Yes, Happiness Is… The Peanuts! No doubt. As a kid, I read every Peanuts comic I could. I learned at a very early age that there is a little bit of all the classic characters in every one of us. This musical is fairly early in the history of character development for the creator, Charles Schultz. The story revolves around six Peanuts characters in ‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’.

First up to bat is also the manager of the little league team - the title character Charlie Brown. Charlie is good kid, but his own inferiority complex often gets in his way. Neil Stratman does an above average job of becoming Charlie Brown. He was a good fit for the role and really brought the character to life in a memorable way.

When it comes to casting for this production, there are a lot of good fits and Sierra White as Lucy Van Pelt is excellent. She captured Lucy’s cynical, crabby persona. The Psychiatrist bit never gets old and still cracks me up. And when you think about it, the discourse between characters offers some intelligent language coming from eight-year-olds back in the day. The dialogue was right where Schultz left it, too. As a Snoopy aficionado I appreciated that.

Lucy had a fondness for music? Well, maybe but she does chase after Beethoven’s greatest fan. Schroeder is played by Jimmy Hogan and provides more of classic Peanuts material we’ve all come to love over the years. Hogan gives us a nice portrayal as the boy too busy playing the piano to notice Miss Van Pelt.

As comic strip fans know, Lucy has a younger brother named Linus. Marcellus Burt plays the role, though as a huge Peanuts fan, I feel Linus Van Pelt's personality comes across a bit differently than what us old schoolers might be used - and that would be directed to the play’s script more so than anything else, though Burt nails the role he is given and is a pleasure to watch. Every member of the cast does a superb job of becoming the characters they represent and capture the main essence of each. Last night I saw a brat. Lucy was the crabby Van Pelt. Linus was a cool cat. The thumb sucking and security blanket might fool some at first from how smart this young man really is at that age. Yep, Linus is hip and completely, utterly Zen.

Linus has a big fan, too – someone who recognizes his genius and also happens to be Charlie Brown’s little sister, Sally. Alley Ellis is pretty spot on in the role. She seemed more like a teenager at times instead of an eight-year-old but some of that is the material. Shultz wrote dialogue that was very atypical for eight-year-olds.

Finally, man’s best friend. Snoopy is by far the coolest comic strip character ever. Okay, that’s just my biased opinion but who else holds a candle to a dog that can both sleep on top of his doghouse and magically transform it into a Sopwith Camel? Tuesdai B. Perri plays America’s favorite beagle. She seems to have fun with the role and captures the sarcasm that is Snoopy.

I really enjoyed myself while taking in this wonderful production that takes us on a much different Peanuts adventure. The humor holds up and still cracks me up. All the jokes I remember from reading the comic strip and books as a kid still draw laughter. This is a toe-tapping, catchy musical production with book, music and lyrics by Clark Gesner that includes solid vocal performances all around. I was very impressed and recommend ‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’ for a pleasant night of family entertainment that will have you leaving with a big smile. Hats off to director Joe Lehman, as well. The night was thoroughly enjoyable and should be on your list for holiday fun.

‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’ is currently being performed at the Citadel Theatre in Lake Forest, Illinois and will be running through December 23^rd. For tickets and/or more show information, visit Citadel Theatre.

I heard about Forq, watched a video and decided to go. It was a Friday night and Martyr’s is always an interesting place. It has some of the vibe of the old Rock Clubs but you can bring a date there. This however was Jazz Fusion night, not the 1970’s version exactly.

Spare Parts is a Chicago band. After a look at their website, they describe themselves as a Funk band. This category thing is tricky. One thing the listener will find is that there is indeed Jazz fused into the Funk of Spare Parts.

This is a trio that is keys, bass and drums. Kevin Kozol is on keyboards. That’s where the 70’s funk sounds are really strong with this band. He had two vintage keyboards. It looked like a Wurlitzer ala Ray Charles in the Blues Brothers and something that had that old clavinet sound at times. Run a delay pedal and the sounds were very reminiscent of early Pink Floyd. Kozol has chops, no doubt. There were some nice chord voicings and soloing flowing through the sound system at Martryr’s. How ‘bout that rhythm section? Colin Scott on bass and Mike Bruno on drums. They were solid, funky and more than a good compliment to the keys. Scott’s approach was somewhat unique. He used a variety of effects and techniques to fill ups space without a guitar player. They had a sax player sit in on one song. A melody instrument might be a nice addition to the lineup.

