Fun Christmas Piece

This is Rachel playing Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming arranged by Mark Summer. It is one of the few recordings available on the Web.

 

I can't tell you much about Rachel, she's somewhere in the Chicago, Illinois. Here is the link to her youtube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/improvisingcellist?feature=watch  

If you are in Chicago - check out Rachel next time she's playing a gig.

If you are interested you can get copies of the sheet music it is available from  quite a few vendors. I purchased my copy from Shar Music, but is also available from Amazon, and everything Cello. Mark Summer made a recording of it on the Turtle Island String Quartet album, By the Fireside.

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Merry Christmas

I'm a sucker for a good arrangement of traditional Christmas carols this time of year. And O Come Emanuel is one of my favorite. Enjoy!

Fun with Pedals

InFusion Trio is a Hungarian cover band. Here is a fun video that give you a great look at using pedals. It looks a lot easier than it is. Enjoy!

Dragons in the Kitchen

My cello teacher pointed me to a video of Sarah Clanton Schaffer's Dragon's in the kitchen. She has a sweet voice - here songs are catchy quirky and intriguing and its cello! What more could you want? Sarah is definitely carving out a place in folk rock with her cello. Enjoy!

 
You can find more about Sarah on the web:
Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/cellotreearts
Site: http://www.cellotreearts.com/index.html
Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sarahclantonschaffer/i-mustache-you-a-question-cello-brate-my-1st-album

 And of course you can find her on Facebook.

 Cheers!

Sandy, Election Day and Latvians

Hurricane/Tropical Storm Sandy rolled over top of us last week.  We were spared to worst of it - we got much need rain and the fall leaves fell a little faster. Because, I didn't post last week, I'm going to post early this week.

Today is election day in the United States - if you are in the U. S. and are registered to vote, please remember to do so.

For today's video, I thought I would pull the cello trio Melo-M from Riga, Latvia. I first found these guys about five years ago because they were doing covers of old America pop songs, like the Final Count Down and Ghost Busters. Here is a cover of Misirlou from earlier this year:



There is a nice contrast between the very traditional beginning and the pop ending. Enjoy.

You can find Melo-M on the internet:

http://www.melo-m.lv
http://www.youtube.com/user/cellotriomelom?feature=watch

Tina Guo - Traditional

Tina Guo is carving out a place for herself as a cross-over cellist playing both classical and heavy-metal. This is a recent recording of a very romantic piece. Tina pulls a lot of emotion out of her cello.

Of course, I wonder if there were any complaints for the midnight serenade. (Yes, there are people who do not like cello music.) In any event this a beautiful piece of music beautifully played. Enjoy.


If you want more here is Tina's Web presence:

http://www.tinaguo.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/demix500 
https://twitter.com/Tinaguo

Break of Reality

Break of Reality is a rock quartet that started in Rochester, New York and is now based in New York City. I enjoy the band's innovative hard rock that makes a great use of the traditional sounds of cello.

The band has changed out members at least twice. The sound hasn't suffered.

Check out this live performance of a new song that will be on their next album.


For more here is Break of Reality online:

• http://www.breakofreality.com/
• http://www.youtube.com/user/BreakofReaIity

Blues Jam

Check out this Blues jam by MelloCello:



Any guesses on the pickup he's using? Check out his channel on youtube: mmellocello. There is some good blues.

Cello Street Quartet

Cello Street Quartet is a group from San Francisco. Their music reminds me a lot of my first private cello teacher, Allen Sher. Allen was a cellist for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. When I was taking cello from him, he was playing with a string quartet at upscale department stores. Of course, to keep people interested, the quartet would play pop music. I enjoy the mix of pop music and classical aesthetic. It something that I don't hear or see enough of.



You can find more about the Cello Street Quartet:

Site: http://cellostreetquartet.com
Youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/CelloStreetQuartet?feature=watch

Or  just try to catch them on the street, next time you're in San Francisco.

Dirty Cello - Cutie Pie

Rebecca Roudman is a cellist from San Francisco, who just seems to be having fun. This is her band, Dirty Cello, playing the original song, Cutie Pie. I just like it and it looks like so much fun to play. The style reminds me a lot of Mike Karoub.

 

 For more about Rebecca and Dirty Cello:
http://rebeccaroudman.com
http://dirtycello.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/RebeccaRoudman?feature=watch

Cello and Beatboxing

Joey Chang mixes beatboxing and classic style cello. Here's a recent video of his song Work. Anyone out there up to animate it?



 You can find more of Joey Chang at http://www.cellojoe.com/
and on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/cellojoe?feature=watch

Looping cello - part three hundred sixty seven

This piece really inspired me to try out looping and to look at artists like Zoe Keating.

The music is by Stephen Katz. Derek Snyder is the cellist. And you can get sheet music for this and other pieces at cellocelli.com.

Youtube broadcast phenomenon

No cellos today. Just a music video by a rock violinist and a group of people who are managing to make money by posting videos on Youtube. Check it out:


You can download the song off itunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/come-us-feat.-cant-stop-wont/id552979598

And get all the information off of Youtube.

Matt Brubeck Jazz Cellist

Light Blue/ Thelonius Monk recorded at Gallery 345, Toronto, Ontario,February 4th, 2011 OK, I like Thelonius Monk. And Matt uses a lot of interesting techniques.

You can find Matt online at http://www.mattbrubeck.com/

Linnea Olsson - Swedish Looping Lesson

This is a delightful video made by the French Webzine, Le Cargo. Enjoy the French subtitles. You get a really good explanation for how she gets the multiple layers of music.

I like this version better than the official video. The official video definitely has an ABBA disco vibe.



Here are Linnea's sites:
http://www.myspace.com/linneaolssonlinnea
http://www.linneaolsson.net/
and one for her band PaintBox:
http://www.myspace.com/paintboxpaintbox

PRYPJAT SYNDROME

I swear all the cool things happening with cellos are happening in San Francisco, Quebec, and Germany. Check out this street performance Matthias Marggraff aka. PRYPJAT SYNDROME. I really enjoy all the traffic in the background:


Here's his online presence:
http://prypjatsyndrome.de/en
http://www.facebook.com/prypjatsyndrome
http://www.youtube.com/user/prypjatsyndrome?feature=watch

Zoe Keating in Australia

Zoe Keating just finished a tour in Australia - check out this video of Zoe playing "Lost" for ABC Radio National. I'm really impressed with the technique.

 

Steven Sharp Nelson Suite

I really like this piece - the intro is a bit annoying - skip to about 2:20 to start the video.

Mike Karoub, Swing Cellist

I really like Mike Karoub's style - it's just fun to watch and fun to listen to. Here is a video Mike did with Rob Bourassa. Enjoy.

Welcome!

I decided to start a music blog. So here's the plan - I'm going to highlight a cellist or other musician that I think is really cool once a month, along with clips. Also, I may muse about my own musical journey or share books and music I find inspiring.