Elvis Joins Tribute To Robert Johnson , NY, March 6 '12

[johnfoyle]

http://jambandnews.net/?p=2732

Elvis Costello Joins All-Star Tribute To Robert Johnson At 100 At Apollo Theater, March 6

Elvis Costello has been added to the A-list bill of The Robert Johnson at 100 centennial celebration at the Apollo Theater March 6. He joins The Roots, Macy Gray, Chuck D, Living Colour, Shemekia Copeland, Bettye LaVette, Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’, Todd Rundgren, and many more including The Rev. Steven Johnson, grandson of Robert Johnson. Directed by Joe Morton, the night will be lead by Musical Director Steve Jordan and special guest Jeffrey Wright.

Produced by Steve Berkowitz, Michael Dorf, Joe Morton and Patricia Watt in association with The Blues Foundation and Legacy Recordings, proceeds from the concert will go to The Blues Foundation and The Robert Johnson Foundation to provide funding for the building of The Blues Hall of Fame in Memphis. More info on the Hall here: http://www.blues.org

http://www.robertjohnson100.com

[bronxapostle]

thanks king foyle...ba can NOT go 0-3 in EC 2012 NYC appearances...can he? i have always loved TODD and if i can see EC & TR together on stage, even if only for a group finale, that would be AWESOME. wish me luck...i'll do my best to be there with SONY!

[docinwestchester]

thanks king foyle...ba can NOT go 0-3 in EC 2012 NYC appearances...can he? i have always loved TODD and if i can see EC & TR together on stage, even if only for a group finale, that would be AWESOME. wish me luck...i'll do my best to be there with SONY!

Looks like a good one, probably worth the $300 ticket.

Very tempting...

[bronxapostle]

doc...looks like $55 upper mezz tix available at box office. should i stop on the way home today for two???

[docinwestchester]

doc...looks like $55 upper mezz tix available at box office. should i stop on the way home today for two???

Can't do it, unfortunately. Why not bring your Zoom instead of Sony just for kicks? (haha)

[bronxapostle]

you know...my TR friend, Smitty (the one you burned the dvd webcast for!) who will be joining me has a bit of ZOOM experience. so, maybe you will get BOTH analog & digital after all. i was gonna call you before i get to Apollo in an hour or so, but, you are not able to attend? cheers, b

[bronxapostle]

got tix...I'M IN! Sony too, let us hope. half page ad in VILLAGE VOICE has ELVIS listed too! thanks Foyle, might have missed it w/o you. sad family week!

[MOJO]

Cool. Another show at the Apollo. Harlem, very cool spot. I used to hang out at the Malcolm X Library (Schomburg Center) when I lived in NY. Miss that town. Miss that library!

[johnfoyle]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerfriedm ... a-fortune/



3/04/2012

Robert Johnson Got the Blues 100 Years Ago and Reaped a Fortune

Roger Friedman


You may or may not know this: someone actually invented the music we call the Blues. It was Robert Johnson, born in 1911 and died in 1938. He left 29 recorded original songs that comprise the foundation of all the music we know as the Blues. On Tuesday night, a bunch of stars will celebrate his 100th birthday at the Apollo Theater– Elvis Costello, “Soul Man” Sam Moore, Todd Rundgren, Macy Gray, Taj Mahal, Keb Mo and Bettye Lavette, among others. More on the show in a minute. (Read about it at www.robertjohnson100.com)

John Titta is the visionary music publisher who saw the gold in Robert Johnson. An industry vet at Warner Chappell, Titta started his own company–MPCA–in 2006. The first catalog he went after had over 25,000 titles. But 29 of them were the songs by Robert Johnson. They’d already been covered over and over by the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and Led Zeppelin. Clapton and Rundgren had done whole tribute albums. Titta told me on Sunday that the Johnson songs are “the gem” of his business. “Just in the last year, Cyndi Lauper, Big Head Todd, John Mayer, Bob Dylan have all covered him, Laurence Fishburne‘s character on “CSI” was obsessed with him.”

It was only February 23rd when President Obama sang “Sweet Home Chicago” at a political fundraiser. This is the strongest evidence that Obama was born in America, by the way. (I consider that his birth certificate.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buTDezCH ... r_embedded. On Tuesday night, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Sam Moore will really take on “Sweet Home Chicago,” which promises to be a show stopping mind blower.

Tonight- Monday, that is–you can catch a dress rehearsal of this show at the City Winery down on Varick Street. The producers of the whole thing are actor Joe Morton, Michael Dorf, Steve Berkowitz, and Patricia Watt. Steve Jordan is the musical director. Actor Geoffrey Wright is participating. So is Robert Johnson’s grandson, the Rev. Steven Johnson. The reverend’s 80 year old father, Claude, the only child of Robert Johnson, may be there as well.

It’s hard to think of Robert Johnson as a human being. He lived a short time, wrote the canon of blues, and lived mostly in mythology. His death was a result of being poisoned by a jealous husband. For years while he was alive he was not considered a great musician. The myth is that he met the Devil in a graveyard, and learned to play guitar from him. The 29 songs came fast and furious.

If you go to John Titta’s website, you can hear the songs and see some cool videos they’ve put together– http://mpcamusicpublishing.com/catalog/ ... t-johnson/ And royalties? Titta can’t even give a ballpark figure, but suffice to say the Johnson heirs are quite happy. And the legacy has been preserved beautifully.

[johnfoyle]

http://citywinery.com/events/250264

Robert Johnson 100th Birthday Celebration Rehearsal Show - 3/5
6:00pm Seating / 8:00pm Show


Tickets

Bar Stools $30.00
Reserved Tables $40.00
Reserved Best Tables $45.00
VIP Tables $45.00

SOLD OUT



A preview of the Robert Johnson 100th birthday tribute at the Apollo Theatre taking place on the next evening, March 6th.

Enjoy a multi-artist show with an amazing house band lead by Steve Jordan. Artists performing at the Apollo and a good chance will be participating in this live rehearsal are The Roots, Chuck D, Living Colour, Shemekia Copeland, Bettye Levettte, Taj Mahal, Keb Mo, Sam Moore, and Todd Rundgren. This is a rare chance to not only see artists working through material, but get an intimate and close sneak-peak of this historic concert taking place celebrating the musical legacy of Robert Johnson--considered one the most influencial musicians of the 20th century and certainly for the Blues. The show at the Apollo benefits the Building of the Blues Hall of Fame by the Blues Foundation in Memphis.


http://www.licklibrary.com/news/2012/3/ ... ibute_show

[bronxapostle]

i will try to beg the assistance of a computer savvy friend at work tomorrow to scan the VILLAGE VOICE ad which DOES include Elvis Costello. but, then i do not even know how to upload it here like you did above John. or is that something perhaps you can teach me...or i'll just email it your way. pm me your email address if that is easier. thanks. b

[Jeremy Dylan]

It was only February 23rd when President Obama sang “Sweet Home Chicago” at a political fundraiser. This is the strongest evidence that Obama was born in America, by the way. (I consider that his birth certificate.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buTDezCH ... r_embedded. On Tuesday night, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Sam Moore will really take on “Sweet Home Chicago,” which promises to be a show stopping mind blower.

Actor Geoffrey Wright is participating..

Not to nitpick, but Obama didn't sing that song at a fundraiser and that's not how you spell Wright's first name.

[johnfoyle]

A teeny version of the updated poster -

[Jeremy Dylan]

Anyone know if Wright is going to sing a number?

[bronxapostle]

FROM FOUR UNTIL LATE with Steve Jordan; just the one song...who wants me to email mp3 NOW? unless doc is awake!

[docinwestchester]

FROM FOUR UNTIL LATE with Steve Jordan; just the one song...who wants me to email mp3 NOW? unless doc is awake!

Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PEaC03HYkE

sounds good!

P.S. I'm almost always awake

[bronxapostle]

you are ON THE BALL! thanks doc...show was good, well paced. Todd did two songs as did most acts. LIVING COLOR was REALLY good. VERNON played guitar!!! THE ROOTS only did one also, but a long one. TAJ was okay and KEB MO surprised me. he did a lot. BETTYE is always great and Sarah Dash was a pleasant surprise as was a couple unknowns to me before tonight: Otis Taylor and Dough Rollers. nearly everyone on stage for the finale...except our boy and Roots! a good time. i'll see if the whole show is worth sharing. two different ASSHOLES had the nerve to put their coat on top of mine harboring Sony in MY empty seat as i was standing behind it in the last row of the upper mezzanine. the sound was SURPRISINGLY NICE up there. i want to be in the SAME spot Friday night.

[Jeremy Dylan]

Who did 'Crossroads'?

[bronxapostle]

many songs were performed TWO times. TOUSSAINT was a surprise player. he did a little at the beginning. don't recall if it was played again...i was SLAP HAPPY trying to just keep a setlist of performers!! then, at the end of the night, they had the setlist upon the screen, but, by the time i realized...i just photographed the last five songs. hope someone got them all.

[johnfoyle]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kcJyjhcsQI



http://www.b12partners.net/wp/2009/06/0 ... hard-work/

June 2009

(extract)


Burnett assembled the band of top roots sidemen – including dobro player Jerry Douglas, mandolinist Mike Complon and singer Jim Lauderdale – and also fed Costello ideas for tunes. “T Bone sent me Robert Johnson’s ‘From Four Till Late’ and a Sidney Bechet record,” recalls Costello. “And he said, ‘Can we write something that jams those two ideas together?’” The result, “Sulphur to Sugarcane,” is an “I’ve Been Every where”-style blues ramble that wryly mocks loose women from Poughkeepsie, New York, to Ypsilanti, Michigan. “I played that one with Dylan every night,” says Costello, who will tour with the Sugarcane band this summer. “And I was amazed at how much applause you can get for impugning the reputation of a city’s womanhood from the stage.”

[Azmuda]

Here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PEaC03HYkE

Thanks again to bronxapostle and docinwestchester.

[And No Coffee Table]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerfriedm ... -included/

The three hour show was a huge hit, with so many outstanding performers and performances–Sam Moore, Taj Mahal, Todd Rundgren, Elvis Costello, Bettye Lavette, Macy Gray, Sarah Dash, the Roots, the Dough Rollers, Living Colour, and so on. The great actor Joe Morton put the show together. He included his pal Geoffrey Wright. There was an all star band on stage featuring Steve Jordan and Willie Weeks.

Standouts were the Dough Rollers–Malcolm Ford and Jack Byrne (whom we tried to convince to change his name to Little Jackie Byrne, for effect.) All the acts accepted kudos at the Red Rooster after party. Costello zipped in and out, telling me “one of the kids is sick”–he and Diana Krall have twin boys about age 6. The show went so well that Michael Dorf is hoping to film it, maybe for PBS.

[johnfoyle]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review ... llo-297465

(extract)

Other performers offered more diverse interpretations. Elvis Costello sang “From Four Till Late” in a gentle, British music hall style. (“They don’t allow hellhounds on our trail in England,” he sardonically commented. “They worst we get is bloodhounds.”)

[FAVEHOUR]

PARTIAL video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCsfVuyqI3I



Dave

[johnfoyle]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/08/arts/ ... 1&ref=arts


Elvis Costello took a different tack, paring down to acoustic guitar and percussion for a leisurely, conversational “From Four Until Late,” drawing his listeners toward him.