WBGO Blog

  • When MB Met Fred

    November 9, 2010. Posted by Andrew Meyer.

    Add new comment | Filed under: Brooklyn Museum, Fred Tomaselli, Jazz Alive, michael bourne, News, WBGO Journal

    The Brooklyn Museum is showing a retrospective of artist Fred Tomaselli now through January 2nd. Tomaselli’s work involves a collage of mixed media: painting, photographs, and a variety of images that have become Tomaselli signatures. Birds. Bugs. Leaves. Beads. Even actual pills that he sticks onto the pieces. One of his most amusing works shows a colossal baby trampling a cityscape like Godzilla. It’s Tomaselli’s son, and as you look closer you see that the cityscape is actually a jumble of toys. One of his most spectacular pieces shows Adam and Eve driven out from a burst of eyes and teeth and creatures, a Big Bang of life’s miscellany. He’s also done works that look like intimate close-ups of chemical elements or human cells. Microcosms. Macrocosms. And sometimes both all at once. I talked with Fred Tomaselli at his Brooklyn studio for the 11/12/10 WBGO Journal. You can hear the entire interview as a web extra, and you can see here a slideshow of Tomaselli’s works in the show at the Brooklyn Museum.

    -Michael Bourne

    © 2010 WBGO

  • Broadway By The Year

    February 18, 2010. Posted by Andrew Meyer.

    Add new comment | Filed under: broadway, concerts, Interviews, Jazz Alive, michael bourne, News

    Scott Siegel is the producer and host of an extraordinary series of concerts at The Town Hall in New York. "Broadway by the Year" celebrates musical theatre year by year with some of Broadway's best singers and dancers. This season is Siegel's 10th anniversary and begins February 22nd with the musicals of 1927, including the first great dramatic musical, "Show Boat." March 22nd spotlights musicals of 1948, including the first Tony-winning Best Musical, "Kiss Me, Kate." May 10th features musicals of 1966, including "Cabaret," "Mame," and "Sweet Charity." Siegel's season finale on June 14th will be that much more special, presenting one song from one musical each of the last 20 years, plus Scott's choice of a song from the Broadway season happening now.

    We talked about "Broadway by the Year" for the February 19th WBGO Journal, but this blog special includes our continuing conversation about our favorite shows, plus songs from four of Scott's previous "years" at The Town Hall.

    -- Michael Bourne

    © 2010 WBGO

  • Michael Bourne Interviews Bill Daugherty

    March 6, 2009. Posted by Michael Bourne.

    Add new comment | Filed under: bill daugherty, Brother Can You Spare a Dime, interview, Interviews, michael bourne, wbgo

    The Cast of "Brother Can You Spare a Dime?"

    Bill Daugherty is the creator and star of the off-Broadway revue "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" It's all songs of the 1930's, songs that tell the story of America's first Depression. It's playing weekends at the Triad cabaret theatre on West 72nd. We also talked about other shows he's done, and I've included songs. Listen to the interview:

    Set list:
    "Humpty Dumpty Heart" from show When The Lights Go On Again
    Bill singing "I'm All Smiles" from album Look to the Rainbow
    Bill singing "Sit Down, You're Rocking The Boat" from show Broadway Unplugged 4
    Nancy Anderson singing "True Blue Lou" from album Ten Cents a Dance
    Bill singing "Look to the Rainbow" from album Look to the Rainbow
    -- MBourne

    © 2009 WBGO