Chanticleer is by far my favorite vocal ensemble. Joseph Jennings used to work with my choir from time to time, and we'll be singing two of his arrangements this summer when we tour Japan. I love most anything ACappella, but they've got a special place in my heart. What can I say, they're the best.

needs some more instrumentation....with that beat, I'd say maybe......some kinna unconventional ensemble of sitar, didgeridoo , and jews harp...some boing boing sounds...and maybe some tounge clicks and frog mating croaks....Way to get inspired, crazy-drummer-maybe loop your own voice with harmonic layers....are you onna MAC????

My very first was a self-linked kitty clip I innocently thought would be a nice promotion for my neighborhood shelter... farhad sniffed it out in a heartbeat and after a newbie's humble apology, I posted again. This was my first published...
http://www.videosift.com/video/WAR-by-HYPNOTIC-BRASS-ENSEMBLE

Oh, that self-link was eventually posted without my involvement by johnald128: http://www.videosift.com/video/kitten-loves-teddy

Winterzauber, "Winter Magic"

More info from the artist's website: http://www.p-geist.de/start.html

Multimedia art in Zurich: A restaurant is turned into a work of art

english version (translation Julie Draper)
Zurich, 11.27.2005

Beginning at sundown from 11.27 through 12.31.2005, the historically protected building housing the Lake Side Restaurant in Zurich will be transformed into a 450 sqm. three-dimensional video art installation.

It is the work of Berlin-based multimedia artist Philipp Geist, a rising star in the young art scene. Together with the symphony orchestra OBC Barcelona and the Finnish sound ensemble Pan Sonic, Philipp Geist appeared as a video artist at the opening of the Sonar Festival in Barcelona in 2004. He was represented at the Dissonanze Festival in Rome, at Clubtransmediale in Berlin and at the Mutek Festival in Montreal which is renowned for new media. His video works have been exhibited at important international art institutions including the Central House of Artists (CHA) in Moscow, the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in London, the National Gallery in Warsaw (Zacheta), at the opening of the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich – and now for the first time in switzerland.

For his work in Zurich, the 29 year-old Berlin-based artist deliberately avoids the use of canvases and instead projects directly onto the concrete building façades and windows which have been prepared with a special projection foil. Every evening, visitors can expect to see a selection of images alternating between purist, dreamlike and intangibly fragile compositions. The starting foundation for all of Philipp Geist’s work is video material solely filmed and produced by himself. Geist finds the subjects for his work in everyday things like hairbrushes, leaves, raindrops and curtains. He releases these objects from their usual setting and places them in new visual and correlated contexts by employing special camera and video techniques using motion blur and superimposition.

Especially for Winterzauber (Winter Magic) in Lake Side, Philipp Geist went in search of wintry, Christmasy motifs which attempt to break the link to consumption and indulgence, and instead direct visitors’ attention toward the pure aesthetic component that is all too often obscured by the kitschy madness of Christmas.

It is in this way that a ride along the highly commercialized Oxford Street in London takes on a completely new appearance as it is seen through a window pane. Distorted by the raindrops at night, it allows viewers only a vague impression of the twinkling Christmas lights. Microscopic close-ups give sparklers, burned down candles and snowflakes an element of diversity that would have remained unappreciated by the human eye without the aid of technology.

By opting to use the three-dimensional, defined structure contours as projection surfaces instead of canvases, Geist increases the motifs’ abstraction while simultaneously regaining depth and diversity. In this way, Geist initiates a dialogue between the historically protected architecture, his artistic work and the people going in and out of the structure: The visitor himself becomes part of the projected image on the threshold between the inside and outside of the building.

Geist allows a wintry world to emerge in front of visitors’ eyes. The subject matter and motifs, although familiar, astonish with their size and unusual presentation while altering the observer’s perception and challenging conventional viewing habits.

Given that the opening of Geist’s work will coincide with the first day of Advent, it will be intriguing to see how he uses his playful, artistic interpretation to approach winter and Christmas themes. One thing is for certain: Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in a tranquil, wintry, dreamlike world of lights.

"Winterzauber" 2005 at Lake Side
Videoart installation by Philipp Geist
open daily from 11.27 - 12.30.05, 6:00 pm – 12 am
12.31.05, 6:00 pm – 5:00 am

That's a catdancer, CrushBug: http://www.catdancer.com/
The inventor must be a millionaire by now. It's a piece of pianowire with some rolled paper on each end! Sells for about three bucks...

The music is by The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (my first sift)
http://www.videosift.com/video/WAR-by-HYPNOTIC-BRASS-ENSEMBLE

It's got jazz behind it, check your speakers "The music is the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble"

Conductors are a relatively modern creation. Up until Beethoven or so, orchestras did not have a conductor. They were lead by the first chair violin, referred to as the concertmaster or leader.

Many ensembles that follow historically-informed performance practice (e.g. Concerto Köln, Akademie für Alte Musik, and the Academy of Ancient Music) generally do not play under a conductor until they get into Haydn or Beethoven or Mozart. There are some HIP ensembles, however, that always have a conductor, like the King's Consort.

There are also some modern chamber orchestras that do not play with a conductor. The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has never had a conductor, for example.

