Friday, December 31, 2010

Succes 2010: Nicolas Cage, Ghost Rider prin Transilvania




Ultimul si poate cel mai interesant - prin felul in care l-am obtinut! - autograf primit in acest an, personalizat, este cel al superstarului Nicolas Cage, aflat in Romania pentru a filma partea a doua a filmului Ghost Rider. Am asteptat aproape trei luni, dar a meritat!

Succes 2010: Richard Sims, unul dintre detectivii care l-au pazit pe asasinul lui JFK, Lee Harvey Oswald




Detectives Richard M. Sims and Elmer "Sonny" Boyd spent more time than anyone else with Oswald in the days after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Mr. Sims and Mr. Boyd, who had been professionally paired since 1957, were assigned by their boss, Will Fritz, captain of the homicide and robbery division, to escort Oswald after his capture in the shootings of the president and of Dallas police Officer J.D. Tippit.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Succes 2010: Ahmad Jamal, jazz living legend














































Ahmad Jamal is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, teacher, and jazz theoretician. According to Stanley Crouch, Jamal is second in importance in the development of jazz after 1945 only to Charlie Parker. For five decades, he has been one of the most successful small-group leaders in jazz.
Since the 1980s Jamal has been regularly touring the major clubs of the United States and the large European jazz festivals. He is generally accompanied by bassist James Cammack and drummer Idris Muhammad. He has also performed regularly with saxophonist George Coleman.
Ahmad Jamal is an acclaimed virtuoso jazz pianist and keyboardist, composer, and innovative trio leader. He was born Freddy "Fritz" Jones, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Jamal attended George Westinghouse High School. He began playing piano at the age of three, when his uncle Lawrence challenged him to duplicate what he was playing on the piano.[3] Jamal began formal piano training at the age of seven with Mary Cardwell Dawson, whom he describes as greatly influencing him. He converted to Ahmadiyya Islam in 1952, officially changing his name at that time. On joining Musicians Union Local 208 in Chicago, he was referred to as Fritz Jones in the minutes of the local's Board meetings until his name change. His first OKeh record was credited in advertisements to the Fritz Jones Trio, but it did not see release until after the name change, so the name Ahmad Jamal appears on all of his released recordings. He is a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
Jamal began touring with George Hudson's Orchestra. He joined another touring group known as The Four Strings, which was soon disbanded. He moved to Chicago in 1950, and made his first sides in 1951 for the Okeh label with The Three Strings; the other members were guitarist Ray Crawford and a bassist (at different times, Eddie Calhoun, Richard Davis, and Israel Crosby). Jamal subsequently recorded for Parrot (1953–1955) and Epic (1955) using the piano-guitar-bass lineup. The trio's sound changed significantly when Crawford was replaced with drummer Vernel Fournier in 1957, and the group worked as the "House Trio" at Chicago's Pershing Hotel. The trio released the live album But Not for Me which stayed on the Ten Best-selling charts for 108 weeks. Jamal's well known song "Poinciana" was first released on this album. The financial success of the album allowed Jamal to open a restaurant and club called The Alhambra.
Jamal typically plays with a bassist and drummer; his current trio is with bassist James Cammack and drummer Idris Muhammad. At the Toronto Jazz Festival (June 2008) and perhaps elsewhere, Jamal's group included innovative percussionist Manolo Badrena. Jamal has also recorded with saxophonist George Coleman on the album The Essence; with vibraphonist Gary Burton on the recording "In Concert"; with the voices of the Howard A. Roberts Chorale on the recordings "Bright, Blue and Beautiful" and "Cry Young"; with brass, reeds, and strings celebrating his hometown of "Pittsburgh"; and with "The Assai Quartet", among other non-trio achievements.
Miles Davis, Randy Weston, Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette, and Gary Peacock all cite Jamal as a major influence in use of rhythm and space as well as his innovative use of multi-tonal melodic lines and his unique extended 'vamps'. The element of surprise is an important part of Jamal's improvisations to them all. John Coltrane must have also been influenced by Jamal. His composition "Impressions", bears a striking resemblance to a small section of the song "Pavanne" which Ahmad Jamal recorded in 1955 with Israel Crosby and guitarist Ray Crawford. Halfway through the song there is a vamp on the same harmonic progression as "So What" (by Miles Davis) and "Impressions" (John Coltrane). During this vamp Ray Crawford improvises a line which is practically identical to the melody of "Impressions", including the harmonic shift.
At the Pershing: But Not for Me (1958) is considered a jazz classic. The Ahmad Jamal trio played on it and featured Jamal on piano, Israel Crosby on bass, and Vernel Fournier on drums.
Jamal's style has changed steadily over time - from the lighter, breezy style heard on his 1950s recordings to the Caribbean stylings of the 1970s and onto the large open voicings and bravura-laden playing of the nineties. Jamal has always been distinctive however for his use of space, his dramatic crescendos, and for a very staccato orientation with chords.
Clint Eastwood featured two recordings from Jamal's But Not For Me album — "Music, Music, Music" and "Poinciana" — in the 1995 movie The Bridges of Madison County.
The French government has inducted Ahmad Jamal into the prestigious Order of the Arts and Letters by French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, naming him Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres on June 2007. At age 80, Mr Jamal still continues to tour extensively with his trio.
In 1994, Jamal received the National Endowment for the Arts American Jazz Masters award and was also named a Duke Ellington Fellow at Yale University.

