FOIRES, SALONS, CONGRÈS À FRANCFORT : LES REPORTAGES ET PLUS / FRANKFURT'S TRADE SHOWS : THE REVIEWS AND MORE

I liked this woman, I liked this artist, so that I couldn’t help sharing my personal take and more, on the passing of music icon Aretha Franklin (1942-2018), with the world.

The first name of one of Aretha Franklin’s sons is Ted, and of course, if your first name is close to my own first name : Teddy, it arouses my attention.                                                                                                                                                                In a 2014 interview with the Wall Street Journal, and Senior Editor Christopher John Farley, Miss Aretha Franklin said about Whitney Houston (1963-2012) : “Whitney was a talent, definitely a talent, she had a gift.”

                                                                                                                     This take on Whitney Houston from Miss Aretha Franklin applies also to herself;

                                                                                                                     Miss Aretha Franklin “was a talent, definitely a talent”, and “she had a gift.”

                                                                                                                       But natural talent, also means and demands, a lot of work in the mastery of singing, a lot of work in the field of phrasing, timing, interpretation, …, she set her mind to, under the fatherly guidance of Mr. Clarence LaVaughn Franklin (1915-1984).

                                                                                                                     Even though I haven’t seen an interview of Whitney Houston (1963-2012) talking about disco icon Donna Summer (1948 – 2012), Whitney Houston, like me, grew up during the disco era, and both icons : Whitney Houston and Donna Summer died the same year, in 2012.

                                                                                                                           In May, 2012, Miss Aretha Franklin found some time also, on CNN, to pay tribute to the memory of disco icon Donna Summer (1948 – 2012), saying about the latter : “A very good singer. She was the Disco Queen.”

                                                                                                                          So it is my turn today, thanks to this essay, to pay tribute to the Queen of Soul : Miss Aretha Franklin (1942-2018).

                                                                                                                      Since the passing of Miss Aretha Franklin, we have heard condolences from Quincy Jones, Diana Ross, Gloria Gaynor, former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Baptist Minister Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr., …

                                                                                                                            We also heard from President Trump with his tactless wording : “The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, is dead.”

                                                                                                                          It would have been tactful to write : The Queen of Soul, Miss Aretha Franklin has passed or has gone to sing with her peers :

                                                                                                                         Enrico Caruso (1873-1921), Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007), George Michael (1963-2016), Robert Goulet (1933-2007), Édith Piaf (1915-1963), Mario Lanza (1921-1959), Maria Callas (1923-1977), Jussi Björling (1911-1960), Cora Vaucaire (1918-2011), Minnie Riperton (1947-1979), Phyllis Hyman (1949-1995), …

                                                                                                                       Among her countless achievements, Miss Aretha Franklin earned at least 18 Grammy Awards, and is a Presidential Medal Of Freedom recipient.

                                                                                                                         The memory of Miss Aretha Franklin (1942-2018) brings me back to my adolescence, and to my wonderful tenure as anchor at Radio Saint-Louis, where I came across Aretha Franklin’s 1972 bestselling album : Amazing Grace, an album that sold over 2 million copies in the United States.

                                                                                                                         In my adolescence, to practice my English, I used to meet and fraternize with some Marines, who were door to me, to the American world and lifestyle. It was in the 80s, way before the America of Donald Trump, that is not America to me.
                                                                                                                          

So going back to this lovely Marines story, one of the Marines I came across, while his ship was on a short stay in my country, presented to me a George Benson’s album, an album, if "I remember it well", like Maurice Chevalier (1888-1972), entitled “The White Album”, and in this George Benson’s album was to be heard, one of my favorite duets from Aretha Franklin :
“Love All The Hurt Away”.

                                                                                                                            Aretha Franklin, herself, seemed to have considered this duet with George Benson in “Love All The Hurt Away”, as pure bliss and delight. Aretha Franklin’s voice blending with George Benson’s voice so magically and so perfectly.

