Dialect Magazine – Page 4 – culture in action

Celebrating African American History Month at Minton’s in NYC

Ray Chew and Vivian Scott Chew’s production company, Chew Entertainment, will celebrate African-American History Month at historic Harlem eatery Minton’s (206 West 118^th Street, New York, NY). “Our Music, Our History” will be a two-day event on Monday, February 24^th and Tuesday, February 25^th and will feature two sets each evening at 7:30pm and 10pm.

Former Time Warner CEO and music lover Richard Parsons, along with his business partner Restaurateur/Executive Chef Alexander Smalls are responsible for the rebirth of Minton’s which they renovated and re-opened in October. An incubator for the Modern Jazz era, Minton’s once hosted late-night jam sessions by iconic African-American musicians and vocalists such as Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie.

Monday, February 24^th will showcase the musical styling of Grammy-nominated blues guitarist, James “Blood” Ulmer (www.jamesbloodulmer.com). Interestingly, “Blood” played in the Minton’s Playhouse house band for 6 monthsat 6 days a week up until the day it closed in 1974.

The evening of Tuesday, February 25^th highlights the growing popularity of the new face of jazz with soulful singer, songwriter and guitarist Leon Timbo (www.leontimbo.com). Rounding out both evenings will be acclaimed musician and Music Director, Ray Chew (“Dancing With the Stars,” “American Idol,” and “The 65th Primetime Emmy Awards.”)

For Reservations: Visit the Minton’s website at www.mintonsharlem.com or call 212-243-2222

Press Release

Halftime Hero: Bruno Mars scores big at Super Bowl XLVIII

East Rutherford, New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium is still in shock from the blowout victory from the Seattle Seahawks, during Super Bowl XLVIII. Russell Wilson and company weren’t the only ones who experienced a victory on Sunday, February 2. In addition to the excitement from the game, the halftime show was an extravaganza within itself. Enter Bruno Mars.

It’s no surprise that 28-year-old Peter Gene “Bruno Mars” Hernandez has undeniable swag.

The show began with a children’s’ choir singing a gospel tinged version of the hook from Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire”, co-written by Mars.

Clad in a gold lamé suit, complete with a his Pompadour hairdo, the Honolulu native sizzled as he approached the stage, playing a jaw dropping drum solo on a floating platform. The solo morphed into a rousing performance of his mega hit “Locked Out of Heaven”. Bruno Mars was backed by his crew, a.k.a. the Hooligans, who were clad in their matching gold lamé suits. Bruno and company, then, slid into the delightful old school inspired “Treasure”. Spiced with James Brown-esque footwork, the multi-talented entertainer changed the tempo for the energetic “Runaway Baby.” The crowd went ballistic – and that was only the beginning.

At the tail end of “Runaway Baby”, Mars mimicked an impromptu version of The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 90s hit, “Give It Away“. In almost a blink of an eye, the veteran rockers were on stage with him. Bruno’s version transformed into the Chili Peppers original version and suddenly, it was 1991 again and the glory days of MTV were back.

As Mr. Mars stood alongside the Chili Peppers, 51-year-old front man Anthony Kiedis led both bands into an energetic thrashing of the hit, reminiscent of a Woodstockish escapade. As Chili Peppers guitarist John Klinghoffer concluded with his Slash inspired guitar solo, the two bands jumped in unison before the Peppers vacated the stage, ending their memorable “battle of the bands” fiesta.

Soon, a series of dedications from American troops were shown, as Bruno, amid a giant fireworks display, concluded his electrifying set with his sentimental hit “Just the Way You Are”.

Even with the absence of “Grenade”, once the show was over, any non-believer who didn’t think that Mr. Mars was worthy or capable of commanding a half time show had no choice but to regrettably eat their words. Way to go Bruno!

Tickets for the Bruno Mars Moonshine Jungle tour went on sale February 3rd and from the reaction from his halftime performance, we’re certain the demand will be at an all time high!

~ by Ashly Smith

Royal night: Lorde wins big at the Grammys

“Royals” by Lorde

Since her 2012 début, Auckland, New Zealand born Ella Yelich-“Lorde” O’Connor has taken the world by storm.

At this year’s 56th annual Grammy Awards, 17-year-old Lorde received four nominations for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for mega hit, “Royals.”

Taken from her 2012 The Love Club EP and her 2013 début album, Pure Heroine, the lyrics in “Royals” express her dislike for the lavish lifestyles of music stars and how it could become too consuming.

An avid reader, the artsy pop princess co-wrote and produced the song along with veteran songwriter Joel Little. Her songwriting technique actually started a long time ago. Since the age of 13, the Croatian and Irish singer started writing songs. With a poet for a mother, Lorde has clearly inherited her writing skills.

Upon its release, “Royals” was met with much acclaim. After winning the 2013 APRA Silver Scroll Award, which is New Zealand’s top songwriting prize, the hit reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It reached number one in six different countries, including Belgium, the United States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.

What will her next hit be? Will it be this big? Possibly.

~ by Ashly Smith

22nd Annual San Diego Brazil Carnival Mardi Gras, March 1

22nd Annual San Diego Brazil Carnival Mardi Gras

www.brazilcarnival.com

To read past coverage of Annual San Diego Brazil Carnival Mardi Gras, click here: http://dialectmagazine.com/?s=Annual+San+Diego+Brazil+

Beyonce, Drunk In Love, featuring Jay-Z | Music Review

Queen Bey does it again! Taken from her digitally released eponymous titled album, Beyonce, “Drunk in Love” explores female sexuality, irrepressible lust, and mind-blowing sexual escapades with a committed lover.

