Vermont Performing Arts League

November is hopping at the North End Studio

I am actually doing this early(er than usual) because our first event of the month is on November 1st.

Sunday, November 1st 8pm - Concert with Liz Durrett - $7

From the list created at the beginning of this year:

Top 10 Great Unknowns, From Second Stage : NPR

Comments about Liz by Robin Hilton

 January 1, 2009 - It was an unusually strong year for great unknown artists. While bigger, more established bands continued to attract the most attention, smaller, lesser-known acts made the most memorable music of 2008. Some, like Southern Gothic chanteuse Liz Durrett made quieter, more intimate albums. But all of the great unknown artists featured here made music that was inspired, original and heartfelt.

     5. Liz Durrett: 'Outside Our Gates'Artist: Liz Durrett

Album: Outside Our Gates

Song: You Live Alone

Liz Durrett is the niece of famed Georgia-based singer Vic Chesnutt, and has appeared on a number of his recordings, singing backup or playing violin. But Durrett herself is a gifted singer-songwriter with an unforgettable voice. This year, she released her third and most fully realized solo album to date: Outside Our Gates is a searing but gorgeous collection of spare, Southern Gothic folk songs about tortured dreams, loss and longing. It's melancholy, to be sure, with Durrett's remarkably emotive and mournful vocals casting an otherworldly glow. But it's also the singer's most upbeat, hopeful and ambitious album so far.

Liz is the first of a few acts that will be coming up from the South this winter. Give her a listen. www.myspace.com/lizdurrett. 

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Thursday, November 5th, 8pm

at the North End Studio

294 North Winooski Ave, Burlington, VT

$5 donation

 First US Screening of the French- Canadian Film

(with English subtitles)

“Entre Nous Et Nulle Part”

“Between us and nowhere”

A short comedy film about a fun road trip from Sherbrook, Canada to North Dakota, a journey not only of the road but of the mind & spirit. Filmmaker Anh Minh Truong, screenwriter Jean-Phiippe Boudreau & lead actress Ariane Bisson McLernon will be present.

  "Between Us and Nowhere is a road movie, both funny and touching.”  

See the film trailer on YouTube
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0pyHuQtqjc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0pyHuQtqjc> 

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Friday, November 6th - 8 p.m. - $5

Listen and dance to Ansemble Mastika with members of Lokum joining them.

   About Ansambl Mastika 

The New Balkan Uproar With song styles ranging from the heart-wrenching clarinet 'miroloi' of northern Greece to the funkier chocheci of the Serbian and Macedonian Roma (gypsies); from the oriental mystery of Turkish and Middle Eastern chalgi ensembles to the driving power of Bulgarian wedding bands and Klezmer kapelye, Ansambl Mastika’s music is rooted in the myriad styles of Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean basin and the Middle East. We blend these tumultuous and irresistible sounds with the spontaneity and global sensibility of downtown jazz musicians in an approach we like to call the ‘New Balkan Uproar’. Since 2006, Ansambl Mastika's joyful synthesis of such traditional influences has captivated audiences from the dance floor to the concert hall to the festival stage. ______________________________________________

                                                              CLASSES

Angela Smith will start a regular Pilates group on Tuesdays from 5-6 starting November 3rd

                         Pilates Will Get You Through the Holidays

The cold weather and holidays are upon us.  For many people, this time of year means bundling up with a cup of cocoa, spending time with friends and family, and enjoying lots of fantastic food.  This can also translate to extra stress and extra pounds.

You’ve heard of the fantastic benefits that come with a regular Pilates practice – toned and lengthened muscles, improvement in your posture, lengthening of your spine, and a strong core.  Now’s your chance to experience it for yourself!  Take an hour out of the week to do something for yourself this holiday season -  Classic Form Pilates is leading a 6-week intro to Pilates course at the North End Studio.  You’ll learn the fundamentals of the Pilates method – breathing, centering, control, and how to properly access those deep core muscles.

The class is sure to challenge you and inspire you.  You’ll get through the holidays with a little bit more peace of mind, and fewer pounds on your body.

Class starts Tuesday, November 3, and runs for 6 weeks (no class Thanksgiving week).  5-6 pm  $75 for the entire course.

The North End Studio is located at 294 N. Winooski Ave (corner of Winooski and Archibald) in Burlington, VT.

Contact Angela info@classicformpilates.com to register.

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                                                      AND, in December

On the weekend of the 4th-6th,The 17th annual Vermont International Festival will take place at the Champlain Expo Centre in Essex Junction. For more details go to www.vermontinternationalfestival.com. 

See you at something soon.

Ben -  ben@vpal-us.org               802-233-4144

October Concerts, Events at the North End Studio

It is officially getting colder so more people are coming indoors for classes at the North End Studio. Check our schedule in the September blog post. All the listings are still correct. In addition, we are hosting Angela Smith's breast cancer research fund raiser for the second year. Check out the specifics below and participate.

Stretch for the Cure

Classic Form Pilates is thrilled to support breast cancer research through our Stretch for the Cure benefit classes.  Each year, we chose an organization that is involved with breast cancer research and provides support to breast cancer survivors or women who are genetically predisposed to developing breast cancer.

Dates for the 3rd annual Stretch for the Cure classes are as follows:

• Saturday, October 10 at 10:15 am
• Thursday, October 22 at 7:15 pm
• Thursday, October 29 at 7:15 pm

Suggested donation of $15 each, and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Bright Pink and the High Risk Breast Program of Vermont.  Email us at info@classicformpilates.com for more information, or call 598-2469. Location: North End Studio, 294 North Winooski Ave, Burlington, VT.

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                                                 CONCERTS

Saturday, October 3rd - NESCAFE with Lokum. Listen, dance, sing and in general enjoy an evening of Middle Eastern, Eastern European, and Mediterranean  music with our favorite local band. If you haven't been to this event yet you are missing something special.

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                      Saturday, October 24th 8pm  $10

                   Mayfly with Nikola Ivanov

Mayfly is a duet of sweet harmony vocals and folk instrumentals influenced by southern appalachian old-time, and new england blues, ballads and soul music.www.myspace.com/mayflygirls Nikola is from the Black Sea town of Varna in Bulgaria.  He left it when he was 18 to attend university in the United States.  However, the music of that region never left him.  "I am very fortunate to have met people so interested in Balkan and Bulgarian music..." he says " as their interest has inspired me to look at its universal meaning.  The part that touches you regardless of what language you speak".                                  ---------------------------------------------- Sunday, Oct 26th - Workshop with Nikola - 1-3 p.m. $35 In this workshop we will learn about a specific variation of the 9/8 measure.It will be a good way to practice the trills and measure hesitations specific to the Varna region because the melody of this tune is simple and its phrases seem to feed on each other.This makes it easy to improvise on once the spirit of the tune is understood. Depending on your reading/hearing abilities, it is recommended that you take a look at the chart in advance so that we can focus on the aesthetics.  This workshop is open to anyone with an interest in Balkan music with an emphasis on Eastern Bulgarian traditional dance music. Although Nikki is an accordion player, all are welcome. Preregistration is recommended at  www.summit-school.org I hope to see you at something soon. Ben - ben@vpal-us.org  or 802-863-6713

 

Sept 14th Concert @ the North End Studio

Ok, maybe Monday night is not the ultimate concert night but you do it when it is worth it. Monday, Sept 14th starting at 9 there will be one of those not to be missed events. Daniel Kahn and The Painted Bird will be passing through on tour. They are from Berlin, Moscow and parts of the USA. Those who have heard Daniel play solo or with David Symons and others know what kind of a riviting concert he can do. With his whole group, who knows what to expect. They also have a new cd. Come and make them feel welcome! Come listen and dance!

 

 

                                      DANIEL KAHN & THE PAINTED BIRD

  A Detroit area native, Daniel Kahn attended the University of Michigan where he studied acting, directing, playwriting and poetry. After finishing his studies he lived, played music, recorded, acted, directed plays and composed theatre music in New Orleans, Detroit, New York and Ann Arbor. He has received awards for his playwriting, poetry, acting, and composing.

    In summer 2005 Daniel moved to Berlin, and has became an integral part of the international yiddish and klezmer scene, playing in different groups and musical projects. He soon formed his own band, featuring a rotating roster of some of Berlin and New York's best young players.

   "The Painted Bird" concocts a mixture of Klezmer, radical Yiddish song, political cabaret and punk folk, kept together by Kahn's amazing abilities as a songwriter, translator and performer; telling stories of outrageous incidents, poetically dark, tragically humorous and politically incorrect.

   "The Painted Bird" has brought "Yiddish Punk Cabaret" to rock clubs, theatres, festivals and shtetls, from Berlin to Boston, Leningrad to Louisiana. The band has been called "The Yiddish Pogues," and Kahn was once described as "someone between Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan and Tom Waits - but yiddish." On tour premiering his new album of old and original songs in Yiddish, English, German, and Russian, "Partisans & Parasites," Daniel Kahn challenges the borders between radical & traditional, lyrical & political, east & west, folk & punk, mama loshn & loshn hora. 
 

 

                                   NOT YOUR GRANDMA'S SHTETL

By Anat Heffetz

Corny, clichéd Yiddishkeit suffers hard blow from young Jewish musicians who take century-old Yiddish songs to a whole new level
We got to the club half an hour after the show was scheduled to start, knowing full well that music shows at this venue always start at least an hour late. However, when we walked into the dark, but surprisingly not smoke-filled basement of Levontin 7, we were stunned to discover that the band has just taken the stage and was about to begin.
The place was packed, and although parts of the crowd seemed closer to my parents' age, the atmosphere was nevertheless intense enough to get one's energies up and running. When Oy Division, a klezmer ensemble of four funky Israelis who perform wonderful Yiddish soul and rock songs started doing their thing, you could see smiles gradually beginning to cover the faces of everyone in the audience.
Oy Division plays the kind of music that anyone who grew up with Yiddish as his childhood soundtrack (however remote and distant it might have been) would find hard to resist. The soft and comforting sound of this old language, which is currently undergoing a fantastic revival, inevitably struck a chord with my nostalgic heart, but it was the vibrant and genuine way in which it was played and sung by Noam Inbar (vocals) and his band members with their violin, accordion and double bass that took Shtetl music into a whole different level.
Love song for borscht
After about three songs, and with the crowd practically eating out of the palm of their hand, the charming klezmers invited to the stage another irresistible character, Psoy Korolenko, an eccentric-looking Jewish-Russian singer-songwriter who was wearing a Stalin T-Shirt and opened with a 19th-century song (in Russian) calling on Jews not to serve in the Tsar's army. The chemistry between him and his Israeli counterparts on stage was apparent, but the evening really peaked when another guest joined the party.
This was Daniel Kahn, a young Jewish-American living in Berlin who does everything from acting in and directing plays, to composing and performing Jewish folklore songs, political cabarets and radical century-old Yiddish songs. Kahn performed partly with his partners on stage (including a hilarious love song for borscht, and an even wilder hymn for pizza, rapped by the incredible Psoy) and partly alone.
The highlight of the evening was, in my eyes, Kahn's solo performance of an early 20th-century song about the Jewish Bund – sung half in Yiddish half in English, glorifying the Jewish laborer, slamming the rich Zionist activists and calling for workers' solidarity across the globe. The pathos and emotion Kahn has put into this anthem almost convinced me that if the Bund was still a viable political choice, I would have run to sign up.
Another memorable moment was Kahn's performance of the song Six Million Germans, inspired by the story of a group of Jewish partisans, Nakam, founded after World War II to avenge the Holocaust. Written by Kahn, the song relates the avengers' story, while debating the morality of their actions (an attempt, which some historians say succeeded, to poison thousands of SS officers in an Allies POW camp in Germany). The lively, even cheerful music of the song stood in stark contradiction to its lyrics, creating an eerie, but fascinating combination.
A beer in hand, and a craving for gefilte fish in heart, we parted with the wonderful, somewhat crazy Yiddish revivers and promised ourselves to return for the next "Jewish evening" at Levontin 7.
 

www.myspace.com/thepaintedbird

www.paintedbird.net

www.nayekhovichi.ru

See  you next Monday nite!

Ben 802-863-6713    ben@vpal-us.org

September Classes at the North End Studio

Now that you are thinking about how to spend  your time when you are not working or studying, I thought that I would re-post all the classes and times offered at NES. In my global wanderings I have been most impessed with how adults in Denmark and Japan commit to evening activities as a way to keep themselves mentally and physically flexible. I hope we can develop activities here that interest our community and get you coming  here regularly. If you have something to offer or know someone who does, let me know and we will see what we can do. By the way, not everyone works 9-5. We would love to start offering morning and afternoon activities here. Again, let us know what you have in mind.

 

Sundays:

3:00 - 4:00 p.m. - Belly Dance with Jennifer Coccetti

 

 

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4:00 - 5:00 p.m. - Kajukenbo Kung Fu & Long Sword for adults

    Beginning Sept 20th

We are called Wing Tao Mobility Arts, what we teach is called Kajukenbo Kung Fu.  

Kajukenbo Kung Fu is a traditional yet modern system of martial art. We
practice the long sweeping movements of classical Chinese Kung Fu along side the shorter more modern forms of Okinawan Kempo. Sequences of self defense movements practiced with a partner come from Japanese Jujitsu and Judo. The shortest forms come from Korean Tang Soo Do.

