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Soundtrack to The Struggle #1: Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey & Mamie Smith
Three pioneering women lay claim to Blues royalty. Mamie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Bessie Smith made an impact on American culture that still resonates today. Mamie Smith became in 1920 the first Black musician to make vocal blues recordings. A savvy marketer, she exploited the new medium of radio to reach audiences across the country …
Culture Crawl 326 “I Am Not An Animal!”
The Iowa City Community Theatre presents “The Elephant Man” Feb. 23 – March 4. It’s a bit of a passion project for director Liz Tracey, who saw David Bowie in the title role on Broadway in the 80s. She says that the role of John Merrick is especially tough, as the actor uses his body, …
Culture Crawl 325 “From Cedar Falls to Bollywood”
Matt Steele, publisher of Little Village Magazine and board member of the Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance (ICCA), stops by to let us know about some of the events on CulturalCorridor.org that he finds interesting. Acoustic music, a little jazz, Second City comedy and even a Bollywood dance competition. Find these and many more at www.culturalcorridor.org. …
Soundtrack to The Struggle #1 – Roy Eldridge & Gene Krupa
Today, it would be unthinkable to bar a musical artist from their place of performance. Yet seventy years ago it happened regularly. African-American musicians were often required to enter a club by the kitchen or back door, even if they were the headliner. In 1940 a doorman turned away star trumpeter Roy Eldridge at the …
Culture Crawl 324 “A Redhead, a Korean, and an Arab Walk into a Klesmer Concert”
Red Cedar Chamber Music presents “A Little Klesmer Between Friends,” featuring Christine Bellamy, principal clarinetist with Orchestra Iowa and the Cedar Rapids Municipal Band, in a program that will feature both old and new compositions in Klesmer, a traditional Jewish folk music that began in the 19th Century in Germany, and has been greatly influenced …
Culture Crawl 323 “Will Andy Survive The Brandenburg?”
Tim Hankewich from Orchestra Iowa joins Dennis Green to talk about “Past is Prologue,” a concert that demonstrates some common threads between pieces composed in three different centuries, one from 1986, practically last week by Classical music standards. Also on the program is Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto #2, which features a trumpet part so challenging, for …
Culture Crawl 322 “I’ve Got a Crush on You”
Beth Dowd, Jan Ahrens, Shirley Knapp, and Dianne Gray are members of a quartet from the Metromix Chorus, who will fan out on Feb. 14 to deliver Singing Valentines in barbershop harmony in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. They’ll give a live demo! There are still slots available to publicly embarrass your Valentine with this …
Watch the Corridor Jazz Recording Sessions!
Ever wonder what a Corridor Jazz Project recording session looks like? We recorded each band and guest artist at work. Check out your favorite band on this YouTube Playlist: