From: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org (JMDL Digest) To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2007 #254 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk Unsubscribe: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe Archives: http://www.smoe.org/lists/joni Website: http://jonimitchell.com JMDL Digest Thursday, July 5 2007 Volume 2007 : Number 254 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Re: njc, 4th of July: Peace -- and dissent -- is patriotic ["Randy Remot] Hy Zaret, 99; wrote words to 'Unchained Melody' [Smurf ] Re: For the Roses? ["Jamie's Box of Paints" ] Re: For the Roses? ["Gerald A. Notaro" ] Re: For the Roses? [Gary Z ] Re: For the Roses? [Doug ] Re: For the Roses? [Motitan@aol.com] Re: Hy Zaret, 99; wrote words to 'Unchained Melody' [Dflahm@aol.com] njc, 4th of July: Peace -- and dissent -- is patriotic ["Kate Bennett" <] Re: njc, 4th of July: Peace -- and dissent -- is patriotic [Victor Johns] Re: The Joni Mitchell Phenomenon? njc [jeannie ] Re: Hy Zaret, 99; wrote words to 'Unchained Melody' njc ["Randy Remote"] Re: Hy Zaret, 99; wrote words to 'Unchained Melody' ["Randy Remote" Subject: Re: njc, 4th of July: Peace -- and dissent -- is patriotic Patti, Patti, Patti... the law doesn't apply to us. - -George Bush > I can't be the only one here who is outraged that Bush has commuted > Libby's sentence. > Love & Peace, > > Patti P. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 06:40:31 -0700 (PDT) From: Smurf Subject: Hy Zaret, 99; wrote words to 'Unchained Melody' From today's Boston Globe: Hy Zaret, 99; wrote words to 'Unchained Melody' By Associated Press | July 4, 2007 WESTPORT, Conn. -- Lyricist Hy Zaret, who wrote the haunting words to "Unchained Melody," one of the most frequently recorded songs of the 20th century, died Monday. He was 99. Mr. Zaret died at his home, his son, Robert, said yesterday. He penned words to many songs and advertising jingles, but his biggest hit was "Unchained Melody," written in 1955 for a film called "Unchained." It brought Mr. Zaret and Alex North, the composer, an Academy Award nomination for best song. Mr. Zaret refused the producer's request to work the word "unchained" into the lyrics, instead writing to express the feelings of a lover who has "hungered for your touch a long, lonely time." The song was recorded by artists as diverse as Elvis Presley, Lena Horne, U2, Guy Lombardo, Vito & the Salutations, and Joni Mitchell, who incorporated fragments into her song "Chinese Cafe/Unchained Melody." An instrumental version was a No. 1 hit in 1955 for Les Baxter, while a vocal version by Al Hibbler reached No. 3 the same year. But most baby boomers remember the song from the Righteous Brothers' version. The record, produced by Phil Spector, reached No. 4 on the Billboard chart in 1965, and was a hit again 25 years later when it was used on the soundtrack of the film "Ghost." In all, it was recorded more than 300 times, according to the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, which listed it in 1999 as one of the 25 most-performed musical works of the 20th century. Among other songs Mr. Zaret co-wrote were "My Sister and I," a hit in 1941 for Jimmy Dorsey; "So Long, for a While," the theme song for the radio and TV show "Your Hit Parade"; "Dedicated to You"; and the Andrews Sisters' novelty song "One Meat Ball." "He had some big, big hits," said Jim Steinblatt, an assistant vice president at the society. In later years, Mr. Zaret had to fend off the allegations of electrical engineer William Stirrat, who said he wrote the "Unchained Melody" lyrics as a teenager in the 1930s and even legally changed his name to Hy Zaret. Robert Zaret and Steinblatt both said the dispute was resolved in favor of Mr. Zaret, who continued to receive all royalties. Steinblatt said Stirrat died in 2004. . ____________________________________________________________________________________ Get the free Yahoo! toolbar and rest assured with the added security of spyware protection. http://new.toolbar.