Author: Richard Gordon

Parade of One: From Newark to New York, Kigali and beyond!

Richard Gordon
Jeremy Danneman and Bill Barnett

Bill Barnett (l) and Jeremy Danneman (r)

The song says, “It’s my birthday I’ll cry if I want to,” but Newark native Jeremy Danneman had something else, something more radical and upbeat, in mind for his birthday. In 2009, he decided to celebrate by parading through New York in lieu of a party. He and his saxophone marched around the boroughs of New York and stopped to serenade the United Nations with some jazz and a sharing spirit.

Jeremy and his clarinet and saxes have been all around the world, playing for people in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Rwanda. We had a great time talking with him about some of his experiences in New York, Kigali, Ho Chi Minh City, and Phnom Penh. When you listen to the interview, which we spread out into two episodes of The Music Room, you’ll appreciate how much enthusiasm Jeremy has for using music to make connections with people from different cultures.

The Interview

Jeremy Danneman (l), and Sara Sajer

Jeremy Danneman (l), and Sara Sajer

Jeremy Danneman Part 1, 29:58, 28.7 MB

Jeremy Danneman Part 2, 30:00, 28.8 MB

(Recorded 06/17/15; original air dates: 6/30/15 and 7/7/15; hosts: Mandorichard, Bill Barnett, and Sara Sajer)

The Music

The following music is heard in these episodes of The Music Room:

Artist / Song / Album (or source) / Date / Notes
Jeremy Danneman and Sophie Nzayisenga / Untitled Improvisation in Atlantic Ave. Subway Station, Brooklyn, NY, March 20, 2015 / 2015 / http://www.paradeofone.org
Jeremy Danneman / Mutobu March / Lady Boom Boom / 2015
Jeremy Danneman, Sophie Nzayisenga, William Parker, and Tim Keiper / Honey Wine (Unreleased)* / 2015 / http://www.paradeofone.org
Jeremy Danneman / Murambi Blues / Help / 2015
Jeremy Danneman / Lady Boom Boom / Lady Boom Boom / 2015

*An excerpt of Honey Wine plays at the end of the first part of the interview, and another excerpt opens the second part of the interview.

Yes, we’ve had new episodes…..

Richard Gordon

Sony Flamingo Portable Turntable

We usually use newer equipment than this 1982 Sony Flamingo portable turntable. But you never know what you’ll hear on The Music Room!

We are WAY behind on posting the interviews we’ve done. We’ve posted some, but we are working to catch up and post several of the great interviews we’ve had between November 2014 and June 2015.

Most of the The Music Room playlists are posted at mandorichard.wordpress.com.

No matter how far behind we are with the website, The Music Room will continue to air new material on Tuesday nights, 6:30 – 7:00 p.m. Thanks for listening to WVUD and WVUD HD-1, Newark!

Tommy: A Bluegrass Opry!

Richard Gordon

Hillbenders & Pete Townshend

Left to right: The HillBenders’ Gary Rea, Mark Cassidy and Nolan Lawrence, Pete Townshend,
The HillBenders’ Chad “Gravy Boat” Graves, “Tommy: A Bluegrass Opry” producer Louis Jay Meyers and The HillBenders’ Jim Rea. (photo courtesy of The HillBenders)

When The Music Room‘s primary host, Mandorichard, started out in radio on WNHU in Connecticut, he found a bluegrass song that literally began with a shotgun blast: “Red Stains” by The Hillbenders, a hot contemporary bluegrass band from Springfield, MO.

Come 2015, and The Hillbenders put out an audacious new release: Tommy: A Bluegrass Opry. Yup, they did a bluegrass version of The Who’s classic Rock Opera. Turns out Pete Townshend loved the project and invited the band to one of his shows in Nashville.

You’ll have to listen to this interview with Nolan Lawrence of The Hillbenders to find out the answers to burning questions like

  • Who sang Tina Turner’s part on “Acid Queen”?
  • Where’d the band get the idea of doing a version of Tommy?
  • Does “Red Stains” tell a true story of heartbreak and murder at the wedding altar?

It’s a fun interview–and if you get a chance to see The Hillbenders, grab it.

The Interview

Nolan Lawrence of The Hillbenders
(Recorded live 5/19/15; host: Mandorichard), 22:32, 21.6 MB.

The Music

The following music is heard in this episode of The Music Room:
The following playlist reflects the radio broadcast. For the podcast, for copyright reasons, we provide excerpts only of three of the songs.

  • Artist / Song / Album (or note) / Date / Notes
  • The Hillbenders / Overture / Tommy / 2015 (Excerpt)
  • The Hillbenders / Red Stains / Down to my last Dollar / 2011
  • The Hillbenders / Pinball Wizard / Tommy / 2015 (Excerpt)
  • The Hillbenders / Walking in my Sleep / Can you hear me? / 2013 (Excerpt)