Peace in the body/mind comes from practice. Individual practice enhances knowledge of self. Partner practices bring understanding of others. Kajukenbo Kung Fu helps us find the path to harmonious living by creating a space to explore both introspection and compassion.

Workout! Test for rank or not - your choice. Build a strong and flexible body, keeping harmony of mind and spirit engaged.

 All classes are $10 per student. Family discount is $5 for each additional
family member.

Sifu Stacy Jolles is a 3rd degree black belt. She has been training and teaching Kajukenbo Kung Fu since 1981. She has directed Kung Fu schools in Oakland, CA; Asheville, N.C. and Stockholm, Sweden. She also practices Ashtanga yoga, Arnis, Broad Sword, and Tai Chi.

Sibok Nina Beck is a 2nd degree black belt in Kajukenbo Kung Fu, and a first degree black belt in Aikido. She has been teaching movement to people of all abilities as a physical therapist since 1978, and in the martial arts since 1983. She also practices Ashtanga Yoga, Arnis and Tai Chi.

  For more information, call us at 355-1841 wingtao@myfairpoint.net

                       ________________________________________________________

Mondays :

5:45 - 6:45 p.m. - ZUMBA with Rebecca Haslam & Rachel Vitale

 

                        ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

7:00 - 8:00 p.m. - FORZA with Stephanie Shohet

 

                           _______________________________________________

Tuesdays:

4:00 - 5:00 p.m. - Kajukenbo Kung Fu for children - starting Sept 8th

        See Sunday for details

                    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

6:00 - 7:30 - Beginner; 7:30 - 9:00 Intermediate Ballet with Chatch Pregger

 

                   __________________________________________________

Wednesdays:

5:45 - 6:45 p.m. - Zumba - see Mondays

                                   ++++++++++++++++

7:00 - 10:00 p.m. - Tango - Beginner, Intermediate & Practica 

                                    with Elizabeth Seyler  

 

                       ________________________________________     

Thursdays: 

4:00 - 5:00 p.m. -  Kajukenbo Kung Fu for children - starting Sept 17th

        See Sunday for details

                    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

6:00 - 7:00 p.m. - FORZA                See Monday for details

                             _____________________________

Fridays:

5:30 - 6:30 p.m. - ZUMBA             See Monday for details

                              +++++++++++++++++++++++++

8:00 - !0:00 p.m. - 2nd & 4th Fridays only - International Folk Dancing

                                      with Ben Bergstein

 

                           ________________________________________

OK, that's it for classes for now. Let me know if you want something else. Tomorrow or the next day I will post information on workshops and performances that I know about now. Thanks for looking at the blog and see you at something soon.

 

Ben    802-233-3144; ben@vpal-us.org

More happening in August at the North End Studio

Starting Sunday, August 23rd - Belly Dance Classes -

                                                      with Jennifer Coccetti (aka Yasmia)

           You asked for it - you got it! Come try the ultimate in ancient dances for women, by women.

 

 

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Jazz Nite (NESJAZZ) - Tues August 25th at 10 P.M. $5

    This month Kate Mohanty appears in a trio and duo. The trio is Kate on saxophone, Peter Krag on piano and Chris Boronsky on upright bass. Then the Mallon-Mohanty duo takes the stage (Kate with Andrew Mallon).

    We plan to do this event montly so, if you are interested in playing let us know well in advance. Next one will be Tuesday, September 22nd at 10 p.m.

                           ------------------------------------------------

And, in September, Saturday afternoon classes in Indian dance, traditional through Bollywood.

And an evening with Daniel Kahn and Painted Bird (probably Monday Sept 14th.

Later

August is looking great at the North End Studio

No matter what your taste in music, there is most likely something for you in August. To reserve a seat for any concert or workshop, contact me at ben@vpal-us.org . Check out the concerts:

Thursday, August 6th - 8 p.m. $10 -Luminescent Orchestrii with         

                                                       David Symons and Friends opening 

 

                                                   ABOUT THE BAND

LUMINESCENT ORCHESTRII IS: Romanian gypsy melodies, punk frenzy, salty tangos, hard-rocking klezmer, haunting Balkan harmony, hip-hop beats and Appalachian fiddle, all eaten and spit out by two violins, resophonic guitar, bullhorn harmonica and bass. 

The members of the Orchestrii come from different scenes in New York City, yet come together through their love of Balkan and Gypsy music. Sxip Shirey is an international circus composer, Sarah Alden is an old-time fiddle player, Rima Fand is an experimental theater composer, and Benjy Fox-Rosen is a free-jazz bassist. It is not uncommon to find Sxip playing tampon applicators with the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, Rima composing music for a Lorca puppet show, Benjy schlepping his bass to a jazz gig, or Sarah fiddling away at some all-night old-time session.

