by Lidia Paulinska | Mar 2, 2016
Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody was written 40 years ago by Freddie Mercury. It is a song that put the band on the top of music arena. It has spent 14 weeks at number one, giving it the fourth longest stay at the top of the chart. Bohemian Rhapsody is in a list of the all-time best sellers, with 2.36 million copies sold. It is a six-minute suite of the style called progressive rock that abandons the danceable beat that defines earlier styles and is more likely to experiment with compositional structure, instrumentation, harmony, rhythm, and lyrical content.
As Fathom Event continues to search a unique content this time is bringing the legendary rock band to select cinemas nationwide in Queen: A Night in Bohemia, specially restored and re-mixed for the big screen on Tuesday, March 8. Commemorating the recent 40th anniversary, this special event showcases the first-ever live recording of the record-breaking song and includes a never-before-seen documentary featuring archive footage and interviews with all four members of the band. The screening captured Christmas Eve 1975 at the Hammersmith Odeon in London concert accompanying with documentary that deep into Queen’s archives to tell the story of iconic band.
Tickets for the event on March 8 can be found at Fathom Events at www.fathomevents.com/event/queen-a-night-in-bohemia
by Lidia Paulinska | Mar 1, 2016
Buffet, the storied French manufacturer of woodwind musical instruments, including oboes, clarinets, flutes, saxophones and bassoons, refreshed its name and look this year. At the NAMM show, visitors to their booth had a chance to see a name change as well as a new brand logo for Buffet Crampon USA. This is the first change to their iconic woodwind logo in over 170 years. The company decided to make its new look for the 190th anniversary of Buffet Crampon and 90th anniversary of Julius Keilwerth, the German saxophone manufacturer established in 1925 and now a part of the Buffet Group.
The changes were revealed at first in France at the beginning of this year where the family Buffet began manufacturing quality clarinets in 1825. The French musical instrument maker expanded its operations under the vision of Jean-Louis Buffet and his wife Zoe Crampon. Buffet Crampon started operating exclusively in France, and over the years augmented the production to facilities in Germany and China.
Now Buffet Crampon is quickly approaching its second century of operation with a new name and logo as well as a new line of products including new clarinet models for 2016. The product lines now include Tradition professional clarinet and Prodige student clarinet. Tradition establishes a third professional clarinet bore family (alongside the R13 and RC families) and features the first collaboration of European and North American Clarinet Artists in the design of new model. Prodige, on the other hand, sets a new benchmark for student clarinets with an all-new bore design that retains the tone of the Buffet Crampon heritage. Jerome Perrod, global president of Buffet Crampon and Francois Klok, president of Buffet Crampon USA talked with me about the challenges for the music makers in the development of the instruments.
For beginning musicians, the biggest challenge is how to keep the attention to the instrument and continuing playing if the first sound is not satisfactory? The most important thing is to keep the contact with the instrument. The big development for the new instrument was covering a little so the sound is still pleasing. Now, it sounds good right away. This is a big move as a person learns to play the instrument because he/she feels better about their ability to create good sounds. This feedback encourages beginners to continue to play more and study harder versus dropping classes and quitting. Klok, who is an oboe and double reed player reminisced that he was seven years old when he started playing oboe. My brothers and sisters hated me for doing that he stated with smile.
There is another challenge for beginning musicians. Parents are not willing to make a big investment to buy an instrument with the high risk that their son or daughter is going to drop it very quickly. On other hand, if a school buys the instruments, after a few months and multiple players, the instrument is used to much to be attractive any more. The Buffet Crampon presidents know how important ownership of is. Francois remembered that his first obo was lend to him from conservatory, and then his parents bought him a used instrument. He remembered his happiness and pride of owning his first instrument. He knows (and feels) how it is to say – this is my own oboe. Not my sister’s, not somebody else’s, but mine. It is important to make it affordable to young students.
With the new Prodige student clarinet, Buffet Crampon did a wonderful job in addressing these issues. The instrument sounds acoustically beautiful and would not stop music adepts from dropping playing it yet has an attractive price point for parents and schools.
The bottom line is – to create orchestral music we need to have an orchestra with all the variety of instruments.
by Lidia Paulinska | Feb 29, 2016
Kalray – a French designer and provider of low-power, high-performance processors – is looking at American market as new opportunity for its growth.
