Cirque du Soleil, La Nouba - the music

Imagine going to a Cirque du Soleil show with earplugs blocking your the sound. You would only be experiencing half of the show. Here is a highlight of how the music brings the show to life. It's hard to believe that only six musicians and two vocalists can create the incredible soundtrack. If you're coming to Orlando, make La Nouba a priority on your list of 'don't miss' entertainment.

Clowns entertain as people take their seats. The lights go down. Spotlights illuminate the aisle dividing the lower section from the upper seating and a parade of characters steps out from the right. Brightly attired acrobats form a parade followed by a trumpeter as a tease of the upcoming show.

Stage lights come up suddenly and performers start moving. All eyes are focused on the brilliance and activity. The music is perfectly synchronized to enhance every motion. The two components are inseparable yet the musicians are virtually invisible. Elaborately costumed vocalists seem like part of the backdrop to the fantasy world of La Nouba. Dancing melodies create the auditory adventure appropriate to the swelling excitement on stage.

Overlooking the stage Glazer prompts the musicians through headsets and earpieces to ensure that the music compensates providing seamless accompaniment ending each act with a simultaneous stroke of the drum and beginning the next scene perfectly as he whispers “Un, deux, trios, quatre” to the musicians on platforms five stories high in towers on each side of the stage. Former opera singer Ralph Daniel Rawe and the soulful, European-sounding vocalist Sisaundra Lewis-Reid wear tiny earpieces to hear Glazer’s cues allowing their voices to blend with the instruments to create the live soundtrack.

Six musicians juggle instruments in the towers giving the impression of a large troupe of artists hiding behind the scenes. The horn section consists of Glazer on trumpet and Alain Bradette alternating between soprano, tenor and alto saxophones. Dany Lamoureaux switches between electric and acoustic guitars and adds a mandolin to the mix. The violin is bowed passionately by Benoit Lajeunesse. Eric Bergeron moves quickly between his bass, upright bass and cello. Throw in two organs, played by Glazer and Bradette and you hear the hint of an accordion. Drummer Georges “Joe” Bertrand keeps the rhythm. Instrumental solos provide emphasis during different acts. Imagine the shifting of instruments in virtual darkness.

“Music is a team activity; like a sport,” Glazer said. “If the team doesn’t work well together and one athlete isn’t willing to pass the ball to make the play, it is not a winning combination.”

How do we know we're in a recession?

I keep hearing about this recession thingie and wondering how anyone can tell. I see a lot of abandoned houses and every day I hear about people losing their jobs. Yet there are certain things that just don't seem to fit. I'm watching for signs.

You know you're in a recession when...

• You have a flat screen plasma TV but have no wall to hang it on.
• People start disconnecting their cable and satellite TV services.
• Baseball stadiums, football games and basketball arenas have empty seats because nobody can afford the ticket prices.
• People get out their lawn mowers and do their own yard work instead of paying a landscaping service.
• People are listening to AM/FM radio or CDs in their cars instead of satellite radio.
• Kids ask for expensive electronic toys for Christmas and Santa leaves them basketballs and little dolls.
• Every 10-year old child doesn't have a cell phone.
• Women buy nail polish rather than going to the manicurist to have little fake diamonds put on their 2-tone false nails.
• Instead of eating out, families eat pasta 2 or 3 times a week -- and leftovers!
• Ladies are no longer buying Coach bags, shoes, eyeglass cases, keyrings, wallets, change purses, sunglasses, etc. (GUILTY!)
• Pets are no longer eating gourmet dog/cat food.
• Store brands are selling better than name brands.
• Coupon clipping makes a major comeback.
• Smokers have to quit because they can't afford to buy cigarettes.
• Lottery sales drop.
• The kids move back in -- with their families -- that is, if they ever moved out to begin with!
• People can't afford to buy new cars, even with the 'cash for clunkers' deal.
• The Christmas tree stands taller than the presents underneath it.

I'm sure I missed some. Leave me some new ones in "comments." I'm curious to see what everyone else is thinking.

Out for a beer - #fridayflash

“But man, how are you going to make it work? You’ve been with her for a few weeks and she thinks she’s in love with you,” the bartender said.

“I’m just told her that I was just going out for a beer. Now I’m going to have her old boyfriend, Steve, call her. She’ll realize how much she misses him and I’ll be off the hook,” Doug told him.

“Didn’t they have a really bad break-up?”

“Yeah, so once I found out they had split, I kind of moved in to comfort her and that’s how we got together.”

“Won't he hold that against you? If you call him isn’t he going to be really pissed at you?”

“Nah. They were made for each other. They just needed a break. I could tell when she cozied up to me so fast that her heart wasn’t in it. She just needed a shoulder to cry on. Besides, she was hoping Steve would find out and be jealous and come running back.”

“I heard he’s the jealous type. I mean, if you call him he might want to kill you or something. I saw him get into a brawl here once. The bouncer had to break it up.”

“I'm not worried. He met this gorgeous blond and couldn’t keep it in his pants so he was a pretty happy dude. That’s why he and Deb broke up. Turned out the new girl was just having some fun with him and moved on to the next guy after a couple of weeks. Then he realized how much he missed Debbie.”

“How can you be so sure this is gonna work?”

“Trust me. It’ll work. He knows he blew it and thinks she’ll never take him back. When I tell him that she’s miserable, he’ll call.”

He dialed the phone. “Steve? How’re things going with you and your new chick? I heard she’s really hot.”

“Man, she is really hot, but not for me. Not anymore. I can’t believe that bitch seduced me like that and broke up my engagement and then dumped me. Boy do I miss Deb.”

