Whitney Houston

So sad to hear about Whitney Houston, such a great voice. love tt


Whitney Houston - My Love Is Your Love par hushhush112

Masterclass

I was lucky enough to attend two masterclasses recently. The first was the Terence McNally play starring Tyne Daly as Maria Callas [link] (that's like two legends for the price of one !!). It is a very enjoyable production, and even if you are not an opera fan, the interaction between a flawed but charismatic master and her students is always a fascinating one. I saw the play on a Monday night when you would expect an audience to be quite subdued but Daly received a standing ovation - so you can imagine how impressive her performance is. The second masterclass was a real one - mezzo soprano Anne Sofie Von Otter and students from the Guildhall School of music. She is quite different to Callas -in fact in her trainers & casual clothing she doesn't really correspond to the idea of an opera diva at all ! Funny & inspiring - it was a real privilege to watch her. I noticed that Von Otter is a much more physical singer than the the young students - I wonder if that is something that a singer acquires with confidence & experience or is it an actual 'approach' to singing ? Obviously, in a masterclass the singer can't really talk much about technique - the focus seems to be on the interpretation of an aria - but I was curious to ask about this as I'm sure the physicality of a singer completely changes the sound. Anyway, there is one thing of which I'm sure - standing up & singing in front of your peer group &  being critiqued must be completely terrifying !! lots of love tt

Etta James

Etta James has passed away - I loved her voice & her spirit. I'm posting the classic clip of Etta singing 'I'd rather Go Blind' with Dr. John - there won't be a dry eye in the house, love tt

Cesaria Evora

I was sad to hear that the wonderful singer Cesria Evora has passed away. I once saw her in an airport lounge & was too shy to approach her and tell her how much her music meant to me. 'Miss Perfumado' is one of my favourite albums and seeing her live one of the highlights of my concert going experiences. She will be greatly missed, love tt

Irma Thomas & Soul Rebels Brass band

Saw a wonderful gig at the Barbican on Sunday. First on were the truly infectious grooves of the New Orleans brass combo 'Soul rebels Brass Band' [link], I've never heard a funky tuba before !! It was impossible not to move to their playing & by the end of their set the whole room was on their feet. Then the legendary singer Irma Thomas, a contemporary of Aretha Franklin & Etta James she is known as the Queen of New Orleans Soul. It was so exciting, she has no set list ! She invites the audience to shout out requests from a career that spans over 50 years & if she can't remember the words she looks them up in a huge tome of all her songs & if the band don't know the requested songs she sings them a cappella ! And what a voice, even though she is 70, it's still thrilling and in fine health. In fact, it actually sounds richer live than than on some of her recordings. I mean this in the best sense, because her band is a little raggedy & not over polished & because I'm not that familiar with her material watching her performance that night was like stumbling upon a great bar, where you discover the most soulful singer with a raucous band & feel more alive for it, lotsoflove tt

Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse's death rounded off a grim weekend for news. She was one artist who everyone, whatever their age or taste, agreed was very special and I believe she was as great as her musical heroes. This is the original demo of the classic 'Love is a losing Game' and a fitting tribute to her extraordinary abilities as a writer and singer. Lotsoflove tt

Munich

I've just returned from a short trip to Munich. I went to the opera & saw a production of Mozart's 'Don Giovanni'. The modern staging, consisting of stacked metal warehouse containers & modern dress, including Donna Elvira in a pink office suit & hiking boots left me scratching my head but the music was wonderful. I closed my eyes or looked up at the theatre's chandelier & let the orchestra and voices transport me. I also cycled through the city's parks, explored the great outdoor market 'Viktualienmarkt' and ate the most honest and hearty food I've tasted in a long time. How can a simple potato salad be so heavenly ?! I found Munich to be a truly convivial city & it is well worth a visit, love tt

Marie Knight & Mary Gauthier

I have developed a bad habit of not setting time aside to really listen to albums in their entirety. I tend to hear a new song I like & add it to an ever expanding playlist of favourites & if I do listen to any albums they are probably familiar & trustworthy & at least 20 years old! However, I recently discovered two great records - if not exactly new releases Marie Kinght's 'Let Us Get Together' [link] was released in 2007 and Mary Gauthier's 'The Foundling' in 2010- they are new to me & just as thrilling as any of my older beloved record collection The recommendation from Madeleine Peyroux 'This record has gotten into my soul,spirit... & I cannot stop... music that infects one with joy...' on the cover of Marie Knight's 'Let Us Get Together' made me curious. I'm not religious & it's a gospel record but Knight's voice, at over 80 years old, still so powerful & authoritative & perfectly partnered with multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell moved me deeply. Sadly, Knight passed away in 2009 but along with her earlier recordings including her work with Sister Rosetta Tharpe from the 40s leaves us with a great musical legacy. The other record, Mary Gauthier's 'The Foundling' [link] is astounding. I can only urge you to find the time to discover it's rare & haunting beauty.You can hear acoustic versions of the songs from 'The Foundling' on this channel [link]. Hope you enjoy, lotsoflove tanita

Congratulations !!

London is super loved up today !! This morning there was not a sound in the park or on the roads, everyone was watching the wedding. It's a good excuse to post this Shirley brown classic ' Long As You Love Me'. Lotsoflove !! tt

Covers !