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/norton/index.php ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 06:44:07 -0700 From: Dave Blackburn Subject: For the Roses? So.... For the Roses, the song, is clearly about the music biz and addressed I believe to James Taylor. So can anyone explain the title? Perhaps as Joni sat in her garden in B.C roses were in front of her as she wrote the song and it seemed as good a title as any, but then... could it be that (in true Joni double layered meaning) that one performs music and endures all the music biz crap for nothing more than the bunch of roses that often gets handed the diva after a brilliant show? In other words, that's about as much satisfaction as there is in all this: a bunch of roses. Any other theories? Dave ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 14:58:43 +0100 From: "Jamie's Box of Paints" Subject: Re: For the Roses? Hi Dave Yes, probably about JT and I think it's more 'she doesn't do it for the roses' you know, for the accolades and recognition, she does it for the art. However, sometimes isn't it the fans that give roses at the end of a gig? hmmmm biting the hand that feeds her? Jamie On 04/07/07, Dave Blackburn wrote: > So.... For the Roses, the song, is clearly about the music biz and > addressed I believe to James Taylor. So can anyone explain the title? > > Perhaps as Joni sat in her garden in B.C roses were in front of her > as she wrote the song and it seemed as good a title as any, but then... > > could it be that (in true Joni double layered meaning) that one > performs music and endures all the music biz crap for nothing more > than the bunch of roses that often gets handed the diva after a > brilliant show? In other words, that's about as much satisfaction as > there is in all this: a bunch of roses. > > Any other theories? > > > Dave > - -- I am a lonely Painter I live in a Box of Paints I'm frightened by the devil But I'm drawn to those ones that 'aint afraid... Jamie Zubairi can be found for voice-overs at http://uk.voicespro.com/jamie.zubairi1 acting CV and showreel at http://uk.castingcallpro.com/u/81749 http://www.jamiezubairi.co.uk Facebook me! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 10:24:10 -0400 (EDT) From: "Gerald A. Notaro" Subject: Re: For the Roses? Dave Blackburn wrote: > So.... For the Roses, the song, is clearly about the music biz and > addressed I believe to James Taylor. So can anyone explain the title? Just as it was done for the applause and acclaim mentioned several times in the song, it was done For the Roses. I've always took this to mean the bouquets of flowers handed a performer at the end of a concert. Jerry ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2007 10:37:31 -0400 From: Gary Z Subject: Re: For the Roses? I always thought the song was loosely related to comparing the music business to the "run for the roses" at the Kentucky Derby. Hence the line..."on your mark red ribbon runner..." Also, didn't Joni paint a portrait of a horse head that appeared on the "For the Roses" songbook? Dunno, but I always thought of the song that way. Best regards, Gary Z. Detroit Dave Blackburn wrote: >So.... For the Roses, the song, is clearly about the music biz and >addressed I believe to James Taylor. So can anyone explain the title? > >Perhaps as Joni sat in her garden in B.C roses were in front of her >as she wrote the song and it seemed as good a title as any, but then... > > could it be that (in true Joni double layered meaning) that one >performs music and endures all the music biz crap for nothing more >than the bunch of roses that often gets handed the diva after a >brilliant show? In other words, that's about as much satisfaction as >there is in all this: a bunch of roses. > >Any other theories? > > >Dave ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2007 10:53:18 -0400 From: Doug Subject: Re: For the Roses? She explains it in the 1972 Carnegie Hall concert. It refers to a wreath of flowers thrown to the winning horse at the racetrack and "then one day they take him out and shoot him" (the winning horse). Doug Dave Blackburn wrote: > So.... For the Roses, the song, is clearly about the music biz and > addressed I believe to James Taylor. So can anyone explain the title? > > Perhaps as Joni sat in her garden in B.C roses were in front of her > as she wrote the song and it seemed as good a title as any, but then... > > could it be that (in true Joni double layered meaning) that one > performs music and endures all the music biz crap for nothing more > than the bunch of roses that often gets handed the diva after a > brilliant show? In other words, that's about as much satisfaction as > there is in all this: a bunch of roses. > > Any other theories? > > > Dave ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 11:42:22 EDT From: Motitan@aol.com Subject: Re: For the Roses? Thanks for the clarifications on the title. I never actually did know what the title referred to or how it tied into the song. How every interesting! Really