December 2000

Opera Legend -- Fifty years ago, renowned composer Gian Carol Menotti's opera, The Consul, dramatized the plight of people who confront bureaucracy and indifference. A new production is being performed by the Washington Opera. Menotti talks to Robert about his work and what inspires him now, at the age of 89. (7:45)

Bevis Frond -- David Greenberger reviews the Bevis Frond's new album called Valedictory Frond. They are an English band who have been together since 1987. (4:00)

Arab Tenors -- A new CD entitled The Two Tenors and Qantara offers highlights of a five hour concert of Arabic music that took place last spring in Las Vegas. The "two tenors" are Wadi Al Safi and Sabah Fakhri, and Qantara is an instrumental ensemble led by oud player Simon Shaheen. Our music reviewer Banning Eyre was at the concert, spoke with the performers, and reviews the recording. For more info, check the web at www.ark21.com. (7:30)

Cassada -- Alan Cheuse reviews the latest book by award winning novelist James Salter. He's completely re-written his 1961 novel, The Arm of Flesh, a book about military pilots in post-war Europe. The new version is called Cassada and it's published by Counterpoint. (1:45)

Dogs -- Robert talks with Raymond Merritt and Miles Barth, two dog lovers. Together the men have collected hundreds of pictures featuring dogs with masters, at work and at war. The book is called A Thousand Hounds: The presence of the Dog in the History of Photography, 1839 to Today. The book is published by the German publishing house Taschen: http://www.taschen.com (5:00)

Sprague Brothers -- David Greenberger reviews Forever and a Day, by the Sprague Brothers. They are indeed two brothers, Frank and Chris. They write all their own songs, play all the instruments, and they look and sound like they've stepped out of a time machine from the 1950s. Their musical idols are Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers, and Bobby Fuller. They are no mere revivalists; they draw on the rock and roll sound of the 50s and early 60s, but infuse it with their own character. The album can be found on the HMG label at: http://www.hightone.com (3:45)

O Magnum Mysterium -- Tom Manoff reviews O Magnum Mysterium, a collection of Christmas music from the Robert Shaw Festival Singers and the Robert Shaw Chamber Singers. Robert Shaw is considered one of the greatest arrangers of Christmas music, both traditional carols, and classical and Renaissance songs related to the sacred holiday. Shaw died nearly two years ago, and this collection features some of his favorite Christmas pieces. For lovers of Shaw, there are four tracks that have never been released before. (5:30)

Diva Talks -- Robert talks with opera singer Renee Fleming about her CD called simply, Renee Fleming. She's put together fourteen well-known arias written by Puccini, Bizet, Massenet and Verdi among others. (Decca Record Company, 2000) (8:00)

Books For Kids -- Linda talks with Eden Ross Lipson, editor of The New York Times Parent's Guide to the Best Books for Children, about the newly released third edition of the Guide, which reviews one thousand and one titles in the book. She recommends some books that aren't well known, but children always love. And she has some holiday suggestions. (5:00)

All The Pretty Horses Music -- On Christmas Day Billy Bob Thornton will bring to the screen his adaptation of the Cormic McCarthy book, All The Pretty Horses. The movie will feature the music of country singer and composer Marty Stuart. Noah talks with Stuart about he wrote the score and what he hopes audiences will take away from it. (8:00)

Songwriter Turnout -- The 35-day election stalemate bred a spate of folksongs and song parodies. We offer a sample: The Battle of Florida, by Bruce Kerr, Mount View, CA; Election Blues, Bill "The Sauce Boss" Wharton, Tallahassee, Florida; Dimpled Chad, by Michael Krieger, Ferndale Michigan; Punch It Twice, It's All Right, Ross Altman, Los Angeles, CA. ; White House Blues, by New Grange; Fuzzy Math, by Michael McNevin of Fremont, CA; and No More of Those Hand Votes, by Richard Siegel, Baltimore, MD. (5:00)

A special page featuring these songs has been set up on the NPR website.

