Dashing Don's Deliberations

Arizona Sounds of Christmas - Dec. 13, 2009

2009-12-06T07:06:00Z

Announcing

Arizona Sounds of Christmas

A musical event brought to you by

Ron Cordova

With performances by

Rocky Road, Judy Schwiebert, Bob & Debbie Jones, Joan Paladian,

Don Harrington & Janis Wood, Harryzona, the Mixed Nuts and Entourage

Sunday, December 13, 2009 from 6:30 P.M.

to about 8:15 P.M.

At the Continental Villas West Clubhouse –

2 Blocks south of Maryland and 18^th Ave.

1750 W Stella Lane, Phx.

It’s an evening of all Christmas poetry and singin’. Western, Contemporary and audience participation.

Admission is a friend or 2 and a dozen cookies.

We’ll supply some punch and coffee to wash ‘em down.

If you need more information you can call

602-277-0739

or e-mail at 1horsemumbler@cox.net

Crunch Time in December

2009-12-05T19:07:00Z

Finishing up a crazy week, with performances in the PC Jazz Orchestra, Rock Combo, Folk Band, and Birdland Combo - AND a show with Entourage - AND December 5th big Choir Concert at St. Gregory's, 7:30!

Coming up, the Arizona Sounds of Christmas Show on Dec. 13.

Taiko Drumming (Performance Practice 2 of ?)

2009-02-25T15:52:30Z

I just went to the Matsuri festival and spent some time listening to the Taiko drummers and watching traditional Japanese dance.

I also watched the crowd, always a fascinating exercise. Pop culture has become a staple, including people dressed in anime and manga tributes alongside straight youth culture with spiked hair and trendy clothes. I probably saw more caucasians in kimonos than any other group, go figure.

Taiko drumming is fun and there are a lot of groups in Phoenix and Tucson that study it. It's more than just rhythm, there is an element of choreographed theater in it, with banks of drummers performing synchronized movements as they carry their part of the piece. The groups I watched usually went with some kind of uniform dress with individual variances in color and pattern.

And the drums themselves are great props, from little spuds up to big monsters that the drummers strike with exaggerated movements.

So what can I use to improve my performances? Once again, staging, costume and props are a part of the story. Drums have a limited emotional palette but within that range, they are very powerful. I've always liked having some exotic percussion when I play, so I will continue exploring that, too.

Dr. John (Performance Practice 1 of ?)

2009-02-18T02:02:07Z

What do I need to do to get my message across? It's more than just being a competent musician, there's the whole performance element.

Dr. John has a good schtick, his voodoo jazz thing. I saw him at Celebrity Theater on February 1 along with the Neville Brothers (more on them later). A skull on the piano, feathers, gris-gris bags, fetishes - in a word, props. They help get across the feeling that the music has power, a kind of intimate power that verges on black magic.

Dr. John's a good musician who has an encyclopedic grasp of New Orleans jazz and blues styles and all the world influences that have found their way there. Some tunes sounded like Calypso, some were standards like St. James Infirmary, and he included his regular hits.

He uses a lean backup band, just guitar & bass & drums. He's got the B3 organ and a fold-up baby grand - and a gritty voice that is such pure noise that I have trouble understanding him even when he's just speaking. But that just adds to the mystery somehow.

The schtick and the music fit well together and I think it enhances the performance. If he were to dress and play like a classical musician, neat and restrained, it would rob the music of much of its power.

Building a creative network

2008-12-17T17:09:42Z

Just finished Entourage's annual Christmas Show, which had a fairly good turnout of 80-100 people. I didn't send a mailing about this show to my regular list, though. My regular list consists of my friends who said they would be interested in my shows and a handful of others, about 20 people. In the last 2 years, I've mailed this list prior to every show - and almost nobody on it has shown up unless they were also part of the show.

So I figure it's time to purge the list and consider how to build a new one. I also figure it's time to build my network with people who are interested in music and art like I am. I'm reemphasizing these things in my life, so my social circle ought to reflect that.

