Shara Worden

Evolving to String Quartet

• Raised in Ypsilanti, Michigan by her father an accordion player and her mother a gospel organist.

• Studied opera at the University of Texas

• Worden began studying under Padma Newsome, who taught her more about composition.

• Newsome inspired Worden to incorporate string quartets into her music.

Shara Worden performs in the band My Brightest Diamond. Worden states that at this point of her life, she has more in common musically with her Uncle then her parents. After she graduated from UofT she moved to New York to purse her vocal career.

Worden composed several theater and off Broadway shows including a production called Women with Voices Ringing.

Worden’s gift of growing up around all different types of musical instruments allowed her to make up new ones as she went along, such as wine glasses.

In 2001 she released her first album, The Orange Album.

2001 toured with Sufjan Stevens.

Newsome inspired Worden to incorporate string quartets

into her music. In New York Worden became entrenched in

the Avant rock scene. When she returned from tour with

Sufjan Stevens she set her focus back on her own work, and renamed her project My

Brightest Diamond

2006 Worden released Bring me the Workhorse.

Worden is nominated for Female Artist of the Year by Plug Independent Music Awards.

2008 Worden releases A Thousand Sharks Teeth.

On A Thousand Sharks teeth, Worden was inspired in part by Tom Waits and Maurice Ravel.

Her latest album, All Things Will Unwind was released in 2011.Stevens helped Worden promote her project on his following tour, where she gained popularity. In 2006

Worden released Bring me the Workhorse a very rock oriented album. In 2008 she released her second album, A Thousand Sharks Teeth which is performed with the help of a string quartet and is a little less rock then the previous album. This album sounds more bluesy meets opera folk.

o May 2013 Worden works a sung ballet called The Seven Deadly Sins.

o Kurt Weills wrote the music for the ballet and the BBC concert orchestra performed

o Kurt Weills has been an influence on her and her next project she has stated.

o Worden resides in Detroit, Michigan with her son.

Worden has also done work with some other famous musicians such as David Bryne, The Decemberists, The National, St Vincent, and Bon Iver.

Burlesque & Belly Dance

Show

Location: Bar Deluxe

Genre: Middle Eastern and Jazz

Solo dancer performed to What’s that Thing by Jeanette James.

The song had a trombone, vocalist, piano, trumpet, drums, banjo, and saxophone

This song has lots of big band and swing influences.

The band all comes in together to start the song off strong right off the bat with the head.

They play ed together for about 8 counts, then they break off into the melody where the vocals come in.

This song is very upbeat and lively to dance to. This song was recorded in 1927 in Chicago Illinois. The band all comes in together to start the song off strong right off the bat with the head. It focuses on the syncopated rhythms with the trumpet trombone and piano. Half way through the song the vocals drop out as the trumpet and banjo become the main focal point for a long period of time. About 10 measures.

The song Raks Bedeya by Ali Mohammed was played as one dancer took the stage in a red and black mermaid costume.

The song opens with heavy drums and the flute for 3 counts at a largo tempo.

The tabla and finger cymbals come in for the lead up to the chorus at vivance speed.

The faster tempos blend into slower drawn out endings of a single note at the very end of a melody for emphasis and drama

This song is punctuated by fast melodies from an accordion, and the tabla drums. The melodies of the accordion are mimicked in the same rhythm as the first section with violins in a softer mezzo-piano.

The last song was Basbousa by Gizira Band

The song starts out with violins playing in unison 3 largo counts, then the accordion plays 12 counts in a much faster presto tempo.

The accordion comes in with the melody as the main focal point

The music is very fast at this point and the dancer is moving very quickly .

The song slows at the end to lento and the dancer leaves the stage.

This melody continues is a dueling sort of way between the two instruments for two measures. Then the tablas fast and stately come in as 1,2 pause,123 for 2 measures to lead the chorus in. Typically belly dancers will dance two counts slower than the melody or instrument they are trying to accent.

Jazz Jam Night

Location: Bourbon House

Genre: Jazz

• On jam nights, musicians come alone or sometimes in small groups and perform with each other with no practice together formerly.

• I saw trumpets, saxophones, trombones, electric and acoustic guitars, stand-up bass, and drums.

• They would play together as a band and then would alternate one or two players out for others about every 2-3 songs.

• They played Little Sunflower, an up tempo bossa nova tune.

• The bassist started the song off solo at allegro tempo for about 2 measures.

A few times they had everyone playing at once. Including 3 saxophones and 2 trumpet players along with both guitars and the trombone on stage at once for more of a big band feel. For Little Sunflower, The bassist started the song off solo at allegro tempo for about

2 measures. The rest of the band then started in for the melody. The guitar, and bass played at mezzo piano, maintaining the focus on the horns on this beginning melody.

This song had a trumpet, drums, electric guitar, and bass.

The drums played at piano which sounded very light and soft during the melody

The trumpet and saxophone played at forte and were the main focus throughout most of the song

All instruments but horns played vivace while the horns played alternately from allegro to vivace. The trumpet and saxophone would switch off playing solos and together at certain points.

Soloing in Jazz Music

The night filled with tunes played in the form of melody, solo, and melody to finish.

The soloist would trade off in the middle of the form.

A lot of improve was played.

One particular song started with the drums playing in presto for a few measures. The bass came in alone for about two measures. All players came in at once with the trumpet and saxophone playing together in fortissimo. All but the horns then went quieter in pianissimo. The horns played 3 counts together in moderate tempo followed by 5 counts in presto.

http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/my-brightest-diamond/3668729 http://www.mybrightestdiamond.com/biographical-information/http://penelope-music.com/#/biographies/ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/9900775/Shara-Worden-My-Brightest-Diamond-Its-about-wrestling-with-yourself.html http://amusingandarambling.wordpress.com/my-music/my-brightest-diamond/ http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2006/10/my_brightest_di_1.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1w8cYn2j-I http://asthmatickitty.com/merch/a-thousand-sharks-teeth/ http://asthmatickitty.com/merch/all-things-will-unwind/ http://www.redhotjazz.com/syncojazzers2.html http://www.jazz.com/music/2009/3/25/king-oliver-s-creole-jazz-band-riverside-blues