For many jazzophiles, The Allen Room in Lincoln Center is Mecca. The space is intimate, the acoustics are phenomenal, and the dramatic wall of glass offers one of New York City’s greatest backdrops, with picturesque views of Central Park, Columbus Circle, and the Manhattan skyline. It feels like sacred ground.
Recent highlights from The Allen Room include saxophone master Maceo Parker—perhaps best known as the second-in-command to James “The Godfather of Soul” Brown—as well as Manhattan Transfer, the most enduring vocal group in jazz history.
Friday evening, indie chanteuse Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent) shanghaied the joint with an infectious blend of glitchy synth-pop beats, elegant ballads, ferocious guitars, and cinematic arrangements. She also got a little help from friends including David Byrne (yes, David freakin’ Byrne of Talking Heads!), Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, Bryce Dessner of The National and Budos Band horns.
The set kicked off with “The Strangers,” the opening track from St. Vincent’s 2009 release Actor. Dizzying horns clashed against scathing, fuzzy guitars that would have made Lou Reed crack a smile.
Justin Vernon lent his melancholy falsetto for “Laughing with a Mouthful of Blood” and “Roslyn,” the latter of which also saw Bryce Dessner provide ethereal guitar drones. You might remember “Roslyn” as the haunting tune about teen abstinence from a recent vampire flick. Interestingly, Clark and Vernon wrote it together via Skype. St. Vincent and Justin Vernon performing together was quite simply one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard—a rare musical occasion that left me with chills.
Other highlights from the evening included a distorted violin feedback-driven badass cover of The National’s “Mistaken For Strangers” and the David Byrne piece “Breathing.” Showcasing the innate connection between the two experimental artists, “Breathing” was funky, danceable, and a sweet taste of (hopefully) future collaboration.
With such fantastic performances by a Who’s Who list of the current indie scene, the show felt like a crazy dream that was too good to be true. I have been fortunate enough to see almost all these performers before, but never together on the same bill. I left thinking that I had just shared in a very special experience.
DOWNLOAD: St. Vincent - The Strangers (MP3) or Follow us for more St. Vincent MP3s (Twitter)
Two songs go in, one comes out. Pick a side.
Columbus Short Would be an excellent match for Sam Cooke (especially if this movie was to include Sam’s Soul Stirrer years). Just as long as in the movie Sam does the singing of course lol. But as far as physical resemblance my boy Columbus Short all the way. View this clip of Cadillac Records were he played lil walter… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmxTbcnW6bY
by Akin Z on Wed Feb 1, 2012 at 12.37 am from the entry: Sam Cooke to get a movie
Oops meant Aloe Blacc not Black. Sorry about the typo. If you doubt that he should play Sam check him out here on you tube singing Loving you is Killing me. The likeness is uncanny - but the voice is quite different.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yJuyaVcL2I&feature=artist
by Tamara L on Tue Jan 31, 2012 at 08.30 am from the entry: Sam Cooke to get a movie
I have read the Peter Guralnick book and it is thoroughly researched down to the minutest detail. Amazing.
I would go for Aloe Black because he looks so much like Sam, but for heaven’s sake why are we talking about the quality of the actor’s singing? Sam’s singing has got to be dubbed in. We want the real thing not an impersonator. There is only one Sam Cooke. The actor can act, let Sam do the songs.
by Tamara L on Tue Jan 31, 2012 at 08.24 am from the entry: Sam Cooke to get a movie
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by Dirty Ice on Tue Jan 24, 2012 at 11.04 pm from the entry: Yasiin Bey - Fete (Providence, RI; Dec.10, 2011)
John Boutte should play Sam Cooke. Except the point someone made about him dying young, this is true. Boutte may be a bit too old.
by Brendan on Tue Jan 17, 2012 at 06.17 pm from the entry: Sam Cooke to get a movie
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by asdsad on Tue Jan 17, 2012 at 04.29 am from the entry: Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic Weigh In On Kurt Avatar
Blacks say the word 50+ times a day. Fuck the double standard, stop trying to create controversy.
by Steve C on Fri Jan 13, 2012 at 02.00 pm from the entry: John Mayer is about to get swallowed up in public outrage