The French company was established in 2008 as a spin-off from CAE (Atomic Energy Commission) to create the processors for embedded critical application market. As this market is still strong in 2014 the Board of Kalray appointed the new management of the company and implemented the new more market oriented strategy. Eric Baissus, who founded OpenPlug in 2002, one of the most successful European embedded software companies in wireless domain, became Kalray’s CEO. Gilles Delfassy who is presently the President of the Supervisiory Board manages the operations. Eric Bantegnie is responsible for software technology area. This is a good match to the experience of the executive team.
The management team continues a relationship with CAE. The company decided to address the market of mission critical real time applications and determined that a many core processor to be a solution. The target market was data centers, which was a continuing opportunity. They also identified a new opportunity appears in self-driving cars. Now, with the product poised to serve those two markets: data centers and self-driving cars, Kalray sees the opportunity to also be used for a storage controller.
Kalray was presenting the technical aspects of their product at the Linley Data Center Conference that took place in Santa Clara at the beginning of February and is going to be showing it in application with customer products at upcoming RSA conference in San Francisco, February 29 – March 4.
by Lidia Paulinska | Feb 28, 2016
The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 film noir written and directed by John Huston which marked Huston’s directorial debut. His screenplay was based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammet, the great American mystery writer known for his hard-boiled detective stories and the creation of one of cinema’s most enduring characters, Sam Spade, the detective in The Maltese Falcon played by Humphrey Bogart. Co-starring with Bogart was Peter Lorre and Sidney Greenstreet as Kasper Gutman, the “Fat Man,” who at 61 years old and 300+ pounds was making his film debut which won him a much-deserved Oscar nomination.
Interestingly, Bogart, Lorre and Greenstreet were to be reunited a year later in another Hal Wallis production: Casablanca. Ironically, Huston initially offered the role of Sam Spade to George Raft who turned it down because of the “inexperience” of the director.
And indeed as a director new to the craft, Huston made every effort to create an innovative, evocative and professional work on every level of production and he succeeded famously. For example, he planned every second of every shot to the most minute detail, shot-for-shot setups making sketches of every scene.* Much to Hal Wallis’ delight, the film came in on time and under budget and proved to be an instant success at the box office.
John Huston (1906 – 1987) of course went on to write the screenplays for the 37 films he directed, many of which are today considered classics. In addition to The Maltese Falcon he created The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), Key Largo (1948), The African Queen (1951) and many others.
One of the outstanding innovations of The Maltese Falcon was the brilliant cinematography of Arthur Edeson who was influenced by German Expressionism brought to America by German cinematographers during the 1920’s, a production style which is apparent in Edeson’s use of below eye-eye-level shots (for example, the low angle shots of Sidney Greenstreet when discussing the Maltese Falcon) and strong angular compositions combined with low lighting to create menacing shadows, all in black, white, and shades of gray.
Another innovation and by-product of Expressionistic technique shared with Orson Wells’ Citizen Kane which also premiered in 1941, was the low camera shots showing for the first time the ceilings of rooms in which the action was taking place, a commonplace today, but revolutionary for its time. Alfred Hitchcock, who in turn influenced Francois Truffaut, was to employ many of these Expressionistic techniques in his seminal films.
Huston’s film is the third version of the novel, the first having been attempted in 1931 with the same title and the second, titled Satan Met a Lady, starring Bette Davis was offered as a light comedy. By common consensus, Houston’s “Falcon” justifiably stands out as the true classic and a lasting cinematic treasure.
by Lidia Paulinska and Hugh McMahon
by Lidia Paulinska | Feb 19, 2016
If there is company that perfectly finds the balance between technology and art, it is Polaroid. A few years ago, Polaroid introduced a life style web camera Cube that competed with GoPro. But unlike the competition, Polaroid gave their product a modern design enhanced with pastel, rainbow colors that have this optimistic and vibrant energy matching the life style of young generation. The people who want to take pictures and videos then immediately share them with friends.
The Cube Plus that was released recently is an updated, advanced version of original Cube and has a Wi-Fi capability. So it can be connected to a smartphone or to a tablet. That allows to use smartphone or tablet as your view finder and send videos and photos through an app. Both for Android and Apple devices.
It can take 8MP still pictures and 1440p/1080p/720p videos. The image stabilization function reduces the likelihood of taking blurry photos and videos that often take place with hand-holding cameras. The Cube Plus takes this headache away. The amateur photographers can also enjoy taking pictures/videos being away from the camera. Magnetic function on the top and the bottom allows to mount Cube on a helmet, on the bike, on the snowboard and supports any active, life style of the amateur photographers.
