Now is your chance to find out! Héctor Agüero, Jr., Music Director for the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra, has agreed to let one of his conducting batons go to the highest bidder at the group’s upcoming concert and fundraising event on June 7, 2009 at the Stafford Centre. Mayor Leonard Scarcella of Stafford will be the celebrity guest auctioneer.
In addition to taking home the prized baton, the winner will receive a conducting mentoring lesson from Maestro Agüero. This lesson will help prepare the fledgling conductor for their debut as they conduct the “Star Spangled Banner” at the 2009-2010 Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra season opening concert.
Besides the conductor’s baton, there will be many other silent auction items including the chance to sit with Mayor Leonard Scarcella of Stafford in his box for a concert; a signed and game used jersey and bat from Carlos Lee of the Houston Astros; a guided bay and gulf fishing trip for four; and much more! For a complete listing of auction items, visit fbsoauction.blogspot.com
After the frenzy of bidding, sit back and enjoy the music of this country as Maestro Agüero and the Orchestra bring you works from some of the greatest American composers. Featured works will include “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin, “Fanfare for the Common Man” and “Simple Gifts” from “Appalachian Spring” by Aaron Copland, “First Essay for Orchestra” by Samuel Barber, and “Variations on a Southern Gospel Tune” by Monte Keene Pishny-Floyd.
Ticket prices range from $5 – $25 and may be purchased on the Symphony website or at the Stafford Centre box office on the day of the performance. The Stafford Centre is located at 10505 Cash Road in Stafford. For more information, visit www.fbso.org or call 281.276.9642.
You don’t have to go far to experience great symphonic music. Héctor Agüero, Jr. and the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra end this season with a myriad selection of the music of America. The concert will be held Sunday, June 7 at 2:00 p.m. at the Stafford Centre in Stafford, Texas.
Sit back and enjoy the music of this country as Maestro Agüero and the Orchestra bring you works from some of the greatest American composers. Featured works will include “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin, “Fanfare for the Common Man” and “Simple Gifts” from “Appalachian Spring” by Aaron Copland, “First Essay for Orchestra” by Samuel Barber, “Variations on a Southern Gospel Tune” by Monte Keene Pishny-Floyd, Composer-in-Residence, and more!
Pianist Stephen W. Jones will be the soloist for “Rhapsody in Blue”. Mr. Jones has performed extensively throughout the U.S. and has been on nationally broadcast radio and television programs including KUHF and KUHT. Although he recently completed his final season as the principle pianist for the Moores Opera Center, he will be performing in Mozart’s “Lucia Silla” and “Grapes of Wrath” with them this season.
In addition to great music, there will be an auction including several items, such as Héctor Agüero, Jr.’s baton and the opportunity to conduct the “Star Spangled Banner” at the 2009-2010 season opener; the chance to sit with Mayor Leonard Scarcella of Stafford in his box for a concert; a Carlos Lee signed and game used jersey and bat; and more! For a complete listing of auction items, visit fbsoauction.blogspot.com.
Ticket prices range from $5 – $25 and may be purchased on the Symphony website at http://www.fbso.org/ or at the Stafford Centre box office on the day of the performance. The Stafford Centre is located at 10505 Cash Road in Stafford.
Carlos Chávez (1899-1978) was born in, and died in, Mexico City. No one could have been more thoroughly Mexican; as Dvořák was the quintessential Czech musician, so Chávez was the quintessential Mexican musician. He is the greatest composer yet produced by Mexico, and deserves a place in the first ranks of the world’s composers.
Chávez was a conductor, a pianist, and a teacher. For six years he directed the National Conservatory, where he introduced many important innovations in the teaching of music. He wrote a great deal of music, including 7 symphonies. Sinfonia India (1936) is Symphony No. 2
Composer Note:
“The indigenous music of Mexico is a reality of contemporary life. It is not, as might be thought, a relic to satisfy mere curiosity on the part of intellectuals, or to supply more or less important data for ethnography. The indigenous art of Mexico is, in our day, the only living manifestations of the race which makes up approximately four-fifths of the country’s racial stock.
The essential characteristics of this indigenous music have been able to resist four centuries of contact with European musical expressions. That is, while it is certain that contact with European art has produced in Mexico a mestizo (mixed) art in constant evolution, this has not meant the disappearance of pure indigenous art. This fact is an index to its strength.
