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Posts Tagged ‘Burt Bacharach’

Loneliness Remembers What Happiness Forgets

Posted in Favorite Things, Music, Video, tagged Burt Bacharach, Cut-outs, Dionne Warwick, Hal David, Henri Matisse, Music, Sunday Morning Music on April 10, 2016| 1 Comment »

Henry Matisse Blue Nudes I-II-III-IV 1952 I wanted to feature some music this morning that kind of jibed with the Henri Matisse Blue Nude cut-outs above that the artist produced in the early 1950’s. I wasn’t sure what I wanted but I settled on something from composer Burt Bacharach.

Bacharach, along with lyricist Hal David, collaborated with singer Dionne Warwick a number of times back in the 1960’s when they had an amazing string of hits that didn’t really sound like anything else on the radio at the time. It’s an unmistakable sound, light and breezy but complex and full.

When I was looking I came across this video that shows how beautifully Bacharach and Warwick worked together. It’s interesting to see how he communicates his vision for the song to Warwick and how she responds. It goes a long ways towards explaining why she was such a perfect vessel for his music. The clip ends with the full recording of the song.

So, have a great Sunday and here’s Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick with Loneliness Remembers What Happiness Forgets. I may steal that title at some point…

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Walk On By/ WIP

Posted in Music, Painting, Recent Paintings, Technique/History, Video, Work In Progress, tagged Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, GC Myers, Hal David, New Painting, Work In Progress on October 19, 2014| 6 Comments »

Once in a great while I show my works in progress here on the blog. I ‘m never too excited about it because in many of the stages that are shown the work still lacks that thing, that completeness, that gives it life. But there is a point earlier in the process where it does attain a certain sense of completion. It’s right after the initial blocking in of the painting with red oxide paint and after the the first layers of color have given the beginnings of light to the sky. It has a mood of its own at this juncture, a direction and a sense of the life it will have.

Outside of the final moments near the completion of the moment, this is by far my favorite stage of the process. After this, as more layers of color are added, it devolves for a while, becoming flat and dull on the surface. It loses any brightness. Without this early glimpse of what it might be, these later stages might be discouraging.

This early stage is one where I sometimes find myself wanting to stop, to go no further and just let it be as it is. But I always seem to push past this and move on to the fuller version that has more color and a bit more polish. I may show a few more stages along the way until the final version emerges. By the way, this a 24″ by 48″ canvas.

Being Sunday morning, it’s time for a little music. I have had an old Burt Bacharach song in my head for a few days, one from his heyday with Hal David where they churned out an amazing string of hits for Dionne Warwick in the early 60’s. His music always has a distinctive sound and feel. There is a coolness and lightness in the sound of much of his music that I can’t fully describe and Warwick’s strong but delicate phrasing fits it like a glove in these songs. I guess that’s why it sticks in my mind so well. Here’s Walk On By from Dionne Warwick. A little coolness for what I hope will be a great Sunday for you.