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from Steven Blier: I write this from my porch in Orient, Long Island. It’s the day before Labor Day. In front of me, the Long Island Sound; to my left, the Peconic Bay. The weather is heartbreakingly beautiful. This is probably my last truly calm day for a...
Song of the Day returns from holiday with a week of posts from Steven Blier: In my household I get to blast opera while we make dinner. Then, when we sit down to eat, we opt for something more soothing—Brazilian jazz, Rubén Blades, Bill Evans, Chabrier piano music. As...
There were a lot of blessings this weekend. In spite of some nasty-looking icons on my iPhone weather app earlier in the week, the weather held up Saturday and Sunday. The Orient concert was sold out. And the Latin/Caribbean music worked its wiles on both audiences in...
Thursday's big event was the arrival of Josh Vonderheide, our percussionist (pictured below). Clearly he doesn't look Latin, but he's one of those guys who can play anything from Brahms, Stravinsky, and Varèse to Cuban dance tunes. He is a calm, organized presence who...
DAY 4: August 20, 2015 In a short rehearsal period like this, Wednesday is the last day I can really work on the music in a substantive way. After that I can feel the ice forming, and soon everyone turns into Ethel Merman, who described herself before an opening...
DAY 3: August 19, 2015 The process is always the same, but the details make the difference. It's true of producing wine, cheese--and the North Fork residency. To wit: since we're starting a week earlier, the singers are mostly coming directly from their last summer...