Forq is a band that also seem to be somewhat led by the keyboards but this time, there is guitar added to the mix. Henry Hey is on keys. He sets up right in front with a small keyboard rack. It looked like he had one regular, utility board and one hooked up to a lap top. If Keith Emerson were starting out today, he could use a lap top instead of the giant Moog, but the visuals wouldn’t be the same. The concept is exactly the same. The role of mad scientist takes shape in Hey the same way as it did with Emerson.

Chris McQueen sits in the guitar seat. Chris is a former member of Snarky Puppy. He played a Fender guitar with Gibson style pickups through a Supro if you are a guitar geek keeping score. Pedals and gadgets were tastefully used. He got a great tone and played some tasty stuff. McQueen even snuck a little slide in there in one song.

If you left the other players out, the rhythm sections could have competed for the most solid. Jason “JT” Thomas is a pocket owning drummer. He and bassist Kevin Scott built a very strong foundation for Hey and McQueen. These guys were tight.

Here’s an observation for both bands. You can often say too much in the first song. I would say the same thing to a lot of Jazz influenced bands. Chops are impressive, but in both bands there could have been more melody. I am not claiming to be familiar with either band’s specific music. I just know what I like to hear. Even though I love improvisation and jamming, I am a sucker for a good melody. That’s the song really. It was there but a little more would be nice.

Rhythm is an essential part of life. We wouldn’t exist without it. It all starts with your heart beat. That is the origin of rhythm really. And Djembe! The Show at Apollo Theater is all about the rhythm – and it’s informative. I really enjoyed learning how the djembe was used throughout musical history.

Djembe! was almost like a workshop at times. Drums are located at each audience member’s seat. The show was emceed by Ben Hope. Hope, along with the rest of the ensemble, taught the audience about the rich history djembe drumming. I didn’t realize this was actually a touring road show until yesterday. I can just imagine packing all those drums away after every show! Hopefully, Djembe! sticks around for a while because it is truly worthy of a long run.

The band in this show was fantastic. Fode Lavia Camara was the Djembe Fola, or “master”. He led the drumming for the most part although all were involved. The band was rounded out with bass guitar, keys and drums. All were musicians are very talented players.

Rashada Dawan handled most of the lead vocals. She wore a variety of costumes to illustrate the influence of djembe rhythms through musical history. Her voice was amazing. She also helped emcee the show.

When it all is said and done, we learn that a lot of the rhythm we take for granted in music is African in origin. It is interesting to see the influence of these rhythms on everything from Pop to Classical Music. This was all about the Djembe, but it translates to other instruments and even voices, and a show like this is great mind food for musicians. Us musicians need to constantly feed our minds with information. But it is the entertainment value in Djembe! that makes it fun!

This is a show one could see again and again. In fact, I am tempted to take a friend there who I know would really like it. You would too. Nothing makes you feel better than beating a drum. Bring a friend. Make a friend. It’s a celebration of life. This would be a great show to take your kids along. It’s a lot of fun.

Djembe! The Show is currently being performed at Apollo Theater.

For more information on this unique experience, visit www.djembetheshow.com.

Last month, I talked about how to think like a piano player. That was all about harmony. Horns, too, are all about melody. What is melody? That is the part you can sing. BB King, even when he played guitar, was also singing. What a concept, right? Play things that can be sung. Guitar players tend to play more rhythmic while horn players are more melodic. This is somewhat of a simplification. I am also talking about soloing and not comping. One thing I have always liked is melody. I think most people do. The hook of the song that gets stuck in your head. A good solo has that kind of quality too. Improvisation is really about improving the song. That starts with the melody. Essentially you are trying to improve the melody. Most guitar players honestly just want to show off. They think that is what a solo is all about. Since music is a form of communication, what you say in your solo says a lot about you. What do you want to say with a good guitar solo? The first thing you should say is that you know how to listen. Then, possibly someone will want to listen to you play. I honestly don’t even care how much a musician knows. The question is, “Can I listen to them?” It’s that simple. Does this please my ear? I remember hearing a fast solo when I was younger, and I got a rush from that. Sometimes I still do. But when I hear something that perks up my ears now, that’s the rush. I am not saying forget about having chops on the guitar. I am saying make sure you play something worth listening to. This applies to any style of music. This even applies to comping. If you are playing behind someone, make sure you play something that is supportive. You can even put melody in there. The key is listening. If you play without listening, it shows. I had this on my mind all week this week. Next month I am going to get back to the piano idea with some sample voicings. Then the idea of tying the voicings to melodic ideas. Sound like fun? The deeper realization is how everything ties together. Melody and harmony work together. They are closely related. Listen to what you play and make it count. Peace, RR.

