Nick Edelstein

Posts Tagged ‘stage’

Warren Co. Rocks

Friday, May 21st, 2010

As we rolled down Main St., the warmly familiar buildings came into view: I saw the shops, court house, and then the park. To my pleasant suprise, a large stage had been constructed (last year we used a ground-level platform). I had truly enjoyed meeting the residents of Warrenton, GA last year and looked forward to this concert. Cindy and her daughter greeted us at the stage. Later, as we began to play, I appreciated the elevated perspective. Cool breezes, and I could see over the border bushes across the downtown scape. It was very relaxing and definitely facilitated our extended jams.

The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. Clear blue skies for miles around with white clouds sprinkled on top. You can see a photo here, on the official Warren County website (thanks Mike for posting!)

Tags: concert, court house, downtown, edelstein, GA, live, music, nick, stage, Warren, Warrenton
Posted in Tour Diary | No Comments »

Carl Orff: Expressionist

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

: Image via Wikipedia

Carl Orff (German composer and educator) passed away in 1982 at the age of 87, the same year I was born. He promoted folk music, improvisation, and theater. What follows was taken from the Library of Congress via Pomegranate Publications:

“In all my work, my final concern is not with musical but with spiritual expression,” said Carl Orff, who first gained wide attention in 1937 with his magnum opus, Carmina burana. Born into a Bavarian military family, Orff studied music from childhood and, later, composition at the Munich Academy of Music. Among the early influences on his compositions were Claude Debussy, Arnold Schoenberg, and Richard Strauss. In 1924 he cofounded the Güntherschule, an institution devoted to exploring and teaching new correlations between movement and music. As a musical pedagogue, Orff was influential in using radio as a means of teaching musical principles and in furthering the use of folk instruments and simple improvisation in classrooms. Orff wrote primarily for the stage and conceived his works as total sensory experiences. Of these, Carmina burana, a musical celebration of love and sensual pleasure based on anonymous medieval Latin manuscripts, has become a staple of the modern repertoire.

Tags: arts, carl orff, carmina burana, composer, debussy, Education, Folk music, Güntherschule, Library of Congress, munich, music, Musical theatre, pedagogue, schoenberg, stage, strauss, Teacher
Posted in Tangents | No Comments »

Sweet Auburn High

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

When we arrived yesterday at Sweet Auburn Springfest, a nice big stage and first-rate sound crew greeted us. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, and everyone was out enjoying their Mothers Day. I knew that a killer show was in my near future I wasn’t wrong, but like everything else in Life it didn’t turn out as I’d expected.

After our fourth song my high “E” string broke (rarely happens; first break in 6 months). I kept cool, quickly retuned my remaining five strings and continued on to “PC Religion” without a hitch. We did five more songs before ending our set and exiting the stage, at which point Fred (drums) first realized my handicap. Andy (bass) had been standing beside me, stage left, and he hadn’t noticed either. True, it was a 32′ x 24′ stage but still…

It’s a small example of how I live every day: be happy, stay focused! Don’t let things you can’t control bother you! Be prepared for the worst. Let experience guide you through obstacles in a calm, professional manner. I guarantee everyone in that audience dug my solos and chord voicings and didn’t notice the missing “E” string – because I didn’t let them. In fact I’m really wishing we had a video of that show because some of my playing was really inspired and stellar, and our stage presence was spot-on.

Fred and Andy rocked. I met some great people-now-fans, like Tony and Nancy. On our way home I couldn’t help but think of how greatful I was for being able to enjoy that experience, instead of getting hung up on the negative aspect (broken string). Too often I see folks wading through their days in negative energy. Be positive, stay focused on the good!