binds every together more than ever now! Great song, FTR is though. It's definitely one of the best on the album. I really like the lyrics to this song. I can understand the sentiment as its heartfelt and honest (though maybe something you wouldn't think or want to think that artists think). Great! - -Monika ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 12:46:26 EDT From: Dflahm@aol.com Subject: Re: Hy Zaret, 99; wrote words to 'Unchained Melody' Last night, I worked a gig with a very good jazz singer, Birdie Musicus. We did CHELSEA MORNING in both sets and in the second, part of a ballad medley was IT ALL COMES BACK TO ME NOW, an obscure but wonderful lament written by Hy Zaret with his frequent (or occasional?) collaborators Joan Whitney and Alex North. Another of theirs which I like is called HIGH ON A WINDY HILL. DAVID LAHM ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 11:13:46 -0700 From: "Kate Bennett" Subject: njc, 4th of July: Peace -- and dissent -- is patriotic No, you're not the only one... I miss America too Patti. >I can't be the only one here who is outraged that Bush has commuted Libby's sentence. Remember when he said that if anyone in his administration leaked classified information, they would be "taken care of?". "Taken care of", I guess, has two meanings. If anyone wants to take a little action tonight, try this: http://pol.moveon.org/subpoena/?r_by=10714-1448109-FCMLmT&rc=confemail< ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 14:27:47 -0400 From: Victor Johnson Subject: Re: njc, 4th of July: Peace -- and dissent -- is patriotic On Jul 4, 2007, at 2:13 PM, Kate Bennett wrote: > No, you're not the only one... I miss America too Patti. You'd get my vote Kate! You need to work on your grammar though...I "am" Miss America! Victor NP: Palestrina- Pope Marcellus Mass: Kyrie ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 11:37:52 -0700 (PDT) From: jeannie Subject: Re: The Joni Mitchell Phenomenon? njc I finally purchased the Joni Tribute album last night, along with Van Morrison's latest, a compilation sort of record, too. The Best Of Van-Vol.3...Ohh, and I can drink a whole case of Ry and Van and I'd still be on my feet. Haven't heard Van yet, but like Bonneville Bruce, I'll know when it's time to listen. I never, ever rush my music. I wouldn't know how to. So far, the tribute album, to me, sounds okay and nice..like a B+, or B, or B-. The song that really hit me beautifully is Prince's version of 'A Case of You.' My son, of whom I am not getting along with, came into the room asking who was singing Joni's song. I said, "Prince." He sat on the sofa, looked out through the window, on this rainy 4th of July, went off into daydream, and later said, "Very impressive, Nen." I'll turn him onto the whole album later..it's his way to listen to Joni's music separate from me. Still in search of his independence. Too manly for Joni's tunes but not masculine enough for hard core male-only music. Since he was brought up on Joni's music since the womb, he has never really cut the Joni musical umbilical cord so he listens to many male singer/songwriters with Joni affectations as he still is in search of his own inner voice. This album is a beautiful background music type of album. It's the serious side of Joni. I'd turn adults on to this album and they'll love it, even for women like my mother who's never content with my passions. I wouldn't play it for the younger ones in my life, yet...unless they're day-dreaming or just dreaming...in other words, when they are not hyperactive. This album can calm them. My creature friends are all quiet with Prince playing, even my rowdy Yates, Jack Russell Terrier, Cooder. The only one running around is Che, my little Italian Greyhound buddy ol' pal who wants to jump on this laptop. Must go now. I wish all of you a very Happy 4th of July and may we all find Independence from the shackles of artifice and brutality. jean PS The very thing that makes you rich makes me poor. ~Ry Cooder~ The poor little petunia and lonely painter are no longer afraid of the devil and those that are afraid can find refuge in them. True independence is what I call that and Joni is a big player in all of this. Bruce Eggleston wrote: I have only a handful albums in any format from which I will only listen to a part. Those seem to be compilations or greatest hits packages purchased for the occasional guilty pleasure, e.g. Bob Segar or the Moody Blues. I'm purty much an alpha to omega guy for my album listening. I follow my own maxim to whit: " I do my editing in the record store". To some degree it is a practical and time frugal thing to buy only what I like and avoid obsessing over what is coming up on the turntable. Bonneville Bruce > >> To put it simply, the Joni Mitchell Phenomenon is when you enjoy an > artist's work, but you do not enjoy listening to his/her/their > entire albums > from > start-to-finish, however, when compared to similar artists, you > enjoy this > particular artist's songs much more than his/her/their counterparts. > > And the Joni Mitchell Phenomenon is something most of us > experience, but > certainly with different artists.