“Hey man, I’m a guitar player…why would I want to think like a piano player?” Good question. It’s all about being more MUSICAL. What I am talking about is harmony. You can do a lot with different voicings.

When someone tells your average guitar player “play a G Chord”, you get something similar 90% of the time. You either get an open chord or “Cowboy Chord” as I call them, or you get a barre chord. Yes, they do pit the requirements of a G Chord. What they don’t do is provide anything new. Actually, there really isn’t much new much new out there, so going back to basic harmony works every time.

You don’t need to be a genius at music theory either. Knowing the notes up and down the neck is all that is required. Take the G Chord, one of the first chords you ever learn on the guitar. Look at the notes in that chord. I will jump to the chase for you, the notes are G, B and D. Anywhere you put these three notes on the neck of the guitar is a G Chord. This also means you can have any one of the three notes as the highest note of the chord. The highest note usually is the easiest to hear, so in effect you make a melody of the top voices of chords as they change.

Another thing to consider is that you only need three notes to make a chord. Your basic “Cowboy” or barre chord G has six notes, so obviously some notes are doubled. Yet another thing to consider is the two bottom strings are right in the frequency territory of the bass guitar. When you put emphasis on those strings it gets pretty heavy, which is the basis of most early Heavy guitar playing…...think Black Sabbath...the “Power Chord”. I can remember trying to figure out some of those songs like that and scratching my head. “Am I learning the bass or the guitar part?” It was hard to tell. I am not saying that sound is bad, but it can be very one dimensional.

The guitar is actually a small choir of sorts. Each string is not actually a string, it is a voice. You can arrange notes on the strings like a composer would arrange voices. Piano players do this too. You can think of the guitar as the right hand of the piano, the bass as the left hand. So, if you have one note on the bass and three on the guitar, you have four-part harmony. Interesting, huh?

I personally use the D, G and B strings on the guitar for a huge part of my chord voicings. Those three strings fall right about where the right hand naturally falls on the piano. Middle C is on all three strings. Also if you look, D, G and B are G, B and D rearranged so they are actually a G Chord…in case you didn’t already know that. Two of my favorite guitar players of all time used those three strings for a huge part of their harmonic vocabulary. The first one is Joe Walsh, the second one was the late Terry Kath. They never got in the bass player’s way. The result is very musical to my ears.

You can do so much with three notes. Try find the same notes to a chord in different places on the neck and pay attention to the note on top of the chord. What if the chord has more than three different notes? Well, for one the bass is covering one note. Also, you don’t always need to play every note to imply a harmony. This kinda gets into theory after a while, but the more you do things like this, the more you understand the theory behind harmony.

If you have any questions, drop me a line at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., I am glad to help. Enjoy this concept and I am working on learning how to use some software so I can show you visually some of these concepts. Peace and Love, RR.  

The more I play, the less I play. I think when you are a young player, it is natural to want to make a statement. The way many players do this is by playing a bunch of notes. “Look what I can do”, right? You run all over the neck showing off your skills. This is common practice for all musicians. It is not just guitar players that fall into this line of thinking. We just seem to reach maturity a bit later than others.

There are good reasons to play a lot of notes. It is good for rhythmic development. Your ear develops the ability to listen faster too hopefully. That is the idea anyway. If you are ever playing without listening, you are just exercising your fingers. Working your brain is much more satisfying.

You start by applying what you have learned by studying and by listening. Even if you are not formally educated in music, you still study patterns. This is often done subconsciously. Your mind chases these patterns around in your head in relation to how you find them on the fingerboard of the guitar. The idea is to know what something sounds like BEFORE you play it. The occasional accident is great. Sometimes you need to wake up your ear with new ideas.

I think after all this the ear searches for melody. Nothing satisfies your ear more. The shape of the sounds you produce should make you satisfied. You know when you nail the right lick. You just know it. You also know when you don’t. This is where the editing process kicks in. You also may remember what you didn’t like initially and decide to come back to it later.

You remember that game we played as kids. You have the cards face down and the idea is to match two cards. That is kinda how it works. You remember the sound you want and then you remember where to find it. Your memory gets better with age. Part of the reason you end up playing less is that you don’t keep picking up the wrong cards until you find the right one. Your memory serves you well in improvisation. Improvisation is not the same as ad lib. I have had an argument over the actual definition of the word improvisation. It is clear to me that the word “improve” is right in there. Often the improvement comes from playing less.

