Tony unlike you and your selling of the Audya a seriously fantastic arranger KB which I still cant understand why you sold it?.....I will definitely have the KORG PA3x for a long long while, every day inspires me more & more to get excited performing with it & learning its features, today I'll get in the trenches again for a wonderful Christmas Dinner Gig....
enjoy what you play.

Feliz Navidad!!

A local VA. My father-in-law was there for years, so I go every year. Then, I go to my club with a trio and play B-3 and Rhodes for an afternoon jazz buffet/Xmas music.

Home by 6:00 PM for the "onslaught" of friends and relatives.

Perfect!


Russ

Happy New Year Russ!!

No work for me ... it's a PLAY day, and after the kids all opened their gifts ... Pop-Pop headed off to see Les Miz! It was an awesome 2 hours and 45 minutes. Not up to the Broadway cast vocally, but the visuals and concept art were fantastic. Not one of the stars could keep up with the singing voices of the stage characters, but they made up for it in their acting and emotion. Poor Russel Crowe - he actually has a nice voice, but not the powerful, belting kind that the role called for. Still, with all it wasn't, it WAS a terrific rendition. Kind of like reading "To Kill a Mockingbird" and then watching the movie - both fantastic, but the book is better because of what the imagination can do that the eyes can't.
Go see it - it's well worth the 3 hours spent shoulder to shoulder with fellow art enthusiasts.
Here's my report card for singing only: (remember, the total package was wonderful ... in spite of their interpretations and capability)
Eponine: B+ really wonderful, but the easiest role to sing
Fontine: B+ great job, but she's not a traditional soprano
Marius: B+ Mandy Patinkin-esq voice - great range, nice tone
ValJean: B strong, but either over or under emotional at times. Excellent control
Cosette: B nice pipes, but uncontrolled vibrato. Pretty tome
Javer: C+ soft, pop voice .. not strong enough to be convincing. Weak upper range

Funny, I felt almost cheated that I couldn't applaud each number, like we do in a theater ... the transitions were great, but the singer recognition was missing ... pity. There was one surprise that the trailers didn't even HINT at ... I won't spoil it for avid theater-goers, but I sat there beaming because I knew the secret!(well, not a secret exactly, but a wonderful surprise guest star)

So .... another family party today - the 4th in 3 days ... no time for work for THIS old road warrior. No one's going to write on my tombstone "I wish I had more time to work"! lol
More power to you all who do the "gig" thing on Christmas, but I put in enough holiday hours over the years - Christmas is never a work day for me.

BTW - I've seen it "live" 12 times already and I have tickets in 3 weeks in Philly, so I DO have my educated opinions! I am a true fan, and even the weakest performances can cleanse and enrich my soul. I sit in awe of the words and music every time. I thank God for my hearing.
Merry Christmas everyone!

les Miserable

Although I read some bad reviews about it I would like to see it at least once if I get a chance or wait till it comes on HBO, I enjoy period pieces,...someone said there is no dialog only singing thruout is that true?

I have to confess, Auto-Tune hasn't improved musicals...

Back in the day, they'd get a GREAT singer to dub in the musical numbers if an 'actor' couldn't cut it. Nowadays, they just use the actor, and then electronically try to create a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Not that successful, IMO...

What's next? T-Pain doing Porgy and Bess?

Movies are a visual medium, and a terrific singer is not always whats needed to tell the story on the silver screen. I admit - the music is what I love most about Les Miz, but from a different angle, the movie tells the story in a more personal, in your face way, that you can't get on a stage. The directors eye navigates you to his vision, and you get to hear tiny breaths and see tears and wrinkles in faces that you just cant see from even the first few rows of a theater. It is a visual success, and a wonderful movie, but I cant imagine watching it over and over, as I do with the stage show. I get the same rush of emotion from just listening to the music from the stage show as watching it .... the soundtrack from the movie, however, will not end up on my iPad.
Still .... I'll say it again - it's WONDERFUL. A great way to spend 3 hours. (pee first)

As a sidenote - I can't imagine a more beautiful cast than the movie gave us. Each actor had the spirit and the heart of the character, and made me believe the words that they recited or sang. Remind yourself - it's not a concert production ... it's a story told with music and vision. Russel Crowe was the only voice that was clearly out of his league, and still - he did a great job with the set of skills he DOES have. I might have cast Jesse L Martin as Javer, but I never heard him really belt either ... so who can second guess? All I know for sure is that I loved it for what it was, but I can't WAIT to see it again on stage - 3 weeks!