On the bridge, Queen Bey coos about having drunken intercourse in the kitchen:

“We woke up in the kitchen saying
How the hell did this s**t happen
Oh baby, drunk in love, we be all night
Last thing I remember is our beautiful bodies grinding off in that club”

The second verse of the song is half-rapped by Beyonce; her husband, Jay-Z, later adds his freestyle, “Your breasteses is my breakfast“, sending a clear message that he cannot keep his hands off of his wife.

Vocally, the diva (who often showcases a vocal range that spans 3.6 octaves) displays a raspier tone, reminiscent of an earlier Stevie Nicks record.

Musically, “Drunk in Love” is dominated by trap beats and chunks of bass instruments. The song consists of vague synthesizers, scintillating strings, and finger snaps. It’s a sound quite different from usual recordings. The overall sound of the record was the power couple having a great time.

In the United States, Beyoncé debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with three-day sales of 617,213 digital copies. This gave Knowles (Mrs. Carter) her fifth consecutive number-one. It became the highest first-week sales of her solo career and the best-selling début week for a female artist in 2013; six days after release it had sold one million copies worldwide.

“Drunk in Love” debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, tying her 2006 single “Ring the Alarm” for the highest début on this chart throughout her career. Despite being released in only the US, it managed to appear on some international charts. It has generally peaked the top 50 in most European countries’ singles charts.

Since its December 17, 2013 release, the single is, currently, at number two on Billboards Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and is still rising. What a way to end last year and start the New Year!

– Ashly Smith

Golden Gala: Highlights of the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards

What an exciting night in Beverly Hills! The Beverly Hilton Hotel is still sizzling hours after the 71st Golden Globe Awards wrapped up this past Sunday night. Cheers, jeers, along with wardrobe hits and misses, were just a few reasons why this year’s Golden Globes were a must see. With Saturday Night Live alums and real life buddies, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, hosting for the 2nd year in a row, all possibilities were endless. Ms. Poehler, who took home an award that night, even engaged in a flirtatious yet comedic escapade with U2 front man, Bono. The dynamic duo began the glamorous evening with an array of comedic bliss, as they continuously poked fun at the extensive list of Hollywood heavyweights.

Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave and David O. Russell’s American Hustle tied for the most nominations, with several a piece. It was American Hustle that had the triumphant night overall, winning awards for rising starlets, Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams.

The action started on the red carpet as Top of the Lake actress, Elisabeth Moss, flipped the bird in E!‘s Mani Cam. She continued the profane blunders, as she took the stage to accept her award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television. She expressed her gratitude with the phrase, “Holy S**t!”

Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series recipient, Jacqueline Bisset, appeared nervous as she delivered her acceptance speech, which was complete with sentence stumbles and prolonged pauses.

The always hilarious Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie’s teleprompter malfunction resulted in the two actors being given a yellow piece of paper with their lines on it to continue their presentation.

Veteran actress Diane Keaton accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award for fellow veteran actor Woody Allen, as she delivered endearing words about her friend. She sang a song for him. Acceptance speeches don’t get more creative than that.

Another pleasant surprise was when Best Actor in a Comedy recipient, Leonardo DiCaprio, received a standing ovation when he accepted his coveted statue for his rousing performance in The Wolf of Wall Street.

There were countless laughs, there were many tears; regardless, and all were memorable. With this being said, one can’t help but wonder what next year’s show has in store.

In case you missed it, here is the complete list of winners

Best motion picture, drama
“12 Years a Slave” — WINNER

Best Picture — comedy or musical
American Hustle” — WINNER

Best actress in a motion picture, drama
Cate Blanchett, “Blue Jasmine” — WINNER

Best actor in a motion picture, drama
Chiwetel Ejiofor, “12 Years a Slave”

Best actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Amy Adams, “American Hustle” — WINNER

Best actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Wolf of Wall Street” — WINNER

Best animated feature film
“Frozen” — WINNER

Best foreign language film
“The Great Beauty” — WINNER

Best supporting actress in a motion picture
Jennifer Lawrence, “American Hustle” — WINNER

Best supporting actor in a motion picture
Jared Leto, “Dallas Buyers Club” — WINNER

Best director, motion picture
Alfonso Cuaron, “Gravity” — WINNER

Best screenplay, motion picture
Spike Jonze, “Her” — WINNER

Best original score, motion picture
Alex Ebert, “All is Lost” — WINNER

Best original song, motion picture
“Ordinary Love,” “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” — WINNER

Best TV series, drama
“Breaking Bad” — WINNER

Best actress in a TV series, drama
Robin Wright, “House of Cards” — WINNER

Best actor in a TV series, drama
Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad” — WINNER

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Matthew McConaughey WINNER: – “Dallas Buyers Club”

Best TV series, musical or comedy
“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” — WINNER

Best actress in a TV series, musical or comedy
Amy Poehler, “Parks and Recreation” — WINNER

Best actor in a TV series, musical or comedy
Andy Samberg, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” — WINNER

Best TV movie or miniseries
“Behind the Candelabra” — WINNER

Best actress in a miniseries or TV movie
Elisabeth Moss, “Top of the Lake” — WINNER

Best actor in a miniseries or TV movie
Michael Douglas, “Behind the Candelabra” — WINNER

Best supporting actress in a series, miniseries or TV movie
Jacqueline Bisset, “Dancing on the Edge” — WINNER

Best supporting actor in a series, miniseries or TV movie
Jon Voight, “Ray Donovan” — WINNER

– Ashly Smith