Music

It seems that this summer there are more “tribute” shows than ever in the Tristate region. Maybe it has something to do with the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing uncertainty about when/where/how we can all gather in public venues.

A year ago, many arts organizations in our region were staring into the abyss of a COVID year without live audiences or performances, and an uncertain future as a result. Many found creative ways to keep their audiences engaged through virtual means.

Back in the summer, I suggested some streaming and reading choices to combat the boredom of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The other day I was chatting (by phone) with someone who suggested I use my extensive knowledge of the world’s worst and weirdest films for a similar piece.

Yehuda Hanani, cellist, educator and artistic director of Close Encounters With Music (CEWM), has returned countless times to the Bach Suites for Unaccompanied Cello — what he calls a musical “Mount Parnassus” (home of mythology’s Muses).

Sometimes it’s hard to find the “click” with a new singer, one whose work isn’t presented to you on a platter by the radio, or a streaming channel or your kids or a friend or… And without someone to help you make a link to a song or a performer, sometimes you never find your way in.

Steve Katz is probably most famous as a founding member of the 1960s/1970s mega group Blood Sweat & Tears. He’s not unwilling to share stories about those wild years as a rock and roll superstar — he does so ably in his autobiography, “Blood, Sweat and My Rock ’n’ Roll Years,” published in 2015.

One thing we know for sure is that a majority of us will spend this New Year’s Eve at home. 

But there’s no reason why that can’t be festive and fun. No doubt in the weeks to come there will be any number of “virtual” concerts announced for the night of Dec. 31.

I’ve already chosen my concert, though. 

As soon as the Thanksgiving table is cleared, I feel liberated to start singing along to Handel’s epic oratorio, “The Messiah,” and to practice for the annual sing-alongs in Great Barrington, Mass., and Kent, Conn.