Results tagged “review>”

At one point during last night's early set at Blues Alley, drummer Matt Wilson turned over his snare drum and started playing the bottom head with one stick, while his right hand stick alternated between playing his cymbals and rubbing against the snares themselves. The result was an effect that sounded like a DJ's scratching to augment the groove Wilson was playing with his other three limbs.

              

With over a quarter century having passed since its earliest hits, Depeche Mode is an act with cross-generational appeal. So when the houselights dimmed to signal the start of last night's show at Nissan Pavilion, fortysomethings, college students, and 10-year olds alike rose to their feet. A band doesn't achieve that kind of staying power on luck alone, it has to be doing something right. In this latest iteration of Depeche Mode's Tour of the Universe, the electro-pop icons marched through a set list that mixed new material with decades old classics, and pulsating electronic beats with gentle ballads. Yes, the boys from across the pond still have it.

Twisted. A twisted plot and twisted characters. Vile characters. Yale gender studies professor Darryl Lewis (Marisa Mickel) has been cheating on her husband, a less than successful academic, since before their 17 year old daughter Gwen (Natalia Emanuel) was born. Darryl's not so secret lover, Geoffrey Warshawski (Graham Stevens) is a renowned professor and longtime friend of the Lewises that shares her ultra leftist politics and arrives for the evening as a houseguest. But, as her cuckolded husband sleeps in their bedroom above, she doesn’t get any action from her libertine. That’s because G.W. is tired out from boning a fellow houseguest. So they fight instead. Then he beds the daughter. Who may actually be his. Did we mention this is a play about peace in the Middle East?

Things weren't going so well for GL Mitchell, the hero of August Schulenburg's sharp, exceedingly odd and genuinely funny play, Riding the Bull, currently being presented by the Riot Actors of Washington as part of the Capital Fringe Festival. The unlikeliest of rodeo clowns, GL's a simple Catholic boy living in a small town in Texas who just wants his poor, crazy, Elvis-loving mother to be happy. But the guy doesn't really have a clue, and his penchant for the ladies of the Sears catalog have made him so randy he's actually lost his job and been ex-communicated from the Church. But everything starts to change when he hooks up with Lyza, the buxom town troublemaker. Thanks to some "magic" that seems to result from their oft-angry lovemaking, the two become wealthy overnight — and that's when it all predictably starts to go from bad to slightly better to much, much worse.

There's just something endearing about watching two earnest college a cappella groups vie to win the big competition, squabbling and smooching their way through school in the process.

To be, or not to be. That is the . . . point?

Everyone has those favorite records that simply demand to be listened to from start to finish, where almost every song is fantastic, each one an individual slice of near perfection that works even better within the whole of the album. John Morogiello's Irish Authors Held Hostage is the dramatic equivalent.

It’s Not Easy Being Green presents a pleasant series of sketches about sustainability. Over the course of little over an hour, Green finds the right balance of humor and environmental messaging.

Immoral Combat takes place in and around a fast paced newsroom, but it is quickly apparent that the Fringe entry will be going nowhere fast. We follow the tribulations of the staff of Worldwide Broadcasting, a satire presumably of Voice of America, the federal broadcasting service and previous place of employment of the playwright, Rachael Bail. But the satire, a parody of Bail’s real life experiences as a journalist, offers few actual laughs. The short scenes cut in and out, every one punctuated by a full fade to black, aiming to impart a gravity to the story that’s not quite there.

"Stop the whining. Start stripping," reads the first post from dog & pony's blog documenting the development and rehearsals for Lorraine Ressegger's Bare Breasted Women Sword Fighting, currently running at Source as part of the Capital Fringe Festival. Reading the blog shows both the hang-ups felt by the actresses and the motivations for staging a show with the titular premise. The promise of skin and swordplay should be suitable impetus to attend, and patrons will be rewarded with just such brainless, if uneven entertainment.

Sari to Skin is local actor/poet Neelam Patel's third solo show, currently running at the spartan Apothecary in this year's Capital Fringe Festival. The tastefully staged production is without a clear storyline. Rather, it is set as a series of biographical poems and monologues through which Patel communicates her struggles with her identity as someone who is "too Indian to be American, and too American to be Indian."

     

Capitol Lounge, fixture of the Capitol Hill bar scene, launched a revamped, Teddy Folkman-created menu over the weekend. Folkman, who can be seen on TV competing to be The Next Food Network Star, accepted the Executive Chef role at the Lounge after helping owner Joe Englert in launching H Street Country Club’s Mexican-themed menu. Their goal is to “raise the bar,” providing gourmet bar food to the staffers and Hill denizens that frequent Pennsylvania Avenue.

This year's Duke Ellington Jazz Festival celebrated the musical heritage of New Orleans. Fittingly, the festival's fifth iteration came to an end with the first family of New Orleans jazz convening at the Kennedy Center to honor its patriarch, the great pianist and educator, Ellis Marsalis.

Go to enough shows and you'll hear numerous folks say something to the effect of "I like them better live." Express skepticism about a up-and-coming band and one might hear their defenders say, "Oh, well have you seen them live?"

After a spring season of more challenging operas — a vicious Peter Grimes and a controversial, Americanized Siegfried — Washington National Opera brought home the bacon on Saturday night, opening its final production, Puccini's Turandot. The company presented this opera last time only in 2001 (with Alessandra Marc in the title role), and the Kirov Opera brought its road staging to the Kennedy Center in 2006. To answer the natural question — do we really need to see Turandot again so soon? — the company brought the colorful, somewhat slapstick, but still disturbingly savage production created by Andrei Şerban for Covent Garden 25 years ago (with none other than Plácido Domingo as Calaf) to Washington. Since most of the singing was quite good and the orchestra sounded in top form, this is indeed a production worth seeing.

As a high schooler, I was obsessed with jazz's fusion movement of the 1970s. Bands such as Return to Forever, Tony Williams' Lifetime, and the Mahavishnu Orchestra were in constant rotation on my CD player, because those were the groups that appealed to an inexperienced musician obsessed with technique and speed. Now, 15 years later as a 30-something, my tastes lean heavily toward pure emotion and sentiment instead of flash. But my inner 16-year-old smiled with glee on Wednesday night at the Music Center at Strathmore, as Chick Corea and John McLaughlin, two pioneers from that time, led The Five Peace Band, a throwback to that vibrant era that changed jazz.

Beginning with the free form intro to "Cuarto de Colores", the trio of harp, trombone, and percussion signaled that this music was going to be something different. One might think that the absence of the bass would leave a hole, but the range of the harp more than filled the ensemble's sound. As the piece took shape, the syncopated interplay between harp and percussion created rhythmic intensity that provided a driving foundation to the pristine sound of trombonist Marshall Gilkes' melody. And thus began a musical journey around South America that lasted another 90 minutes.

Every so often, there are performances that we know are going to be special even before a single note is played, and that was exactly the case at last night's early set at Bohemian Caverns. The historic club is well on its way to becoming the District's best jazz spot, so it's only fitting that it play home for three nights to jazz legend Ron Carter, who has been at the music's vanguard through five decades.

The buzz surrounding Friday's Millennium Stage performance was palpable, with the line forming hours ahead of time for a free concert that was part of the Kennedy Center's outstanding Arabesque festival. The performer was K'Naan. Judging by the standing room crowd that filled the entire length of the Kennedy Center's Grand Foyer, he stands on the cusp of being a "next big thing." Judging by his energetic and thought provoking performance, his reputation is deserved.

Assembling a concert that celebrates a career spanning seven decades must be a daunting task. What material should be included? Should the program be more celebration or performance? While the audience will expect the classics, what of the more obscure material of which the artist might be proud? The Kennedy Center tried to balance all of these factors on Saturday night in mounting an 80th birthday celebration for legendary jazz tenorman and composer, Benny Golson.

Let's face it. The main draw for this past weekend's shows at Bohemian Caverns was Roberta Flack. The legendary vocalist, who got her start here in the District, was not even the featured artist on the bill. Taking the mic prior to the start of Sunday night's early set, with her characteristic regal presence, Flack announced that she would not be performing that evening, and would only introduce her godson and protégé, the "Piano Prince of New Orleans," headliner Davell Crawford.

In a DCist interview several weeks ago, Tyler Cowen declared that Zenebech Injera at 6th and T Streets NW was serving up the best Ethiopian food in town. We put the advice of the economics professor/ethnic eats guru to the test.

Those present on Saturday night to see ace drummer Terri Lyne Carrington (pictured left) witnessed a performance that showcased a strong tension that exists in today's jazz scene. On the one hand, those who celebrate musicianship, free-flowing improvisation, and a dedication to craft would have appreciated the high level of artistry that was on display during Saturday night's first set at the KC Jazz Club. On the other, those of us who value the emotional connection between musicians and audience found the show lacking.

      

If your idea of a good Thai meal involves fruity cocktail drinks served in cartoonish, neon-colored surroundings, then Nava Thai in Wheaton is not the restaurant for you. There are no punny names, no sushi bar, and no fried bananas here, just excellent, authentic Thai food. Yes, the ambiance leaves something to be desired (the walls are a nauseating shade of green), and the location is less than glamorous (practically hidden in the back of a Thai grocery store). But if you want to eat Thai food designed for the Thai--not the American--palate, Nava Thai is the place to be.

Superlatives run free when describing Herbie Hancock's nearly 50 years on the music scene. A consummate artist, he has been a pioneer throughout his career, breaking ground in genres ranging from straight-ahead jazz to electronic music. Despite his status as a jazz legend, it was still somewhat of a shock to all when his latest album, River: The Joni Letters, won 2008's Grammy for Album of the Year, beating out the likes of Kanye West. The album, a warm tribute to another artistic treasure, Joni Mitchell, features a selection of her songs, some done as instrumentals, and others featuring the vocal talents of Tina Turner, Corinne Bailey Rae, Norah Jones, and Mitchell herself. This new material is what separated Monday night's performance at Wolf Trap from last year's stellar show at the Birchmere, as Hancock & Co. delivered a performance that proved a jazz musician need not sacrifice integrity or artistry by choosing to play commercial music.

The afternoon got off to an ominous start with the skies opening and rain pouring down, eerily reminiscent of an earlier concert going debacle. Thankfully, the rain stopped, as if coaxed by the uplifting music of the Bob Marley Roots, Rock, Reggae Festival, held this past Sunday at Wolf Trap. But let's face it, even if the rain had continued, it would have had little effect on those at the show, because no one could feel down while listening to music that exudes such joy and sunshine. Unfortunately, the deluge did prevent us from seeing the festival's opening act, local reggae outfit Soldiers of Jah Army, but the remainder of the concert had everyone singing along to some of the most well-known songs ever written.

Jordan's performance was in support of his latest album, State of Nature, his first major label release in over a decade. Always a thinker's musician, the album contains a mix of original compositions and standards, with each song reflecting a different aspect of Jordan's commentary on the state of the natural world and our place in it. He performed solo for much of the concert, but for several tunes his rhythm section was comprised of slick bassist Charnett Moffet and muscular drummer Kenwood Dennard.

Music that attempts to fuse traditional and contemporary forms always draws some trepidation. Sometimes it works. After all, one of this year's best shows combined Indian classical music with electronic grooves. Many times, however, the results are just schmaltzy dreck, devoid of any emotion or integrity.

It's not really a documentary. It's not exactly a memoir. It is ingenious and poetic. Frequently it's apeshit hilarious. But, like, what the hell is this thing?

It sounds like — if you’ll pardon the expression — something out of a movie: Junior Middleweight Champion fighter Kassim “The Dream” Ouma escapes the darkest of pasts to find his way from Africa to America, arrives penniless and unable to speak English, and within a year he’s a professional fighter with a surrogate family, money in his pockets, and a smile on his face that makes you like him before you know anything about him.