Bulletins

http://blacktennispros.blogspot.com/2008/08/earth-wind-and-fire-ripping-it-up-at-us.html

Earth Wind And Fire Ripping It Up At The U.S. Open

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

I purposely left the photos of the legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Earth, Wind and Fire out of the first set of U.S. Open Opening Ceremony photos because they are always in a class by themselves.

If you have a musical bone in your body I know that you were rocking, dancing, tapping or something when they dedicated "Shining Star" to all of the champions last night. I know that I was! Earth, Wind and Fire has always brought the house down whenever and wherever they were playing, and they did no less last night. The only thing missing was Maurice White doing that lil' dance he used to do. I am so glad to see them around, still in good musical form, still relevant and appearing at events like this.

I halfway expected Phillip Bailey to hit one of those sound-barrier-breaking notes of his and clear the stadium. He didn't do that, but he did deliver a beautiful rendition of "God Bless America."

EWF music makes everyone dance at DNC

Published on NewsBusters.org (http://newsbusters.org

CNN's Liberal Talking Heads Caught Dancing to Dems' Music
By Matthew Balan
Created 2008-08-26 23:30

No, it's not what you might think. We know that CNN's Roland Martin "dances" to a liberal tune [1], but the cameras caught him grooving to the music at the Democratic convention, along with CNN frequent contributors (and Democratic strategists) Paul Begala and Donna Brazille, as featured in a report by correspondent Jeanne Moos on Tuesday's The Situation Room (video at right).

The CNN camera crews caught these lighter moments involving the trio. Martin sang along to the house band's rendition of Earth, Wind, and Fire's hit "September," while Begala and Brazile coupled-up and danced together to a slower tune. Not to be upstaged apparently, Martin stopped a passer-by and danced with her. I guess we shouldn't be surprised that they like to let loose when they're not attacking conservatives and Republicans.

The short report, which began 47 minutes into the 6 pm Eastern hour of the CNN program, was one of Moos' "unconventional moment" reports, which are typically lighter fare than usual on CNN.

The full transcript of Moos' report from Tuesday's The Situation Room:

WOLF BLITZER: The minutes are ticking down to tonight's most anticipated speeches, and you can't help but notice all the music that's been playing here at the Democratic Convention. They like to party here, these Democrats, and our Jeanne Moos couldn't help but notice all the dancing that music inspires. Watch this.

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We expect Democratic delegates to dance. But when there are pundits let loose...

ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Oh! (Marin sings) Do you remember...

MOOS: ... It can only mean Earth, Wind and Fire has swept the convention center. CNN's Roland Martin wasn't just snapping.

MARTIN (singing): Ah. Ah. Ah. Ah-de-ah.

MOOS: He was doing some fancy clapping. While political analysts Paul Begala and Donna Brazile were supplying their own moves to analyze. (video of Begala and Brazile dancing) So special that Roland combined finger jabs with Blackberrying, grabbed a passerby...

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Are we getting this on tape?

MOOS: ...and made a lot of points that weren't political. With an unconventional moment, I'm Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

Source URL:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/matthew-balan/2008/08/26/cnn-s-liberal-talking-heads-caught-dancing-dems-music/p>

http://www.broadway.tv/blog/broadway-magazine/jersey-boys-set-national-television-date-on-usa-network/br />
Need a Frankie Valli fix? Our eyes, and a million other eyes, will adore the Jersey Boys when they headline a nationally televised event for the opening of the US Open Tennis Tournament on Monday. The stars of the Tony winner and audience favorite will perform at the Opening Night Ceremony of the 2008 US Open on Monday, August 25 at 7:30pm EST. The performance will celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the founding of tennis' Open Era with a parade of more than twenty former US Open singles champions. The show will be hosted by Academy award winner Forest Whitaker and will also feature a musical performance by Earth Wind & Fire, who had their own Broadway show not so long ago. The ceremony will be broadcast live on the USA Network.

