song: Yesterday
performer: Zdravitsa
Zdravitsa is a Russian orchestra featuring solely Russian instruments - balalaika (seen here in many sizes, including contrabass!) and gusli (zither). Enjoy their playing now, because they won't be around once Haley's Comet makes its next pass.
Showing posts with label Yesterday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yesterday. Show all posts
Sunday, January 6, 2013
белый день
songs: Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da, Lady Madonna, Hey Jude, Can't Buy Me Love, Let it Be, Yesterday
performer: White Day
White Day is a long-running group headed by accordionist Valery Semin. I can't find out much more than what's at their website, but these clips are simply amazing. I'm not sure what to call it - Cossack Swing? Certainly a blend of traditional Russian music (and instrumentation, with the balalaika and domra) and jazz, with maybe a bit of bluegrass in there as well.
Beyond the wonderful arrangements and musicianship, they are fun to watch; Semin is in a constant state of ecstasy while he plays, and shares loving expressions with his bandmates when they solo. The balalaika player always gets this "who me?" look on his face when Semin looks at him. The woman wearing her percussion is wild too. You almost don't notice the subdued bass player, except that he's apparently also a 4-star Brigadier Bellhop.
In this first clip (skip to 0:30 to avoid intro stuff), they do Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da, Lady Madonna, Hey Jude, and Can't Buy Me Love:
Next they do Let it Be and Yesterday:
And here's the first set again, in another live performance (with a different balalaika player); the baffled/delighted looks in the audience are priceless:
performer: White Day
White Day is a long-running group headed by accordionist Valery Semin. I can't find out much more than what's at their website, but these clips are simply amazing. I'm not sure what to call it - Cossack Swing? Certainly a blend of traditional Russian music (and instrumentation, with the balalaika and domra) and jazz, with maybe a bit of bluegrass in there as well.
Beyond the wonderful arrangements and musicianship, they are fun to watch; Semin is in a constant state of ecstasy while he plays, and shares loving expressions with his bandmates when they solo. The balalaika player always gets this "who me?" look on his face when Semin looks at him. The woman wearing her percussion is wild too. You almost don't notice the subdued bass player, except that he's apparently also a 4-star Brigadier Bellhop.
In this first clip (skip to 0:30 to avoid intro stuff), they do Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da, Lady Madonna, Hey Jude, and Can't Buy Me Love:
Next they do Let it Be and Yesterday:
And here's the first set again, in another live performance (with a different balalaika player); the baffled/delighted looks in the audience are priceless:
gestern noch
song: Yesterday
language: German
performers: Knut Kiesewetter, Judita Čeřovská
Knut Kiesewetter grew up in North Friesland in Germany and became a renowned jazz trombonist and composer. Notably he and his jazz band once shared the stage with the Beatles during their stint in Hamburg. He also delved into rock, blues, soul, gospel and folk, and recorded many songs in Frisian and Low German (none of them Beatles covers, unfortunately).
And here's a cover by Czech pop singer Judita Čeřovská:
language: German
performers: Knut Kiesewetter, Judita Čeřovská
Knut Kiesewetter grew up in North Friesland in Germany and became a renowned jazz trombonist and composer. Notably he and his jazz band once shared the stage with the Beatles during their stint in Hamburg. He also delved into rock, blues, soul, gospel and folk, and recorded many songs in Frisian and Low German (none of them Beatles covers, unfortunately).
And here's a cover by Czech pop singer Judita Čeřovská:
Friday, January 4, 2013
брангуртысь песянайёс
songs: Let it Be, Yesterday
language: Udmurt
performer: Buranovskiye Babushki
The "Buranovo Grannies" were the feel-good story of the 2012 Eurovision contest, where they finished 2nd with their song Party for Everybody. An actual group of singing grandmothers from Udmurtia (a republic in the Russian Federation), they're all over 70 and are now bona fide pop stars. Certainly the novelty of a bunch of elderly women singing in a language most people (Russians included) had never heard (nor heard of) is a component of their celebrity.
But listen to them; they sing beautifully, honestly, with none of the glitz that surrounds them on stage. It's obvious it comes from somewhere culturally deep and rich (which makes the contrast at Eurovision all the starker).
So, here they are singing Let it Be (accompanied by a group called Sappy), followed by Yesterday.
language: Udmurt
performer: Buranovskiye Babushki
The "Buranovo Grannies" were the feel-good story of the 2012 Eurovision contest, where they finished 2nd with their song Party for Everybody. An actual group of singing grandmothers from Udmurtia (a republic in the Russian Federation), they're all over 70 and are now bona fide pop stars. Certainly the novelty of a bunch of elderly women singing in a language most people (Russians included) had never heard (nor heard of) is a component of their celebrity.
But listen to them; they sing beautifully, honestly, with none of the glitz that surrounds them on stage. It's obvious it comes from somewhere culturally deep and rich (which makes the contrast at Eurovision all the starker).
So, here they are singing Let it Be (accompanied by a group called Sappy), followed by Yesterday.
Monday, December 31, 2012
jučer još
song: Yesterday
language: Croatian
performer: Trio Neda Miljenko & Dario
Neda Miljenko & Dario were a folk trio active in the 1970s - a sort of Croatian Peter, Paul and Mary. I can't find out much more about them; the googletranslation of this page is pretty impenetrable.
Here's a parody of the song, which as you can tell by the visuals is about the computers and gaming of yesteryear:
language: Croatian
performer: Trio Neda Miljenko & Dario
Neda Miljenko & Dario were a folk trio active in the 1970s - a sort of Croatian Peter, Paul and Mary. I can't find out much more about them; the googletranslation of this page is pretty impenetrable.
Here's a parody of the song, which as you can tell by the visuals is about the computers and gaming of yesteryear:
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