RIP Bobby Farrell (Boney M)






















Roberto "Bobby" Farrell, celebrul membru fondator al trupei disco Boney M, a fost găsit mort, astazi, într-o cameră de hotel din Sankt Petersburg. In noaptea trecuta, Farrell avusese un concert cu trupa sa. In luna martie a acestui an am primit de la fanclubul sau o fotografie semnata de celebrul muzician.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Succes 2010: Ramsey Lewis, jazz living legend


Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received five gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.

Ramsey Lewis was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Ramsey Lewis, Sr. and Pauline Lewis. Lewis began taking piano lessons at the age of four. At 15 he joined his first jazz band, The Cleffs. The seven-piece group provided Lewis his first involvement with jazz; he would later join Cleffs drummer Isaac "Redd" Holt and bassist Eldee Young to form the Ramsey Lewis Trio.
The trio started as primarily a jazz unit and released their first album, Ramsey Lewis And The Gentlemen of Swing, in 1956. Following their 1965 hit "The In Crowd" (the single reached #5 on the pop charts, and the album #2) they concentrated more on pop material. Young and Holt left in 1966 to form the Young-Holt Trio and were replaced by Cleveland Eaton and Maurice White. White was replaced by Maurice Jennings in 1970. Later, Frankie Donaldson and Bill Dickens replaced Jennings and Eaton; Felton Crews also appeared on many 1980's releases.
By 1966, Lewis was one of the nation’s most successful jazz pianists, topping the charts with "The In Crowd", "Hang On Sloopy", and "Wade in the Water". All three singles each sold over one million copies, and were awarded gold discs. Many of his recordings attracted a large non-jazz audience. In the 1970s, Lewis often played electric piano, although by later in the decade he was sticking to acoustic and using an additional keyboardist in his groups.
In addition to recording and performing, Lewis hosted a morning show on Chicago "smooth jazz" radio station WNUA (95.5 FM) until May 22, 2009. His weekly syndicated radio program Legends of Jazz, created in 1990, features recordings from artists such as David Sanborn, George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Kurt Elling, Al Jarreau and Miles Davis. The show can be heard in 60 U.S. cities and overseas. In 1994, Lewis appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation album, Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool, alongside other prominent jazz artists, Herbie Hancock and Roy Ayers. The album, meant to raise awareness and funds in support of the AIDS epidemic in relation to the African American community, was heralded as "Album of the Year" by Time Magazine.
On December 4, 2006, the Ramsey Lewis Morning Show became part of Broadcast Architecture's Smooth Jazz Network, simulcasting on other Smooth Jazz stations across the country for the first time. However, the show was still based in Chicago until it was cancelled when WNUA switched over to a Spanish format.
In 2006, a well-received 13-episode Legends of Jazz television series hosted by Lewis was broadcast on public TV nationwide and featured live performances by a variety of jazz artists including Larry Gray, Lonnie Smith, Joey Defrancesco, Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Kurt Elling, Benny Golson, Pat Metheny and Tony Bennett.


Lewis is artistic director of Jazz at Ravinia (an annual feature at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois) and helped organize Ravinia's Jazz Mentor Program. Ramsey also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Merit School of Music, a Chicago inner-city music program and The Chicago High School for the Arts, the new public arts high school in Chicago. Early in 2005, the Ramsey Lewis Foundation was created to help connect at-risk children to the world of music. As an offshoot of that foundation, Lewis plans to form a Youth Choir and Youth Orchestra. In January 2007, the Dave Brubeck Institute invited Lewis to join its Honorary Board of Friends at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Lewis is an Honorary Board member of the Chicago Jazz Orchestra. Lewis is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. In May 2008, Lewis received an honorary doctorate from Loyola University Chicago upon delivering the keynote address at the undergraduate commencement ceremony.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Succes 2010: Elmer Boyd, unul dintre detectivii care l-au pazit pe asasinul lui JFK, Lee Harvey Oswald