When video recording, the Cube Plus supports better sound recording than the original Cube. The new microphone captured, even by the small size device, sound that is powerful and allows to enjoy not just images but also dialogs and talks during the actions.
Overall it is great product for great price that can enhance our social media sharing of our active life style stories.
by Lidia Paulinska | Feb 14, 2016
January, NAMM 2016 – The Women’s International Music Network was founded in 2012 and it came about in an organic fashion, stated Laura Whitmore, its founder. As a journalist, she interviewed many female musicians and she came across the same stories again and again. One story literally blew her mind. Whitmore heard from a 70-years old female performer. After 50 years playing guitar, she still opens her performance with a killer guitar instrumental just to show right away that she knows what she is doing with her instrument. After f- i-f-t-y years, she still feels like she has to prove herself – said Laura stressing the number of years. There always are people who see female musicians as someone’s girlfriend and people who don’t believe that they can set up their own gears.
Those women have to prove themselves over and over again. There are definitely attitudes and discrimination – stated Laura – and women do not have full voice in the industry. She does not necessary feel that woman musicians are different than men, but there are concerns and issues that female musicians face than guys don’t. Her reporting on female musicians drove the development of the Woman’s International Music Network. In just a few years of existence. It has expanded and grown to encompass international outreach, expanding from operations in the US.
Laura is also the founder and host of the She Rocks Awards, now in its fourth year as a part of NAMM. The event is dedicated to paying tribute to woman who display leadership and stand out within the music industry. In the same way as The Women’s International Music Network, The She Rocks Awards event was developed naturally and organically from the curiosity to know other women in the industry. Laura who worked as a journalist and PR professional in the music for over 30 years, admitted that she did not know many women from that area, so she wanted to create an event for them to gather. Then someone told her – why not give those women the awards for their exceptional accomplishment? That how The She Rocks Awards started. The first year debuted as a breakfast event and then became the cornerstone, widely attended evening event with well-known music stars performing. Icons from this arena get recognition, and share their wonderful stories. The event also includes a silence auction and giveaways. The event sparkles with energy for a fun girl’s night out.
by Lidia Paulinska | Feb 14, 2016
January, Fathom events – Franco Zeffirelli’s classic production of Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot was presented by the Metropolitan Opera on January 30, 2016 and seen throughout the world in cinemas in 70 countries on six continents, compliments of Fathom events: “The Met: Live in HD” series.
Puccini’s final opera was first presented at Teatro alla Scala in 1926, two years after he had died, leaving an unfinished score. Zeffirelli has succeeded brilliantly in spinning this rather improbable fairytale (but aren’t all fairytales improbable) into a beautifully super-stylized Chinese fable with a mies-en-scene complete with enormous pagodas and richly imposing court scenes complimented with characters magnificently and lushly costumed and all of this imposing spectacle more than adequately filling the challenging 60’ x 60’ yawn of the Met stage’s proscenium.
Regarding the musical component of this total theatre equation, Soprano Nina Stemme was well matched to the extraordinary vocal demands of the title role. Her Turandot was strong and compelling, almost Wagnerian in it’s scope. Ably succeeding in thawing this iconic ice queen was heroic tenor Marco Berti in the role of the indomitable Calaf, answering as he did the three riddles that guaranteed Turndot’s ultimate affection. And finally, Anita Hartig’s moving interpretation of the self-sacrificing Liu was informed by a delicate, lyrical pathos complimenting the hopelessness of her unrequited love for Calaf.
But ultimately it’s all about the music, isn’t it? For after all, the audience, 4,000 strong (it’s the largest opera house in the world) leave the auditorium humming that famous Act III show-stopper “Nessun dorma” and of course the very word auditorium does mean “hearing place.” But is it in fact just for listening? Perhaps not, for as we know the word theatre is from the Latin theatron meaning “seeing place.” So it’s actually all about both “hearing” and “seeing” … all about both Puccini and Zeffirelli! And what a wonderful “hearing” and “seeing” experience this Turandot was!
by Lidia Paulinska and Hugh McMahon
by Lidia Paulinska | Jan 31, 2016
January, NAMM 2016 – His ideas and techniques influenced other musicians and innovators. His curiosity led him to the two most important parts of his career: music and electronics. This year, the Les Paul Foundation celebrated the 100th anniversary of the man who made a generous contribution to the music industry. Here are some facts about his life and accomplishments learned from the visit at Les Paul Exhibit, inside the big truck& trailer parked in front of the convention center in Anaheim during the NAMM 2016 show.
He was curious.
