Dancer/ Choreographer Bob Fosse was born on this day in 1927. Among his accomplishments are classics of both stage and screen. He won eight Tony awards for his choreography in shows like The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, and Sweet Charity. The Broadway revival of Chicago, for which Fosse co-wrote the book, holds the record for …
Stately, blithe Gerry Mulligan came from the dry cleaners, bearing a vinyl pouch in which he and his thoughts stood crouched. In the Muse wishes you a Happy Bloomsday, and takes the opportunity to share a Pic of the Week unrelated to Buck Mulligan but from the Gerry Mulligan Collection in the Performing Arts Encyclopedia. Needless …
Today’s Google Doodle celebrates the birthday of guitar legend Les Paul with an interactive logo whose strings you can play with your cursor. U. S. doodlers can even record and share their performance. Les Paul would have been 96 today. Remember his technical innovation and electric musicianship with photos from the William P. Gottlieb Collection in …
This weekend Washington hosts the 2011 Seersucker Social, an event where the city’s hipsterati don vintage threads and leisurely tour the town upon vintage bicycles. So if you’re in the Nation’s Capital tomorrow you may happen upon scenes that recall this week’s featured picture, a candid snapshot of composer Aaron Copland with harpist Djina Ostrowska. Visit …
Last night I watched the host of Animal Planet’s River Monsters spend three hours trying to land a giant freshwater stingray. And I wondered, what might we have in the Music Divisions coffers that conveys such adventure and derring-do? I had to look no further than the Federal Theater Project collection, subject of the exhibit …
Thanks to Acquisitions Specialist Loras Schissel, whom In the Muse interviewed last month, for contributing to this post. Our Pic of the Week depicts two legendary figures whom you might be surprised to know had an occasional working relationship. The Sousa Band enjoyed its longest single engagement as a headlining feature for Charles Dillingham’s New York …
Along with some great music, I heard a lot of great stories at Tuesday night’s ASCAP concert, from distinguished Congressmen and legendary songwriters alike. But one of the best stories came from a Library co-worker, who was thoroughly excited that I took her picture with Hal David after the concert ended. Galina Teverovsky, a technician …
Visitors to Pisa are practically obligated to pose for a photo in which they pretend to hold up her famous leaning tower. This week’s featured picture illustrates that such urges are seized even by musical legends such as Gerry Mulligan, in this photo made by his wife Franca. While a trip to Italy requires planning …
I first met composer and multi-instrumentalist David Amram 25 years ago when we did a late night radio interview at WPFW-FM. I knew about his music, of course, his film scores (The Manchurian Candidate, Splendor In The Grass, Pull My Daisy) and collaborations with leading jazz, classical, folk and world music artists. But that free-wheeling …