Music
Jon Batiste’s Beethoven Blues transforms classical works into unique interpretations of blues and gospel

NEW YORK (AP) – When he won a Grammy Jon Batiste he was a toddler of, say, 9 or 10, moving between musical worlds – through the day he participated in local piano competitions and then “performed in nightclubs in the heart of New Orleans.”
Free from the rigidity of the genre, but additionally committed to exploring it, his tastes intertwined. He found himself transforming canonized classical works into blues or gospel songs, injecting them with a style-independent spirituality became famous. On November 15, Batiste will release his first album of solo piano pieces, a group of similar compositions.
Entitled “Beethoven Blues (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 1),” the 11-song album finds Batiste in a way collaborating with Beethoven, transforming the German pianist’s immediately recognizable works into something seamless that spans musical stories. It begins with the lead single “Für Elise-Batiste” with a straightforward intro, known all over the world as one of the primary pieces of music that beginners learn on the piano, then transforms the song into a full of life blues.
“My private practice has always been about honoring, of course, but also demystifying the mythology associated with these composers,” he told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of Wednesday’s album announcement.
The album was created through a process called “spontaneous composition”, which he says is a lost art in classical music. It’s improvisation; Batiste sits on the piano and interpolates Beethoven’s masterpieces to make them his own.
“The approach is to think about what the approach would be if we were both talking to Beethoven, but also if Beethoven himself was here today, sitting at the piano?” he explained. “And combining, you know, my approach to artistry and creativity with my imagined approach to how a contemporary Beethoven would approach these works.”
He said there may be a divide in popular understanding of music, where “pristine, preserved and European” genres are seen as more beneficial than “something black, sweaty and improvised.” This album, like most of his work, destroys assumptions.
Contrary to what many might think, Batiste stated that Beethoven’s rhythms were African. “On a basic technical level, he does what African musical ingenuity delivered to the world, which is to play two and three meters at the identical time, almost on a regular basis. He plays in two different time signatures without delay, almost exclusively,” he said.
Featured Stories
“When you hear a drum circle, you know, the African diasporic tradition of playing together in time, you hear a lot of different time signatures playing at the same time,” he continued. “Overall, it combines the entire practice of classical and symphonic music with a deeply African rhythmic practice, making it refined.”
“Beethoven Blues” honors this complexity. “I am deeply repelled by classism and the cultural system we have created that demeans some and elevates others. And ultimately, what appeals to me the most is how excellence transcends race,” he said.
Given their spontaneous nature, when these songs are performed live, they are going to never sound exactly like they do on record and no two sets can be the identical. “If you came and saw me perform these works 10 times in a row, you would hear not only a new version of Beethoven, but also a completely new Beethoven concerto,” he said.
“Beethoven Blues” is the primary in a series of pianos – what number of will there be, in what timeframe and what’s going to they appear like? Well, he keeps his options open.
“The themes of the piano series will be based on, you know, what is current to me at this point in my development, what I am exploring in terms of my artistry. It could be another series based on a composer,” he said.
“Or it could be something else entirely.”
Music
The prosecutor says that Sean “Diddy” Combs “lawyers are looking for reasons to delay his May trial