The force of indigenous art is rooted in a series of essential conditions. It obeys a natural creative impulse of the individual toward an expression at once legitimate and free of affectation. In musical terms, the great expressive strength of indigenous art is rooted in its intrinsic variety, in the freedom and amplitude of its modes, and scales, in the richness of its instrumental and sound elements, and in the simplicity and purity of its instrumental and sound elements, and in the simplicity and purity of its melodies.
There is never, in this music, a morbid or degenerate feeling, never a negative attitude toward other men or nature as a whole. The music of America ‘s immediate ancestors is the strong music of a man who constantly struggles and tries to dominate his surroundings. Imported manifestations opposed to the feeling of the music have been unable to destroy it because they have not succeeded in changing the ethical conditions of individuals.”
– Carlos Chávez
To purchase a set of the complete symphonies of Carlos Chávez, click link below:
Carlos Chávez: The Complete Symphonies
For a study score, click here:
| Sinfonia India (Symphony No. 2) Study Score. By Carlos Chavez. (score). This edition: ED42331. Study Score. 84 pages. Published by G. Schirmer, Inc. (50488514) See more info… |
For a score and full set of parts, check this out:
| Sinfonia India Score and Parts. By Carlos Chavez. Arranged by Frank Erickson. This edition: BA46814. Score and full set of parts. Hal Leonard Concert Band Series. Grade 4. Published by G. Schirmer, Inc. (50364900) See more info… |
More works by Carlos Chávez:
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Three Poems For Medium/Low Voice and Piano. By Carlos Chavez. Vocal Collection. 24 pages. Published by G. Schirmer, Inc. (50485218) See more info… |
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Toccata By Carlos Chavez. For Percussion Ensemble. Percussion – Ensemble. Percussion Ensemble Series. Level: Intermediate Plus (grade 5). Book. 76 pages. Published by Alfred Publishing. (88801X) See more info… |
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Tree of Sorrow (Arboluco, Te Sequeste) – for Four Part Mixed Chorus SATB. By Carlos Chavez. Arranged by Carlos Chavez. SATB chorus and keyboard. For SATB, Piano Rehearsal. Contemporary Choral Series. Choral. Choral Part(s). 6 pages. Published by Theodore Presser Company. (352001130) See more info… |
![Chapultepec: Marcha Provinciana [composer's transcription] - sheet music at www.sheetmusicplus.com](http://gfxc.smpgfx.com/060x080/4512258.gif) |
Chapultepec: Marcha Provinciana [composer's transcription] By Chavez, Carlos (1899-1978) [Codina, Genaro (1851-1901)]. For concert band. Level: Grade 3. Full score. Composed 1933. Duration 3 minutes. Published by Kalmus (Reprint source: Belwin-Mills). (B3591-FSC) See more info… |
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Partita for Solo Timpani (Percussion / Timpani) By Carlos Chavez. This edition: ED3356. Percussion. 16 pages. Published by G. Schirmer, Inc. (50336150) See more info… |
Photo Credit: Melissa Webb
Sweetgrass Talent is pleased to announce that singer/songwriter Celeste Terrell has joined our family of fine artists. Celeste brings a special blend of soul, country, and rhythm & blues to our line-up.
Celeste is one of Houston’s premiere performing singer-songwriters. She combines a variety of material from her debut album “Live Your Dreams”
Celeste has played at such venues as: Bojangle’s Blues Bar in Seabrook, TX; Claudio’s Italian Restaurant and Piano Bar Kemah, TX; Sansone’s Houston, TX; JP Hops House Houston, TX; The Elegant Hogg Houston, TX; Mojo Risin’ Coffee House Houston, TX; The Last Concert Cafe Houston, TX; West Alabama Ice House Houston, TX and Blanco’s Houston, TX.
For a sampling of Celeste’s music, please visit her website at www.CelesteTerrell.com. We’re sure you’ll agree that this wonderful lady is one talented singer-songwriter!
Anyone who’s ever had a performance or played a gig in a dimly-lit concert hall or bar knows that it’s nearly impossible to see your music or read your charts without some form of light. We purchased a couple of these stand lights for ourselves and friends – and decided that this product should definitely go under our “groovy products” category.