> - --------------------------------- Pinpoint customers who are looking for what you sell. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 13:44:45 -0700 (PDT) From: jeannie Subject: Re: njc, 4th of July: Peace and dissent is a patriotic rant Hi there, Patti. Thanks for the political content on the list. It's always so fine to hear what you have to say. You know, Patti, the ones who were passionately blind patriots are just really waking up, rubbing their eyes clean after a hard night's sleep, realizing that what they thought they knew was just a pile of devastating ignorance. Blind patriotism is poison, as Thomas Merton said, and yet, even as a hermit monk up in the hills of Kentucky, that awful J. Edgar Hoover man wanted to shut him up and put away even further from society than what he already was. They told him and his Abbey, he could no longer write books. Poor Thomas Merton. He knew what many of us knew. But he found another way to get his message through. And that was through his personal letters to friends. How he died in Bangkok back in the late 60's, meeting up with the Dalai Lama and many other big time contemplatives of those days, shall always be a mystery to me. He loved the idea of taking Catholic sprituality teachings and techniques, combining them with Buddhist teachings for reaching higher planes of meditative contemplation. The FBI and the Vatican both wanted him shut up. He's still not accepted well by conservative Catholics. I've written EWTN network and have personally spoken to catholic intellects and leaders that it was the writings of Thomas Merton and Anthony deMello who combined Buddhist techniques with Catholic writings was that which brought me back to Yeshua once again. Talking about the sins of politics and the politics of sin, like good ol' Laura Nyro sang about. Missin' you too, Laura, as I do Thomas Merton. But, we still have Pete Seeger and Ry Cooder's Buddy had a pig named J. Edgar who ate all of the fourth of July American apple pie. Bye, bye, all you white washed militant hawks dressed like white doves of blind liberty..the people are really just waking up from them three great stimulants. How does the Hague sound right at this moment of time on this political dog-eat-dog 4th of July for these guys? I saw a picture of Dubya on the front page of today's newspaper on an article about the pardoning of Scooter Libby and he's getting uglier and uglier by the day. Maybe he's not sleeping at night or maybe drinking till he falls into a slumber. I don't know, but something has gone haywire and wrong with him and I can't help to feel pity for him and all of his horrible, crooked administartion. Just as long as our planetary friends know that there are actually wonderful, compassionate and loving American citizens who care for them as much as they do for their own flesh and blood. Here, those on the Joni list, can be considered a fine example of what a fine, functioning, loving planetary family who can debate with respect and dignity, is all about, on this lovely day or night ride home, depending on what part of our Earth you're in. Lovingly, jeannie Patti Parlette wrote: WARNING: POLITICAL CONTENT From CODEPINK, an email: "July 3, 2007 Dear Patti, How ironic that George Bush would choose the week of July 4th to commute the sentence of felon Scooter Libby! At a time when we're supposed to celebrate the democratic underpinnings of our nation's founding, Bush shows us his utter contempt for our Constitution and the rule of law. So it's up to us, the people, to mark July 4th celebrating true patriots and patriotic acts of dissent." **** There's more but I won't paste it all, because Cindy is back, too, and I want to add a little of her message, if you're looking for sweet inspiration: July 3 2007 Call Out the Instigator Cindy Sheehan Call out the Instigator Because there's something in the air We got to get together sooner or later Because