{"id":19598,"date":"2019-10-19T09:01:48","date_gmt":"2019-10-19T13:01:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=19598"},"modified":"2019-10-19T09:01:56","modified_gmt":"2019-10-19T13:01:56","slug":"on-stage-toto-headlines-at-the-met","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=19598","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Toto headlines at The Met"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, <\/span>Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Toto<\/p><\/div>\n

There are live shows in the area on October 20 to suit just about any musical taste \u2013 a legendary 1970s classic rock band from Los Angeles, a veteran guitarist from Canada, a versatile classical music ensemble from Delaware and a British prog-rock band that is celebrating its 50th anniversary.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Sunday evening, The Met (858 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, http:\/\/themetphilly.com<\/a>) will present a concert by TOTO \u2013 a band that has released more than 30 albums and has a history of recording Top 10 hits that have become standards on classic rock playlists.<\/span><\/p>\n

Toto is a rock band formed in 1977 in Los Angeles. The band’s current lineup consists of Joseph Williams (lead vocals), David Paich (keyboards, vocals), Steve Porcaro (keyboards), Steve Lukather (guitars, vocals), plus touring members Lenny Castro (percussion), Warren Ham (saxophone), Shem von Schroeck (bass) and Shannon Forrest (drums). Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard rock, R&B, blues, and jazz.<\/span><\/p>\n

Paich and Jeff Porcaro had played together as session musicians on several albums and decided to form a band. David Hungate, Lukather, Steve Porcaro, and Bobby Kimball were recruited before the first album release. The band enjoyed great commercial success in the late 1970s and 1980s, beginning with the band’s eponymous debut released in 1978. With the release of the critically acclaimed and commercially successful Toto IV (1982), Toto became one of the best-selling music groups of their era.<\/span><\/p>\n

Historically, few ensembles in the history of recorded music have individually or collectively had a larger imprint on pop culture than the members of TOTO. As individuals, the band members\u2019 performances can be heard on an astonishing 5,000 albums. From these recordings, NARAS applauded the collected works with 225 Grammy nominations. Band members were South Park characters, while Family Guy did an entire episode around one of their hits, and most recently Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell scored their honeymoon video to \u201cAfrica.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As a band, TOTO has sold over 40 million albums, and today continue to be a worldwide arena draw performing SRO events around the world. Having performed together for more than 40 years, TOTO remains one of the top selling touring and recording acts in the world. The band\u2019s repertoire continues to be current via high profile usage on both broadcast television and in films.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s 2019 and we\u2019re doing better than we\u2019ve ever done,\u201d said Lukather, during a phone interview last month from a tour stop in Washington, D.C. when he was playing with Ringo Starr\u2019s band.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had the biggest touring year of our career and have played festivals all over the world. The song \u2018Africa\u2019 has brought a lot of kids to our shows.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of hard work has paid off. We\u2019ve has seven incarnations and we\u2019re still going strong. It\u2019s almost like we\u2019ve come full circle.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m absolutely grateful for more than 40 years of doing this. We\u2019ve outlived our critics. We\u2019ve had a lot of tragedies. We took our punches so we\u2019re not going to let it go.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But then again, they might. This tour is billed as \u201cTOTO \u2013 The Finale\u202640 Trips Around The Sun.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lukather hinted rather strongly that the show in Philadelphia this weekend, which is the final concert on the band\u2019s 40th anniversary tour, will be the band\u2019s final show.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to walk away for a while after October 20,\u201d said Lukather. \u201cThis last show in Philly is our last show in the foreseeable future. This version of TOTO is dead after October 20.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll be playing a career retrospective. \u2018Africa\u2019 and \u2018Rosanna\u2019 are obvious choices, but we\u2019ll also be doing some deep cuts that fans have asked for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for TOTO \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/HHLbIIrvQV0<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at The Met will start at 8 p.m. Ticket prices start at $39.50.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jesse Cook<\/p><\/div>\n