                                                                                                                            Memories of my adolescence, memories of my idea of America, well conveyed in the song : “The House I Live In”, a song sung by Frank Sinatra (1915-1998).

I also want to salute the Woman of Courage that was Miss Aretha Franklin, a Champion for Civil Rights, and who, with grace and courage, fought against cancer.

                                                                                                                       For all the countless good things you are, Miss Aretha Franklin (1942-2018), the world thanks
you.

                                                                                                                         © 2018 Teddy Crispin

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Like millions of people around the world, I was touched by the unexpected demise of singer, composer, producer, arranger, performer, …, Prince. I was introduced to the genius of the music of Prince, thanks to his first album entitled from the year 1979 : Prince, with the hits : “I Wanna Be Your Lover” and “I Feel For You”. “I Feel For You” that became also a hit for Chaka Khan five years later, in 1984.

Prince has always been one of my favorite artists, because of the originality of his music, a music “out of the box”, a music that could be commercial without searching success at all costs, and this is what I appreciated in the artist, Prince.

Among my favorite albums from Prince :

Prince And The Revolution/Parade from the year 1986

Prince & The New Power Generation : Diamonds And Pearls : 1991

The gold experience from the year 1995

The appeal of the artist Prince came also from the character he created and that he succeeded in creating, an androgynous character with a global appeal, and at the same time was he this someone eager to preserve his private sphere.

What strikes also in the artist Prince lies in the contradiction of the artist himself, reported to be deeply religious, and at the same time, the incarnation of seduction and temptation as an artist.

As we mourn Prince passing around the world, a man of courage who also fought for his rights as an artist and as a human being, the pain is alleviated by the fact that this talent, and his music, and his artistry, are forever.

(c) 2016 Teddy Crispin

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Du 7 au 10 Avril s’est déroulé le Salon 2016 de la Musique de la Messe Frankfurt. Cette année, le Salon de la Musique de la Messe Frankfurt s’étendait du Hall 8 au 11. Un grand recul me semble-t’il par rapport aux années précédentes.

J’ai visité le Salon 2016 de la Musique de la Messe Frankfurt, le samedi 7 Avril 2016. Quelle tristesse,

quelle morosité, … Une foule clairsemée de visiteurs, quelques exposants déçus du peu de fréquentation du Salon de la Musique de la Messe Frankfurt 2016.

Parmi les exposants, le St. Petersburg Musical Wind Instruments Factory de Russie, et la Manifatture Fuselli de Recanati en Italie, fabricant de sacs et de sangles pour instruments de musique.

Le Dimanche 10 Avril 2016 au Congress Center de la Messe Frankfurt, à signaler le concert du grand Al Jarreau, accompagné du Hessischer Rundfunk Big Band.

Et puisqu’on parle de musique, un album de chansons de noël exquis, m’est tombé du ciel. Une de ces merveilles cachées du « main stream » et du grand public. Un album de chants de noël exquis et « out of the box » du chanteur américain Ken Norris, album intitulé : …in the Spirit of Christmas : musical landscape for choir and small ensemble."

Dans cet album de chansons de nöel d’une grande beauté, du chanteur américain Ken Norris, on retrouve les classiques de noël : I Saw Three Ships, O Holy Night, Silent Night…, mais également les propres compositions de l’artiste : « Perfect Inheritance (Shout to the Fields) » et « Perfect Inheritance II (Amen) ».

La réussite de l’exquis « …in the Spirit of Christmas », du chanteur Ken Norris, tient dans le fait que ce sont des chansons de noël, mais avec un arrangement soul, intemporel, pour toutes les saisons. Un album de tout premier plan, et pourtant caché du grand public, une perle à avoir dans l’écrin de votre collection de disques.

©2016 Teddy Crispin

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The Musikmesse and the Prolight + Sound 2014 took place at the Messe Frankfurt in Frankfurt am Main in Germany, between March 12^th and March 15^th, 2014.

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