the revolution's here You know it's right! Thunderclap Newman I'm not backing off. I tried to remove myself from the political realm of the US, what BushCo is turning into an Evil Empire, but the blatant audacity of George commuting Scooter's sentence (he's not ruling out a full pardon ---and you know he will) has dragged me kicking and screaming back in. I can't sit back and let this BushCo drag our country further down into the murky quagmire of Fascism and violence, taking the rest of the world with them!" Welcome back, Sister Cindy! Shake your fists at lightning now, roar like forest fire! The point is, imo, that we need to take back our country. "Truth, just-ice, and the American way!" (Wasn't that Superman's motto?) Tomorrow I am marching for the first time in a 4th of July parade, the boom box parade in Willimantic, CT. Have you ever heard of it? It has received national attention at times. I will be marching with COW (CT Opposes War). Everyone in this parade is supposed to wear red, white and blue. Blue jeans are easy, but I don't have anything red except for a cape (that my Mom gave me and I've never worn), so I will be the caped crusader for peace, with a big blue sticker on my back that says: "Freedom of speech means the freedom to disagree" (TIC....but not like we love our freeeEEEeeeDOM!). I also hope to have time to make a banner/sash that says: "I Miss America", but we'll see. COW hopes to have a thousand people there. (FWIW: "a thousand people in the streets, singing songs and carrying signs..."). I can't be the only one here who is outraged that Bush has commuted Libby's sentence. Remember when he said that if anyone in his administration leaked classified information, they would be "taken care of?". "Taken care of", I guess, has two meanings. If anyone wants to take a little action tonight, try this: http://pol.moveon.org/subpoena/?r_by=10714-1448109-FCMLmT&rc=confemail Okay, I'll step off my dove soapbox now and wish all you American Joniamigos a happy 4th of July. And to everyone else around the Joni world, a good Wednesday, with kisses like bright flags hung out on holidays! Love & Peace, Patti P. _________________________________________________________________ http://imagine-windowslive.com/hotmail/?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGHM_migration_HM_mini_pcmag_0507 - --------------------------------- Pinpoint customers who are looking for what you sell. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 21:44:31 EDT From: Dflahm@aol.com Subject: Re: Hy Zaret, 99; wrote words to 'Unchained Melody' Holy merde! You know that song---High on a Windy Hill, by Zaret/North/Whitney? DL ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2007 02:39:05 +0000 From: "Patti Parlette" Subject: Re: njc, 4th of July: Peace -- and dissent -- is patriotic WARNING: POLITICAL CONTENT RR wrote: >Patti, Patti, Patti... >the law doesn't apply to us. >-George Bush > Oh yeah, Dubya? Well I'm puttin' up my patti dukes. We ain't backin' down, you smirkface without a soul (or a heart, or a mind): "So I'm telling you, my friend, That I'll get you, I'll get you in the end, Yes I will, I'll get you in the end, oh yeh, oh yeh." - --Beatles And here's more for you to ponder, from our old friend Cat/Yusuf: In the End You can't bargain with the truth 'Cause whether you're right or you're wrong We're gonna know what you've done We're going to see where you belong - in the end You can't bargain with the truth Whether you are black or you're white We're going to know who's right We're going to see you in the light - in the end O and every little thing you do You'd better know it's coming back to you You can't bargain with the truth 'Cause one day you're gonna die And good's going high, And evil's going down - in the end You can't bargain with the truth Whether you're old or young We're going to see what you've done There'll be nowhere else to run - in the end You can't bargain with the truth 'Cause whether you're rich or you're poor You're going to meet at the same door; You're going to know the real score - in the end And if you want to help your fellow man You better start with what is in your hand You can't bargain with the truth 'Cause whether you're right or you're wrong We're going to know what you've done We're going to see where you belong - in the end You can't bargain with the truth; 'Cause if the world you chose No further than your nose Will be where the doors will close- in the end You can't bargain with the truth 'Cause for those who were deceived There'll be no