Since 2002, when the band was formed, the Luminescent Orchestrii has toured the East Coast, England, Scotland, and Germany, and have traveled to Romania, Macedonia, Turkey and Serbia for inspiration. They most recently returned from Serbia's Dragočevo Trumpet Festival, a 47-year-old festival that takes place in the small town of Guča, where hordes of competing gypsy brass bands take to the streets and restaurants.

                                                ------------------------------------

David Symons has played accordion with several groups and solo in the Burlington area and now Providence RI for over 10 years. He founded the Black Sea Quartet, Inner Fire District and recently Salt Wives. He was music director for Spielpalast 2008. He is visiting Burlington for a short time and will play music with some of his old companions.

 

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Saturday, August 8th, 7 p.m. - $8 - Belly Dance Performance -

Pretty in Pink presented by Yasmia & Aysun Dance Company

An evening of Middle Eastern dance celebrating the strength and beauty of women. Benefitting DragonHeart VT.

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 Greg Davis Presents:

                          Thursday, August 13th, 2009@North End Studio

                                                     8pm $7 all ages

 

Mazes (Joe Grimm & Ben Russell)

After touring extensively through Europe with PEACE NOISE and debuting at festivals in Bordeaux and Madrid in their newest incarnation, light-

noise duo MAZES will be embarking on their first U.S. tour.  

Positioned behind a fistful of audio circuits and a pair of 16mm film projectors, film artist Ben Russell sprays white light in pulsating patterns onto your optic nerves, shaping sound and eyebeam with fingers/hands that intercede between lens and screen.  A photon's throw away, sound artist Joe Grimm weaves a tangle of hand-built electronics into a skin of noise, a further manifestation of light pattern and intensity as real time audio.  Light is sound is light, cause and effect and chaos and hypnosis, again and again and again.

Lichens

http://www.kranky.net/artists/lichens.html

Spontaneous improvisational composition by form and function is the basis for Lichens. Injecting evolution and natural process into the art form is key. Reflection of internalized experience illuminates symbiosis, serendipity and syncronicity ultimately opening the door. 

Mistakeisms prevail, time only tells and future past is the next window.

Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe is Lichens.

Through collaboration Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe has worked with White/ Light, Cloudland Canyon, Michael Zerang, Joshua Micah Abrams, Alan Licht, Hisham Bharoocha, Rose Lazar, Bird Show (Ben Vida), Doug Aitken, Butchy Fuego and Om.

Eli Keszler & Ashley Paul

http://www.myspace.com/elikeszler

http://www.myspace.com/ashleygpaul

http://www.relrecords.net/

Mirror Phases (Joe Grimm & Lauren Carter)

The collaboration of media artist couple Joe Grimm and Lauren Carter, MIRROR PHASES uses electrical audio feedback to explore the circular exchanges between individuals: mutual influence, interference, boundary loss, sex.  Two people create sound individually and route these sounds to one another through a byzantine network of cables. 

Each receives audio from the other, which modulates, interrupts, and tunes current feedback patterns -- and then sends individual sonic components outward, to modulate the other’s patterns. These interpenetrating paths of sonic influence are endlessly variable. The audible result is a combination of the efforts of both. There is no way to know where the sounds of one person end and the sounds of the other begin; instead, a third presence is born, a self-sustaining emergent force that subsumes both players.

--

out now : 'mutually arising' cd on kranky out now : 'primes' cd on autumn records out now : sun circle 's/t' lp on lichen / autumn

http://www.autumnrecords.net

http://www.myspace.com/gregdavismusic

http://www.myspace.com/suncircle

http://www.myspace.com/cwgd

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Saturday, August 15th - Grey Larsen & Cindy Kallet -

              Workshops 11-1 & 1:30-3:30 & Concert - 8 p.m.

                Workshops $25 for one, $45 for two, Concert $12

Cindy Kallet and Grey Larsen, each well-known and loved for their decades of music making, have joined musical forces in a new duo. Cindy is a superb singer, guitarist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Grey is one of America's finest players of the Irish flute and tin whistle, as well as an accomplished singer and concertina, fiddle, piano and harmonium player. As composers each has contributed to the unique tapestry of contemporary folk and world music as it exists and flourishes in America today. Together, they weave songs and tunes of vibrant color and rich texture.