-Broadway Magazine, Broadway.tv

http://www.broadway.tv/blog/broadway-magazine/jersey-boys-set-national-television-date-on-usa-network//p>

Need a Frankie Valli fix? Our eyes, and a million other eyes, will adore the Jersey Boys when they headline a nationally televised event for the opening of the US Open Tennis Tournament on Monday. The stars of the Tony winner and audience favorite will perform at the Opening Night Ceremony of the 2008 US Open on Monday, August 25 at 7:30pm EST. The performance will celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the founding of tennis' Open Era with a parade of more than twenty former US Open singles champions. The show will be hosted by Academy award winner Forest Whitaker and will also feature a musical performance by Earth Wind & Fire, who had their own Broadway show not so long ago. The ceremony will be broadcast live on the USA Network.

-Broadway Magazine, Broadway.tv

http://baltimore.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=31343

EWF To Perform at US Open Opening Night Ceremony

by BWW News Desk

The USTA today announced that the Opening Night Ceremony of the 2008 US Open on Monday, August 25, will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the founding of tennis' Open Era with a parade of more than twenty-five former US Open singles champions.  The on-court ceremony will be hosted by the Oscar-winning actor/director Forest Whitaker and will feature special musical performances by Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Earth, Wind & Fire and the Tony® Award winning Jersey Boys.  USA Network will carry the ceremony live.  Throughout the tournament, the US Open will feature additional celebrations and special tributes to past champions.

"Opening Night will be a memorable and historic evening at the US Open with the celebration of the Open Era," said Arlen Kantarian, Chief Executive Officer, Pro Tennis, USTA.  "We look forward to honoring the tournament's rich history with some of the game's greatest champions ever to play the game."

Among the tennis greats expected to be on-hand for Opening Night are Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Rod Laver, Ivan Lendl, Tracy Austin, Martina Navratilova, Stan Smith, Boris Becker, Gabrielle Sabatini, John Newcombe, Ilie Nastase, Guillermo Vilas and Mats Wilander.  The celebration will include a look back to the very first US Open in 1968 and will include Virginia Wade, the first women's singles US Open champion, and Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe and her daughter Camera Ashe, who will represent their late husband and father Arthur Ashe, who won the 1968 men's singles title.  Additionally, present day players expected to appear in the celebration include Roger Federer, Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Marat Safin and Andy Roddick.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will participate in the opening night festivities as he welcomes the tennis world to New York.  The US Open and the City of New York share a special relationship that dates back to 1915, when the West Side Tennis Club first hosted the men's singles U.S. National Championships, a precursor to the modern-day US Open.  Since its beginning in 1881, the U.S. National Championships was strictly limited to amateurs until 1968 when the tournament became "open" to both professionals and amateurs and changed its name to the US Open.

Forest Whitaker is one of Hollywood's most accomplished actors, directors, and producers who has showcased his talents in a multitude of demanding and diverse roles.  The year 2007 is a year to remember for Whitaker.  After winning almost every Critics Award, he received the Academy Award for Best Actor, Golden Globe for Best Actor, the Best Actor SAG and BAFTA Awards for his performance as Uganda dictator Idi Amin in Fox Searchlight's "The Last King of Scotland." Whitaker has garnered critical attention for his performance on last season's "The Shield" opposite Michael Chiklis, as well as for his appearance on "ER" this season, for which he garnered an Emmy nomination in the category of Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

Earth, Wind & Fire is among the most influential, commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands of the last three decades. Formed in 1969 in Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire's 39-year history resulted in millions of albums sold worldwide and distinguished awards and accolades. Founding members: Maurice White (leader, vocalist, songwriter); Philip Bailey (lead vocalist, percussionist); Verdine White (bassist); Ralph Johnson (drummer and percussionist) have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and are credited with eight Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards, honors from the NAACP, the BET Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Jersey Boys, winner of the 2006 Tony® Award for Best Musical and the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Musical Recording, tells the story of how a group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time --Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.  The performers are Sebastian Arcelus (plays Bob Gaudio), Tony Award winner Christian Hoff (plays Tommy DeVito), Michael Longoria (plays Frankie Valli) and J. Robert Spencer (plays Nick Massi).

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest level of the professional game.  It owns and operates the US Open, the highest attended annual sporting event in the world, and launched the Olympus US Open Series linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns the 94 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games.  A not-for-profit organization with 725,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game.  For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com.

