Music Archives - Jane Heller

Movie Day: "Whiplash"

September 22, 2014

It’s officially Fall and that means it’s officially our Cinema Society’s prime season. Now begins the cavalcade of Oscar-worthy movies fresh from festivals in Venice, Sundance, Telluride and Toronto. And what a crop this year’s entries appear to be. I keep reading about the films and their performances and can’t wait to see them all.

In the meantime, I got an early look yesterday at the Sundance Audience Award winner: “Whiplash.” If you asked me if I was keen to see a movie about a young jazz drummer and his taskmaster teacher, I’d probably pass. Soooo glad I didn’t. This one’s a winner.

From the studio:

Andrew Neyman is an ambitious young jazz drummer, single-minded in his pursuit to rise to the top of his elite east coast music conservatory. Plagued by the failed writing career of his father, Andrew hungers day and night to become one of the greats. Terence Fletcher, an instructor equally known for his teaching talents as for his terrifying methods, leads the top jazz ensemble in the school. Fletcher discovers Andrew and transfers the aspiring drummer into his band, forever changing the young man’s life. Andrew’s passion to achieve perfection quickly spirals into obsession, as his ruthless teacher continues to push him to the brink of both his ability-and his sanity.

That’s a simplistic summary of the story and makes it sound like “Black Swan,” substituting jazz music for ballet. It’s not over-the-top-horror like “Black Swan.” It’s a suspenseful, almost thriller-like tale with a performance by J.K. Simmons that astounds. Everybody knows Simmons as the cuddly, laid-back dad in “Juno” or the bland pitchman in the State Farm commercials. Apparently, he was a bad guy on the now-canceled TV show “Oz,” but I never saw that so watching him in “Whiplash” was a revelation. If he doesn’t get into the Supporting Actor race, I’ll be gobsmacked. Miles Teller, who plays the kid, is very good too. According to writer-director Damien Chazelle, who came for a Q&A and reception after the film, said that the young actor did have drumming experience but was coached in certain techniques for the film and ended up being so adept that they only used the stunt double sparingly. The drumming sequences in the film are worth the price of admission, so kudos to Teller.

As for Chazelle, he’s not one of those ultra-arty young filmmakers who has to shoot everything with a hand-held camera, thank God. He’s a student of classic films and it shows. His closeups and angles are terrific. I talked to him at the party and he’s a really humble and down-to-earth too.

Bottom line: I highly recommend this one.

Movie Day: "Get On Up"

August 10, 2014

The rave reviews for this movie, along with the pedigree of the filmmakers and my own interest in James Brown’s life and music, propelled me to see this one. All I can say is Chadwick Boseman, who played the controlled, affable Jackie Robinson in “42,” is phenomenal as Brown, another legend who broke boundaries in his own way. He doesn’t just mimic the singer. He inhabits him. He’s got the speaking voice down, the walk, the dance moves, the simmering anger and, most importantly, the soul. What would the Godfather of Soul be without the soul?

Directed by Tate Taylor, who did the honors on the much-nominated “The Help,” and produced by Brian Grazer as well as Mick Jagger, “Get On Up” was made with the cooperation of Brown’s family, which meant getting permission to use his music – a huge deal. However, it also meant compromising a bit on portraying Brown warts and all. Which is not to say there aren’t warts – from the physical abuse to the gun violence to the paranoid, egotistical way he treated his band members. But the movie treads lightly on those incidents and focuses more on the music and how it came to be so raw and unique. We see Brown’s impoverished childhood in Georgia, his abandonment by his parents (Viola Davis is very moving as his mother), his upbringing in a brothel, his exposure to gospel church music, his time in prison, his experiences with racial prejudice. The film plays with time and moves back and forth between the past and present. Mostly, we see Brown performing at different stages of his life and Boseman gets the act so perfectly you have to blink to make sure you’re not witnessing Brown back from the dead.

My problems with “Get On Up” were that it’s too long – scenes needed cutting badly – and there’s too much repetition. And the ending? The movie could have ended much earlier and been just as satisfying. So yeah, it dragged and, sadly, by the time the lights came on in the theater I was glad to leave. But that performance by Boseman was worth the price of admission. Oscar nomination, please.