For about $20, you can purchase this telescoping Mighty Bright Triple LED Music Stand Light
We also suggest looking into getting the Mighty Bright AC Adapter
If you decide to get one of these lights – or if you already have one – please let us know what you think. If you have other suggestions for “groovy products” that we should feature on this site, please contact us and let us know. We’d love to hear from you!
You’ve probably heard about Twitter in conversation or on the news – you may even already be using it yourself. If you’re not, you should definitely consider signing up. According to Nielsen Wire, Twitter grew from 475,000 unique visitors in February 2008 to 7 million in February 2009, a whopping increase of 1,382%!
So, what’s all the hype about?
Setting up a Twitter account takes about 5 minutes. All you need to do is come up with a username and password, then fill in your website address (if you have one), add a “bio” in 160 characters or less, choose your location and language, and presto – one Twitter account ready to go!
You can search for other Twitterers from your own address book, or do your own research to find those with similar interests. Here are a few online directories I’ve used to help find people on Twitter: Just Tweet It, WeFollow, and Twitter Grader. If one of your contacts isn’t already using Twitter, just wait a week or two – with the amazing growth rate of Twitter, they might have joined by then!
Tweets (much like status updates on Facebook and MySpace) are limited to 140 characters. Think of them as text messages. Not only does it take less time for you to SEND messages to your followers, but it also takes less time for you to READ messages.
Tweeters (users) can twitter via mobile phones – by web or text messages – and information is disseminated very quickly. Other Tweeters can retweet (forward) messages, which can help spread whatever message you are Tweeting.
Twitter is also light-hearted and fun. There is a whole different terminology and even the most serious minded people seem to crack a smile as they tweet about everything from tweetups to tweeple, creating their own twistory as they go along. For more Twitter terminology, click here.
One expert on the topic of social media is Sarah Evans. She authors a great blog about PR and social media called PRSarahEvans.com. You’ll find plenty of good information on her site, but to help you get started, I found these two excellent articles about Twitter: How to Build Your Twitter Community and How NOT to Build Your Twitter Community.
Now that you’ve got the tools to get started, go forth and twitter away… soon, you will find yourself part of an ever-growing community of tweeters creating your very own online twistory… Be sure to tweet us at twitter.com/SweetgrassMusic – we’d love to hear from you!
If you would like to read more about Twitter, here are a few books to check out:
- Twitter Power: How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time
by Joel Comm (foreword by Anthony Robbins)
- Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing is Changing the Way We Do Business & Market Online
by Warren Whitlock
- Twitter Tips, Tricks, and Tweets
by Paul McFedries (available May 11, 2009)
(P.S. If you’re STILL not sure if Twitter is for you, click here for a great article by Ariel Publicity explaining why musicians should use Twitter.)
Imagine a prosperous, upper middle-class household filled with friendly people: family — numerous children at play — visiting friends, and maybe a few hired-help. In the midst of this, at a table, sits a man smoking a pipe, drinking coffee, talking, and — rapidly scribbling notes on paper! Many of his family are helping copy musical parts, even as they visit. This would be a typical day in the Bach household in Weimar in the years 1708-17; and in 1717, when the Bachs moved to Cöthen, this happy scene would be re-established, and for a time, continue. This was the sort of environment in which J. S. Bach, during this period, transcribed and arranged several concertos by others, wrote several of his own, and created the six known as “The Brandenburg Concertos.” It was while living in Cöthen that Bach visited Berlin in 1719 on business, and met Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg. By the following year, however, the happiness had vanished: Maria Barbara Bach, Bach’s first wife, died, and by an unfortunate coincidence Prince Leopold, Bach’s patron, had remarried, to a woman who really did not like Bach’s music at all. Subsequently, in an apparent attempt to re-locate, Bach sent “Six Concertos for Several Instruments” to the Margrave of Brandenburg in 1720; thus, they are now known as the Brandenburg Concertos (Bach never moved to Berlin, but left Cöthen in 1723 for Leipzig, where he, having remarried, remained to the end of his days.)
Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, (BWV 1050) is remarkable. In this work, Bach created the harpsichord concerto per se. It is also innovative instrumentally; for example, it is one of the earliest works to fully exploit the then-new transverse flute. The work is in three movements. The first movement’s mood is very dynamic, positive, cheerful; in fact, much like the convivial mood of the Bach household — toward the end, the harpsichord holds forth at great length with a virtuosic cadenza, and everyone joins in briefly to bring the first movement to a strong cadence! The beautiful second movement is a lyrical, contemplative moment of repose between the two dynamic outer movements; much of it is filled with the tenderness of a love-duet. The last movement is robust, a powerful torrent of sound, and sweeps everyone and everything to a triumphant, exuberant conclusion, combining fugal and rondo features in a delightful swirl!
Check out these links if you would like to learn more:
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J.S. BACH Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV1050 By Johann Sebastian Bach. Soloist: Neill Eisenstein, piano; Ensemble: Stuttgart Festival Orchestra; Conductor: Emil Kahn. For Piano. Instrumental Solo Part and CD. Published by Music Minus One. (MMOCD3054) See more info… |
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Complete Brandenburg Concertos Transcribed For Piano Four Hands By Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), arranged by Max Reger (1873-1916). Piano four hands book (contains primo and secondo parts) for piano four-hands. Series: Keyboard. 159 pages. Published by Dover Publications. (AP.6-413829) See more info… |
Dixie Trahan will be performing this Sunday, April 5 from 11:00 a.m. until noon at the Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival. Known for her powerful vocals, this charming Southern songstress puts on an exciting performance that you won’t want to miss! Besides material from her self-titled debut album (listen to samples here), Dixie pays tribute to some of the greatest women of country music including Patsy Cline
The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival kicks off on Saturday, April 4 with a Floating Art Parade, showcasing artwork created by local businesses and organizations. For more information, visit www.woodlandsartsfestival.com .
Dixie Trahan packs a powerful punch with her amazing voice
Need a break from your everyday routine? If you’re looking for a great atmosphere, tasty food, and a top notch singer, look no further. Dixie Trahan will be appearing at Pappasito’s Cantina at 10409 I-10 W. at Sam Houston Tollway this Thursday, March 26 from 4:30 – 7:00 P.M. Backing Dixie will be her incredible band, made up of veteran musicians including Skeeter Trahan and Robert DiBlanco.
Dixie’s set list will include such popular songs as Jolene, Atlanta, Seven Year Ache, and Bubbly, as well as selections from her self-titled debut album like I Would Have Missed You, Miss Me, and Too Far Gone.
Come on out to Pappasito’s and enjoy the show – you won’t be disappointed!
Ástor Piazzolla in 1975
Piazzolla was a virtuoso bandoneón player; this is a small Argentinean instrument descended from the concertina, in turn a “cousin” of the accordion. The concertina, a musical instrument European immigrant, evolved into the bandoneón. The difference between the accordion and both of these instruments is that the accordion has a piano-style keyboard on one end and buttons on the other, whereas the concertina and bandoneón have buttons on both ends. The bandoneón is associated with the tango, as is Ástor Piazzolla. Piazzolla had, in his lifetime, various ensembles featuring one or more bandoneóns, and wrote several works incorporating its haunting, reedy sound. He was quite prolific, and moved back and forth from the popular genres to the classical with ease and great naturalness. Early on he was encouraged by Artur Rubenstein, the great pianist, and studied with Alberto Ginastera. He also studied with Nadia Boulanger, whose students included Aaron Copland, among many, many others. Her advice to him was never forget the tango; he listened to her advice, and it is often a feature of his style.
Piazzolla is at one and the same time the quintessential Argentinean and broadly cosmopolitan. Argentina was always in his heart and soul, and yet he worked in Paris and New York City both for extended periods of time. He explored many genres, including an album with famed jazz saxophonist Gerry Mulligan. He also worked in collaboration with several literary and theatrical figures including Jorge Borges and Alberto Muñoz. It is the latter who has a direct connection with the work to be heard on this concert. In 1965 Piazzolla wrote music to accompany a new play by Muñoz, Melenita de oro which he eventually expanded into the Four Seasons Porteño. This suite was first performed in 1970. Again, there is an interesting parallel with Villa-Lobos, who wrote a series of Bachianas Brasileiras as a tribute to Bach with a Latin character. Piazzolla, on the other hand, is obviously paying some tribute to Vivaldi and his Four Seasons, although the Piazzolla has less resemblance to Vivaldi than Villa-Lobos to Bach. As Boulanger suggested, the tango as Piazzolla conceived it has remained at the core of his music, and even his music that is not a tango as such is saturated with a tangoesque quality and passion, so that it is unmistakably Argentinean and through that very fact becomes universal in its appeal.