Rockin' in the Free World by Bill O'Reilly

"The other night I went to see the legendary R&B group Earth, Wind and Fire at Radio City Music Hall. Toward the end of the show, lead singer Philip Bailey startled me and others in the crowd when he said: "I thank God and America for allowing us to have success for 37 years.

"Shocking.

"Call me cynical, but I am used to hearing performers badmouth their country and promote things like drugs and violence. That is routine these days. People like Nas and Ludacris spit out poison like sesame seeds. That's why it took some guts for Bailey to say what he said. In some precincts, it is cool to run down America from the stage, not to praise it.... "

Read entire commentary at:
http://townhall. com/columnists/BillOReilly/2008/08/09/rockin_in_the_free_world

View commentary video at:
http://www. foxnews. com/video/index. html?playerId=videolandingpage&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=2997388&referralPlaylistId=playlist&maven_referrer=staf

EWF House Engineer First to Demo New Soundboard


Terry “TJ” Jackson - FOH Engineer

http://www.digico.org/DiGiCo-05/press_releases/2005/press_releases/news_sd7_ewf.htm

SD7 NEWS - August 08

EARTH WIND & FIRE ARE 'SHINING STARS' WITH DIGICO'S NEW SD7

R&B stalwarts, Earth Wind & Fire, are without a doubt one of the hardest working bands in show business. The multiple Grammy Awarded, Rock & Roll Hall of Famers came together in the suburbs of Chicago in the 70s, and have persevered and flourished in a career that has spanned over 35 years. These days, the band still performs consistently throughout the year—be it a club, concert venue or corporate setting. For the band’s long-time FOH engineer, Terry “TJ” Jackson (who has also worked with Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, George Duke, Anita Baker, and Toni, Toni, Toni) the migration from the DiGiCo D5 to SD7 was a natural one, offering a streamlined roadworthy rig, and giving him the tools to flex the overall sound to the venue at hand. The EWF tour—with production partner Eighth Day Sound—was one of the first tours to head out stateside with the new SD7 console.

“If you knew my background, which is electronics, you wouldn’t be surprised,” he muses. “I like the challenge of figuring out new gear, and as a long time DiGiCo fan, I was excited to get my hands on the SD7. It has a lot of features that I like in a digital console; I like the cleanness of the board. The problem with digital consoles in general is that you can’t move around enough. It’s not a quality issue, it’s just that on live shows you have to get to a section and hit and then get back out. This band has a lot of inputs, 72 in fact, and this console is flexible enough to route my inputs from pages of information right on the surface. That’s important to me. Even though I know how to use snapshots, I don’t use them. This is a fairly straight mix and on this console, other than the routing, it has faders on top so I can move around quicker. I actually like to mix and try new things during the show…. and this board allows me to do it.”

The SD7’s 4-band parametric EQ is also a bonus. “I don’t really take advantage of all the processing but I’m looking past this band, to projects down the road in the fall, which includes an award show in LA in October. The SD7 will be my first choice for that.”

Overall, TJ says there is a noticeable difference in sonic quality with the SD7. “For the first two shows out with the console, I hooked up all my outputs to the console and first thing I noticed was the high-end. At first, I thought it was the PA, but the sampling rate is a lot higher than the D5 - and it’s noticeable. You can tell difference; it’s pristine. It’s definitely changed the way I EQ now.”

EARTH, WIND & FIRE TO CO-HEADLINE FALL TOUR WITH MICHAEL McDONALD

 Legendary powerhouse Earth, Wind & Fire and recording artist Michael McDonald will launch a national fall tour beginning September 11 in Gilford, NH.

The Grammy Award winners teamed up for four weeks of live concert performances. Earth, Wind & Fire fresh off a sold-out European and South American run of dates continues to energize fans with their explosive shows in North America

As an added bonus to this exciting tour package we want to party and celebrate with you! We have teamed with I Love All Access, a premier fan experience company, to offer some exciting packages. Enjoy a first class concert experience with guaranteed great seats! Soundcheck! Meet and greets and photo ops! Exclusive gifts and more! 5 Star and 4 Star VIP packages are on sale now!