Chances are there are not many solos that you remember unless you can sing at least a portion of the melody. Even if you can’t sing, you can hear it in your head. Think of those classic solos that perk up your ear. The ones that actually resemble the phrasing of a voice and not an instrument. Those are the ones that you don’t even need to be a musician to appreciate. Try to do that. Make what you play speak to the listener. After a while of listening to someone ramble on, the mind tunes out and stops paying attention. You can captivate with much less information. Simple statements hit harder. Try it. Less is truly more.

I started playing guitar at age eleven, but I started my first band at fifteen playing drums. The reason why I stuck with guitar is songwriting. I wanted to write songs. The guitar is a good, self-contained unit, a perfect vehicle for writing.

Singer/songwriters tend to either be piano players or guitar players. Think about this a minute. How many instruments are there that you can play and sing at the same time? How many instruments are polyphonic? You can create anything from a simple song to relatively complex arrangements on the guitar.

The form of the song is a good place to start. There are forms like the Blues that are essentially loops. It is a twelve-bar form. The same harmonic structure is repeated throughout the song. The song also usually does no form of key modulation.

The standard song form for years was thirty-two bars. This is usually an AABA form. That means an eight-bar section (A), followed by a very similar section (A again), a contrasting section (B) and returns to where it started (A once more). A lot of standards are in the AABA form. The whole form is often repeated.

There are also strophic songs which are like poems which can have several repeated verses. You can also have verse, chorus, repeat. These can also have a bridge which may be referred to as B.

None of this means that you have to stick with a basic form to write a song, there are no rules. This just gives you a jumping off point. Once bands started writing their own material more often, things started to change. A lot of those players were not educated in the same manner as songwriters of old. They wrote by feel in many ways.

Another thing to consider is a song can be sectional or in movements. That can almost be like a series of different forms. For example, you could have three different AABA sections in a row and that can be your song. In Classical music there are forms that essentially assemble smaller forms like that. ABACA is called rondo form. Each section is a small composition itself. A lot of musicians don’t pay enough attention to form.

So, break out your guitar and some paper and try writing a song. You can make it anything from a Pop song to a work involving many movements. The choice is yours. You can keep the song in your head, but writing it down makes it easier to communicate your ideas to other musicians. This can be in standard notation or simple maps to show the form. Have fun and get creative!

 

This was an interesting production that oddly enough had very little to do with radio. ‘Radio Culture’ is a one act play with a somewhat unique concept where just one actor holds a speaking role.

TUTA’s home theatre space (4670 N Manor in Chicago) is a small little place that makes you feel at home upon entering. I grew up in that neighborhood and the idea of having a small theatre in that area never even crossed my mind. I give a lot of credit to the people putting on these smaller productions since there isn’t very much money coming in outside of donations that are crucial in keeping the theatre going. You gotta really love what you are doing when you work with small, or storefront, theatres.

The setting takes us to a Russian construction site. The small audience is literally in a room under construction. This is a plus as we get a true intimate theatre experience that is about as up close and personal as you can get.

Kevin V. Smith plays Volodya who lives in Minsk with his parents. He acts more as narrator to the events, speaking in the third person. The whole play basically takes place in a day in the life of the Russian construction foreman who finds comfort in the classical music he listens to as the program Radio Culture is pushed across the airwaves. Natalie Ferdova does an impressive job in translating this story from Russian to English while Amber Robinson gets a nod for some very creative direction. Huy Nguyen and Wain Parham complete the ensemble with non-speaking roles.

This is one of those ideas that probably wouldn’t work as well on the big stage since the intimacy of the production is one of the attributes that makes this play so special, though the story is engaging and peaks one’s interest throughout. At times, the actors were right in front of you making eye contact, as if they were in your own living room.

The visuals don’t exactly make or break the performance but get the point across while the dialog was written in such a way that it was very easy to follow. I really want to give a shout out to Smith for his ability to flawlessly rip out 70 minutes of very convincing dialogue. A true professional, there was never a hesitation in his delivery and he truly keeps your attention through the entire play.

I would without hesitation recommend going to see ‘Radio Culture’ at TUTA.

‘Radio Culture’ is being performed at TUTA Theatre through December 2nd. For tickets and/or more information visit www.tutatheatre.org.