Scott Alarik of The Boston Globe calls Cindy "...one of folk music's most respected songwriters... provocative, heartwise, and original ...a brilliant guitarist... ". Mike Joyce of the Washington Post calls Grey "... a gifted multi-instrumentalist who consistently demonstrates his melodic finesse," while The New Mexico Daily describes his playing as "positively spellbinding".

The duo's repertoire includes Cindy's sparkling original songs, distinctive settings of traditional Irish music, Scandinavian fiddle duets, old-time fiddle and guitar tunes from southern Indiana, and new music that Cindy and Grey are inventing together. There is plenty of variety and breadth of musical territory here, all deeply rooted in folk traditions, and interwoven with the renaissance and baroque counterpoint in which both Cindy and Grey, coincidentally, were immersed while growing up. Included are vocal duets, guitar, Irish flute, Irish alto flute, tin whistle, concertina, harmonium, and duet fiddling, and plenty of stories that put the music into a personal context. For more on Cindy and Grey,please visit http://www.cindykallet.com/ and http://www.greylarsen.com/.

Saturday, August 15 Morning Workshops with Grey Larsen and Cindy Kallet - $25 ($45 for any two Cindy and/or Grey workshops)

 

Beginning Tin Whistle Workshop

 

Saturday, August 15, 11 am- 1 pm

 

This workshop is for beginning-level players of the tin whistle, one of the most popular instruments of traditional Irish music. You are welcome even if you have never played a note on the whistle. One of the best things you can do for yourself as a beginner is to form good habits right away, avoiding pitfalls that you would have to unlearn later. Bring a whistle in the key of D, and Grey will have a few Susato whistles available for purchase. We'll explore the rudiments of playing, including holding the instrument in a relaxed way, fingering, breathing and phrasing. We'll learn a few simple melodies, and if there's time we'll take a first look at Irish ornamentation techniques. No music reading is necessary, though some free handouts will be available. Becoming familiar with the sounds of traditional Irish music before attending the workshop will be very helpful. Feel free to bring an audio recorder if you wish. My books will be available to purchase at the workshop: The Essential Tin Whistle Toolbox and The Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin Whistle. If you wish to view free excerpts from these books, you may do so at

http://www.greylarsen.com/store/books.php.

 

Arranging Songs for Guitar and Voice (all levels)

Saturday, August 15, 11 am- 1 pm

Have you ever loved a song, but wanted to be more creative with an accompaniment? Do you notice that some songs like to have fancy arrangements, others simple? This workshop will be geared towards any level guitarist (though it will be helpful to be able to change chords fairly easily). Feel free to bring along a song and we'll try out some accompaniment possibilities that hopefully will expand your ideas about what a left hand and a right hand can do together!

Saturday, August 15 Afternoon Workshops with Grey Larsen and Cindy Kallet

 

Novice/Intermediate Irish Flute and Tin Whistle Workshop

 

Saturday, August 15, 1:30 pm- 3:30 pm

 

This workshop is for novice and intermediate players of both Irish flute and tin whistle. Irish (wooden) flute and modern "Boehm system" flute players are both welcome. Whistle players need to bring a D whistle, and flutists can play tin whistle in the workshop if they prefer. You should be able to play at least a few Irish traditional tunes at a moderate speed. (If you are a beginner you are very welcome to attend, though the workshop will not be tailored for beginners.) We will delve into traditional Irish phrasing and ornamentation, as well as breathing strategies that enhance the phrasing and clarity of the music. No music reading is necessary, though handouts may be available. Emphasis will be on technique over repertoire. We will work with materials and concepts that Grey presents in his books, "The Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin Whistle" and "The Essential Tin Whistle Toolbox" (free excerpts are available at http://www.greylarsen.com/store/books.php). Music reading ability is not required. Feel free to bring an audio recorder.

 

Finding Melodies and Harmonies on Your Guitar (intermediate/advanced)

Saturday, August 15, 1:30 PM-3:30 PM

This workshop is geared towards anyone who has difficulty picking out melodies and harmonies on the guitar. We'll explore some techniques that can make it easier for you to technically hang onto (or let go of!) a strum that includes a melodic line. We'll also try out some harmony-finding ideas. If you've got a song that you've been trying to do this with, bring it along.
To hear samples of cindy's music, please go to http://cindykallet.com/music

Please note that admission to Cindy and Grey's evening concert will be reduced to $10 for those who have attended one or two of these workshops.

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Friday, August 21st - 8 p.m. - $10 - Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade - come to swing dance or just to listen!