I've also been thinking that to be successful as a musician, I can't do it just by myself. I need partnerships with other creative people to put together a package.

How to get there, I have no real ideas but I'm open to anybody's suggestions.

Arizona Sounds of Christmas 2008

2008-12-14T19:04:42Z

I'm
playing with Entourage at a great event:

ARIZONA SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS

Join us
for an evening of music featuring

Saturday,
August 9, 2008

6:30 to
8:30 p.m.

Continental
Villas West

1745 W.
Stella Lane

(via
18^th Avenue off of Maryland Avenue)

<map>

Gordon Lightfoot show - good concert

2008-10-25T16:48:13Z

Jan and I went to the Gordon Lightfoot show at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix last night (10-24-08). I'd never seen Gordon performing live before, but I had fond memories of listening to his albums [mumble] years ago, when I was young. Sitting around Dick's house, drinking beer, playing guitar, listening to Gordon Lightfoot and Kris Kristofferson albums. Those were good times.

Sadly, Lightfoot has been ill and had to cancel a number of concerts earlier this decade. I thought the illness showed in his voice which was not as rich and vibrant as it had been. His guitar playing was still good and his stage presence was just fine - and the songs, well, that's the whole point, isn't it? The songs were just as pretty, quirky, catchy and interesting as they've always been. It's easy to forget that Lightfoot's songs have been picked up by a lot of people, including Elvis.

He didn't introduce his backup band and I would have liked to know more about them. Their playing was subdued, the focus was on Lightfoot - but the guitar player was quietly tasteful and I really liked his work. It was the first time I'd heard a synth player using a harmonica patch, though. It was oddly both familiar and jarring.

And what is it about men with deep voices shouting from the audience that they love the (male) performer? This happened at Ringo's show, too. Lightfoot made a joke that it would be even better if it was a woman's voice - and several woman promptly cried out that they loved him, too.

New songs come along and old songs step aside for them - but there's gold in Lightfoot's catalog of tunes that can be mined for a long time.

Don H.

Rocking with Ringo

2008-08-04T16:47:55Z

Had the opportunity to up my Beatles quotient to 50% the other night when I got to see Ringo with his All-Star Band. (I saw George Harrison in Tucson in 1974, what a great memory.)

Ringo's doing good, he started on time and they rocked continuously for over 2 hours. He did his old standards and some of his new stuff, too. Many people say that Ringo's compositions are pretty simple and basic - and I agree. But I'm a simple person with simple tastes. When Ringo sings "choose love", it's profound enough for me. "Choose Love" and "Memphis In Your Mind" were my favorites from the newer material. It's hard to beat "With a Little Help From My Friends" and "Yellow Submarine" sung by the original, though!

The All-Star band was great, with Edgar Winter earning overtime playing keyboards, sax, even drums. The band included Billy Squier, Colin Hay of Men at Work, keyboardist Gary Wright ("Dreamweaver"), bassist Hamish Stuart (Average White Band) and second drummer Greg Bissonette.

They must have had a concession on guitars, because Colin and Billy changed guitars almost every song and "old" guitars were slow to reappear.

An exciting and energizing concert, I'm really glad I got to go.

New performance for Don August 9!!!

2008-07-21T22:17:31Z

I'm playing with Entourage at a great event:

SUMMER MUSIC FUN

Join us for an evening of music featuring

We will entertain you with a variety of music including selections from the Beatles, folk, cowboy, ballads and Pop songs.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Continental Villas West

1745 W. Stella Lance

(via 18^th Avenue off of Maryland Avenue)

Light and cool refreshments will be served

For more information, you can email Don at donharrington@msn.com,

and Debbie or Bob at debbob_jones@msn.com

Or visit us online at www.donharrington.net and www.entourageaz.com

The Tilted Kilt ???

2008-07-20T18:31:34Z

The other night, Jan and I were going to a visitation. The daughter of a friend of hers had died young and Jan wanted to pay her respects. With this solemn goal in mind, we took off in Friday rush-hour traffic to the funeral home. We got there in time to get some dinner before the service, so we looked around for a restaurant and finally saw something called the Tilted Kilt. Given that Jan likes pubs and all things Celtic, it sounded like a reasonable choice.