Movie Night: "Twenty Feet From Stardom"

December 18, 2013

What a great documentary! I loved it. I’d been wanting to see it forever but missed its short run in our local theater. I had to wait until it was available via VOD, and it was worth the wait.

So many talented backup singers populate this movie, but in a way we never get to see them. The doc doesn’t just give us clips of famous rock and roll stars extolling the virtues of their backups (Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crowe), but focuses on the lives and careers of the backups themselves. Many of them (Merry Clayton and Darlene Love in particular) are very clear about how badly they wanted to be stars in their own right and not linger in the shadows of their more famous counterparts. Others, like the members of the Waters family, have not only done backup work over the years but are happy voicing movie sounds and characters. What’s clear is that they’re all extremely gifted and deserve their due, and thanks to this film they get it. An added plus? We get to listen to some really great music for a couple of hours.

I couldn’t recommend the movie more enthusiastically.

Movie Day: "Inside Llewyn Davis"

November 23, 2013

I love the Coen brothers’ movies, so I figured I’d be in for an entertaining, if quirky, couple of hours at today’s Cinema Society screening. “Inside Llewyn Davis” was just that – entertaining and quirky – but also superbly acted and interwoven with the sort of ’60s coffee-house, pre-Dylan folk music that’s long vanished from the music scene.

Set in New York City in 1961, Llewyn (Oscar Isaac) is a failed musician who’s sleeping on friends’ couches and wandering the streets and subways looking hapless in between the occasional gig. One friend (Justin Timberlake) is more successful and is married to a woman (Carey Mulligan) whom Llewyn may or may not have knocked up. Another friend is a professor at Columbia whose cat Llewyn mistakenly allows to escape its Upper West Side apartment. Llewyn is lost, emotionally detached from everything and everyone, except when he plays his guitar and sings and then he comes alive. The trouble is no one wants to hear him/pay him.

There’s a sequence involving a road trip with the always hilarious John Goodman, but this isn’t a particularly funny movie. It’s a character study of a man who strives for authenticity in his music and can’t find acceptance. I can’t say it was one of my favorite Coen Brothers films – it’s about a sad sack, after all, and the song lyrics are all gloom and doom – but the performances were uniformly great. In the Q&A after the screening with star Oscar Isaac and music producer T. Bone Burnett, we learned that all the singing was shot live – we’re talking about entire, three-minute songs, not snippets – and that Isaac had to learn real guitar picking for the role. Carey Mulligan, who seems to be able to pull off any sort of role that’s thrown at her, is utterly believable as a New York folkie (who knew she could sing).

Quite a few of my friends didn’t like the movie at all and while it’s true that the story doesn’t really go anywhere, as T. Bone Burnett pointed out, neither do folk songs. They start and end with the first verse, and so does “Inside Llewyn Davis.”

I've Never Understood The Grammy Awards

February 10, 2013

I know. What’s to understand, right? Here’s what: all the different awards that appear to be for the same thing. Best Song. Best Record. Song of the year. Album of the year. Maybe I’m making these categories up, but by the end of the show I’m always a little baffled.

Anyhow, on to tonight’s show….

It was boring.

Despite the over-the-top opener from Taylor Swift, the cast-of-the-thousands number from Justin Timberlake and the various duets, the show was long and lackluster until…

Rihanna looked gorgeous on the red carpet in her red stunner with matching lipstick and nails, and she was equally mesmerizing in her rendition of “Stay” with Mikky Ekko.

I also loved the tribute to Bob Marley with Bruno Mars, Sting, the Marley boys and, yes, Rihanna.

My biggest beef with the show is how un-inclusive it’s become. It should be called The Grammy Pop Music Awards, because, while other genres get nods in previous ceremonies, they’ve been virtually eliminated in prime time. Even country music isn’t very “country” anymore.

Every year I swear I won’t watch and then I do. I guess I should stick to movies. I’m really looking forward to the Oscars even though I’ll probably bitch about them too.

Movie Day: "Les Miserables"

December 8, 2012

Today I was lucky enough to have a Cinema Society screening of “Les Mis” ahead of its Christmas Day opening. I’d write something but I’m still emotionally drained; I literally sobbed during much of the movie.

Okay, I’m not really that overcome. It just feels that way.