Check out these links for more of Piazzolla’s music:
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Primavera portena By Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992), arranged by Jose Bragato. Set of performance parts and full score for piano trio (violin, violoncello, piano). Published by Tonos (German import). (TO.20036) See more info… |
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Astor Piazzolla: Verano Porteno and Three Other Pieces By Astor Piazzolla. Arranged by Baltazar Benitez. By Astor Piazzolla; arranged and edited by Baltazar Benitez. For Guitar (Classical). Solos. Chanterelle. Classic. Level: Intermediate-Advanced. Book. 16 pages. Published by Chanterelle. (97426) See more info… |
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Piazzolla Tangos The Phillip Keveren Series. By Astor Piazzolla. Arranged by Phillip Keveren. Piano Solo. Softcover. 56 pages. Published by Hal Leonard. (306870) See more info… |
Photo taken from the loft during a wedding at Ashton Gardens in Houston.
Your special day is one of the most important events of your lifetime, so finding the perfect music to suit your wedding is a top priority. Besides the dress, food, and décor, the music you and your partner choose will help to create an atmosphere that is uniquely yours. There is no better way to express how you truly feel about each other than through the musical ambience you will create for this momentous occasion.
Many couples choose a string trio or string quartet to add a sense of elegance or to make their wedding extra special with a live musical performance. Whether walking down the aisle to the traditional strains of Pachelbel’s Canon or the regal rhythm of the Bridal Chorus or more modern selections such as Can’t Help Falling in Love or God Bless the Broken Road, the warm tones of a string ensemble are timeless and always get rave reviews from brides, grooms and guests alike.
Le Jardin provides a lovely setting for an outdoor wedding.
Third Floor Strings frequently perform in Houston, Sugar Land, Missouri City, Spring, Cypress, Galveston and surrounding communities. Recent and upcoming wedding and reception sites include Ashton Gardens in Houston, San Luis Resort in Galveston, Le Jardin Events in Houston, Rockefeller Hall in Houston, Rainbow Lodge in Houston, Saint Patrick Catholic Church in Galveston, Stafford Centre in Stafford, Westlake Club in Houston, and Shoalwater Royale Lodge in Tiki Island.
For more information or to book Third Floor Strings, please contact Sweetgrass Talent. It is our extreme pleasure to recommend this excellent ensemble to entertain you and your guests as you celebrate the beginning of a lifetime of memories together.
HOUSTON (March 14, 2009) – The Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra, under the musical direction of Héctor Agüero, Jr., will be presenting a concert entitled “A Night in Vienna” on Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. This concert is made possible by generous support from TIAA-CREF/Four Oaks Place.
Escape with the Orchestra as they take you on a musical journey to the beautiful city of Vienna. This program of waltzes, polkas, and Austrian songs is sure to have you feeling carefree in no time at all!
The program will include the Tritsch Tratsch Polka and The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss, Jr., and the Radetzky March by Johann Strauss, Sr. Also featured is Laura Agüero, soprano, singing selections from Des Knaben Wunderhorn and Songs to Poems by Rueckert by Gustav Mahler.
Also featured will be the winners of the Houston Music Teachers Association/Houston Young Artist Concert Concerto Competition. Jesse Lozano, Senior Division Winner, will be the soloist for the first movement of Piano Concerto in G Major by Maurice Ravel, while Winston Wu, Junior Division Winner, will be the soloist for the first movement of Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
The concert is scheduled for Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, located at the corner of FM 1092 and Lexington Boulevard in Missouri City. Ticket prices are $15 for adults; $10 for seniors/students; and children 12 and under are free. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.fbso.org or call (281) 276-9642.
Biographies of Soloists:
Laura Agüero is an emerging young soprano from Texas.