The Federal Prosecutor in New York said on Monday that lawyers with a mogel of Sean “Diddy” Combs are looking for reasons why he delays the sexual trade process, which is to start in three weeks.
This month, the most recent version of the accusation against Combs, 55, added two latest allegations this month, but he still didn’t request, said prosecutors. This, in addition to possible delays from the routine means of sharing evidence with each side, called Discovery, meant that prosecutors thought that he could get stuck in time, said the assistant of the American prosecutor Christa Christa Slavik.
Combs has been closed and not using a deposit since his September arrest. He again handled the guilty accusation at Monday’s hearing, but in addition remained dispassionate within the courtroom.
Judge Arun Subramanian told COMPS lawyers that they’d on Wednesdays to ask for a break within the trial to devote time to discovering.
“We are a freight train heading for the trial,” he said.
Marc Agnifilo, representing Combs, said that defense may ask for a “very short” two-week postponement over the problems of discovery, including the shortage of presidency of asking a key witness to transfer 200,000 its e-mails, and never only permission to emphasize those that they think were essential.
The latest version of the indictment, filed on April 4, added two latest allegations and accused the comb of using force, fraud or coercion to force a lady to engage in business sexual acts from no less than 2021 to 2024.
He also claims that Combs was involved within the transport of a lady who was only as “victim-2”-and other people, including business sex employees, in the identical period engaging in prostitution.
The latest allegations have strengthened the indictment, which has already charged him with a conspiracy of racketeers and sexual trade.
Federal prosecutors stated that the allegation of a crunch of racketeers covers the accusations that the Combs-SEX-Traffish three victims and compelled to the fourth, considered one of his employees, to sexual intercourse with him.
His lawyers responded to the most recent version of the indictment, saying that she didn’t add any latest allegations or prosecutors and anxious only former long -term girls involved in consensual relations.
Prosecutors say that Combs forced and used women for years because he used his “power and prestige” as a music star to draw a network of colleagues and employees to help him when he silenced the victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical bits.
They say that the founding father of Bad Boy Records prompted drug victims, intricately produced sexual performances with men’s sex employees in events called “waaks”.

(Tagstranslate) @Ap
Music
Sean’s lawyers “Diddy” Combs want sworn at the hearing questioned for sex, drugs and violence

Sean’s lawyers “Diddy” Combs call a judge to permit potential jurors in the upcoming hip-hop Mogul process about the sexual trade process about their views regarding sex, drugs and violence.
Lawyers approached that they submitted a proposed questionnaire, which was filled in by individuals called to the trial on May 5 at the Federal Court in Manhattan.
In a letter to the judge at the end of Friday, lawyers said that they want to know the readiness of the would -be sworn to look at movies which can be sexually clear or show a physical attack. They also say that they want to know their views on individuals with many sexual partners.
In their very own list, prosecutors criticized the proposed defense questionnaire for too long and touching entities that the judge would ask higher personally, if at all.
They said that a few of the proposed 72 defense questions, some containing subjects, were “completely irrelevant to the ability to perform the jury.”
Prosecutors also cited the Ghislaine Maxwell sexual trade process for instance of how long a questionnaire could be.
After Maxwell was convicted of sexual trade in December 2021, the jurorz admitted that he didn’t reveal that he was a victim of sexual abuse, blaming his supervision after “he” dispersed when he accomplished the questionnaire “and” too fast “, causing that she understood the questions badly.
Judge Arun Subramanian told lawyers that questionnaires could be separated to a whole bunch of potential jury at the end of April, in order that the interrogation of potential jury could start on May 5, and opening declarations probably on May 12.
The 55-year-old Combs didn’t plead guilty that he had subjected to sexual abuse inside 20 years. The founding father of Bad Boy Records remained trapped with no deposit since the September arrest.
The indictment accuses the comb of using “power and prestige”, which he ruled as a musical tycoon to intimidate, threaten and lure women in his orbit, often under the guise of a romantic relationship.
The indictment stated that he then used force, threats and coercion to cause victims, including three women laid out in court documents, to interact in industrial sexual acts.

He said that he gave his victims of violence, threats of violence, threats of monetary and reputational damage and verbal abuse.
Prosecutors said that a key element of evidence at the trial could be a movie showing Combs, which hit his former protagonal and girlfriend, the singer of R&B Cassie and throwing her to the floor in the hotel corridor.
Defense lawyers argued that prosecutors built their case on charges that attempt to demonize sexual acts between adults.
They told the judge that they were unable to realize consensus with prosecutors regarding what potential jury needs to be asked about questionnaires.
“Defense believes that it is important that we allow potential jurors to be honest about the unprecedented and negative attention of the media, which they could be exposed to, related to Mr. Combs,” lawyers wrote.
Defense lawyers also asked that the jury could be asked to say in the event that they were watching programs on television entitled: “The Fall of Diddy”, “Diddy is?” “Downfall of Diddy” and “Diddy: The Making of A Bad Boy”.

(Tagstotransate) Diddy
Music
Coachella continues the appearance of Weezer, T-Pain and Bernie Sanders

The second day of Coachelli took place, well -known guests from Hollywood and Washington, DC, the emotional performance of Weezer and calm power transfer between the stars of Elektropop. Then Flava Flav joined the character of Yo Gabba Gabba on the stage to rap “I love mistakes!”
The cultural width of the influential Coachella Valley music and art festival was fully presented on Saturday at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.
Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont and Rep. Maxwell Frost from Florida went from the rally in Los Angeles to the desert to introduce Clairo, praising the political activism of a 26-year-old singer and writer.
Less than an hour earlier, Charli XCX ran a minimalist scene during which Troye Sivan and Billie Eilish joined her, with an audience, which included the Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet nominated in the first row in a giant smile and backpack.
As for this power transfer: after last 12 months’s “brother Summer” the English pop star ended her “girl, so misleading” performance with the New Zealand Elektropop Star Lorde, declaring “Lorde Summer 2025”.
Sanders’ appearance was not the only dose of the policy of the day. Billie Joe Armstrong adapted the lyrics opening Green Day “American Idiot” to declare that “is not part of the magician program” and modified the lyrics into “Jesus of Suburbia” to “escape from pain like children from Palestine.”
T-Pain brought mash-ups and covers to the most important stage, singing “Don’t Stop Be Believin” by Journey and “Tennesee whiskey” by Chris Stapleton.

Earlier, Weezer provided a dozen songs in a well -adopted performance with the participation of “Undone (Sweater Song)”, “Buddy Holly” and the cover of “Enter Sandman” Metallica.
The band played 4 days after Bassist’s wife Scott Shriner, Jillian Lauren, was shot and wounded by the police in Los Angeles. Lauren, the writer of two memories, was arrested and later sent a deposit after the police said that she aimed a weapon at them.
The team members didn’t turn a special incident to this incident, but the frontman Rivers Cuomo told the crowd: “It’s good to get here and spend these emotions.”
Coachella began on Friday, and Lady Gaga began to perform the crowd, extravagant theatrical, five times. The star of K-Pop Lisa attracted an enormous crowd to the Sahara tent, and Benson Boone announced his second album and sang “Bohemian Rhapsody” with Queen Brian May on the guitar.
The festival will last until Sunday, and the next round of performances on April 18-20. Travis Scott entitled Saturday evening on the most important stage of Post Malone appeared in the final machine on Sunday evening.

(Tagstranslate) @AP
-
Press Release1 year ago
U.S.-Africa Chamber of Commerce Appoints Robert Alexander of 360WiseMedia as Board Director
-
Press Release1 year ago
CEO of 360WiSE Launches Mentorship Program in Overtown Miami FL
-
Business and Finance11 months ago
The Importance of Owning Your Distribution Media Platform
-
Business and Finance1 year ago
360Wise Media and McDonald’s NY Tri-State Owner Operators Celebrate Success of “Faces of Black History” Campaign with Over 2 Million Event Visits
-
Ben Crump1 year ago
Another lawsuit accuses Google of bias against Black minority employees
-
Theater1 year ago
Telling the story of the Apollo Theater
-
Ben Crump1 year ago
Henrietta Lacks’ family members reach an agreement after her cells undergo advanced medical tests
-
Ben Crump1 year ago
The families of George Floyd and Daunte Wright hold an emotional press conference in Minneapolis
-
Theater1 year ago
Applications open for the 2020-2021 Soul Producing National Black Theater residency – Black Theater Matters
-
Theater11 months ago
Cultural icon Apollo Theater sets new goals on the occasion of its 85th anniversary