Les Paul (real name: Lester William Polsfuss) was born in 1915 in the small city Waukesha. As a kid he loved the music that came out of the radio and the phonograph. He wondered how they worked. Radio had only been around a few years and was just becoming the big thing. At age 10 he built his own crystal radio, that didn’t need a battery or electricity. And he was hooked forever. Soon he learned to play music on his guitar that he bought when he was about 11. He wondered if he could make it louder.
He was persistent.
As a young man of 26, Les went to Gibson with his solid body electric guitar, nickname “the log”. Despite its sweet tone and lack of feedback, Gibson turn it down, calling it a “broomstick with pickups on it”. Les spent the next 10 years trying to convince Gibson to build a solid body guitar. Les’ friend Leo Fender developed a solid body electric and gave Les a prototype. Les took the Fender Telecaster to Gibson, along with “the log”. “I believe the solid body guitar is going to be important, and if you don’t do something, Fender is going to rule the world.” Les finally persuaded Gibson to design what became one of the most famous guitars in the world, the Les Paul Standard.
He never took “No” for an answer. For a year, Les and his wife Mary Ford played different arrangements of “How High the Moon” everywhere they performed. After observing the audiences’ reaction, they recorded the one that had the best response. When Les told Capitol Records he wanted to release it, Jim Conkling, Capitol’s Vice President, objected. “There are already 85 records on “How high the Moon”, and none have made it.” But Les insisted it would be a hit. Capitol released the song around the end of March, 1951, and in two weeks it was its first number one hit as a duo, and it stayed on top for many weeks.
He had passion for music and electronics.
Today, computers make it easy to record multiple tracks, overdub and add effects. But Les had to figure out how to do it himself, inventing recording techniques so he had sound different from all others electric guitars players. He converted his garage into a recording studio and audio workshop.
When Capitol Records released the recording “Les Paul The New Sound” in 1948, modern music changed forever. Les Paul’s use of multiple overlaid audio tracks and innovative audio effects created a sensation with the listening public and musicians around the world. Les had truly created a “New Sound”.
Having the opportunity to learn about music and electronics at the same time was terribly important because it led him to the marriage between the guitar and the amplifier. Les’ Ampex 8-track machine “The Octopus” was seven feet tall and weigh 250 pounds. The Octopus was married to the mixing board Les dubbed “The Monster”. In 1956 Les told radio listeners that the audio signals were multiplied by the magic box called the “Les Paulveizer”. He was a Recording Wizard.
by Lidia Paulinska | Jan 31, 2016
January, Fathom Events – On January 24th, 2016, Fathom events presented the Bolshoi Ballet’s breathtaking, non-stop production of The Taming of the Shrew based on Shakespeare’s comedy, broadcast from Moscow to big screen cinemas throughout the United States.
The Bard’s tale deals with the beautiful Bianca who is much sought after by Lucento and many other suitors competing for her hand in marriage. However, she must wait until her older sister, the irascible and shrewish Kathrina is married first. Petrucio then comes on the scene, attracted by the reward offered by Katherina’s father to any man willing to marry his impossible daughter. Katherina, brilliantly interpreted by Ekaterina Krysanova, is eventually “tamed” by the determined Petrucio, masterfully performed by Vladislav Lantratov, who has taken up the challenge, thus winning the reward money and a new bride which in turn frees Bianca to marry a patient and grateful Luciento.
Choreographed by Frenchman Jean-Christophe Maillot especially for the celebrated and iconic Russian company, Maillot’s choreography is fast-paced yet subtle, simple yet filled with excitement and surprises, a smooth-flowing, circus-like style he characterizes as neither pure classical nor contemporary but uniquely “immediate” and existing in the moment.
The occasional frenetic movements of the dancers contrasted with moments of graceful, lyrical expression which might suddenly explode into breakneck athletic dancing bordering on the acrobatic, creates an excitement which is perfectly ignited by the powerfully poly-stylistic music of Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich, which not only serves to propel Kate’s frenzied, “shrewish” antics but also provides a driving force … a continuity and cohesiveness to the production.
Maillot’s Taming is imaginatively “book-ended” by the opening and closing scenes, the former functioning as a foreshadowing of the conflicts to come and the latter a peaceful expression of resolution and loving accord.
Before the curtain even opens to Act One, there enters a beautiful woman onto the stage in the role of a so-called “Housekeeper,” setting the “shrewish” tone of the act which is to follow by her overly-purposeful, condescending attitude. Dressed all in black and high-heels, she critically surveys the audience and the orchestra who are preparing to tune up. She then sits on the floor and slowly begins to remove her high-heels, methodically replacing them with pink ballet slippers, then slowly rising to once again peruse an intrigued audience, she begins to exit, suddenly pulling open the curtain to reveal a stark white stage with dancers poised to action! We are thus prepared to expect the unexpected.
By contrast, the final scene, again all in white, but this time conveying a tone of peace and tranquil camaraderie. Bianca now is married to Lucento and Kate to Petrucio and the entire cast delicately mime drinking tea, pinkies appropriately raised, to the tune of “Tea For Two”* from the 1925 Broadway musical No, No, Nanette, an absolutely perfect coda to an absolutely wonderful production. As with all of Shakespeare’s comedies, so to with the Bolshoi’s magic interpretation, love conquers all.
* N.B.: In 1927 Shostakovich wrote a new arrangement for “Tea For Two” after winning 100 rubles in a vodka-inspired bet he couldn’t re-orchestrate the song from memory in under one hour. He did it in 45 minutes! Bravo Maestro and bravo Bolshoi!
by Lidia Paulinska and Hugh McMahon
by Lidia Paulinska | Jan 29, 2016
Tough Tested Marine stereo earbuds with in-line mic are nicely package with some extras inside (including three tips and 3.5 mm extender) and clear description of the product and its use on the front and back of the box. That gives a customer good feeling about the product and suggests that the producer cares about the first impression. As well as printed certifications information that stated that the Tough Tested Marine earbuds are certified noise control earbuds, Noise Reduction Rating 26 Decibels as well as they hold IP67 rating to protect against dust/sweat and water. IP stands for “Ingress Protection” and is used to specify the environmental protection of enclosures around electronic devices. Number 6 means – Totally protected against dust, number 7 – Protected against the effect of immersion between 15cm and 1m.
There are also an exclusive EQ-Voice technology added to the features. If a phone call comes while listening the music, the equalizer automatically boost and clarify the voice of the caller. That is something that many earbuds are missing. There are some more about Marine earbuds or rather the cable. It is Kevlar reinforced for durability and it partly coiled what gives the extra length on the cable if is needed without danger of tangling.
The product comes in orange-black colors that bring to mind the association with construction work in tough harsh environment. And it is made for it. But if you are going hiking into the woods, boating on the river, fishing in the lake you need durable and rigid equipment that can handle harsh conditions and protect you from outside noise. You need the Marine earbuds. But they also gives you a comfort like soft silicon ear coding and nice texture.
The company that produces Marine earbuds, is already know of their durable power solution products and recognizable for safety features. Now it is entering the audio field.
by Lidia Paulinska | Jan 29, 2016
January, Churchill Club Event – On January 21, 2016, the Churchill Club sponsored a discussion between Michael Lewis, celebrated journalist and author of the best-selling Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt, and Brad Katsuyama, “hero” of the book and co-founder and CEO of IEX (Investors Exchange), a stock exchange dedicated to investor protection against unscrupulous stock market manipulations. The discussion focused on Mr. Lewis’ 2014 book, and was ably moderated by Rami Branitzky of Sapphire Ventures. The event was presented to a packed house at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, appropriately adjacent to a sprawling Google campus.
The central issue Mr. Lewis and Mr. Katsuyama addressed was high-frequency traders (HFT), the predatory villains on Wall Street who use their superior speed technology to take advantage of what’s called latency arbitrage , meaning they explore minuscule differences , like milliseconds (1,000th of a second), in the time it takes various traders and markets to receive data and then execute orders. The resultant latency arbitrage forces normal, i.e., slower traders, to pay more and the fastest traders make the most money. These tiny delays allow high-speed traders to see a price fluctuation on one exchange (there are 11 public stock exchanges) and then quickly send an order to another market that it knows updates its prices more slowly, hoping to grab orders just sitting there at stale prices. Mr. Katsuyama’s IEX prevents so-called stale quote arbitrage by using electronic “speed bumps” to slow down all new orders and thus create a level playing field.
At one point in the discussion, Mr. Lewis expressed surprise that there seems to be little if any public outcry regarding some of the revelations in his books, like for example in The Big Short and in Flash Boys that expose a rigged stock market abetted by crooked banks. But he claims what most astonished him were the responses he got on many college campuses where rather than displaying outrage at the systemic inequities in our financial system, the students seemed more interested in finding out how they too could get in on the action and make big bucks themselves!
by Lidia Paulinska and Hugh McMahon