Laura Agüero is an emerging young soprano from Texas. She received her Master’s degree in vocal performance from Texas Tech University in Lubbock. She has performed the role of Norina with the Pine Mountain Music Festival in a production of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. Mrs. Agüero has also been featured as Marenka in The Bartered Bride, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, First Lady in Die Zauberflöte, and Miss Titmouse in Too Many Sopranos. She has performed with the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre as Annina in La Traviata.
In addition to her work on the operatic stage, Mrs. Agüero is an active recitalist. She has participated in several recitals throughout the northern United States. Her other oratorio and symphonic engagements have included Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate, Brahms’ Neue Liebeslieder, Bach’s St. John Passion, and as a soloist with the Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorale and the Woodlands Symphony Orchestra.
Young musician Jesse Lozano will take the stage with the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra later this month.
Jesse Lozano has been studying piano since 2nd grade. For eight years he studied with Sandy Toews, and for the last two years he has studied with Dr. Dariusz Pawlas in the Rice University Preparatory Program. Jesse is in the 11th grade at Cypress Springs High School. He plays trombone and is drum major, but his favorite instrument is the piano because, as Jesse says, on the piano he can play a whole symphony with his hands.
Jesse is also a composer. He composed his first piece in 5th grade, and since has won many state and national competitions for his original compositions. One of his first full-length piano pieces, “Circus Rag,” composed at the age of 12, was published when he was just 13 years old.
This past summer, Jesse was one of 10 young composers selected from over 50 countries to be admitted to Interlochen Arts Camp in northern Michigan. He recently decided to attend the Interlochen Arts Academy for his final year of high school, after which he hopes to study piano and musical composition at a music conservatory.
Winston Wu will be a featured performer with the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra later this month.
Winston Wu is a 15-year-old sophomore at Friendswood High School. He started playing piano at the age of five, and he is currently studying with Mr. William Chaisson. Winston has won numerous awards at piano competitions in the Houston area. Last year, he won in the Junior Division of the Clear Lake Symphony concerto competition and had the opportunity to perform Lizst’s Totentanz with the Clear Lake Symphony. He enjoys piano composition and teaching piano to younger children. Winston is also a percussionist in the Friendswood High School Wind Ensemble, where he plays the marimba.
In school, he likes computer science and computer applications. He has won several awards at computer competitions at the local and state level, and is a member of the school’s UIL Computer Applications team. He enjoys spelling and won the school spelling bee twice. As a member of the UIL Spelling team, he has won awards at local invitationals. He enjoys Latin, and is an active member of the Latin Club. In addition to his other achievements, Winston is a member of the National Honor Society.
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Houston's premier groove team - The White Lion Rhythm Section
The White Lion Rhythm Section is based out of Houston, Texas and has established itself as one of the premier rhythm sections for live shows and recording sessions.
Drummer Joe DeLeon and bassist Robert DiBlanco make up this “grooving” rhythm section team that looks back on numerous years of experience in the studios and stages around the world. Artists like Doug Supernaw, Todd Fritsch, Jarrod Birmingham, Clay Farmer, Zona Jones, Johnny Bush, The Tearjerkers, Dixie Trahan, Cooper Wade, Celeste Terrell, Patrick Murphy, John Slaughter, Neil Austin Imber and many more have used the services of the White Lion Rhythm Section in the past and present because of their expertise and talent.
The White Lion Rhythm Section currently works with Sweetgrass Talent artists Todd Fritsch, Dixie Trahan, the Armadillo Playboys and Celeste Terrell.
Click here to visit the White Lion Rhythm Section on MySpace!
CYPRESS, TX (March 10, 2009) -
Cypress based SWEETGRASS TALENT GROUP launched the beta version of their new website today. The official launch date for the site is set for April 1st, 2009.
With a growing talent roster and a growing clientele, Sweetgrass Talent decided to update their web presence in order to fulfill their current and future needs. The website work was accomplished with the help of Houston based companies RoBiCom and Sounds of Texas, the latter being responsible for most of the programming work and RoBiCom providing the hosting solution.
Excerpt of a Nashville Number System chart
The answer to all of these questions lies in a little-known solution called the Nashville Number System. This fairly simple system to write down music is widespread in the Country Music field (especially in the studio/session world). Its origins can be traced back to Elvis Presley’s harmony singers, in particular Neil Mathews of the Jordanaires. He devised this musical number system to be used in the recording studio. After Charlie McCoy saw this method he and countless other musicians and session leaders adapted the system to their own needs and used it on many sessions. Today it has evolved into a complete method of writing charts for sessions (sometimes it is also referred to as the “Nashville Shorthand”).