However, the Tilted Kilt is essentially Hooters in tartan. The young and shapely waitresses wear a bikini top and miniskirt made of plaid material. The miniskirt is more of a broad belt. I guess the food was OK, the french fries were good, but my attention was elsewhere.

Jan had a great time pointing out waitresses on the move and watching me try to appear to NOT be staring. She'd deliberately choose waitresses behind me so she could see me try not to swivel my head 180 degrees. I kept my head down when we were being served because otherwise, my eyes were at the level of, well, you know.

On the other hand, it cheered me up greatly from what had looked like it was going to be an unpleasant Friday. Jan and I got into a discussion of why there weren't similar places for gals but we had no easy answers.

Don

Hippiefest 2008 in Phoenix

2008-07-12T16:55:57Z

It's a guilty pleasure, but I had a great time at the Hippiefest concert at the Dodge Theater in sunny Phoenix, Arizona, last night. A great deal of it was pure nostalgia, but it wasn't all just navel-gazing.

Jonathan Edwards is perhaps best known for "Sunshine" and the audience joined in gleefully. "How much does it cost?", he crooned and the audience screamed back "I'LL BUY IT!". I didn't realize what a great harmonica player he is, especially since his hands are busy with the guitar. He did a song? chant? poem? called "This Island Earth" that was awesome and I must learn it.

Just like last year, Joey Molland did a pile of Badfinger hits which just served to remind me how much good music is in the Badfinger catalogue. Behind the band was a projection light show which included some pics of a very young Joey. This was a theme they came back to often with some of the acts not looking all that different from their younger selves and some of the acts - well, it would have been hard to match them up.

Janis Ian performed beautifully. Her voice is still a fine instrument. Along with the hits, she did a great and funny tune about her autobiography, about how lucky everybody was to be in her presence. And the autobiography part was not a joke, she has just written a book. I've run across Janis' online writing about electronic copies of music and taking some strong views, check it out.

After rearranging the stage, the Turtles came on and did their usual fun show. Flo & Eddie are great frontmen, they work the audience. The tunes were as contagious as they were in their heyday and people were dancing in the aisles. The Turtles part of the show was one of the highlights last year and they certainly came through again. The sarcastic, pungent wit of the lyrics has been co-opted by time, I guess. "Eleanor, gee, I think you're swell..." has become part of the anthems of our lives.

Then Jack Bruce, singer, composer, bass player. He's playing fretless bass (his website says he picked it up in the 70s). A couple of Cream tunes brought down the house but some of the other tunes fell a little flat. When Jack talked, he seemed out of synch with the audience and it was reflected in the music. I got the feeling he was more inwardly focused than the other acts. I'm not saying it was right or wrong, just that it took an extra effort to try and follow his musical path and you had to leave behind the ecstasy of the moment to do it.

Eric Burdon finished it off with a tear-down-the-house-and-feed-it-to-the-fire hot finish! He looks very different but he still has a great set of pipes. He had the "Animals" with him including a very young lady on bass who was obviously not part of the original group. He did his hits, of course, with everybody singing along on "We gotta get out of this place" and "It's my life, I'll do what I want". He also knocked the socks off some standard blues and R&B hits, including "Boom Boom Boom Boom". He finished with "House of the Rising Sun" ending it with a great gospel shout.

Can't wait 'till next year!

Upcoming performances

2008-07-09T15:40:12Z

I will be performing with Entourage on Saturday, August 9, 2008, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Continental Villas West Clubhouse. This will be 2 hours of music with refreshments, good times for everybody with selections from the Beatles, folk, cowboy, ballads and Pop songs.

Again on September 10, 2008, I'll be with Entourage at the Encanto Park Coffeehouse. The location of this event is currently in flux, I will post more information when I've got it.

October 4, 2008, is the Prescott Folk Music Festival at Sharlot Hall. I'll be playing with both Brass Ring and Entourage on Saturday afternoon. This is my third year at the Prescott Festival and you should make plans to attend, they are tons of fun.

