Joined: 05 Sep 2010 Posts: 366 Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 5:32 pm Post subject: Who is our "Lenny" today?
Growing up I was exposed to many musical things. From Flatt and Scruggs "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" to Beethoven's 5th and everything in between.
I luckily had parents who had as eclectic tastes in music as I do today.
Some of my earliest memories were listening to old Leonard Bernstein records or if lucky watching special broadcasts on PBS or other indie stations of his programs. (Omnibus,Young Peoples Concerts, Harvard Talks etc...)
This set a solid foundation of my appreciation to all types of music and that it is something that should be saved and honored...not used and thrown away...
In our throw away society , is there someone or ones that will carry the torch and teach the masses? MTT (Michael Tilson Thomas) comes close, yet even he doesn't capture me like Lenny did.
Joined: 31 May 2005 Posts: 121 Location: Manchester, UK
Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 7:24 pm Post subject:
Unfortunately, that's the point, there isn't another Lenny. Lucky we have cherished recordings and video of him available to play to kids now. What he did and said is still just as relevant and engaging.
Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Posts: 9032 Location: Hawai`i - Texas
Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 8:11 pm Post subject:
One reason we might not know if there is or isn't is that there is no more family quality time around the TV anymore. And television - the media for that matter - does not provide three or four channels of balanced smorgasbord of programming which exposes the general public to a variety of arts and entertainment.
TV is now so diffused with so many cable channels and with so many of those going for the lowest common denominator that something such as you describe, a new "Uncle Lenny", goes relatively unsupported or unnoticed.
I'll bet there are many talented, charismatic and interested musicians who could bring it off but the interest and financial support is likely just not there, so we just aren't aware of them. They are not, as Percy Granger would say, "to the fore". _________________ "If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird
Joined: 24 Dec 2003 Posts: 1473 Location: OHare area
Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2011 1:30 pm Post subject:
There was only one Leonard Bernstein and there will never be anyone who will approach his unique intelligence, musicianship, and ability to communicate to a vast audience without sounding condescending. He made it interesting and fun.
We are (were) fortunate that he was born at the perfect time to use a new media - TV - to an audience that was still interested in real music.
The fact he wrote music that everyone knew, such as West Side Story, and his personality allowed him to become a welcome guest in the living rooms.
Let us also remember our society has dumbed down to an extent we may never recover from.
R. Tomasek
There was only one Leonard Bernstein and there will never be anyone who will approach his unique intelligence, musicianship, and ability to communicate to a vast audience without sounding condescending. He made it interesting and fun.
Wynton has these traits in the jazz realm. If Bernstein were around today, he'd probably have a classical music program on XM (or NPR) that would be like Wynton's "Swing Seat" program on XM. I wish the complete volumes of that show were available for purchase.
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