I met up with Mark my guitarist recently, and we decided to look at covers. Apart from being enjoyable just to sing other people's songs it is a good discipline to sing something you have not written, hopefully you learn a new way of thinking about a melody or a phrase or constructing a song. It is interesting to me, how difficult it is to actually make a song your own and I am in awe of singers who, not being writers, do that habitually. I'm also surprised at which songs end up suiting your voice or temperament. With my voice, maybe one would think I would suit quite dark,rather serious songs but actually my temperament draws me towards very melodic,poppy songs and because of this I probably sound more convincing in them. And singing standards ( or trying to ! ) demands a technical prowess which I don't really possess... anyway, I'm really enjoying the learning process... and maybe one day I'll be able to conquer one of those Cole Porter classics :) lots of love tt

Claudia Colonna / Marilou Chabert / Anna Mimouni

A friend recently sent me this video directed by two very talented artists : Marilou Chabert [link] and Anna Mimouni [link]. It's a French singer Claudia Colonna who I'm not familiar with, and I'm not really sure what the song is called but the song & video are irresistibly silly and funny, hope you enjoy ! love tt

John Barry

Very sad to hear that John Barry has passed away, his music is truly awe-inspiring. It's near impossible to choose one song to post by Barry, he wrote so many great songs, but as I've been listening a lot to Matt Monroe recently I will choose one that also features his beautiful voice, 'From Russia with Love'. Hope you enjoy, lots of love tt

Captain Beefheart

Captain Beefheart has sadly passed away. He is considered a great musical revolutionary & critics often cite his most avant-garde work as influencing notable musicians like Tom Waits & Johnny Rotten but when I was in LA recently the Captain Beefheart song I was most drawn to was the more conventional ' Observatory Crest' - it's a song that makes sense when you are driving around with aimless contentment in the late afternoon sun... and it has one of those awesome bass lines that's busy but so laid back that it's perfect ! Love tanita

Catch Up !

When you finish making an album, there's the euphoric bit ' Wow, I've just made a record ! ' and in the weeks that follow there's the bit where you feel slightly lost. I'm experiencing that bit right now. So, I've been catching up on some theatre, I saw 'Deathtrap' [link] with a great cast led by Simon Russell Beale, miraculously I did not know the story & was the perfect audience member, jumping out of my seat with every twist in the plot. I also saw 'A disappearing Number' which had a brief revival in the West End. This was the second time I've seen it - why am I so fascinated by a show which has so much mathematics (by far my worst subject at school) ?! Well, it is poetic and ends up being as much about love & loss as mathematics and there is the comforting thought of all the infinities :) Saw the film 'Winter's Bone' [link] great performances, you will either be a little frustrated by the vagueness of the plot or find that the most compelling thing about it. I'm also listening to a lot of music in a wonderfully intense way, the process of making a record makes you hyper aware of every nuance of other records not just your own. I was listening to the radio & discovered the American librettist & lyricist Dorothy Fields [link]. One track after the other, 'I can't Give you Anything but Love, baby', 'The Way You look Tonight' and 'If they could See Me now' came on & I was just floored. The lyrics are extraordinary. I've started Field's biography and I'm sure I will discover more of her great music. Anyway, please enjoy Judy Garland's live version of 'I Can't Give You Anything but Love', it's heartbreaking & glorious, lotsoflove tt

Abbey Lincoln

I was saddened to hear the jazz singer Abbey Lincoln has passed away. Recently, before I began recording the new album I was emailing with my producer, Paul Bryan, about favourite music and he sent me this recommendation : 'Jazz of the day : Here's some awesome and soulful 5/4 for you. Blues and elegance to boot... Abbey lays it down and the boys fall in line. ' Of course, I lost a couple of days trying to count in 5/4 but what a wonderful way to introduce such a powerful artist !

Another twist

Just been told about this re-mix on line, worth checking out [link], love ttPhoto (c) Sylvie Bardet

Syl Johnson

Paul Bryan in this week's TT Test mentioned an artist new to me Syl Johnson a label mate of Al Green. He also described the chorus on Johnson's track ' Watch What you do to me ' as having the 'grooviest drumbeat of all time '... well,with a recommendation like that I have to post it ! I wonder if you agree : ) love tt

Nocturne

Last week was very exciting musically; I managed to catch both of Elisabeth Leonskaja's London appearances. Schubert in a lunch time concert on Tuesday and then on Saturday she was the soloist in the Schumann piano concerto at the Barbican. In a recent interview Leonskaja revealed that what really concerned her during a concert was not the applause, or length of applause, or even booing but the quality of silence that she could perceive between herself and the audience. I’ve thought a lot about this after seeing her perform this week. I always find her performances extraordinary but on Saturday evening she played a Chopin Nocturne as an encore that one critic noted was ‘transcendental’. I was very aware of the silence during this performance, it felt as if it contained the energy of the audience’s concentration, or commitment or just pure pleasure in Leonskaja’s playing and that this in turn was a reflection of Leonskaja’s own energy. A wonderful exchange! Saturday’s concert was recorded and will be available to listen on the radio all this week but I hesitate to listen to it, as the memory of the feeling in the hall that accompanied the music is so precious to me. I think it unlikely that a live recording can capture that... love tt

4.48 Psychosis & Louis Prima

I saw a production of Sarah Kane’s "4.48 Psychosis" this week from the Polish theatre Company TR Warszawa [link]. I just sort of crumbled into it and was shocked how such an extreme state of despair could be so powerfully & poetically expressed. I think this play & production will haunt me for a long, long time and if you do have the opportunity it is really worth seeing a performance from this truly exciting theatre company.Also, I can’t stop listening to Louis Prima! Do you think it’s a Spring thing ??!! Here is a classic track, Louis Prima and Keely Smith singing "That Old Black Magic", love tt

International Woman's Day

It's International Woman's Day today [link] !! There's only one song for a day like this !!