Holiday Book & Music Suggestions -- Book reviewer Alan Cheuse provides his annual holiday suggestions for gift giving: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, by Michael Chabon from Random House. X Presidents by Robert Smigel and Adam McKay from Villard. The Telling, by Ursula LeGuin from Harcourt. A Dance for Emilia, by Peter S. Beagle from Roc. The Fisher King, by Paule Marshall from Scribner. Rhapsodies in Black: Music and Words from the Harlem Renaissance, CD from Rhino records. Light Action in the Caribbean, by Barry Lopez from Knopf and the recorded version from High Bridge. Nights & Horses & the Desert: An Anthology of Classical Arabic Literature, edited by Robert Irwin from Overlook. American Sea Writing: A Literary Anthology, edited by Nathaniel Philbrick from The Library of America. Jewish American Literature: A Norton Anthology, from W. W. Norton & Company. The Beatles Anthology, by The Beatles from Chronicle Books. (12:30

Karen Mantler's Pet Project -- David Greenberger reviews the new CD from jazz musician Karen Mantler, called Karen Mantler's Pet Project. Karen Mantler is the daughter of jazz musicians Michael Mantler and Carla Bley, and she has made something of a career with her cat, Arnold, devoting all the songs on several albums solely to him. This is the fourth such album, though now she takes on the difficult subject of life after Arnold's death, trying to figure out if any other pet can replace him. Greenberger says that far from being in a rut on her subject matter, Mantler's sticking to this one subject has made it an entry point for dealing with issues like love, loss, longing, fear, and fun. (4:30)

Karen Mantler's Pet Project, is on the Virgin Classics label. See http://www.virginclassics.com for more information.

The Constant Gardner -- John Le Carre's new thriller about murder in the African countryside and the greed of international drug cartels is called The Constant Gardener. Alan Cheuse has a review. (2:00)

The Constant Gardener, by John Le Carre is published by Scribner.

NPR100: Stardust -- Susan Stamberg has the story of Stardust, written by Hoagy Carmichael in 1927. It's part of the NPR 100 - our list of the 100 most important American musical works of the last century. Carmichael's melody for Stardust started off as an up-tempo dance tune. It's been likened to a horn solo, and many jazz musicians love to play it because its roots are in jazz. But later, lyrics were added, and it was slowed to a ballad. By the end of the 1930s, Stardust was an American classic. It's been recorded more than two thousand times. Carmichael loved the tune, and recorded several versions himself. The melody came to him one night while in school at Indiana University. (12:30)

Afrobeat -- Charles de Ledesma tells us about Afrobeat, the latest music trend in dance clubs in London. Afrobeat originated in Lagos, Nigeria in the late 1960s. It borrows heavily from American jazz, funk, and soul, mixing in local rhythms and styles. In London, Afrobeat has been popular for years among the Nigerian community there, and could be heard in local world music dance spots. But now DJs in the larger, swankier, techno and house music dance clubs are incorporating Afrobeat samples into their music. They even play some of the original recordings from the genre's early days of the 60s and 70s. A new CD, called The Shrine presents Afrobeat is a great compilation, with many of these original recordings from West Africa, along with some new remixes by today's young DJs in London. (4:00)

The CD is The Shrine presents Afrobeat, copyright 2000, Union Square Music.

Living Daylights -- The Living Daylights are a young trio from Seattle that mix jazz, rock, and Eastern European influences to create music that's hard to categorize. Some critics have described it as jazz-rock fusion...but it's much more edgy than its' 1970's predecessor. Living Daylights' new CD is called, Electric Rosary. Marcie Sillman, of member station KUOW, has a profile. (7:45)

Electric Rosary, by the Living Daylights is on Liquid City Records, catalog number LQC 35454.

I Wanna Be Sedated -- I Wanna Be Sedated, by The Ramones is on NPR's list of 100 most important American musical works of the last 100 years. The Ramones were one of America's first punk rock bands. Their first album contained 14 songs, and lasted under 30 minutes. It's these short fast and loud songs that were their trademark sound -- in 1976 a very different approach to rock music. All Things Considered Director Bob Boilen offers this appreciation for the band and their song. He says in a way, the Ramones brought rock back to its roots in an era when it had become famous for big productions and long solos, straying from the vital energy that had characterized rock and roll in the 50's and early 60's. (8:30)

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