DOIN' THE BING

Bing Crosby was once called the Mick Jagger of the 1920s. Spy Vibers who only know Der Bingle from his later years and Christmas tunes would be surprised to see him at his youthful prime, belting out hot jazz numbers with the likes of Bix Beiderbecke, Frankie Trumbauer, and Eddie Lang. Bing was really the first super star, reaching the #1 spot as America's entertainer on radio, film, and records. As an innovator, he used early microphone technology and radio to invent a new expressive style of singing and he helped translate jazz idioms, like scat singing, to a wider audience. Bing essentially played himself in public, cultivating a relaxed, casual vibe. Way before the hat and pipe, viewers were introduced to his trademark cool in a series of Mack Sennett shorts in the early 1930s. On Christmas Eve 1962, ABC aired the Bing Crosby Christmas Special for Clairol (his fourth special and the network's first broadcast in color). The show included guests Mary Martin and Andre Previn, and featured this fantastically modern dance devoted to Bing's casual lifestyle, Doin' the Bing. I love the design choices, from the costumes and minimal staging to the use of contemporary furniture. If your season is filled with White Christmas and Holiday Inn and you crave more Bing, I challenge you to master this hilarious (and charming!) dance. Happy Holidays! Suggested Bing releases: Bix n Bing, 16 Most Requested Songs, Some Fine Old Chestnuts, Bing in Dixieland, So Rare, Johnny Mercer Songbook, Irving Berlin Songbook, And Some Jazz Friends, Fancy Meeting You Here, Favorite Hawaiian Songs. 

 

DAVID BYRNE MOVES

We continue our spotlight on David Byrne today with two videos that feature his interest in bringing strong elements of movement to his music. Byrne's career has included ties to modern dance, perhaps most notably with his compositions for The Knee Plays (Robert Wilson's experimental opera with Byrne, Philip Glass, and Gavin Bryars), and The Catherine Wheel with Twyla Tharp. Mainstream audiences got a glimpse of Byrne's own quirky movement choices in the official video for Once in a Lifetime (1980), the classic Talking Heads track made in collaboration with Brian Eno. The piece was co-directed by performer and choreographer Toni Basil (Antonia Christina Basilotta), who also choreographed Crosseyed and Painless, David Bowie and Bette Midler tours, as well as films like American Graffiti and That Thing You Do. Once in a Lifetime rose the bar for video art in the 1980s and is exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art. Post continues below.

David Byrne re-explored his work with Brian Eno for a 2008-2009 performance tour, which included the integration of modern dance by Noemie Lafrance, Annie B. Parson, Sonya Robbins, and Layla Childs. The production was recorded on film by David Hillman Curtis and released on DVD/Blu-ray in 2011. One of the most exciting sequences (below) is their rendition of Houses in Motion. In his 2011 interview with Helen Jack (The Quietus), Byrne said, "Well, in talking with the choreographers we all realised that it was really important to integrate what they were doing with the dancers with the rest of us. So in rehearsals they first worked with the dancers and then there was time spent to bring the singers in, to involve the three singers, to impart some of their movement and then me – to see how much I could be involved with what they were doing. And as the tour went on, I realised, for example, that Stephen [one of the dancers] plays guitar and sings so I thought OK we're going to add you to the band on some numbers and then we had the dancers singing on one number. We can blur the lines between what 'department' you're in.

"Although I'd seen these choreographers work before I realised that the world of contemporary dance is a kind of rarefied world which tends to have a very small audience. But we discovered that putting some of that stuff in more of a pop music context changed it and made it more accessible, made it seem a little less rarefied and took a way a bit of the fear factor, the 'I don't know what this is about.' It just kind of makes it all mush together and everybody goes 'Oh! This is a music concert, I understand that.' but as far as the feeling of humour mixed with dread and the kind of light and dark and balancing those elements - [long pause] I think we were just kind of lucky that way – the choreographers, dancers, band everybody kinda sensed where that balance might be – not to go into complete silliness and not to let it go too dark for too long." Related post: David Byrne St Vincent. 

DAVID BYRNE ST VINCENT

Many records cross my radar, but Love This Giant (2012) by David Byrne (Talking Heads) and St Vincent really stood out as November's most interesting discovery. If you're like me, you may have seen the album around over the last year or so, but didn't know what to make of it. I hadn't yet heard St Vincent/Annie Clark (so glad I've caught up!), but their collaborations won me over immediately once I gave them a listen. I now wish I had explored the project early enough to catch their live performances. The official video for the album's opening track, Who, features some wonderful visuals- another reminder that Byrne has an interest in movement as well as music. And like his work on Stop Making Sense so long ago, his choices appear fresh and individual. More on this topic soon! Enjoy!