ON SALE NOW:

Sept 12 Providence, RI - Dunkin' Donuts Center
Sept 14 University Park, PA - Bryce Jordan Center
Sept 16 Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theatre
Sept 17 Reading, PA - Eagle Theatre
Sept 20 Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theatre
Sept 21 Council Bluffs, IA - Mid America Center
Sept 23 Denver, CO - Red Rocks
Sept 24 Albuquerque, NM - Sandia Casino
Sept 27 Costa Mesa, CA - Pacific Amphitheatre
Sept 28 Concord, CA - Sleep Train Pavillion
Sept 30 Phoenix, AZ - Dodge Theatre
Oct 1 Tucson, AZ - Ava Valencia Amphitheatre


Click here for exclusive VIP packages and enter the password "ewfmm".

Our guitarist Greg Moore is now online! Check him out at MoeSoul Records!

MOESOUL RECORDS was created by Gregory David Moore who was born in Detroit, Michigan. By being influenced by the Motown era, quite naturally he was drawn to the strong melodies, lyrics and music. MOESOUL RECORDS was created to express strong soul music that has been lacking in the music industry for years.

Enter our "I should meet Earth, Wind and Fire" contest!

This year we gave out over 2000 backstage passes and over 3500 passes total since this fan site began in December 2004. That was nearly everyone who has submitted a personal story about Earth Wind and Fire and the impact it had on their life. It’s really simple to enter, just click on the forum tab and enter your story in the section that mentions the backstage passes giveaway. If you’re not registered you will need to sign up. Make sure to include the show you will be attending. Registration is always free. We look forward to reading your stories and honoring you with backstage passes to meet us backstage at an upcoming show! Anyone can enter so please send this to your friends who want to join you backstage as well. Our entire tour schedule is posted on this page and dates are being added all the time, so register to recieve the latest information as it occurs. As always thanks for being a fan/friend and we look forward to meeting you!

-Earth Wind and Fire

http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080801/LIFESTYLE/808010319/1004/LIFESTYLE

August 1, 2008

Earth, Wind & Fire as good as ever

By Barb Van Atta
Press & Sun-Bulletin

Is there a man -- or woman -- on the concert circuit today with a better set of pipes than Philip Bailey?

Earth, Wind & Fire's lead singer dazzles equally with the rich, warm baritone he uses to start off ballads and the awe-inspiring falsetto he tosses off as easily at the end of a concert as at the beginning.

Nothing compares to those stratospheric riffs, with which Bailey decorated such E,W&F classics as "Sing a Song," "Shining Star" and "Reasons" ... except, perhaps, the amazing instrumental solos woven throughout last night's sold-out concert at Binghamton University's Anderson Center.

I've always been a sucker for a sax solo, and, in "Shining Star," saxophonist Gary Bias had high notes to rival Bailey's. His skill was matched on "Misery" by the muted trumpet of Bobby Burns Jr. and the proficient playing of keyboardist Myron McKinley.

Trombonist Reggie Young was downright merry paired with guitarist Morris O'Connor; guitarist Greg Moore turned in a razor-sharp blues solo; John Paris was solid on drums.

And as for Verdine White, bassist for the band since 1970, I've never seen anyone who has so much fun when in the solo spotlight. He was skipping and grinning and wagging his finger, all the while bringing amazing tone from his instrument during another crowd-pleasing hit, "Serpentine Fire."

What am I saying? Everything pleased the crowd, which was announced to be the largest ever at an Anderson Center concert. These folks were on their feet when the band took the stage, and stood up again and again to boogie and wave and sing along.

Audience participation was encouraged by Bailey, White and fellow core member Ralph Johnson. Both Johnson and David Whitworth have strong vocals and impressive percussion skills; Whitworth also is a perpetual motion machine and a bit of a prankster on stage.

Concert-goers were treated to all of their favorites: the up-tempo "Fantasy," "September," "Got to Get You into My Life," "In the Stone" and, during the encore, "That's the Way of the World," and ballads such as "I'll Write a Song for You" and "After the Love is Gone."

Audience members were a mix of middle-age (or more) contemporaries of the band -- Bailey, White and Johnson are in their mid- to late 50s --and a new generation of fans drawn to the band's unique blend of disco, R&B, funk, jazz and blues.

Circuit City and its like better be well-stocked in Earth, Wind & Fire CDs; I predict high demand today.