The great artists tend to inspire and confound. No musical artist, save for maybe Bob Dylan, exemplified this duality more than John Lennon. He was one half of arguably the greatest songwriting duo, and one quarter of the greatest band, in pop music history, yet in the last ten years of his career post-The Beatles, he was a mystery. On a political level, he was a hero to the left and an enemy to the right. On a musical level, he was a genius winning new fans with gutsy and deliberate personal rock, while isolating long-time fans and critics who couldn’t quite figure out what he was doing. But what he was doing, as documented in the excellent and exhaustive LennoNYC (Monday, November 22 at 8:00 p.m.), was finding himself. Spanning the last ten years of his life, the majority of which he spent in New York City, the American Masters documentary includes rare performance and studio footage, and a plethora of interviews with Yoko One and many of the musicians, producers and engineers that worked with him in the studio.
On the Sunday night prior, Sunday, November 21 at 8:00 p.m., get a better understanding of what led up to the New York City years, by exploring Lennon’s last turbulent years as a member of the Beatles, in the acclaimed BBC production, Lennon Naked. The film stars Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who) as Lennon.
Several years ago, when James Brown died, I remember a co-worker telling me that he’d miss Brown. “I’ve got the music, but it was good knowing guys like that were around and walking among us,” he told me. “I liked the idea of living in a world that he was in.” I understood exactly what he meant, and felt that same way about Les Paul. While he lived a good long life, and did extraordinary things for music, his death in August of 2009 left a hole. The world seemed a little emptier. Jeff Beck, Paul’s friend and mentor, knows this on a personal level more than most. On Tuesday, November 30 at 7:00 p.m., Beck pays tribute to Paul in a concert taped in New York City on what would have been Paul’s 95th Birthday.
Several local artists have music in the series Circus; Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan jam in 1983; and Roseanne Cash goes through The List on Austin City Limits. It’s another great month of music programming on NPT.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
8:00-10:00 – Circus: First of May/One Ring Family.
The 150 performers and crew members of the legendary Big Apple Circus gear up for their annual 350-performance tour.
11:00-12:00 midnight – Live from the Artists Den: Dierks Bentley.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
8:00-9:30 – Joe Bonamassa Live from the Royal Albert Hall
Guitar virtuoso Joe Bonamassa performs at a sold-out Royal Albert Hall and is joined onstage by the legendary Eric Clapton.
9:30-10:00 – Wayne Henderson: From Wood to Singing Guitar
A profile of the master guitar maker in his shop, telling his own story in the best tradition of folk-life history.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
11:00-12:00 midnight – Austin City Limits: Steve Martin/Sarah Jarosz.
Bluegrass is the order of the night with Steve Martin and Sarah Jarosz. Comedian Martin picks up his banjo with the Steep Canyon Rangers for new tunes in the old tradition. Young Texan Jarosz rewrites the bluegrass rules with her original songs and style.
Monday, November 8, 2010
11:00-12:00 midnight – The Music’s Gonna Get You Through
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
8:00-10:00 – Circus: Change On!/Survival of the Fittest.
In the first hour, dramatic last-minute changes to the show, lackluster ticket sales and a cancer diagnosis ratchet up the pressure. In the second hour, weather wrecks havoc on the show and crew.
11:00-12:00 – Live from the Artists Den: Booker T. & The Drive-By Truckers.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
8:00-10:00 – American Masters: Pete Seeger: The Power of Song.
Seeger’s inspiring, but not always easy, story is told by everyone from Bob Dylan to the Dixie Chicks and through a remarkable historical archive.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
11:00-12:00 midnight – Austin City Limits: Roseanne Cash/Brandi Carlile.
Great voices and songs combine with Rosanne Cash and Brandi Carlile. Cash presents tunes from her C&W tribute album The List. Brandi Carlile follows with genre-spanning tunes from Give Up the Ghost.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
8:00-10:00 – Circus: Born to Be Circus/Down the Road.
In the first hour, the Big Apple Circus scouts new acts for next year’s show in Monte Carlo. In the final hour, the cast performs its final shows of the season and the crew tears down the big top for the last time.
11:00-12:00 midnight – Live from the Artists Den: Jakob Dylan.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
11:00-12:00 – Austin City Limits: John Legend & The Roots.
ACL presents the best of contemporary R&B with John Legend and the Roots. The innovative hip-hop collective backs the Grammy-winning soul singer on a set of 70s soul covers and originals.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
8:00-9:30 – Masterpiece Contemporary: Lennon Naked.
Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who) channels John Lennon in this acclaimed recreation of Lennon’s last turbulent years with the Beatles
Monday, November 22, 2010
8:00-10:00 – American Masters: LennoNYC.
With a prologue narrated by Yoko Ono, this film profiles John Lennon and Ono’s years in New York City.
11:00-12:00 midnight – How the Beatles Rocked the Kremlin
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
8:00-11:00 – Great Performances: Sondheim! The Birthday Concert.
Great Performances presents the New York Philharmonic’s gala all-star salute to a true Broadway legend.
11:00-12:00 – Live from the Artists Den: Ani DiFranco.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
7:00-8:30 – Daniel O’Donnell at Home in Ireland
O’Donnell, with his longtime singing partner Mary Duff, performs in Ireland at a new concert hall in Letterkenny, located in his home county of Donegal.
8:30-10:00 – John Sebastian Presents: Folk Rewind (My Music)
Folk legend John Sebastian hosts this new show which revisits classic folk era performances and culminates in a reunion of folk singers including Barry McGuire, Roger McGuinn, The Chad Mitchell Trio and more.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
8:30-10:00 – Peter Yarrow Sing-Along Special
Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul & Mary, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Keb Mo, Billy Jonas and others perform some of America’s most beloved folk songs.
Monday, November 29, 2010
8:00-10:00 – John Sebastian Presents: Folk Rewind (My Music)
Folk legend John Sebastian hosts this new show which revisits classic folk era performances and culminates in a reunion of folk singers including Barry McGuire, Roger McGuinn, The Chad Mitchell Trio and more.
10:30-12:00 midnight – Peter Yarrow Sing-Along Special
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
7:00-8:30 – Jeff Beck Honors Les Paul
Jeff Beck and special guests pay tribute to the legendary Les Paul in New York City, filmed on what was to be his 95th birthday.
8:30-10:00 – Albert King with Stevie Ray Vaughan in Session
Recorded in 1983, this famed jam session features two of the greatest blues guitarists of all time – Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
10:30-12:00 midnight – John Sebastian Presents: Folk Rewind (My Music)
Until Next Month,
Joe Pagetta
1 Comment
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