On October 12, , internationally-acclaimed guitarist and composer Jesse Cook will visit Philadelphia to perform a concert at the Annenberg Center (3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-898-3900, http:\/\/www.annenbergcenter.org<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Cook blends rumba and flamenco with elements of jazz and world music. He is a three-time winner of Canada\u2019s Smooth Jazz Award for Guitarist of the Year, as well as a Juno Award-winner (Canada\u2019s version of The Grammy) in the Best Instrumental Album category for Free Fall. In 2009, he was Acoustic Guitar\u2019s Player\u2019s Choice Silver Winner in the Flamenco category.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was born in France and then we lived in Barcelona when I was a child,\u201d said Cook, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from a tour stop in Boston.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s exciting for me to be in Boston because I went to school here at the Berklee College of Music, I had a minor in guitar performance, and I majored in music synthesis.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat degree helped. It allowed me to make all my records at home. I built my first studio when I was a kid. When I started, record companies were the gateway, but I didn\u2019t need them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Cook never needed a record deal to ensure his success. He has made more than a dozen albums and never once had to sell his soul to do it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy first album was 25 years ago,\u201d said Cook. \u201cIn 1995, the record industry was at its peak. Narada was the first company I signed with. They wanted to sign world music acts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Cook\u2019s roots are in Europe. While Cook was still a teenager, his father retired to the French city of Arles in the Camargue where his neighbor was Nicolas Reyes, lead singer of the flamenco group –the Gipsy Kings. During frequent visits to Arles, Jesse Cook became increasingly fascinated by the \u201cCamargue sound,\u201d the rhythmic, flamenco-rumba approach that could be heard on many corners and caf\u00e9s in the \u201cgipsy barrio.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy first guitar teacher was a flamenco teacher,\u201d said Cook. \u201cThere is an element of flamenco in my music. Mostly, I look for music I love \u2013 maybe just a musician I love \u2013 and then I try to assimilate it. My music is a hybrid. I love Flamenco, but I also love world music — jazz, pop, samba.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEarly in my career, I signed with an American company, so America has always been my focus. It\u2019s been tough \u2013 especially without radio play. There is no real format for the music I play. My audience has come from a variety of ways. PBS has helped.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Cook was the subject of a PBS special titled, \u201cBeyond Borders.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Beyond Borders,\u2019 which came out in 2017, is my latest album \u2013 and my latest big project,\u201d said Cook. \u201cIt was a PBS special I made with a friend of mine \u2013 just the two of us and cameras. We filmed the entire Canadian tour. Then, it took a long time to finish it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe \u2018Beyond Borders Tour\u2019 was my last show last spring. This is a completely new show from the ground up \u2013 different show with different songs and different musicians.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI make all my music at my home studio. I have a nice studio where I can do it all. I usually start by myself, play the instruments myself and then bring people in to play different parts. When it\u2019s time for the final mix \u2013 original or live \u2013 I go with whichever sounds best. For the live shows on this tour, I have a drummer from Peru, a violinist from Algeria, a guitarist from Ontario and a bass player from England.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Jesse Cook \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/QbKGS2MAqBA<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Annenberg Center will start at 7 p.m. Ticket prices range from $29-$59.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>On October 20, Serafin Ensemble will present its first performance of the 2019-2020 season at The Arts at Trinity at 4 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church (1108 North Adams Street, Wilmington, Delaware, serafinensemble.org<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

The program will feature four pieces — Bed\u0159ich Smetana\u2019s \u201cTwo Pieces From My Native Land,\u201d Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart\u2019s \u201cSonata in Bb Major, K. 378,\u201d Gaspar Cassad\u00f3\u2019s \u201c Preludio-Fantasia (a Zarabanda) from Suite for Solo Cello,\u201d and Antonin Dvo\u0159\u00e1k\u2019s \u201cTrio for Violin, Cello and Piano in E Minor, Op. 90.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSerafin used to be Serafin String Quartet,\u201d said Artistic Director\/violinist Kate Ransom, during a phone interview Wednesday. \u201cThat started in spring 2001. It became Serafin Ensemble last season. We had been functioning as a quarter for a long time. This is the beginning of our first full season as Serafin Ensemble.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a lot of changes happening in the viola seat. And, our residency as University of Delaware\u2019s String Quartet was coming to an end. So, we decided to move away from the fixed line-up of a string quartet and move to a roster of artists. We wanted more work with other instrumentalists, so we changed to an ensemble. We have a roster of 11 with strings, piano, horn, flute and voice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Serafin Ensemble is presenting an interesting program on Sunday afternoon.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSmetana was the father of the Czech Bohemian style,\u201d said Ransom. \u201cIt\u2019s a flavorful, robust folk-derived style of writing. What Smetana wanted to produce was the sound of his native land and give voices to the folkloric style.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Smetana was born <\/span>Leitomischl, Bohemia, which was part of the Austrian Empire and is now Litomy\u0161l in the Czech Republic. He was a Bohemian composer of operas and symphonic poems and founder of the Czech national school of music.<\/span><\/p>\n

