A Discovery Made Too Late

Recently while channel surfing I heard a voice.  It was an absolutely pure tenor and I only caught the end of the piece about a soon to be released documentary and the name of the singer:  Gurrumul.   From there it was the usual search through Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, Wiki, and You Tube to find out more.  It is staggering how much more there was to find regarding a man whose name I had never heard before.  Unfortunately, Geoffrey Gurrumul has left this world, but in his passing he left some amazing music and the 10,000 year history of his people in sound.

While the documentary has been released, I can’t find an outlet or date in my area, but there are already 100% critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes so I look forward to it in my local art house.

Celebrated by audiences at home and abroad, indigenous artist Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu was one of the most important and acclaimed voices to ever come out of Australia. Blind from birth, he found purpose and meaning through songs and music inspired by his community and country on Elcho Island in far North East Arnhem Land. Living a traditional Yolngu life, his breakthrough album ‘Gurrumul’ brought him to a crossroads as audiences and artists around the world began to embrace his music.

In the meantime, his albums are available on Amazon and several songs are on YouTube.  Enjoy the beautiful voice gone too soon of Gurrumul singing “I Was Born Blind” with a sound that teaches others to see and “Bapa” to prove you don’t need the lyrics to understand the meaning of the words:

 

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Happy Birthday Will

Quoting Shakespeare:  It is hard to imaging language without all the contributions to expression courtesy of Britain’s own immortal Bard who so beautifully described all the aspects of life.

The following was created by Bernard Levin many years ago and later recorded in part of the documentary “The Story of English” as well as in book form.  Enjoy quoting Shakespeare and feel free to add your favorites.

If you cannot understand my argument, and declare ‘It’s Greek to me’, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger, if your wish is father to the thought, if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare.

If you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have knitted your brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, stood on ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord and master), laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool’s paradise — why, be that as it may, the more fool you, for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare.

If you think it is early days and clear out bag and baggage, if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie low till the crack of doom because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop) without rhyme or reason, then — to give the devil his due — if the truth were known (for surely you have a tongue in your head) you are quoting Shakespeare.

Even if you bid me good riddance and send me packing, if you wish I was dead as a doornail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinking idiot, then — by Jove! O Lord! Tut, tut! For goodness’ sake! What the dickens! But me no buts — it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare.

Sibling Rivalry

Scat Daddy, a multiple grade I winner and sire of 69 stakes winners, died Dec. 14, 2015 at Ashford Stud near Versailles, Ky. The death was reported by Ashford manager Dermot Ryan via Twitter:  “Scat Daddy was in the best of health but totally unexpectedly he dropped dead when walking out of his paddock.  Everyone here at Ashford is very upset as he was a smashing horse with a great career ahead of him.” Dermot Ryan, Ashford Stud

This beautiful horse had been retired early due to an ankle injury but became a very promising sire of stakes winners.  At the time of his death, he had sired four horses and two fillies who will be vying this year for the roses and lilies in the Kentucky Derby and Oaks.  Since they are all now owned by different stables under the guidance of different trainers, there could be a whole lot of sibling rivalry going on.

Scat Daddy

Sire:  Scatdaddy – Justify, Mendelssohn, flameaway, and Combatant – Half Brothers – Daddy Is a Legend & Drunk Philosophy – Half Sisters

In addition to those foaled by Scat Daddy there are also several other offspring of famous sires who will resemble family reunions at Thanksgiving.

Medaglia D’Oro

Sire:  Medaglia D’Oro  –   Bolt d’Oro, Enticed, Montauk – Half Brothers – Wonder Dagot,  Half Sister

Curlin

Sire:  Curlin  –  Good Magic, Solomini,  Vino Rosso, Curlin’s Honor – Dixie Moon half sister

Malibu Moon

Sire:  Malibu Moon –  Magnum Moon, Hollywood Star, Fly So High, and Moonshine Memories

I’ll keep you all posted on who has qualified once we get past the major races of the next couple of weekends.

 

Ever Green

This is the 75th anniversary of Oklahoma! on Broadway.  In honor of that event a little history:

Green Grow the Lilacs is a folk song of Irish origin that was popular in the United States during the mid 1800s.

Here is one version of the original song:

Green grow the lilacs, all sparkling with dew
I’m lonely, my darling, since parting with you;
But by our next meeting I’ll hope to prove true
And change the green lilacs to the Red, White and Blue.
I once had a sweetheart, but now I have none
She’s gone and she’s left me, I care not for one
Since she’s gone and left me, contented I’ll be,
For she loves another one better than me.

Green Grow The Lilacs is also the title of the 1931 play by Lynn Riggs which became the basis of the libretto for the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma!

The rest is history and time to enjoy the fun and music

 

Bring Home The Joy

Everyone knows that I am a major Hugh Jackman fan.  They also know I live and breathe musicals both film and Broadway.  Naturally I went to see The Greatest Showman and thoroughly enjoyed it even while not quite getting why others were going ten and twenty times.  Also, naturally, I bought the movie as soon as it became available.  Now I am on my third viewing in two days and I get it.  Whatever the critics were quibbling about, they obviously missed what the audience knew immediately:  This movie makes you smile.

The film ends with the perfect Barnum quote:

“The noblest art is that of making others happy”

It does that and more.  Is it a biography of Barnum?  NO.  Is it a mirror of the period?  NO.  As Barnum knew all too well, you don’t need to tell the truth in order to get to truth.  This time the medium is the message, and the message is “Love others and have a damn good time doing it!”

If you happen to have missed what the majority of the globe has now seen and loved, do yourself a favor and rent, buy, download or even better put together a group of friends for a sing along in the living room and then go write really nasty notes to every critic that panned it just because it would be a fun thing to do before you watch The Greatest Showman one more time.

By now you have seen most of the song videos, but this is the love of joy it took to make it happen: