Brooklyn is famous for its writers, as well as its visual and performing artists. Much of the latter talent has been forged through the public high school system. “SING,” an annual Brooklyn high school tradition of student-run musical theater production, which was started by a music teacher at Midwood High School in Brooklyn in 1947, continues today across the city. Students develop their skills in choreography, singing, lighting, building sets,… Read More »The Arts
by Joe Dorinson
“My father took me on his knee and said: ‘Kolya, my little gypsy. It is time you vent out into the verid and learen the facts of life.’ So, I packed my little karzink, wandered over hill and dale, small villages and pretty cities. Then I saw her–my first womansk. She was gorgeous and sassionately beautifuly. And her voice–was the voice of angel. SOFT AND MELLOW! Deenah! Is there anyone feener in the state of Caroleena? If there is and you know her, please show her to me! Kack de byerna sertzer”
Nestled in the hallways of our low-income housing project, my friends and I slid up and down the scat scale in emulation of our idol. Danny Kaye. We loved the slow build-up, oozing shmaltz, the mad riffs and the blast off into stratospheric heights. Kaye represented the triumph of energy over matter–the fantasy triumph of every spirited kid. It is hard to believe that this elemental comic force no longer graces our world. To be sure, Kaye aficionados have various films to sustain them–but these Hollywood vehicles do not convey Danny Kaye at his best.
Read More »Danny Kaye, A Mentsh for All Seasons
She took an unconventional route to superstardom, but it was a soulful road that Carole King traveled. Born Carol Klein in Brooklyn in 1942, she did not set out to become a performer. In “Beautiful,” the new musical about King that opens this Sunday on Broadway, King’s career as a budding songwriter comes to the fore. Starring Jessie Mueller (“On a Clear Day You Can See Forever”) as King, the musical opens a window on a pivotal 1960s era in pop music in which a group of mostly Jewish composers and lyricists wrote for mostly black performers, changing the face of American culture in the process.
Directed by Marc Bruni (“Old Jews Telling Jokes”), the new show traces King’s trajectory from the first tunes that she wrote while attending James Madison High School in Brooklyn. At Queens College, she met her future husband, Gerry Goffin (Jake Epstein), who turned out to be a perfect lyricist for her melodies; their big break came in 1960 with “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?,” recorded by The Shirelles, which was the first No. 1 hit by a black girl group, and which led to recordings of King’s songs by The Drifters, The Chiffons, and many others.
Read More »She Moved The Pop Music Earth
By Hillel Italie – Associated Press – published 8/14/14 in Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Lauren Bacall had one of those incredible lives.
The wife and co-star of Humphrey Bogart. A Tony Award-winning actress. A National Book Award-winning author. A giant of fashion. A friend of the Kennedys. One of the last survivors of Hollywood’s studio age.
A star almost from the moment she appeared on screen to the day she died, Tuesday, at age 89, at a New York City hospital.
“Stardom isn’t a career,” Bacall once observed, “it’s an accident.”
What a lucky accident it turned out to be.
Her career was one of great achievement and some frustration. The actress received a Golden Globe and an honorary Oscar and appeared in scores of film and TV productions. But not until 1996 did she receive an Academy Award nomination — as supporting actress for her role as Barbra Streisand’s mother in “The Mirror Has Two Faces.” Although a sentimental favorite, she was beaten by Juliette Binoche for her performance in “The English Patient.”
By Mesfin Fekadu, Associated Press – published in The Brooklyn Eagle – Sept. 17
Brooklyn native Barbra Streisand’s new album of duets only includes male singers, but it wasn’t a conscious effort to exclude females.
“Everyone we asked was … busy,” Streisand said. The performer almost scored one major diva: Beyonce.
“She had her people try to do a track of one of the songs from my movie, ‘A Star is Born,’ and it just, we didn’t have the time to finish it, to get it right,” she said. “We had to release the album. Maybe someday we’ll do a duet because she’s so great.”
“Partners,” released Tuesday, features Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, John Mayer, John Legend and Babyface, who produced the album.
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Streisand talked about music, directing, women’s right and politics.
AP: Would you do an album full of female duets next?
Streisand: (Pauses) Possibly. I loved singing with Celine (Dion) and Donna Summer.
AP: What was the energy like in the studio for you and your guests?
By Hody Nemes Published September 29, 2014, Jewish Daily Forward
Who says you can’t go home again? Singer Neil Diamond returned to Brooklyn Monday for a surprise performance at the high school he attended in the 1950s.
Hundreds of fans lined up outside Erasmus Hall High School in the Flatbush section hoping to snag free tickets to hear a rare intimate performance by the entertainer sometimes called “the Jewish Elvis.”
“My buddy [said], ‘Can you cut out of work? We’re going on an adventure,’” said Henry Zervas, a 26-year-old Jersey City native hoping to see his first Diamond concert.
Other fans travelled from further afield. Jackie Beck, who sported a homemade “Diamond Girl” t-shirt, drove with her husband from western Pennsylvania.
Joe’s Corner – Danny Kaye Joe’s Corner – Danny Kaye LIU Professor and author Joe Dorinson talks about Brooklyn comedian Danny Kaye
By Mesfin Fekadu, Associated Press – published in The Brooklyn Eagle – Sept. 17
This image shows Barbra Streisand during the of filming of “Funny Girl”. AP Photo/Steve Schapiro via TaschenBrooklyn native Barbra Streisand’s new album of duets only includes male singers, but it wasn’t a conscious effort to exclude females.
“Everyone we asked was … busy,” Streisand said. The performer almost scored one major diva: Beyonce.
“She had her people try to do a track of one of the songs from my movie, ‘A Star is Born,’ and it just, we didn’t have the time to finish it, to get it right,” she said. “We had to release the album. Maybe someday we’ll do a duet because she’s so great.”
“Partners,” released Tuesday, features Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, John Mayer, John Legend and Babyface, who produced the album.
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Streisand talked about music, directing, women’s right and politics.
AP: Would you do an album full of female duets next?
Streisand: (Pauses) Possibly. I loved singing with Celine (Dion) and Donna Summer.
AP: What was the energy like in the studio for you and your guests?