Smetana pioneered the development of a musical style that became closely identified with his country’s aspirations to independent statehood. He has been regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe two pieces we\u2019re doing are very short \u2013 10-12 minutes,\u201d said Ransom. \u201cThey represent his Bohemian folk sound \u2013 almost a spinning energy. There is a lot of variety to them \u2013 beautiful melodies and a lot of character. The pieces are for violin and piano. I\u2019m playing violin and my brother William Ransom is playing piano.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mozart\u2019s sonata provides contrast to the Slavic styles with its classical perfection and its elegantly crafted exchange between the violin and piano.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a more overtly expressive piece,\u201d said Ransom. \u201cIt\u2019s elegant classicism. It features gorgeous melodies that are elegantly restrained.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very mature work by Mozart. It\u2019s very well-crafted with a lot of dimension.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Cassad\u00f3 was a Catalan cellist and composer of the early 20th century. He was born in Barcelona in 1897 to a musical family. Joaquin, his father, was a composer and an organist.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cassad\u00f3 was nine years old when he played his first public performance. The great cellist Pablo Casals was in attendance. Quite taken by the youngster\u2019s talent, Casals immediately offered to teach him. The city of Barcelona awarded him a scholarship so that he could study with Casals in Paris.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCassad\u00f3 was a student of Pablo Casals,\u201d said Ransom. \u201cCasals recognized Cassad\u00f3\u2019s capabilities on the cello. This is a piece written for solo cello and is about 10 minutes long. It\u2019s very colorful and extremely varied. We\u2019re very fortunate to have Charae Krueger, who is Principal Cellist for the Atlanta Opera Orchestra, perform this piece.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dvo\u0159\u00e1k<\/span>, who was born in Nelahozeves, Bohemia (Austrian Empire and now in Czech Republic), was the first Bohemian composer to achieve worldwide recognition. He is noted for turning folk material into 19th-century Romantic music.<\/span><\/p>\n

Following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predecessor Bed\u0159ich Smetana, Dvo\u0159\u00e1k frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDvo\u0159\u00e1k is the pre-eminent representative of Czech composers,\u201d said Ransom. \u201cHis \u2018Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano in E Minor, Op. 90\u2019 is one of the most loved chamber music pieces. Known as the \u2018Dumky,\u2019 it is famed for its extremes of character and mood.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The word \u2018dumka\u2019 (\u0434\u0443\u043c\u043a\u0430) in Ukrainian means \u2018thought\u2019 and has become a moniker for a style of Slavic music that conveys folk ballad or lament. It is typically melancholy with contrasting lively sections.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn this piece, \u2018dumka\u2019 is a little snippet of an idea that is expanded as a musical idea,\u201d said Ransom. \u201cIt\u2019s a shining showcase for cello. It\u2019s a little flashy in some parts. It goes from pathos and tragedy to joy and exuberance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The concert on October 20 at Trinity Episcopal Church will start at 4 p.m. Tickets are free, and donations are appreciated.<\/span><\/p>\n

In celebration of the band\u2019s 50th Anniversary, Renaissance featuring Annie Haslam is doing a 10-concert tour of the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>As part of \u201c50th Anniversary Tour: Ashes Are Burning: A Retrospective Celebration of Renaissance Classics,\u201d Renaissance will be performing on October 20 at The Grand Opera House (818 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-652-5577, www.thegrandwilmington.org<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Renaissance is a band with a rich history unique unto themselves as progressive rock pioneers who rose from the ashes of the Yardbirds, a blues-influenced British rock band known for introducing three of rock\u2019s greatest guitarists — Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. Acclaimed for its unique blending of progressive rock with classical and symphonic influences, Renaissance\u2019s long and successful career has been spearheaded by the five-octave voice of Haslam and the masterful songwriting skills of Michael Dunford.<\/span><\/p>\n

The band has toured throughout the world and has performed at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and additionally at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Chorale Society. Renaissance had a Top 10 hit in the U.K. with the song\u00a0\u201cNorthern Lights.\u201d In October and November 2017, the band debuted its \u201cSymphonic Journey\u201d tour.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe did four shows with the 10-piece orchestra \u2013 an orchestra that featured strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion,\u201d said Haslam, during a recent phone interview from her home in rural Bucks County. \u201cOne of those shows was at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside. We filmed the show and now it\u2019s available for purchase.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Haslam, who was born in Bolton, Lancashire, first gained world-wide recognition when she was asked to become the lead singer of Renaissance, a band formed by Keith Relf after he left the Yardbirds.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Haslam, \u201cI joined the band New Year\u2019s Day 1971. Now, 48 years later we are still performing and bringing our unique style of music to more and more fans all over the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Renaissance \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/N2c0b9xZIB0<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at The Grand on October 20 will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $29 and $35.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times There are live shows in the area on October 20 to suit just about any musical taste \u2013 a legendary 1970s classic rock band from Los Angeles, a veteran guitarist from Canada, a versatile classical music ensemble from Delaware and a British prog-rock band that is celebrating its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4357],"tags":[3162,6231,2166,7874,1917],"class_list":["post-19598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-jesse-cook","tag-renaissance","tag-serafin-ensemble","tag-toto"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19598"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19599,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19598\/revisions\/19599"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}