reprieve There'll be no time to believe - in the end O and every little thing you do You better know it's coming back to you You can't bargain with the truth 'Cause one day you're gonna die And good's going high, And evil's going down - in the end And as our Beatles sang: "And in the end The love you take Is equal to the love You make." And here is one more song for you (mon Dieu, my OLQD is en pleine forme ce soir!), from RLJ: he's an ugly man he always was an ugly man he grew up to be like his father an ugly man and he'll tell you lies he'll look at you and tell you lies he grew up to be like his father ugly inside hey - ugly man what's the plan? if people knew what would they do to the ugly man? Having fun? but will we be here when you're done with me....? revolution now it's finally going to come everywhere that you're not looking Revolution and we'll take it back now we take the country back everywhere that you're not looking ugly man ugly man ugly man Everyone up on the peace train! It's sounding louder. Love & Peace, Patti P. on the 4th of July _________________________________________________________________ Don't get caught with egg on your face. Play Chicktionary! http://club.live.com/chicktionary.aspx?icid=chick_hotmailtextlink2 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2007 02:42:30 +0000 From: "Patti Parlette" Subject: njc, War -- what is it good for? Here's a great 58-second You-Tube.....may it give you sweet inspiration and pump you up! (My only channelled aspiration.....) Thanks to the shy and anonymous jmdler who sent me this. Mmmmwah! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoCTdlgB-Qc&mode=related&search= Love & Peace, Patti P. _________________________________________________________________ Need a brain boost? Recharge with a stimulating game. Play now! http://club.live.com/home.aspx?icid=club_hotmailtextlink1 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2007 03:37:34 +0000 From: "Patti Parlette" Subject: njc, a gift for Deadheads Bon soir, encore une fois! Catching up on my newspaper reading, I came upon this article and thought it would interest some of you. NPIMH: Sometimes the light's all shining on me, Other times I can barely see, Lately it occurs to me, What a long, strange trip it's been. These lyrics are both sides now, don't you think? In any case of you, voila: Ain't It Crazy - A Symphony Of `Dead' Songs By JOHN ROGERS | Associated Press July 1, 2007 It may be the longest, strangest trip the Grateful Dead's music has endured - - a performance by a symphony orchestra under the baton of a classical composer. But to Lee Johnson, the guy with the baton, the real surprise is that his world of high culture took as long as it did to embrace the world of counterculture for which the Grateful Dead provided so much of the soundtrack. Born in San Francisco in 1965, two years before the legendary Summer of Love it helped usher in, the band was dismissed by critics for years as a footnote to pop music's Psychedelic Era. But by the time its 30-year run ended with the death of guitarist-composer Jerry Garcia, the Dead had morphed into one of the world's most popular concert attractions. "The Grateful Dead embodied such a huge swath of the late 20th century ... that they are just a wonderful place from which to have a symphony in which you can explore and come out with a response to American popular culture," says Johnson. His composition: "Dead Symphony No. 6: An Orchestral Tribute to the Grateful Dead." The work, assembled from nearly a dozen songs and recorded by the Russian National Orchestra, was released as a download in May and on CD on Tuesday. Although a basic five-chord rock 'n' roll band, the Grateful Dead's multiple-time signatures, harmonies and rhythms have had its fans swearing for decades that they could hear the sounds of Beethoven and other classical composers echoing throughout the music. No one took them very seriously, apparently, until Johnson; perhaps, he says, because adapting the music to a classical format was no simple task. If there was one constant in the Grateful Dead's 2,500 concerts, it was that the band - partial to long, experimental jams - rarely played the same song the same way twice. "How do you transform that into an orchestra that lives not in the moment but off the page?" he asked. In the case of a movement based on the song "Stella Blue," Johnson told the Russian National Orchestra to do what the Grateful Dead would do - improvise. "They were primed and ready," the Emmy-winning composer recalled