Don Harrington

Get Smart - pretty good movie

2008-06-24T19:01:11Z

Saw Get Smart over the weekend and was pleasantly surprised. I can't call it an "A" movie, but it was pretty entertaining. They went back to the first few episodes of the TV series in the sense that Maxwell Smart wasn't a complete nincompoop and was actually competent some of the time. I always preferred that over the "laugh at me, I'm an idiot" schtick that came to dominate the show.

Steve Carell is OK as Maxwell Smart, Alan Arkin is GREAT as The Chief, and the Rock turns in a suprisingly good comic performance.

They kept the show up-to-date, but paid appropriate homage to items and bits that were used in the original series. It was good to see that old Sunbeam in action even for a little while! I remember buying a model kit of that car when the show first came on.

Don H.

Great Evening at the Music Corner

2008-06-19T23:29:12Z

Entourage had an excellent night at The Music Corner last weekend - we performed for almost 3 hours, doing a Beatles set along with our regular fare. We're looking to reprise the gig at the Encanto clubhouse, stay tuned for more information. Video was taken so I'll deliver the goods on my home site as soon as I get the stuff!

Current Performing News

2008-06-01T01:37:00Z

Recent events - I just finished a gig with Entourage at Fiddlers' Dream on May 30th. It was a good show. We introduced a new John Stewart tune ("Never Going Back") that went over well. I'm still sad about John Stewart's passing earlier this year. Jan joined us on the flute, thanks Jan!

Coming up - Next weekend, I'm performing with both Brass Ring and Entourage at the Prescott Folk Arts Fair. That's June 7th, Entourage starts at 3:15 and Brass Ring comes on at 4:30, both in the amphitheater (our favorite performance venue in Prescott). Check out the Fair at Sharlot museum. Sharlot Hall is at 415 West Gurley Street in Prescott, Arizona 86301.

Right after, on June 14th, Entourage takes over the Music Corner for a full night of entertainment starting at 7:30, including a lot of Beatles' songs. Visit the Music Corner on the web at www.themusiccorner.org. It's at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 1500 W Maryland, Phoenix, AZ.

The Day of the Jackal

2007-12-24T23:53:00Z

12-24-2007

Had a great Christmas show on December 16, with lots of people attending. I played with Entourage and Brass Ring and did some backup for Ron Cordova and other folks. I'll be posting some video when it's available.

We went and saw Golden Compass yesterday, and it was very enjoyable. Hard to say what the controversy was about, we didn't see anything but a fantasy movie. Of course, I visited the website. One of the premises of the fantasy world is that your spirit exists as a separately embodied talking animal. The website gives you a test and assigns you an animal spirit (called daemons in the film). Somehow I got the jackal. I don't know what that means, but feel free to go to the Golden Compass site and let them know if you think it's accurate or not.

From Herbie Hancock to So You Think You Can Dance

2007-11-19T16:58:00Z

An interesting weekend musically, all the way from cerebral to visceral. We went to see Herbie Hancock on Friday at the Orpheum in Phoenix. If you haven’t seen a show at the Orpheum, you really should, the ambience is great, the acoustics are top notch, and the theater was rebuilt in the 90s so the infrastructure is sound.

Herbie Hancock was great, doing tunes from Watermelon Man up to selections from his latest album of Joni Mitchell songs. He had a couple of synths, a grand piano, multiple computers and his Roland jam-like-a-guitarist keyboard, which was quite fun. The band was Herbie Hancock, west-African guitarist Lionel Loueke, Vinnie Colaiuta on percussion, Nathan East on bass, and an appearance from extremely young vocalist Sonya Kitchell. Herbie was astonishing as expected, but Nathan East was a standout, playing fat 6-string bass and electric upright. He was always tight and always right. Lionel Loueke did a very interesting solo song, b-boxing a west-African song and singing beautifully, accompanying himself on what looked to be a Godin Multiac – beautiful guitar, that.