BTW, Karajan almost always conducted with his eyes closed. He wasn't especially skilled or showing off, it's just one of his many peculiarities.

I love this movie.

Koyaanisqatsi: Life out of Balance is a 1982 documentary film directed by Godfrey Reggio with music composed by minimalist composer Philip Glass and cinematography by Ron Fricke. The film consists primarily of slow motion and time-lapse photography of cities and natural landscapes across the United States. The documentary contains neither dialog nor narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and the music that accompanies them. In the Hopi language, the word Koyaanisqatsi means 'life of moral corruption and turmoil, life out of balance', and the film implies that modern humanity is living in such a way.

Philip Glass and the Philip Glass Ensemble have toured with the film, playing music live in front of the film screen.

The film is the first in the Qatsi trilogy of films: it is followed by Powaqqatsi (1988) and Naqoyqatsi (2002). The trilogy depicts different aspects of the relationship between man and technology. Koyaanisqatsi is the best known of the trilogy and is considered a cult film. Still, due to copyright issues, the film was out of print for most of the 1990s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koyaanisqatsi

i love sufjan. singlehandedly redefining music with religious undertones into something creative and listenable, and redefining the scope of indie rock's soundscape (incorporating sting ensembles alongside organs and laptops).

The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, a nonprofit education organization, was founded in 1986 by the Monk family along with the late Maria Fisher, an opera singer and lifelong devotee of music. Its mission is to offer the world's most promising young musicians college level training by America's jazz masters and to present public school-based jazz education programs for young people around the world.

Here is the institutes's ensemble performing 'Thestrals' live at Tokyo Jazz. I reccomend checking out MLX's wonderful playlist Nothing But The Blues.

The death of Phil Hartman meant no more Troy McClure or Lionel Hutz. In my opinion that put a gaping hole in the Simpsons ensemble.

The conductor is the timing mechanism of the orchestra, he sets the tempo, executes clear preparations and beats, listens and shapes the sound of the ensemble. However this has changed over with Robert Wagner who was largely responsible for shaping the conductor's role as one who imposes his own view of a piece onto the performance rather than one who is simply responsible for ensuring entries are made at the right time and that there is a unified beat, thus elevating the profession, I mean look PlastiqueMonkey calls out Karajan not the Orchestra

Youtube comments:

From Hellzapoppin' (1941), the hilarious Hollywood production directed by H.C. Pootter and starring zany commdians Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson, this clip features Rex Stewart (co), Jap Jones (tb), Elemer Fane (cl), unknown (ts), Slim Galliard (p,g,tap-dancing), Slam Stewart (b), Cee Pee Johnson (d), The Harlem Congaroos (dancers, AKA Whitey's Lindyhoppers).

http://www.savoystyle.com/hellzapoppin.html
"This movie, based on a hit Broadway play, showcases Whitey's Lindy Hoppers dancing the most famous and most spectacular Lindy Hop scene ever preserved on film. The dancing was choreographed by Frankie Manning.

"The scene starts when musicians Slim Galliard and Slam Stewart, in workmen's garb, discover some musical instruments while supposedly delivering a package backstage. They play a few tentative notes, and a spontaneous, swinging jam starts cooking . More backstage 'workers' join the jam, including Rex Stuart on trumpet and C.C. Johnson on the 'bongo drums'. The music builds in excitement until, as if out of nowhere, four Lindy Hopping couples, dressed in overalls and uniforms, swing out into the cameras at a frenetic tempo. Each couple executes amazing acrobatic shines. Then the group unites for precision ensemble work filmed at an angle that emphasizes legwork and speed.

"The choreography and the dancing are as near to perfect Lindy Hop as you can see anywhere! The scene will take your breath away no matter how many times you see it. It is no wonder that this film was responsible for the simultaneous revival of Lindy Hop in Sweden and Britain in the 1980's.

"An interesting sidenote: Whitey's Lindy Hoppers' routine in Hellzapoppin' was originally danced and choreographed to different music, namely 'Jumping at the Woodside'. Universal Studios had a composer who was on staff write new music for the routine."

Harlem Congaroo Dancers
( aka Whitey's Lindy Hoppers)
# William Downes (overalls) and Frances "Mickey" Jones (maid).
# Norma Miller and Billy Ricker (chef's hat).
# Al Minns (white coat, black pants) and Willa Mae Ricker.
# Ann Johnson (maid) and Frankie Manning (overalls)

I found this clip through reddit.com, suspecting from the title that the player might be Jake. It was. We're lucky to live in Honolulu, Jake's home, so we've seen him countless times and he's always amazing. If anything, this video shows only a sliver of what he does so well. The instrument is an ukulele, which is as big in Hawaii as surfing and shave ice. However, if you like ukulele, please explore Hawaiian music, for you'll find all sorts of great players, from jazz soloists to Hawaiian groups. A typical ensemble might have a uke or two, guitar(s), and bass--all acoustic--with all the players also singing in close harmony, often in Hawaii's very distinctive falsetto style. My personal favorite group is Maunalua, a trio. Jake plays live in Hawaii, tours Japan, and probably the Mainland.