Don't Miss Hitchcock
Time is running short to sign up for Ran's June
course at the New England Conservatory,
Film Noir: Alfred Hitchcock, The
Director and his Music.
The two-credit course, which runs from June
12-22, will
explore the wide range of
music used
in Hitchcock's films, from Poulenc to circus
rags to the semi-atonal to English pop.
Students will be encouraged to participate
by composing and improvising on the plots,
themes and characters in the great director's
works.
The full schedule and cost info is available
here.
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A bit further down the road is Ran's annual
summer course -- The Musical
Worlds of Gunther Schuller: Scratching the
Surface of a Compleat Musician. Ran,
Gunther, and
Fred Harris, director of wind and jazz
ensembles at MIT, will all lead portions of
the course, which runs from July 28 to
August 7.
The class
meets at Ran's Brookline apartment, except
for Tuesday, August 5, which is a special public
evening at NEC with interviews and
performances. Full course information is
available here.
For more
information on either course, please contact
NEC's Margaret
Ulmer at (617) 585-1135 or
sumsch@newenglandconservatory.edu.
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Help Wanted
Several of Ran's assistants are moving away
soon, so Ran is looking for a new assistant
or two
to help him on various projects at his
Brookline residence. The most important skill
is proficiency with computers (ideally the
Mac). Fast typing, good spelling, and general
problem-solving and organizational skills are
also important.
This is a paying position. Hours are somewhat
flexible and might range from 4 to 15 a week.
Some weekend work is required. If you'd like
a more complete job description, please email
Ran at ran@ranblake.com.
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Concert Available for Download
Ran's July 2006 performance at the Théâtre
du Châtelet in Paris is now available for
download from Sans
Bruit, a new company that offers live
jazz recordings on-line. Sans Bruit is the
brainchild
of Stephane Oskeritzian, a concert promoter
and longtime friend of Ran's.
Ran's July 7 concert closed a four-day jazz
festival. He
performed an eight-part suite titled "Cinema
Chatelet" that he described it as a
soundtrack to an imaginary film directed by
his heroes of cinema. The track list
follows:
Part I: Noir (4:10)
Part II: All that is tied (2:08)
Part III: Shostakovich 13 (1:48)
Part IV: The Monk family (1:02)
Part V: New York (6:44)
Part VI: Paris (4:30)
Part VII: Memphis (2:36)
Part VIII: Desafinado 3:06
Encore (6:42)
The download is in the MP3 format and costs 5
euros (about $7.75). You can also download
free artwork from the website.
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Two May Performances
Ran performed at two Boston-area events in
May. On May 10, he was among dozens of
musicians who came together at MIT to pay
tribute to Herb Pomeroy, a renowned trumpeter
and educator who died last August. Ran
performed Irving Berlin's "What'll I Do."
Attendees at the
packed
event also were treated to an unreleased
2005 recording of a
duet of Ran and Herb's interpretation of Duke
Ellington's "In My Solitude."
Ran also played on May 3 at the Longwood
Cricket Club in Chestnut Hill at a birthday
party in
honor of Paul Hans, a Newton psychiatrist who
turned 70. Ran performed a birthday suite
inspired by Dr. Hans' life and work that
included "I've Got Rhythm," "You Got to My
Head,"
"Begin the Beguine" and "Happy
Birthday."
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