 

                                    About Miss Tess

Outstanding Folk Artist of the Year" – Boston Music Awards

Although it may be true that every musician is a dreamer, only the good ones can convince you to join in on their fantasies. Armed with a rhythm guitar, a songbook full of down-on-your-luck lyrics, and a seemingly endless supply of fancy hats, Miss Tess is reimagining the golden age of jazz in 21st-century Boston and taking the rest of us along for the ride.

Tess finds her muse in anything old-fashioned, harking back to that bygone era when musicians wore suits or dresses and jazz was played as often in ballrooms as in bars. Accompanied by The Bon Ton Parade, a small ensemble that leans heavily on brushed drums and saxophone, the group taps into that laid-back cabaret sound that appeals to the vagabond lurking inside of all of us.

Tess has recorded four albums of standards and original songs, but the best way to experience her is live. A her smoky voice drags seductively behind the rhythm, she transforms even the dingiest barroom into a dance floor and tempts you–for one night, at least–to drift back to a classier time." –Justin Shatwell, Yankee Magazine

Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade ( http://www.charismaartist.com/artist_info.aspx?id=13 ) or ( www.misstessmusic.com ) - Groovy, Modern-vintage, 20's and 30's, Swing-Blues Infused Jazz. Winner of the 2008 Boston Music Award "Outstanding Folk Artists of the Year." Winner of the Eddie’s Attic shoot-out in Decatur. Performed along with Emmylou Harris and Lyle Lovett among others on the Cayamo Cruise and performed recently at the Washington Folk Festival, Burlington Jazz Festival, Passim, Iron Horse, Unity Center for the Performing Arts, Regattabar Jazz Fest, Blue Note NYC.

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Kate Mohanty is working on another addition of Jazz night (NESJAZZ) for August 25th at 10 p.m. I will keep you posted as we have the names of the bands.

Also, it is rumored that Jesse Rosenfield is putting together a David Bowie retrospective and will preview it at NES on Thursday, August 2oth around 9 or so.

Also, check on earlier posts to see the classes and other regular events that have been going on all summer. Ballet is now only on Tuesday from 6-9 p.m., Zumba is Monday, Wednesday, Friday  5:45-6:45 p.m., and Saturday 9-10 a.m.  Tango starts at 8 until 10 p.m. for the Summer. The only addition I know of is Forza will add a Thursday 6-7 p.m. class starting August 6th and will keep Monday 7-8 p.m. and Friday 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. International Folk Dancing remains from 8-10 p.m. on 2nd & 4th Fridays.

If you have any ideas about presenting something at the North End Studio, now is the time to sign up for the Fall.

I hope to see you at something soon.

Ben - ben@vpal-us.org; 802- 863-6713

Mid July North End Studio activities

              Jazz comes to the North End Studio!

We want to start a once a month jazz event (and call it NESJAZZ). On Saturday, July 18th there will be 4 groups performing various forms of jazz. We hope you will come and support it. 8p.m., $5. If you want to perform in the future or know someone who might, give us a shout. ben@vpal-us.org.

The four groups are:

The Mohanty-Mallon Duet: www.myspace.com/mohantymallon 

   The Mohanty-Mallon Duet, based in Burlington, VT. is comprised of saxophonist Kate Mohanty and vibraphonist Andrew Mallon. The music is largely influenced by the free jazz movement and is compeltely imporvised.

Jazz Rehab : www.myspace.com/jazzrehab

Maryse Smith : www.myspace.com/marysesmith

The Racoonists

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On Thursday,July 30th we will have the honor of hosting Jacqueline Schwab . She has performed at the White House, Dave Letterman, Smithsonian and many festivals, concerts and dance camps. Catch her before she participates at the Champlain Valley Festival www.cvfest.org starting the next weekend in Ferrisburg at Kingsland Bay State Park.

For her North End Studio concert, Jacqueline will perform her arrangements of vintage American music from Mark Twain’s era—Stephen Foster, Civil War, Victorian ballroom dance tunes, hymns and spirituals, Scots and Irish traditional music and ragtime—as well as music from farther afield. Following the concert, Jacqueline will lead those who will in an hour of English country dancing, to the music of Burlington-area dance band Impropriety.

The evening starts at 8 with Jacqueline on the piano and dancing start a little after 9. The evening costs $7 for the concert, $7 for the dance or $10 for both.

 

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Stay tuned for August events:

Thursday, August 6th - Luminescent Orchestrii - Balkan music on steroids

Saturday, August 8th - Pretty in Pink - An evening of Middle Eastern Dance

Saturday, August 15th - Grey Larsen & Cindy Kallet - Concert and workshops

Friday, August 21st - Miss Tess & the Bon Ton Parade - 20's & 30's style swing music

Tuesday, August 25th - 10 p.m.- NESJAZZ - Monthly jazz night. Stay tunes for groups

July at the North End Studio

July starts off with a bang (pardon the analogy) with a joint concert/dance with Lokum and Okbari.

