Looking into the recent past, and discovering old songs, there is a wealth of information to explore, but often this leads to more mysteries than discoveries. The mystery begins on a 78 record, played until its almost worn out, and then hidden for a generation. Listening to the music that one’s grandparents grew up on can be like looking into the attic. There’s a lot of magnificent dust, hiding people who were very much like the present generation, with the same concerns, and the same passions.

In Hawaii, these kinds of searches are magnified. It’s mentioned in song with a rather high frequency, and this was especially true for the first half of the 20th century. So although today the Waikiki luxury hotels might seem absolutely modern, they inspire a love that’s been around for some time now. Though the lyrics to some of the tunes, like Waikiki Chickadee may not speak to a deep passion deeply considered, they do have an easy sense of love that’s hard to find these days.

But harder still to find are the origins of the song. It seems to have been written by Mel Paoa, but one of the groups credited with its recording seems to have disappeared. It may be another generation before the truth about George “Tautu” Archer and His Pagans comes to any light, but perhaps a musicologist visiting the island might be able to find some answers sooner.

The Mystery of the Waikiki Chickadee is a post from: Bob Travel

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This year is shaping up to be a fantastic year in Singapore for music.  It’s probably not a stretch to say that every year in Singapore is a good one, considering the wide variety of excellent entertainment that comes from the creative talents of the people who live here, along with the dizzying array of performers who make this one of their stops.  The city-state is a popular destination for musicians from Europe, the U.S., and also from all over Asia.  Singapore has been a world-class city for some time, drawing on its potential as a major trading port.  The exports and imports here are not just food and goods, but often takes the form of ethereal entertainments.
For a perfect evening of ethereal entertainment, one of the best bets this year will be the Sam Hui concert. This event is coming in late June, but is already causing small waves of excitement among the locals here.  It’s a perfect excuse to take a trip over, and enjoy an evening out, with dinner at one of the excellent Chinese food restaurants in town, and then get ready to see the show.  Audiences here are very discerning, and for events as anticipated as this one, they are also extremely generous, and not afraid to show their enthusiasm.   This is one way of getting in touch with the local culture, and also experience the world of global pop, with one of Hong Kong’s most beloved stars.
Sam Hui had retired from performing, and from his illustrious film career, years ago, but picked it up again in 2004.  This was very good news for the long-term fans, who can be wonderfully fanatical about this pop star.  He comes from very humble origins, making his rise even more meteoric than other stars who come from wealth and privilege.  His reputation has always been very strong as a voice of the people, giving the audiences what they want in terms of energy and enthusiasm, and in the process, keeping the spirit of hope alive for millions.

Sam Hui back in Singapore is a post from: Bob Travel

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Augusta Georgia famous for The Masters golf tournament held every year. Which brings in many famous people both as players and spectators. They flock in to the rooms at the fabulous hotels around Augusta click here and add flair to the game festivities. I am sure the economy of the town gets a nice boost from the event. While that spectacle only brings in the rich and famous for a couple of weeks there are some rich and famous that were born here. From the early developers of the country to the modern entertainers of the world, there are some interesting notables that came for this town.

How about Woodrow Wilson, the twenty eighth President of the United States, as a native to Augusta. The current Federal Reserve chairman Ben s Bernanke is also from this quaint town. There were some big time military men that came from here like Archibald Butt who was the military aid to Presidents Roosevelt and Taft. He died on the RMS Titanic and there is a the Butt Memorial Bridge in Augusta that is dedicated to Major Butt. then you have Montgomery C. Meigs who was a Quartermaster General of the US Army during the Civil War. He was also an engineer and built some military forts and other impressive monuments.

Then there is the musicians that were born in Augusta. James Brown tops the list of household name musician. Then you have jazz trombonist, Wycliffe Gordon and singer Sharon Jones. Amy Grant started her life in Augusta then moved to Nashville where she blossomed into an amazing singer and songwriter in the country pop music field. Steve Morse is a musicians musician guitarist who is the founder of the fantastic Dixie Dregs. He was also the guitarist in the band Deep Purple. His work can be found on over eighty projects during his long career as one of the greatest guitarist in the world.

Famous Augusta is a post from: Bob Travel

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The Robeco Summer Festival of concerts, and the Grachten Festival are about to begin in Amsterdam.  Many festivals, music, art and culinary, occur throughout the summer months, and this is just two of many that will entertain locals and tourists staying in the five star Amsterdam hotels throughout the months of July and August.  The Dutch culture and the Dutch people are long known for their love and support of music.  Many musicians have come out of the Netherlands, and some of the best orchestras and symphonies have their homes here and perform regularly at the Concertgebouw, a theater known to be one of the best in the world for the acoustics.