From there to the So You Think You Can Dance Tour 2007, full of very short spots, really young people with astonishing athletic bodies doing gymnastic and enthusiastic dance numbers. Herbie’s show was loose and stretched out, the Dance tour was canned and planned every step of the way. This show was at the Jobing.Com arena in Glendale. Good sound system, lots of lighting effects with strobes and giant TV screens, topped off with confetti and streamers in the finale. There was a lot of good music that I would just get into and then the dance would be over, way too abruptly in my opinion. Men were outnumbered about 4 to 1 in the audience, and I would estimate that tweener girls held the mode measure.

To get into the arena for the Dance tour, I had to go through a metal detector. My Swiss Army pocket knife did not pass muster, I had to take it back to the car. Lord only knows what kind of killing spree I might have gone on, what with all that estrogen in the air. Women’s purses were just passed around the detectors and cursorily glanced at, so we could have smuggled an army’s worth of guns in if we wanted to – or the mighty 2-inch blade I nearly got in with. The story of America today – extra procedures that inconvenience harmless people, do nothing to provide actual protection to anybody, and give some people the feeling that they’re important and powerful (the employees, not the attendees).

American Gangster - improving a film by audience participation

2007-11-05T01:29:00Z

We went and saw American Gangster with high hopes but left the theater feeling let down. The movie was well made (what Ridley Scott film isn't?) but the pacing was very slow and the director was spending most of the time exploring the ambiguity of the moral and ethical stands of its protagonists. Both espoused high ethics, both did things that violated those ethics and in the end, Frank Lucas is a more sympathetic character in the film. HOWEVER - what made the movie truly great was the color commentary originating from the row behind us, a lady who spoke continuously during the film commenting on the action. (It reminded me of my Mother, who never could stop putting her own two cents in on every film or TV show.) From this color commentary, I learned many things, such as Denzel Washington is "fine" (as in "Ooooh, he fine!"), that a boy should listen to his momma and tons of information about the characters in the film, including how bad they were and what mistakes they were making. In my opinion, the color commentary, though unsolicited and not part of the director's vision, was the best part of the film and made the movie truly entertaining for me. Whoever this lady was, her viewpoints and mine coincided for the most part and I found myself nodding in agreement with most of her comments ("oh, that boy is bad, he is bad and wrong - look what he's doing! Oh, my, that boy..."). Whoever you are, I salute you! Don

Great Folk Festival - thanks, Everybody!

2007-10-09T04:40:00Z

10-08-2007

Well, it's the day after the 29th Annual Folk Music Festival at Sharlot Hall (www.sharlot.org). I had a great time in the cool pines, performing with Brass Ring and Entourage (and providing a little backup to smooth crooner Ron Cordova). I heard good comments about all the performances, and spent a lot of time listening to the other musicians - that park was packed with very good players and singers. It was inspiring.

There's a little slack time in our current schedule. Brass Ring performs December 3rd at the Peoria Monday Night Melodies and I'll be joining all those groups and a host of other people for a big Christmas show on December 16th. I'll be looking for some open mike nights and post the info when I get it. Please come out and help support us.

New performances for Don Harrington - October 7 in Prescott!

2007-09-26T00:12:00Z

09-25-2007

Big excitement coming on Sunday, October 7th. Come up to the cool pines of Prescott, Arizona, for the 29th Annual Folk Music Festival at Sharlot Hall (www.sharlot.org).

I'll be performing twice on Sunday the 7th, both times in the Amphitheater. At 10:00 in the morning, I play with Brass Ring, and at 1:30 in the afternoon, I'll be performing with Entourage. (Entourage fans, take note that Ron Cordova has a solo performance at 4:00 in the Sharlot Hall building that same day.)

This is a great festival, featuring Fiddles and banjos, storytellers, dancers, and songwriters, a Sunday morning musical instrument swap meet, and over 150 performers; workshops on instrumental styles, song swaps, singer-songwriter sessions, theme jams, mini-concerts, sing-alongs, Sunday morning Country Gospel sing, teaching workshops, contra dancing, clogging, Flamenco dancing!