 

 Jeff Davis says:

 

We are pleased to welcome our friends from Portland, Maine Amos Libby on oud and Eric LaPerna on darbouka who make up Okbari (www.okbari.org). They play an exciting brand of Near Eastern instrumental and vocal music influenced by fasil (Turkish light classical) and turku (Anatolian folk) music.  Lokum will play old favorites and some new tunes as well, and we’re really looking forward to combining our sound with Okbari, so come for a night of music and dance to the kind of musical diversity the North Country needs more of.

www.myspace.com/lokummusic

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Check last month's blog for summer classes. The only change that I know about is that Tango will start at 8:20 instead of 7 so beginners will have to wait until Sept or contact Elizabeth for private lessons.

 

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Our next NES Cafe will be on July 30th with special guest Jacqueline Schwab and members of our local English Country Dance band. All of whom will be playing that weekend at the Champlain Valley Festival www.cvfest.org.  I will have more on that event later this month.

 

June classes at the North End Studio (and other stuff)

Since June is usually the month that people are focused on the end of school for them or others, and the weather is really, finally good, not much has been planned at the North End Studio. I just want to remind you of the ongoing class schedules and let you know about one upcoming concert. You can find descriptions of the classes in prior entries or by contacting me or the instructors.

- Zumba with Rebecca Haslam and Rachel Vitale

   Mondays 6-7; Wednesdays 5:30-6:30; Fridays 5:30-6:30; Saturdays 8:30-9:30 (a.m.)

- Forza , the Samurai Sword Workout with Stephanie Shohet

    Mondays 7-8; Fridays 4:30-5:30

- Argentine Tango with Elizabeth Seyler

  Wednesdays 7:15-8:15 Beginner 1; 8:30-9:30 Advanced/Beginner; 9:30-10 Practica

- Ballet with Chatch Pregger

   Tuesdays 6-9 ; Saturdays 9:30 a.m.-12:30

- International Folk Dancing with Ben Bergstein

    2nd & 4th Fridays 8-10

 

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                                                 CONCERT

                             Soaked Oats

                  Tuesday, June 16th 7:30

 

                     --------------------------------

By Appointment - Japanese Restorative Massage by Daniel Fascilla LMT ncbtmb

                                                   call 775-722-7163

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If you or anyone you know are thinking of offering a class or doing a concert or party or some other type of event, it is  not too early to plan for the fall. Sometime this summer, our new theatre space (North End Studio Theatre, or NEST) will be ready and available for larger concerts and other theatre productions. Capacity will be around 75-80. If you are interested let me know 802-863-6713 or ben@vpal-us.org

New May Events at the North End Studio

It seems we need to do two entries each month since things develope as the month goes along and new events and additional info on already listed events comes in. So......

STEVE HAUSCHILDT (Cleveland, OH)
http://www.myspace.com/stevehauschildt

One-third of Cleveland, OH's Emeralds, Steve Hauschildt is also a prolific solo
artist. His analog synthesizer based compositions combine dense analog synth
drones with krautrock and new age inspired riffs. "With Rapt for Liquid
Minister (Arbor, 2008), an album of sparse dronescapes and heady moog
jubilation, Steve Hauschildt proves perfectly capable of enhancing an already
sterling reputation as part of Emeralds with stunning music of his own." --
submersibledirigible.com

RAGLANI (Saint Louis, MO)
http://www.myspace.com/raglani

"Raglani's use of analogue electronics is tied to traditional krautrock by a
thread of dark romanticism....mysterious or tumultuous landscapes as the
analogs of inner feeling; the implication of hazardous travel through awesome
and forbidding worlds; the situation of the viewer as an element of the scene at
once assertively contemplative and utterly dwarfed...Raglani's relationship
with the music of Schulze or Fricke is not retrospective, but contemporary; he
extends the tradition, he does not merely 'reference' it." -- Michael Ferrer

GREG DAVIS (Burlington, VT)
http://www.myspace.com/gregdavismusic

"Sound explorer Greg Davis possesses a fearless and seemingly insatiable
appetite for new sounds, projects, and collaborators....Davis has issued a
number of highly-regarded albums, including the solo works Arbor, Curling
Pond Woods, and Somnia, as well as full-length collaborations with Keith
Fullerton Whitman, Sebastien Roux, and Jeph Jerman." -- textura.org

Please join us on May 18th for a night of beautiful music.