The concerts scheduled during the summer months are often theme-based, with various series, even the smaller festivals, encapsulated under the same theme.  Often times the themes will include the birthdays or the anniversaries of the deaths of composers throughout history, with the focus being placed on their works.  There are also concerts specially designed for audiences of children, or high-lighting the music of international composers.  The music in this series is presented just about every night of the week throughout the months of July and August, beginning each night at just past 8 pm.

The Grachten Festival celebrates the music of the symphony and the opera, the classical side of the industry and the art.  In 2007, Nelly Miricioiu–famous opera singer, not only performed heart wrenching pieces each night, but also offered workshops and seminars.  Teaching and coaching the works of Bellini, Donizetti, and Rossini opening up a world that may be unfamiliar to the general public or to young singers, along with the opportunities to witness these pieces performed each night.  Along with the classes, she spoke of her experiences, which is interesting to those wishing for a career following in her footsteps.  For music lovers around the world, this is one of the best times to be in Amsterdam.

Summer Music Festivals in Amsterdam is a post from: Bob Travel

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Looking for the best hotels that rank up in the category of five-star?  Singapore has lots of options to keep the world’s most discerning travelers happy.  There is a splendid combination of old and new here that make for an exquisite and uniquely novel experience in accommodation.  Cutting edge contemporary design is coupled with details from antiquity, and this makes for a constantly unfolding sense of style that is hard to match in any other city.  Singapore is an extremely unique country, and its urban centers are concentrations of this unique energy, that make for a constantly interesting and vibrant cityscape.

There are artists and writers and intellectuals who haunt the streets here, making it a hotspot for urban culture.  Designers and fashion critics move together in concentric circles, commenting on culture and making culture.  And there are other individuals who work to make their lives a work of art.  One local who falls outside of every category and makes his own is Jeffrey Tan, the singing cabbie.  His cab is for rent for $35 an hour, and it’s not the luxury and style of his 4-passenger vehicle, it’s the driver himself who is the attraction here.

Jeffrey Tan sings.  He’s not like the cabdriver who sings to himself to a tune only he can hear, but his work is to sing for the passengers.  Sometimes billing himself as a kind of traveling karaoke bar, Jeffrey Tan can sing thousands of songs, in eight languages.  He specializes in keeping his passengers entertained, and has found a truly unique way to do it.  If you should get tired of his voice, he’ll plug into his state of the art karaoke machine and you and your party can do your own karaoke.  The possibilities here are staggering, and endless fun.  If your destination is often the journey itself, this might be one of those perfect details that make life worth living.

Jeffrey Tan, Singapore’s Singing Cab Driver is a post from: Bob Travel

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Where in the world can one find the best five star hotels?  Spain might have some answers, and if they’re not definitive, at least the search will be a true pleasure.  Spain is one of the most romantic places in the world, from classical times to now.  It may be the languages that are so enchanting, the island lifestyle that seems to dominate the country, or the intense conversations.  There are also the heady pleasures that permeate the humidity like a welcome friend.  Bullfights, red wine, rich and delicate foods, the land is made of myth and history.

Sometimes myth and history intertwine, like they do in the life of Spain’s celebrated singer-songwriter Joaquin Sabina.  He is celebrated all over Spain, where most every local can sing at least one of his deeply poetic songs by heart, and he is also considered to be a treasure of the world all over Latin America, where he has toured extensively.  Born in 1949, Sabina has become a true living legend.  By the early seventies, he was already positioning himself as a political artist, with his intense opposition to Franco’s fascist policies.  His father, a policeman, would ironically receive the orders to arrest his son, who was already becoming famous.

And very famous as a man who loves women, with several broken relationships already following in his wake.  The formative years of his songwriting would see some 14 albums, and a very lucky break from CBS records.  Some of his best-known albums are “Dimelo en la calle,” “19 dias y 500 noches,” “Yo, Mi, Me, Contigo,” and “Este boca es mia.”   In 2001 Joaquin Sabina suffered a stroke following years of hard living, and he took a hiatus from performing, to follow three years later with “Alivo de luto,” a beautiful album that is deeply melancholy, terribly romantic, and lyrically complex, funny, and sad.  In short, he’d come back from near death to live with gusto, and his recent tours are remarkable for the energy, gracefulness, and self-deprecating humor that guides his songwriting.

Spain’s Own Joaquin Sabina is a post from: Bob Travel

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Many wonder what Mauritian Sega is.  It is both dance and song combined.  There are many instruments that accompany the dancers including the ravane, the maravane, and the triangle.  The ravane is a drum, covered with the skin of a goat and very wide and thin.  The maravane is also a percussive instrument, like a maraca, it is a box filled with stones and musicians shake it created much the same sound.  And the triangle is that standard metallic ‘triangle’ used by many bands in many countries.  Singers sing songs that span the spectrum of emotions.  Subjects and stories from everything to the funnier happenings in life, to songs about the difficulties in love and other relationships.  The singers are the only melodic aspect of the songs, as all of the instruments are instruments of percussion.

The dance is a shuffle, a series of steps with no set choreography nor patterns.  The arms are stretched and the hips are swinging.  This resembles a dance of courtship as the dancers move around each other, then come together, face one another, and then move to the floor, sitting.  They then bend back and forward, towards and away from each other.  Many companies perform for tourists in the resorts and best hotels. Mauritius nightclubs often accentuate the eroticism and the air of suggestiveness in the performances.

This is all not set in stone, as the versatility and diversity of the African tribes is immense.  Occasionally the music is performed by guitarists or trumpet players, or sometimes with no musical accompaniment at all.  Or, just anything, any object that will make noise, and old can, sticks, or a coin tapped on the side of an empty bottle.  That is usually how the Sega beach parties begin.  And although this is sometimes thought of as a dance of sensuality, families participated as well.  This is an African tradition that is participated in during festivals, weddings and birthday celebrations.  This has become part of the cultural identity on the island.  Sega began on the mainland, and was transported to the island via the slaves during the colonial period.  This was a form of expression for those homesick for their homeland.

Song and Dance in Mauritius is a post from: Bob Travel

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Valencia is a city filled with jewels, one of them is the dry Turia riverbed.  This was once a flowing and steady river, but is now an incredible and popular site for runners, cyclists, botanists and music lovers.  This is a park containing many cultural structures and gardens and is close to and easily accessible to many of the best Valencia hotels and resorts.  This bed stretches seven kilometers, from the City of Arts and Sciences to the east, to the Cabecera Park on the west end.  Between there are stretches of beautifully maintained walkways and paths winding through the gardens and under some of the most charming bridges found anywhere in the country as well as the world.  Sitting in front of an amazing fountain is the Palau de la Musica which hosts many festivals and concerts.  This is just one of the works of the renown architect Santiago Calatrava.

There are many gardens throughout the riverbed.  The Parque de Cabecera is on the west end and is planned and designed exquisitely.  This is a nature and wildlife reserve as well as a playground for children.  There is a man-made lake that is fed the old river’s source.  There is also and outdoor amphitheater which hosts live concerts throughout the entire year.  This is a great section of the riverbed for walks and picnics and boat rides.  One of the oldest of Europe’s botanical gardens is found in this river bed in Valencia.  The University of Valencia started the garden in 1567.  Originally the garden started for the cultivation of medicinal herbs and plants.  It is now regarded by botanists world-wide as a masterpiece.  There is also a convention center, and another stage for live concerts and music.  The Jardin de las Hesperides is filled with sculpture.  Medicinal herbs grow abundantly here, as well as lemon and orange trees.  There is a system of canals that wind through the park and this is one of many perfect spots for picnicking and long, leisurely walks.  All of the gardens are open year round and for those traveling in Valencia this is one spot that should not be missed.

The Beauty, the Music, The Gardens is a post from: Bob Travel

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Chennai is known of the land of priests and temples.  The religious traditions are reflected each year in the month of December.  The season’s music is underway at this time, and is one of the best times for a visit and a stay at one of the five star hotels.  Chennai  is a city with very rich cultural heritage.  The dancers of the city perform on the streets and in the various auditoriums, depicted stories of their culture, or just simply performing recitals.  Dancers renown the country often stop in Chennai to give master classes and lectures to all those interested in this form of expression.  Many international companies tour here as well, as with the world of dance, there is no need to speak the same language.  The language is just the dance, and all dancers can ‘speak’ it.

Evenings out on the town are filled with dance and music as well.  Chennai has become a hot spot for trendy nightclubs and discotheques.  The city is become quite distinguished as the best cultural location in India.  Many clubs offer pop music to trance and techno as well.  And as the bars remain open until the wee hours, it is possible to just dance the night away, literally.  For those not so inclined for such a party, the theater in the city is spectacular.  There are some theaters that produce plays performed in English, as well as Tamil.  And the music concerts are varied, from street performers, to the Music Academy’s  finest students, there is always a show happening somewhere around this city. 

Festivals  are quite common, honoring and celebrating religious events, to the positions of the planets, to the agriculture of the land.  While this is a very cosmopolitan and progressive city, just about all of the festivals are religious ceremonies to a certain extent.  Thanks are given to bountiful crops, to the birth of children, and celebrations of the seasons passing.  In all, there is really no bad time to chose to visit, as something incredible and culturally is happening during each week of every year.

Celebration in Chennai is a post from: Bob Travel

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