“I’ll bet. You two seemed like you were made for each other. But how could you let yourself be tempted so easily if you’re so in love? The old hormones kick in?”

“Yeah. That was part of it. I think I got cold feet. You know, with the engagement and everything. Suddenly it became so real. I wasn’t sure I was ready. That blond girl was my easy way out and I took it.”

“If it was so easy, how do you know it won’t happen again? I mean, if you and Deb got back together and some other hottie came on to you the way that blond did? Do you really think you could resist? I’m not so sure I could.”

“First place, Deb would never take me back after what happened. But if she did I would never do that again. Now I realize how much I love Debbie. And you have no idea how hot she is in the bedroom. I know she looks like little Debbie Homemaker but that’s part of the fun. In the kitchen she wears her little apron when she’s cooking but in the bedroom she wears only that little apron and really gets cookin’!”

Hmmm, he thought. She never put that apron on for me -- not in the kitchen or the bedroom. Maybe I should just leave this beer and go back to her place, he thought. If I stay with her a little longer she might show me what she’s really got going on. We’ve only been together a few weeks.

“Wow, Steve. Too bad you blew it. Sounds like you two had a great thing going. After what you did, you’re probably right. She’d never take you back. Chicks can be funny that way. Once you do them wrong they never forgive you. It’s always in the back of their minds that you might do it again. Even if you did get back together, you could go through a lifetime of marriage and every time you went out for a beer she’d wonder. I’m really sorry things worked out this way. Sometimes, ya don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone.

After he got off the phone, he clugged what was left in his glass and went back to the apartment. Deb was lounging on the sofa watching TV. He wondered how long it would take ‘til she recovered from her break up and started wearing that apron.

Mrs. Leroy Cooper

Clemmie & Leroy Cooper, (c) Charles Wells Photography 2007


It was a joy working with Leroy Cooper and becoming close friends with him as he told me his many stories. Leroy was such a special man. It should have come as no surprise, then, when I got to know his wife, Clemmie.

The first time Leroy saw Clemmie's picture he said he knew she was the one. He had probably known many women before her and had been married and divorced twice. This time, he had seen the woman who captured his heart and soul. Getting to know Clemmie these last few years, I could understand why he felt that way.

They had been married over 30 years when I met them and his face still lit up when she entered the room. When she spoke of him her eyes brightened and she consistently said, "What a sweet man." She was delighted by his smile, his demeanor and his music. And he was absolutely taken by her beauty, gentility and loving ways. If any two people were meant for each other, Leroy and Clemmie defined those terms.

Imagine being Leroy, a member of the Ray Charles band in 1977 when the band was beginning to peak. Then meeting a woman that affected him so much that he would quit the band and take a job at Disney where people didn't know who he was or anything about his musical background. To be with Clemmie, Leroy took that leap of faith and never regretted it for a single moment.

Distinctions between memoir, autobiography, biography and unauthorized biography

In the past few months I have learned a lot about the distinctions between books about a person's life story and how the technical definitions differ. I am not an expert in this field, but this is my best explanation for those considering pursuing such an endeavour.

What is a memoir?

A memoir is an account of a person’s own memories. People write their own memoirs or hire a ghostwriter. In the latter case, a contract is signed before the project begins, paying the ghostwriter for writing and editing services, expenses and loss of income while he writes the book. The ghostwriter gets no credit in the book.

How does this differ from an autobiography?

An autobiography can be written by the subject, himself, but focuses more on his life story, not just certain memories that highlight his story. When that person needs the help of a professional writer, a contract should be signed before the project starts detailing terms of payment, usually allocating a larger percentage of net profits to the writer since he will do most of the work. On the cover of the book, both parties are given credit. The wording is either, “By (subject) with (writer)” or “By (subject) and (writer).” For the writer there is a lot of heavy lifting. Transcribing recordings and putting stories into an order that will hook the reader in the first five pages and keep him reading through to the end is an overwhelming task.

What is the difference between a biography and an unauthorized biography?

A biography is the story of someone else’s life told in third person narrative. If the subject is famous he is not generally covered by privacy laws because he is a public figure. Regardless, the writer is expected to do exhaustive research to verify his content. In many cases, a biography is written about a deceased person, such as a former President or movie star. Research is the key.

In the case of an unauthorized biography, the writer sometimes includes material that the subject would object to having exposed, even if the story is true. Using the word unauthorized implies that the subject might object to the book being written. The objection may be based on inaccurate material, lack of fact-checking as well as the issue of exposing dirty laundry.

Into which category does your upcoming book Leroy ‘Hog’ Cooper on Sax fall?

Initially it was planned as a memoir or autobiography. I met Leroy Cooper at a gig when he was 78 and playing with a local blues band. I learned that he had played with Ray Charles for 20 years. I requested an interview to use in an article. After the interview, Leroy asked me to write his life story. We discussed terms and he said he wanted it to be told in his voice and mine. Therefore, it became a biography but he chose not to sign a contract because by then we had become friends and he said he trusted me.

More than two years later, our conversational sessions ended. During that time, I interviewed many musicians that had played with Leroy in the Ray Charles band. I found a Ray Charles archivist who was able to offer more information about Leroy, a discography and end notes. I contacted the co-author of Brother Ray, Ray Charles’ Own Story, and asked him to write the Foreword.

At this point, I realized that my book did not fit into any of the categories above. It had become a compilation of conversations between Leroy and me, interviews with his friends and extensive musical information that Leroy did not remember that would not have been included.

WARNING: Always have a contract before starting a project.