Vancouver B.C. that he passed out the cd during his first official meeting!
Anoushka Shankar
It was my first time to see her in concert and I was not disappointed. She is the daughter of Ravi Shankar and half sister of Norah Jones and is classically trained in the Indian sitar (she currently records under the Deutsch Grammophone label).
Incense wafted thru the auditorium as she started the concert by playing some beautiful classical music early in the show. She showed huge versatility though – she composes her music from a variety of influences – including flamenco, electronica, jazz and Western classical music. The show’s finale was most impressive – she was jamming on the sitar – Eddie Van Halen style. The drummer, who plays barefoot, also did an amazing solo – I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone play a more impressive drum. Twice-nominated for a Grammy Award, Anoushka was the first Indian musician to perform at the Grammy Awards in 2006 when she was nominated for her album Rise. She has made guest appearances on recordings by diverse artists, among them Herbie Hancock, Joshua Bell, Lenny Kravitz, Rodrigo y Gabriela and Thievery Corporation.
Although she travels the world for her concerts, she currently lives in London and is married to the British director Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice, etc.).
life as it should be 