One of the main advantages of the Nashville Number System is the fact that its way of notating a song is completely key-independent. This comes in very handy in the recording studio, where a lot of times keys have to be changed on-the-fly to accommodate singers’ vocal ranges and preferences.
As there are no standards and rules for the Nashville Number System, everybody can and has made their own little set of rules – therefore you can find charts written in different ways for the same song. Once you ‘get the picture’ of how the system works, you should be able to quickly adapt to anybody’s customized style and play any song (in any key) right away.
To find more detailed information about the Nashville Number System, please visit Chas Williams’ website and order his outstanding book on this very helpful way to jot down the songs you learn/play.
Robert DiBlanco, charts@diblanco.com
April 3, 2008, 9:38AM
Dixie Trahan
In The Land of Dixie
By JOEY GUERRA, Copyright Houston Chronicle 2008
Dixie Trahan smiles when she remembers her little-girl dreams of being a grown-up star.
“I used to stand up on the side of the bathtub, in front of the mirror, with my dad’s hairbrush for a microphone and just sing for hours,” she says.
Sweet dreams that, for most kids, dissolve when reality sets in a few years later. But Trahan held onto that optimism — and channeled it into her self-titled debut disc, an alternately sweet, slick and kicky set of country tunes.
The highlight is her delicate, soulful voice, which has rightfully earned comparisons to Alison Krauss but also boasts shades of Pam Tillis.
“Country music has just always been a constant for me, whether it’s a love song or a hell-raisin’ song,” Trahan says. “It fits just about any mood. It just lets you express so much emotion.”
Trahan says her record has been a “long-time coming.” That’s an understatement, to say the (very, very) least.
Her father was a pastor and eventually took the family on the road for full-time music evangelism. That meant constant moving and, at times, mobile living between gigs. Trahan was born in Kansas, moved to Texas two weeks later and was living in Canada within a few years.
“My parents were always singing. They would sing with other couples, the old church quartets, and stuff like that,” she says.
“I grew up playing in the church while they were practicing. I remember rolling under the pews. Anything you could do to pass the time.”
A formal family band inevitably developed. They toured churches, recorded albums and spent a summer doing a show in Branson, MO.
“There was no, ’I don’t feel good today. I’m not singing.’ We did the job,” she says.
Trahan toured with her family until she was 17 years old, prime time to perhaps embark on a solo career. But, as the title to one of her songs goes, life had other plans.
She met and married her husband, Skeeter, and the pair settled in Houston and had three kids — now ages 10, 13 and 16 (and all musical).
About three years ago, Trahan decided to give music another go, on her terms. She recorded her self-titled effort in Nashville, a collection of “positive,” hopeful tunes highlighted by the autobiographical Back To Me and You, which she co-wrote with her husband.
“I realize I really am a baby duck at all this,” Trahan says. “My experience in the industry, in the Texas market — I’m just starting with all that. But I can’t imagine anything better at this point.”
She found a “kindred spirit” in Bruce Wiggins of local country act Drywater, who was looking to add a female vocalist into the mix. Trahan has been gigging with the group for about two months. Wiggins also is helping manage her career.
“It was the first time Dixie had been to a bar in her entire life,” Wiggins says of that first show.
“She came onstage for the first time with us — no rehearsal or anything — and we played two songs that just went without a hitch.”
That’s a far cry from gospel quartets and church revivals. But for Trahan, it’s all part of the same journey.
“Whether I’m playing in a bar, playing in a church or singing in the elevator on my way to the office in the morning, for me, it’s all an expression of who I am,” she says.
“The reality is that I am right where I am supposed to be.”
I found this great article on why to use session musicians for your demo recordings and wanted to publish the link for everybody:
http://tunecore.typepad.com/tunecorner/2008/07/the-advantages.html
It is so true …… and guess what, the time you save by having your songs recorded by professional session musicians will make up for the extra money you may have to budget.
Give it a shot, you won’t be disappointed.
PLUS, session musicians make great friends, too.