Let me start by saying I am not a fan of musicals – not musical theater and not movie musicals. I get irritated when people break into song in the middle of a scene; it’s always seemed artificial to me. Maybe it was all those childhood years when my parents would drag me into the city to see shows like “My Fair Lady” and “The Sound of Music.” Who knows. The point is I went into today’s screening sort of dreading the 2 1/2+ hour experience, despite Les Mis’s legions of devotees and the rapturous early reviews of the film.

From the opening scene I was hooked. I mean seriously hooked. Hugh Jackman is so much more than a hunky song-and-dance man. He’s an actor who tells a story with every song he sings as the runaway convict. Similarly, Russell Crowe, though not as accomplished vocally, brings a “Gladiator” style muscular quality to his role – the perfect opponent for Jackman. And Anne Hathaway is absolutely heartbreaking as the unwed mother who sings “I Dreamed a Dream” and made me convulse into tears. The movie sags a bit after her character departs. She will walk away with Best Supporting Actress. There can be no debate.

After the film, which received a standing ovation from our audience, we had a Q&A with director Tom Hooper, who’d come to Santa Barbara before when he was on the circuit for “The King’s Speech.” He explained why he decided to go with a “song-through” approach, instead of breaking up dialogue with songs, and I thought it was totally the right choice, despite my aversion to opera. Cast member Eddie Redmayne, the young British actor who was so winning in “My Week with Marilyn,” was also along and he told hilarious stories about his audition, the number of takes required for each song (99% of the actors sang their numbers live, as opposed to lipsynching), and how intimidated he was after the entire crew had watched Hathaway deliver her big number and it was his turn for his.

The movie has its flaws, among them the length and the relentless close-ups of the actors, but it’s fabulous entertainment and I couldn’t recommend it more enthusiastically.

RIP, Marvin Hamlisch

August 7, 2012

When I read about Hamlisch’s death this morning, I did a quick run-through in my head of all the great musical scores he composed, along with his guest appearances on the “Tonight” show with Johnny Carson. He was the original nerdy guy who made it big and became a star – justifiably.

But the movie score that sticks with me and will as long as I live is “The Way We Were.” I just watched the clip below and started crying all over again. Crazy! But Hamlisch knew how to write a song that was both romantic and bittersweet. Now if only he could have given the movie a happy ending. I hate that Babs and Redford couldn’t get back together!!!!

Rapping Book Titles

June 14, 2012

Well, all righty then.

I’m not a fan of rap, but it would have been fun if he’d included one of my books!

Dinner And Gregg Allman

May 22, 2012

One of the great local hangouts in Santa Barbara is Brophy’s at the harbor.

Sometimes waterfront restaurants/bars have beautiful scenery and horrible food. Not Brophy’s. The seafood comes right off the boats and is cooked simply but expertly. Michael and I both had the grilled swordfish topped with guacamole and accompanied by coleslaw and fries.

(He doesn’t look very happy in the picture, but he cleaned his plate, trust me.)

After dinner, we went home and turned on the TV. Piers Morgan was interviewing Gregg Allman, whose music we’ve loved for a long time. Apparently, Gregg has a book out.

I’m not a fan of Piers Morgan, but Gregg made me feel sorry for him. It’s really hard to interview someone who answers every question with a pause, followed by a monosyllable, followed by another pause. I get that Gregg has had a liver transplant and the ravages of time and drugs have taken their toll, but he sounded like a character from “Deliverance.” And when he announced that he was getting married for the seventh time – to the young woman standing just off the set (a young woman who didn’t look old enough to drive a car) – I just sighed. What I really wanted to hear about was his marriage to Cher. Oh well.

The Houston Family Chronicles? Really?