with a laugh as he spoke by phone recently from his home in Atlanta. "I explained what we wanted to try to do. They politely listened, nodded their heads and off they went." For the other movements, he struck a more conventional classical tone. The result: sections based on songs like "Sugar Magnolia," "Bird Song," and "China Doll" will be instantly recognizable to those familiar with the music. Others, like "Blues for Allah" and "Mountains of the Moon," not so much so. Johnson - who says he "didn't know any of their music" when he began working on the project 10 years ago - has become intimately familiar with it since. The 45-year-old composer - who has written symphonies, operas, film scores and other works - was recruited by veteran music producer Mike Adams, a longtime Dead fan who thought the group's music should be preserved in a form that, he said, "will last 500 or a thousand years." Surviving band members have had little to say about the project, although guitarist Bob Weir indicated he was flattered - and somewhat surprised it took a classical composer so long to discover the group's oeuvre. "The music of the Grateful Dead was complex, with intertwining themes of rhythm and melody, rich harmonic development and explosive dynamics; the same stuff one finds in classical music," Weir said. Adapting popular tunes to a classical format is nothing new, said music historian Joanna Demers of the University of Southern California. The London Symphony Orchestra, for example, has performed Beatles' and Rolling Stones' songs, and Demers noted that Franz Lizst, Frederic Chopin and other composers often took popular tunes of their day and adapted them into their own works. What is unusual, she added, is to create an entire symphony based on one pop band's work. Demers wasn't sure, though, whether translating the band's work to a classical form would give it a wider audience - or was even necessary. "The Grateful Dead themes that I've liked I kind of thought were great on their own, and I'm not sure I would see any room for improvement," she said. But Johnson says he believes American composers have to delve into pop culture if they are going to truly reflect the world around them. "It is the one thing that makes anything classical that comes from this land unique," he said. The Grateful Dead, he adds, was the perfect place to start. "I have a profound admiration and deep respect and love for what they did, how long they did it and the fact it was all about making music," he said of the group that defied many of popular music's conventions, shunning elaborate light shows, costumes and other special effects. "They didn't play games," Johnson said. "They played music." **** Music, sweet music..... Thinking of all the Dead concerts I attended, w/ the U.S. Blues, and my old college roommates and friends and kin and campers in the kitchen...taking the Dead albums off of the Duel turntable, replacing them with Joni.... Good vibrations! Love & Peace, Patti P, fading in a suburban room again _________________________________________________________________ Need a brain boost? Recharge with a stimulating game. Play now! http://club.live.com/home.aspx?icid=club_hotmailtextlink1 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 20:51:06 -0700 From: "Randy Remote" Subject: Re: Hy Zaret, 99; wrote words to 'Unchained Melody' njc > Holy merde! You know that song---High on a Windy Hill, by > Zaret/North/Whitney? > > > DL No- I just meant I've *been* high on a windy hill.... tho I 'm sure it's a lovely tune. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 18:38:34 -0700 From: "Randy Remote" Subject: Re: Hy Zaret, 99; wrote words to 'Unchained Melody' From: > Last night, I worked a gig with a very good jazz singer, Birdie Musicus. > We > did CHELSEA MORNING in both sets and in the second, What a name! Birdie Musicus. Didn't tape it did you? If so, I'd love to hear it/get it on the covers project. part of a ballad medley > was > IT ALL COMES BACK TO ME NOW, an obscure but wonderful lament written by > Hy > Zaret with his frequent (or occasional?) collaborators Joan Whitney and > Alex > North. I wonder if that was the inspiration for David Crosby's song "It's All Coming Back To Me Now"? > Another of theirs which I like is called HIGH ON A WINDY HILL. Been there done that-and so has Crosby! ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2007 #254 ***************************** ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here: mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe -------