Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 05, Ed. 1 Friday, June 19, 2009 Page: 62 of 96
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music
Building bridges
As the TCC closes ts 29th season with an historic concert with the U.S
Army Chorus, artistic director Jonathan Palant reflects on its mission
By Jonathan Palant Special Contributor
I wasn't yet born when the events at the
Stonewall Inn occurred. In fact, if no one remind-
ed me about it from time to time, I'm not sure it
would ever come to mind. I am able to fly
because I spread my own wings using my
own strength, right?
Wrong.
As we celebrate the liberties
gained in the 40 years since
Stonewall, it is perhaps appro-
priate to acknowledge the
many ways in which the men
of the Turtle Creek Chorale
have both benefited from and
aided "the cause" as TCC gets
ready to launch its 30th season.
"Bridge building," as it is com-
monly referred to amongst the singers,
plays a major role in both onstage and offstage
programming. In its many years, the chorale has
performed with the likes of First Baptist Church
Hamilton Park Men's Chorus, Ballet Folklorico,
Beatlegras, Dallas Boys Choir, Shakespeare
Festival and nearly 30 more performing arts
companies. Chris Stinnett, a 20-year singing
member and past president of the Chorale, notes
that the chorale "has always strived to reach
beyond our normal borders, partner with other
PROUD TO BE
AN AMERICAN
The Turtle Creek Chorale's
Celebrate America!
Morton H. Meyerson
Symphony Center,
2301 Flora St. June 25
at 8 p.m. $30-$80.
877-SING-TCC.
Turtlecreek.org,
arts organizations and peer up with disparate
components of the community."
The chorale continues its guiding principle to
build bridges to even the most unknown and
unexpected destinations. On June 25, we
partner with the United States Army
Chorus. An unusual choice to
appear onstage with a chorus
like ours, to be sure. But also
one totally in keeping with the
chorale's mission: "to
Entertain, Educate, Unite and
Uplift" — both our members
and our audience.
Unusual, perhaps, but also
deceptively easy, I first
approached the Army Chorus in
January 2008 following their headlining
performance at the Intercollegiate Men's Chorus
Conference held in Virginia. Honestly, I expected
my request would warrant raised eyebrows; I
got none. Just like the chorale, the Army Chorus
is all about inclusiveness and extending their
mission across the country, reaching audiences
once thought out of reach. From that moment
on, it was, to quote the theme song of their
brethren in the Air Force, "Off we go into wild
blue yonder!" My dream of uniting these two
SPECIAL FORCES: The pairing of the U.S. Army Chorus, above, with a gay men's chorale isn't so hard to accept in a
post-Obama world, says Jonathan Palant, artistic director of the Turtle Creek Chorale.
choruses on one stage was underway.
And because the concert is timed around
Independence Day, we have chosen a patriotic
slate of songs that include "The Battle Hymn of
the Republic," "America the Beautiful" and
Randall Thompson's much beloved "The
Testament of Freedom," set to the words of
Thomas Jefferson.
Fostering partnerships with nonprofits remain
hugely important to the chorale. In May, the
TCC presented "The Healing Project," aimed at
promoting awareness of the many similarities
among five distinct minority communities that
help make up the greater one in which we all
live. Emblematic music from the African-
American, Hispanic, Jewish, Muslim and LGBT
communities were all preceded by personal
accounts of discrimination or hardship by guest
speakers that included Councilmember Pauline
Medrano, World Muslim Congress President
Mike Ghouse and Dallas residents Bud Knight
and Chet Hake.
Yet what about Stonewall?
In the 40 years since, our desires have not
changed. I will defer to the words of President
Barack Obama when he said in his victory
speech given on November 4,2008, "America,
we have come so far, but there is so much more
to do. This is our chance to answer that call. This
is our time to reaffirm that fundamental truth
that out of many, we are one/'
The Turtle Creek Chorale will sing these very
words as we premiere David Conte's musical
setting of Obama's victory speech. What a way
to "Celebrate America" — building bridges
every step of the way
w* i
-I /
"The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies)"
The Black Eyed Peas
Interscope
Everything around you is changing. The
energy never dies.
After the solo .successes of Fergie and
Will.i.am, did anyone ever expect another
album from The Black Eyed Peas? Doing their best to convince:
audiences they are still true to the band, they release their fifth
album this month, "The E.N.D." But while the CD's futuristic
packaging and liner notes seem to hint at the Peas moving musi-
cally forward, the usually original quartet ends up coming off as
derivative.
Producer Will.i.am, clearly enjoyed the marriage of Kanye and
Daft Punk, as the Peas venture into dance-y electro-hip-hop from
beginning to end. Reading the names of tracks aloud — "Rock
EVERYBODY DANCE NOW: The Black Eyed Peas jump forward with their ready-
for-a-party sound but ultimately fall flat in 'The E.N.D.'
That Body/' "Electric City," "Rockin to the Beat" — had me think-
ing I was about to listen to Technotronic's latest. The album plays
with high quality production using delicious dance beats and
crystal clear vocal tracks, but it doesn't give much more substance
wise.
This is where the album surprisingly succeeds. "The E.N.D."
plays like a dance party album found in the "various" section of
CD stores (you remember CD stores, don't you?). Throw this disc
in at your next house party on repeat and you would be set with
the perfect vibe for the night.
The Peas can create irresistible dance tunes like "Party all the
Time," anthemic in its avowal of having a good time. Fergie sings
ridiculous lyrics like "Party all night and sleep all day/and threw dl
of my problems aivay / my life woidd be easy," but the song Works
enough to imagine myself on the dance floor instead of the com-
puter screen.
While those first dozen songs provided some great head
thumping times, it's not until track 13 that I regained interest in the
album. The Peas may have written the perfect theme song for this
Hulu-Twitter-Facebook culture. "Now Generation" finally offers
lyrics to prick up your ears to. They rap and sing effectively about
society's evolution into an instant gratification nation.
They attempt another social message tune with the subsequent
"One Tribe" which preaches to "let's cast amnesia /forget about all
that evil." Yes, it's supposed to rhyme. The song has its heart in the
right place but seems a little forced when we've just been told to
party for the last 45 minutes.
The problem with "The E.N.D." is its inability to be smart— the
same problem with most pop music today. Will.i.am has proven to
be quite the innovator on his solo albums and even previous Peas
releases but here he has produced, or perhaps birthed, the 2009
stepchild of '90s dance music (Hadaway, Real McCoy and, yes,
Technotronic) and last year's "808's and Heartbreak" by Kanye
West. The album plays with a whole lot of style but not much else.
Grade: C+
62 I dallasvoice.com I 06.19.09
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Nash, Tammye. Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 05, Ed. 1 Friday, June 19, 2009, newspaper, June 19, 2009; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth239069/m1/62/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.