May 12, 2012

I hate to judge, but I guess I’m judging – and the verdict is I was totally turned off by the news that Whitney Houston’s family has decided to do a reality TV series. Have they forgotten that it was Whitney’s reality series with Bobby Brown that showcased the singer’s life as a freak show? Did they not want daughter Bobbi Kristina to have a more “normal” life? Isn’t Cissy Houston’s forthcoming memoir supposed to “set the record straight?” Do they need the money? Are they publicity hounds? What? Anyhow, here’s the story via Deadline Hollywood:

Too Soon? Whitney Houston’s Family To Star In Docu-Reality Series For Lifetime

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday May 11, 2012

Should a teenage girl grieving over the passing of her mom be the subject of a reality series? Three months after Whitney Houston’s sudden death, her family has signed on to do a reality series. Lifetime has picked up The Houston Family Chronicles, a 10-episode docu-series to premiere later this year. It will follow the lives of Pat Houston, Whitney’s sister-in-law and manager, who now manages her estate; Pat’s daughter Rayah; Whitney’s brother Gary; daughter Bobbi Kristina; and mother, Grammy-winning singer Cissy Houston, as they try to pick up the pieces after the pop star’s untimely death. The series will follow Pat and her husband, Gary, as they try to support Whitney’s teenage daughter Bobbi Kristina. In that, Pat enlists the help of her and Whitney’s inner circle, including Grammy-winner Dionne Warwick and gospel legend CeCe Winans. “The tragic loss of Whitney Houston left a void in the hearts of people all over the world, but certainly none more so than her beloved family,” said Lifetime’s EVP Rob Sharenow. “In this series, the multi-generations of the Houston family will bravely reveal their lives as they bond together to heal, love, and grow.”

Pat Houston said that over the past few years she had been developing an unscripted project about her and her family with producers Tracey Baker Simmons and Wanda Shelley. “The unexpected passing of Whitney certainly affects the direction of the show,” she said. “However, it is my hope that others will be enlightened as they watch our family heal and move forward.” Jarrett Creative will produce the series, with Julie Insogna-Jarrett, Seth Jarrett, Tracey Baker Simmons, Wanda Shelley and Pat Houston serving as executive producers.

Whitney Houston’s family and especially Bobbi Kristina, have been a big ratings draw following the singer’s death. Oprah Whinfrey’s exclusive interview with them drew OWN’s largest audience ever.

Seeing An Old Fave In Concert

April 22, 2012

In 1965, I was a kid growing up in Scarsdale listening to the AM radio station in Harlem, being the lover of soul music that I was, when I heard a song that blew my mind. It was called “Let Me Down Easy” and the artist was named Bettye LaVette. She had a sound that was much more raw than anything coming from the Motown label – almost a female James Brown.

I lost track of LaVette for years – it turned out her career stalled and she hit hard times – and then suddenly she resurfaced. She had new albums, was performing with big-name rock stars and received a Kennedy Center honor.

When I read that she was coming to Santa Barbara, I jumped to buy tickets to her concert, which was on the campus of UCSB tonight.

Wow. That’s the first word that comes to mind. We were told the show would be 90 minutes straight through, no intermission, and I wondered how LaVette’s raspy voice would hold up.

I needn’t have worried. She belted out the finale with as much emotion and vocal range as she did in the opening number. She’s such an original. Not a gospel singer. Not a blues singer. And not a pop singer. She’s pure soul in an authentic way that younger artists like Mary K. Blige and Jennifer Hudson couldn’t begin to replicate. She sings as if she’s been through it, and the effect is unforgettable.

A Fantastic Concert Right Here In Santa Barbara

April 19, 2012

It’s been such a privilege to live next door to legendary jazz sax player Charles Lloyd. I didn’t know much about jazz in general when I moved to Montecito, but when I told my more savvy friend Kathy who my neighbor was going to be, she screamed into the phone as if I’d just said “Paul McCartney.” I got schooled.

But Charles isn’t just a superb jazz man; he and his new quartet make magic when they play together.

Recently, Charles teamed up with the woman often called “the Greek Joan Baez,” Maria Farantouri, for a highly praised concert in Athens, which was recorded for a live album appropriately titled “Athens Concert,” and Charles and Maria made their north American debut last night at Santa Barbara’s historic Lobero Theater. I was so jazzed about it (forgive the pun) that I wrote a preview for the local paper.

The concert turned out to be everything I’d hoped: magical, transporting, even awesome (I hate the overuse of that word, but I mean it in the true sense).

I walked out of the Lobero after the applause had died down feeling uplifted and very lucky to have had the experience – the way you’re supposed to feel about a great concert.