Elmer L. "Sonny" Boyd was one of two detectives to spend the most time with Lee Harvey Oswald after Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Succes 2010: Joan Baez, "conștiința și vocea anilor '60"

























Joan Chandos Baez este o cântăreață americană de origine mexicană, foarte cunoscută datorită vocii sale foarte individuale. Este deseori numită "conștiința și vocea anilor '60". Multe cântece au o tematică socială.
Este cunoscută în special pentru hitul "Diamonds and Rust" și pentru numeroasele preluări cum ar fi "There but for Fortune" al lui Phil Ochs și "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" al trupei The Band. Într-o măsură mai mică, lumea o cunoaște pentru "Farewell, Angelina" și "Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word". În 1969 ia parte la festivalul Woodstock alături de artiști ca Jimi Hendrix, Santana, Jefferson Airplane unde cântă trei cântece, Sweet Sir Galahad, Joe Hill și We Shall Overcome, acest ultim cântec fiind un imn al mișcării pentru drepturile civile ale negrilor din Statele Unite ale Americii.
Rămâne de asemenea cunoscută pentru relația sa cu Bob Dylan și pentru marea sa pasiune pentru activism, în special în domeniile nonviolenței, al drepturilor civile și ale omului iar, mai recent, este cunoscută pentru acțiunile sale ecologice.
Baez are o carieră de peste 50 de ani, a lansat mai mult de 30 de albume și a înregistrat în opt limbi diferite. Este considerată un simbol al muzicii folk, deși după anii 60 stilul muzicii pe care îl va aborda va cunoaște numeroase schimbări, înglobând mai toate stilurile de la rock și pop la muzică gospel și country. Deși este și a fost ea însăși o compozitoare și textieră, în special la mijlocul anilor 70, Baez este adesea considerată ca fiind o interpretă a cântecelor altor persoane, preluând și interpretând cântece ale unor artiști precum The Beatles, Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, The Rolling Stones, Pete Seeger, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder și mulți alții.
Vocea sa are trei octave și un vibrato rapid, ușor de recunoscut.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Succes 2010: François Chau (Lost, 24)


François Chau is a Cambodian-American actor. He is known for his role as Dr. Pierre Chang in ABC's Lost, and as The Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze.
Chau was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia of Chinese and Vietnamese descent. He has appeared as Koo Yin, a Chinese consul in the drama 24. He also appeared as a Chinese diplomat in Stargate SG-1. Chau has appeared as a guest star in The Unit, NUMB3RS, ER, Baywatch, Alias, Shark, Grey's Anatomy, JAG, Medium, G.I. Joe, Lost, 9/11: The Twin Towers and as Lieutenant Winston 'Vagabond' Chang in video games Wing Commander III and Wing Commander IV.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Succes 2010: The Drifters, o felicitare de Crăciun











Dupa doua tentative esuate de a obtine autografele muzicienilor supetrupei The Drifters, astazi am primit o felicitare de Craciun tocmai din Nottingham, semnata de toti cei patru membri: Maurice Cannon, Michael Williams, Damion Charles si Ryan King.

The Drifters sunt o trupa americana de doo wop/R&B care a cunoscut celebritatea intre anii 1953 - 1962.


In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine i-a clasat pe The Drifters pe locul 81 in Top 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 1988, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame i-a acceptat ca membri pe muzicienii de la The Drifters: Clyde McPhatter, Bill Pinkney, Gerhardt Thrasher, Johnny Moore, Ben E. King, Charlie Thomas, Rudy Lewis.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Succes 2010: Mary Ann Moorman, martor cheie la asasinarea preşedintelui american John F Kennedy. O fotografie Polaroid pentru istorie

Mary Ann Moorman (born August 5, 1932 (1932-08-05) (age 78)) was a witness to the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. She is best known for her photograph capturing the presidential limousine a fraction of a second after the fatal shot.


On November 22, 1963, U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.

Moorman was standing on grass about 2 feet (61 cm) south of the south curb of Elm Street in Dealey Plaza, directly across from the grassy knoll and the North Pergola concrete structure that Abraham Zapruder and his assistant Marilyn Sitzman were standing on, during the assassination. Moorman stated that she stepped off from the grass onto the street to take her Polaroid photo. Zapruder is seen standing on the pergola in the Moorman photograph, with the presidential limousine already having passed through the line of sight between Zapruder and Moorman.