*Extended through March 3rd

Arlington Heights has a new music venue, Hey Nonny, and it is located at 10 S. Vail right in the heart of a hopping downtown area that has been bustling with excitement over the past few years. Unlike difficult parking scenarios that you might find at Chicago venues, a parking garage is conveniently located about a half block down from the front door. Last week the new music club held their grand opening with only club members and press attending. An impressive venue with all the bells and whistles would be an understatement.

Club owner, Chip Brooks, was making the rounds introducing himself to everyone. The entire staff was helpful and friendly, and the place had a good vibe to it. A nice buffet was offered to the guests, which I believe were all essentially samples of what will appear on the menu. And having said that, the food was delicious, the chef also making his way out to make sure everything was going well and that his culinary creations were being enjoyed.

The night’s entertainment was Eric Lindell and his band, which proved to be the perfect choice for the club’s opening night. Sitting in on guitar was Anson Funderburgh who is currently in town playing shows at Fitzgerald’s and SPACE. Lindell and friends put forth a solid straight-ahead blend of roots influences. They took a little blues, some rock and country and rolled it into one fun-filled performance. At times they reminded me of the early 70’s version of the Grateful Dead. Fender guitars sautéed in reverb was the flavor of the night.

All in all, it was a great introduction to a new venue. I looked at the upcoming line up and it sure looked good. You can check out the upcoming performers by clicking here. The ambiance, stage, sound and kitchen all receive high praise. No doubt about it - Hey Nonny is going to be a fantastic place to see some great music. If I had to nitpick about anything at all I would request that they consider easier return access from the restrooms. To use the washroom, one leaves the suite that the club is in and returns to a locked door. Meaning, I had to go back outside and re-enter through the front door. There might need to be a better system involved at some point. A bit inconvenient, but not at all a deal breaker. The venue is top-notch and the owner really put a lot of thought into the place to provide a unique concert and dining experience.

Hey Nonny is in a great location, the food is excellent, and the music line up looks promising. I thought the acoustics in the room was very good, which is a must for any venue that offers live music. And the sound wasn’t overpowering, so friends could talk to each other while the music was playing without shouting back and forth, which is nice. Live club sound engineers have a tendency to peel the paint off the walls, which is unpleasant at times. Not the case here.

If you are in the area and looking for a night out with some good music and yummy food, keep an eye on the music schedule at Hey Nonny. 

 

I’m going to admit, this was not exactly what I expected. I heard flamenco and, me being a guitarist and passionate for the instrument, I thought…hmmm…Flamenco guitar music. That fact that the show would feature the degree of dancing it did never even occurred to me. So, I got the best of both worlds. There were guitars playing in the very impressive musical outfit, accompanying by dancing that was nothing short of spectacular. Two singers and percussion were also included in the act. Like I said, this show had everything.

Eduardo Guerrero was the lead dancer and was exciting to watch, each move as graceful as the last with just the right amount of aggression when needed. Six dancers performed different variations of Flamenco dancing throughout the presentation so we as the audience were treated to a true cultural experience to remember. Everything about the show was amazing.

One of the things that draws me to Latin Music is the rhythm. You can’t escape it. I looked up the word flamenco and found it comes from the word Flemish. The people who originated this type of dancing were gypsies from that area. Interesting.

Another thing I have noticed about Spanish music is how much I hear an Arabic flavor to the melodies and harmonies. You couldn’t miss it in the vocal melodies. I had a chance to watch a Turkish band play a while back and the music was so very similar. It’s fun to see how we are musically influenced from all parts of the world.

But back to the dancing. Microphones were strategically placed on the stage to pick up the sound of the dancers’ feet, literally making their bodies part of the music. Guerrero did some solo work out there that was so rhythmically driven I could see why they needed an intermission with so much energy being spent. This type of dancing must be exhausting. Some of the dance numbers were quite lengthy and would surely wear out even the strongest of dancers.

The costumes alone were worth the price of admission. I also sense a bit of an Arabic influence in that department. Bright colors dominated the stage to make each number as colorful as it was precise and energetic. The many people involved in making this production seem effortless are extremely gifted.

Guerrero and company did a fantastic job and left us with something wonderful and uplifting to take home. I heard the audience respond positively throughout the entire performance and rightfully so. This was yet another great show at the MacIninch Art Center (The MAC) at College of DuPage, proving again that you don’t need to go downtown to be entertained.