June 2017

June 1, 2017

Utne Reader Premieres Chaim Tannenbaum Video for America The Beautiful

In the immediate wake of Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement, among other controversial policy moves, many Americans are struggling to come to terms with what it is that their country stands for. Musician Chaim Tannenbaum has responded to the rise of Trump with an encouraging reminder of the professed values upon which the United States of America was founded. Three days after the election Tannenbaum unveiled his version of “America the Beautiful,” which includes all of the original verses, to a captivated crowd in London. The reaction to his performance was so positive that Tannenbaum decided to record the song in the studio.

Speaking of his reasoning behind playing the song, Chaim explains, "In a former time, America was the hope of mankind. It promised no less than that life would be led freely and justly. For the sake of principles that would make such life manifest and durable, free men and women wearied themselves, took on lavish risk and suffered lavish injury. We had an idea, I, C.J. Camerieri (trumpet, french horn) and Marcus Rojas (euphonium, tuba), that by calling to mind that former time, we might give courage to ourselves and to others who might wish to recover its spirit and mandate.”

For the music video (below), Chaim collaborated with Robin Forte-Lincke to create “a video featuring images that portray what America has been, and, he hopes, could still be.”

Click HERE to read the full piece and watch the video

June 6, 2017

Dick Connette Shares His Musical Scope on ArtistDirect

Legendary singer songwriter on the influences behind his star-studded new sequence, "Too Sad For The Public"

Dick Connette is an artist whose name resonates amongst those in the Americana hall of fame. The humble, legendary, traveling musician has worked with a number of artists, like Loudon Wainwright III, and has inspired countless more.

Last Forever, a previous release of Connette's, gathered together four albums worth of American folk and other traditions to present a collection of material that captured the hearts and minds of genre aficionados.  Now, the New York songwriter returns with a new project - Too Sad For The Public, the first installment of which is called  Vol. 1 - Oysters Ice Cream Lemonade 

The new collection combines two covers (Carole King and Van Morrison), six originals, and tributes to Jaco Pastorius and go-go superstar Chuck Brown. The ensemble of 17 musicians includes Rayna Gellert, Chaim Tannenbaum, Erik Friedlander, Steve Elson, and Astral Weeks guitarist Jay Berliner.

With a wide-reaching spectrum of influences, Connette is an artist who has spent his years quietly becoming a point of reference in what it means to focus on the material, and let the music shine. ARTISTdirect caught up with Dick to ask about his musical memories, here's what he said...

June 15, 2017

Elmore Magazine Premieres "He's A Bad Boy" Featuring Suzzy Roche

Elmore Premiere: Suzzy Roche delivers “He’s A Bad Boy." Dick Connette's CD Too Sad For The Public makes us happy.
Songwriter/composer Dick Connette intended to major in Mathematics at Harvard, but was soon seduced into Music and American and English Literature studies. After graduating cum laude, he studied percussion (snare drum, marimba, tympani) ran his own Soho recording studio and worked as a freelance musician/composer. In 1997 Nonesuch released Connette’s the first (of four) Last Forever CDs, which the New York Times named one of the year’s top releases.

With Last Forever, Connette released four albums based on American folk and popular traditions. His new project, Too Sad for the Public, Vol. 1 – Oysters Ice Cream Lemonade, features six originals and two covers, with vocals by Suzzy Roche, Ana Egge, Rachel Garniez, and Gabriel Kahane, among others—17 artists in all. Elmore’s proud to premiere Suzzy Roche’s cover of Carole King’s “He’s a Bad Boy.”

Here’s what Connette told us about “He’s A Bad Boy,”: “Some years ago, I was trying to give John Cohen a taste of some music outside his accustomed folk fare, and played him this Goffin/King number. I had the temerity to think I should/could stretch him out some. He immediately identified the song as a take on ‘Stagger Lee.’ Well, dammit, he was right, of course, and I got schooled. Turns out Gerry Goffin was shook by the folk scare, primarily as embodied by Bob Dylan, and this was, evidently, an attempt to incorporate. King gave it a sort of Belafonte island/calypso vibe, hardly au courant, at best only recently passé, and part of that whole ’50s/’60s pop-folk-radio-roots movement, you know – The Weavers, The Limeliters, The Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul & Mary – that crowd. Whatever their intentions, Gerry and Carole reverted to (spectacular) form, and turned a bad man ballad into an expression of lovestruck teenage defiance. For my version, I put Lloyd Price front and back, and Frank Hutchinson in the middle, trying to keep the faith with whatever the fuck is going on here.”

Click HERE to read the story and listen to the song.

June 27, 2017

Elmore Magazine Review

Too Sad for the Public
Vol. 1 – Oysters Ice Cream Lemonade

BUY DIGITAL
BUY PHYSICAL

This is the new project from New York City artist and Grammy-winning producer Dick Connette, who has previously released four acclaimed albums based on American folk and popular traditions under the name Last Forever. This diverse music either continues or expands on that concept, employing four different lead singers and an ensemble of 17 musicians. Mashed up in the mix is Delta blues, folk music, jazz of Jaco Pastorius, go-go music of Chuck Brown, and even a creative combination of Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” together with “Sweet Thing,” featuring the guitar of Astral Weeks standout, Jay Berliner.

Yes, the group name is a bit odd and belies much of the music. The story associated with it stems from a tune on the album called “Old Alabama” taken from bluesman William Moore’s 1928 tune, “Old Country Rock.” It consists of bluesy finger-picking behind a series of spoken imperatives. While many of those spoken passages were conventionally predictable, out of nowhere Moore exclaimed “Too sad, I mean, too sad for the public.” This, and many other interesting stories and anecdotes are included in musicologist Connette’s liner notes.

The album devotes most of its playing time to ’80s go-go music star, the D.C.-based Chuck Brown, who made a lasting impression on Connette when he played NYC’s Tramps in the ’80s. “Chuck Baby” runs for over 12 minutes, and you hear references to it in the opening track, “Prelude” as well.

Pastorius’ “Liberty City” is rendered in three parts, serving as interludes between the vocal pieces. Connette does not sing but defers to Suzzy Roche, Ana Egge, Rachelle Garniez, and Gabriel Kahane. Egge does both “Old Alabama” and the Van Morrison combo, “Young Loves to Love” while Roche takes lead on three of the eight vocal tunes. Strong instrumental contributions come from Chaim Tannenbaum (harmonica) and Rayna Gellert(fiddle).

The music is at times entrancing and dreamlike, but it keeps changing to the point where “Chuck Baby” may get you up and dancing. The Harvard-educated Connette has been writing music based on American folk traditions since 1992 but his palette that includes his own recording studio, label, work with choreographers, video and film makers, and theater artists. There’s tons of influences in his approach which, if you’re like me, will motivate you to not only go for repeated listens here but to seek out his catalog. Connette has a vision of American music that runs beyond the common genres into 20th Century classical, vaudeville, and even minstrelsy. Best yet, this is only Volume 1.

—Jim Hynes