The Grammys: Random Thoughts

February 12, 2012

For starters, I need to vent about CBS’ decision to tape delay the show for those of us on the west coast. WHY? Well, I know why. God forbid they should shelve their money-maker, “60 Minutes,” for a week or air it after the Grammys. Somehow, the Oscars, Globes and Super Bowl always manage to broadcast their events in real time for us Left Coasters.

On to the good stuff.

* LL Cool J did a nice job as host. He transitioned smoothly from the prayer for Whitney Houston to a celebration of the year’s best in music.

* I hated the Foo Fighters and had to leave the room when they were performing. They “made my ears bleed,” as the saying goes.

* Excellent duet by Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt in tribute to Etta James. Well done, ladies.

* Not-so-excellent duet (or whatever it was) by Rihanna and Coldplay’s Chris Martin. What I did enjoy was Rihanna, period. She’s electric and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Chris Martin, on the other hand, sounded like a cat in heat.

* Bruno Mars’ number was great. I was on my feet dancing the whole time.

* Why does Tony Bennett still look the same? Isn’t he like 90 years old?

* I loved the Civil Wars! Their “Hunger Games” soundtrack intro of Taylor Swift made me want to see the movie.

* Speaking of Taylor Swift, she’s flat out adorable. My only quibble was with the staging. I can’t stand when the microphone blocks a singer’s face/mouth.

* The Beach Boys’ reunion was…odd. I wasn’t sure if Brian Wilson knew what was going on, except for his occasional “Bop Bop Bop”s.

* I’m thrilled for Sir Paul McCartney that he’s found love again, but his Valentine song was something I could have written….when I was 10. Luckily, he came back with a winning closing number to the show with lyrics that had special meaning because of Whitney Houston’s death.

* Jennifer Hudson’s own nod to Houston was very moving in its simplicity. She’s seen her own heartbreak and loss, so I found her rendition of “I Will Always Love You” poignant and memorable.

* Adele is so refreshing. She doesn’t look or act or sing like every other young female pop artist, and deserves all the awards she got. Talk about a sweep.

* I wish Glen Campbell well. He doesn’t have an easy road ahead of him.

R.I.P. Whitney

February 11, 2012

I was stunned tonight when I was sitting at dinner with friends, having been away from the TV/Internet all day, and heard about the death of Whitney Houston. I started thinking about all the times I’d enjoyed her music, including her first appearance on “Soul Train” so early in her career.

http://youtu.be/bMVqvBmTZro

She was so beautiful and so talented and so troubled. People jumped on her when her comeback tour went awry, but I actually loved her last album because her voice had ripened and matured.

To have her die on the eve of the Grammys tomorrow night makes the whole thing even more tragic. I understand Jennifer Hudson will sing a tribute on the show. I can’t imagine there will be a dry eye in the place.

What To Make Of Lana Del Rey?

February 9, 2012

I didn’t even know who she was until I started reading all the negative feedback after her performance on SNL. Then came Kristin Wiig’s parody on a subsequent SNL….followed by one article about the singer-songwriter after another…followed by the announcement that her album was selling like crazy…followed by an appearance on Letterman the other night.

http://youtu.be/Hr52zTBp3oo

All I can say is she has long nails and plumped lips. And her stage presence reminds me of someone on Valium. Is her voice the worst I’ve ever heard? Not by a long shot. And there’s something oddly fascinating about her lyrics, the strings backing her up and her depressed wail. She’s sort of the opposite of Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, who are both perky and smiley and cheerleaderish.

Whether Del Rey will be a 15-minute wonder remains to be seen, but my guess is….yes.

A Day Late But About The American Music Awards…

November 21, 2011

I watch it every year, even though I always say, “Why am I watching this?” I couldn’t care less about which recording artist wins the actual awards. I just enjoy the live performances and the spectacle of the outfits/hair/shoes/makeup.

My favorite live performance was Maroon 5 singing their hit “Moves Like Jagger” along with a very bosomy Christina Aguilera (who looked like she was encased in that white dress).

http://youtu.be/kyO37QhRbQQ

Taylor Swift isn’t exactly in my demographic, but after seeing Leslie Stahl interview her on “60 Minutes” I’m a new fan.

http://youtu.be/ivPvCKO6N_8

Unlike a lot of the interchangeable girl singers, Swift has genuine talent, works hard and seems pretty grounded.

Still, I’m really just biding my time until the movie awards season kicks off.