Moorman was standing only 20 feet (6 m) behind and to the left of President Kennedy with her friend, Jean Hill, and they are clearly seen in many frames of the Zapruder film.

Between Zapruder film frames Z-315 and 316, approximately one sixth of a second after President Kennedy's head was shattered at frame Z-313, Moorman took a Polaroid photograph (her fifth that day) of the presidential limousine and President Kennedy that also includes the grassy knoll area.





What was captured in the background of the photo has been a matter of contentious debate. On the grassy knoll, some claim to have identified as many as four different figures, while others dismiss these indistinct images as trees or shadows. Most often a figure is identified as the "badge man" because the figure is supposedly a uniformed police officer. Others claim to see Gordon Arnold, a man who claimed to have filmed the assassination from that area, a man in a construction hard hat, and a hatted man behind the picket fence.





Moorman stated she heard a shot as the limousine passed her, then heard another shot or two after the president's head first exploded. She stated that she could not determine where the shots came from, and that she saw no one in the area that appeared to have possibly been the assassin. Moorman was interviewed by the Dallas County Sheriff's Department and the FBI. She was called by the Warren Commission to testify, but due to a sprained ankle, she was unable to be questioned. She was never contacted by them again.

Mary Ann Moorman este un martor al asasinarii presedintelui american John F Kennedy. A devenit celebra datorita faptului ca a facut o poza Polaroid limuzinei prezidentiale, de la 6 metri distanta, la o fractiune de secunda dupa ce Kennedy a fost impuscat.
Mrs. Mary Ann, ajunsa la 78 de ani, incearca acum sa vanda faimoasa fotografie Polaroid intr-o licitatie pe eBay, pretul cerut fiind $225.00 USD. Asa cum mi-a relatat intr-o scrisoare pe care mi-a trimis-o impreuna cu fotografiile semnate, doreste sa vanda fotografia pentru a avea bani sa calatoreasca prin lume. Fotografia a trezit controverse majore, fiind studiata si astazi de catre adeptii teoriei conspiratiei. Unii sustin ca pe fundalul neclar se pot observa presupuse personaje care ar fi putut face parte dintr-un posibil complot.






Monday, December 6, 2010

Succes 2010: Sophia Loren sau cum a luat Oscarul fiica sosiei lui Greta Garbo











Cea care avea sa devina sex-simbolul Italiei a plecat la 15 ani către Roma în cautarea succesului. Împreună cu mama sa, care în 1932 câștigase un concurs ca sosie a Gretei Garbo, a debutat în filmul Quo Vadis?. A participat la mai multe concursuri de frumusețe printre care și Misss Italia în 1950 (unde a câștigat titlul de Miss Eleganza, titlu creat special pentru ea).

In 1953 joacă în filmul lui Giovanni Roccardi, Africa sotto i mari unde îl întâlnește pe cel care va deveni apoi soțul său, producătorul Carlo Ponti, care a rămas impresionat de potențialul său și i-a oferit un contract pe șapte ani.
S-a căsătorit de două ori cu Carlo Ponti, prima dată în septembrie 1957, dar din moment ce, în acea perioadă, divorțul nu era legal în Italia, cuplul riscă să fie acuzat de concubinaj (Loren) și de bigamie (Ponti). Astfel cei doi au emigrat în Franța unde au devenit cetățeni francezi și Ponti a putut să divorțeze de soția lui Giuliana Fiastri și s-au căsătorit pe data de 9 aprilie 1966 la Sevres (Franța).
Din acest moment cariera Sofiei a cunoscut o ascensiune fulminanta. Apariția ei pe coperta celebrei reviste Life Magazine în 1955 marchează începutul carierei internaționale, datorită frumuseții sale, precum și a talentului său înnăscut ca actriță.
Începând cu 1956 interpretează și în limba engleză în principalele producții din SUA
În timp, se va afirma din ce în ce mai mult ca un simbol al cinematografiei italiene în lume; definitiva consacrare ca actriță va veni cu Premiul Oscar câștigat în 1961 pentru interpretarea din filmul său simbol La ciociara de Vittorio De Sica într-un rol care fusese refuzat de Anna Magnani.
Împărțită între Italia și Hollywood joacă în numeroase filme de succes alături de cele mai mari staruri mondiale, filme conduse de regizori ca: Vittorio De Sica, Mario Monicelli, Ettore Scola, Dino Risi, Mario Camerini, Charlie Chaplin, Sidney Lumet, George Cukor, Michael Curtiz, Anthony Mann și André Cayatte. Interpretează roluri în opt filme regizate de Vittorio De Sica, completată deseori de actorul Marcello Mastroianni.
Nicio actriță italiană n-a ajuns vreodată la o asemenea popularitate internațională.
În 1982 în urma vechilor probleme cu fiscul italian, este acuzată de evaziune fiscală și închisă, rămânând timp de 17 zile în penitenciarul din Caserta. Responsabilitatea evaziunii fiscale a fost atribuită apoi impresarului său, dar nu i-a fost ușor să remonteze proasta publicitate.
În anii 80' s-a ocupat aproape numai de participarea la producții TV: Sophia: Her Own Story film autobiografic pentru televiziunea americană după romanul omonim, Madre coraggio (1986), Mamma Lucia și remake-ul filmului La ciociara (1988) de Dino Risi: singura excepție a fost filmul Qualcosa di biondo (1984) în care joacă alături de fiul său Edoardo.
În 1994 Robert Altman a distribuit-o în filmul Prêt à porter.
În anul următor a fost partenera lui Jack Lemmon și Walter Matthau în That's amore - Due improbabili seduttori, iar în 1997 a interpretat rolul de mamă a unui băiat evreu care voia să devină comunist, în filmul Soleil de Roger Hanin.
În 2002 a jucat în Cuori estranei, regizat de fiul sau Edoardo Ponti, iar în 2004 a jucat în filmul Peperoni ripieni e pesci in faccia de Lina Wertmulle. Dar cel mai mare succes îl va avea în serialul TV Francesca e Nunziata (2001) iar în 2004 joacă alături de Sabrina Ferilli în La terra del ritorno.
A interpretat rolul unei maici într-o reclama tv împreuna cu Christian De Sica și Elisabetta Canalis.
În 2006 a pozat pentru Calendario Pirelli 2007.
În februarie 2007 a jucat in filmul Saturno Contro de Ferzan Ozpetek, coloana sonoră a filmului fiind melodia Zoo be zoo be zoo interpretată de Sophia.
În 2009, după o absență destul de mare din lumea cinematografiei este chemată de Rob Marshall pentru a o interpreta pe mama protagonistului în Nine, omagiu muzical al filmului 8½, regizat de Fellini.
In 2010 se reintoarce il lumina reflectoarelor și devine protagonista miniseriei La mia casa è piena di specchi , inspirată din cartea autobiografica a surorii sale Maria Silicone . Sophia o interpretează pe mama sa Romilda .

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Succes 2010: Brian Auger - de la jazz la Hendrix


Brian Auger este un muzician celebru pentru interpretarile sale la keyboard in compozitii de jazz si rock. Orga sa favorita poarta marca Hammond.
Un artist polivalent, Auger a concertat alaturi de artisti precum Rod Stewart, Tony Williams, Jimi Hendrix, Sonny Boy Williamson, Led Zeppelin, Eric Burdon. Interpretarile sale, in care a excelat in jazz, British pop, R&B, soul music si rock i-au adus o nominalizare la Grammy.

discografie:

1965 - Don't Send Me No Flowers - Sonny Boy Williamson
1965 - Attention!
1965-1969 - The Mod Years (Complete singles, B-sides, and rare tracks)
1967 - Open (Trinity's first album)
1968 - Definitely What
1969 - Streetnoise (double album)
1969/1970 - Befour (Last Brian Auger Trinity album)
1970 - Oblivion Express (First Oblivion Express album)
1971 - A Better Land (Oblivion Express)
1972 - Second Wind (Oblivion Express)
1973 - Closer To It (Oblivion Express)
1975 - Straight Ahead (Oblivion Express)
1975 - Live Oblivion Volume 1
1975 - Live Oblivion Volume 2
1975 - Reinforcements (Oblivion Express)
1976 - Best of Brian Auger (double album)
1975 - Happiness Heartaches (Oblivion Express)
1978 - Encore[2] - Brian Auger & Julie Tippetts (Reunion album)
1980 - Search Party
1982 - Here and Now
1987 - Keys to the Heart
1990 - Super Jam
1993 - Access All Areas: Live - Eric Burdon/Brian Auger Band (double album)
1993 - Tony Williams: Live in Tokyo 1978
1998 - Blue Groove - Karma Auger
1999 - Voices of Other Times (Oblivion Express)
2001 - Soft & Furry - Ali Auger
2004 - Auger Rhythms: Brian Augers Musical History (The Trinity, Julie Driscoll, Oblivion Express)
2005 - Brian Auger: Insights of the Keyboard Master (DVD)
2005 - Looking In the Eye of the World (Oblivion Express)
2005 - Live at the Baked Potato (Oblivion Express) Double CD
2005 - Live at the Baked Potato (Oblivion Express) DVD