Bach, Johann Sebastian

Johann Sebastian Bach (pronounced [joˈhan/ˈjoːhan seˈbastjan ˈbax]) (31 March 1685 [O.S. 21 March] – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and organist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity.[1] Although he introduced no new forms, he enriched the prevailing German style with a robust contrapuntal technique, an unrivalled control of harmonic and motivic organisation in composition for diverse instrumentation, and the adaptation of rhythms and textures from abroad, particularly Italy and France.

Revered for their intellectual depth, technical command and artistic beauty, Bach's works include the Brandenburg concertos, the Goldberg Variations, the Partitas, the Well-Tempered Clavier, the Mass in B Minor, the St. Matthew Passion, the St. John Passion, the Magnificat, The Musical Offering, The Art of Fugue, the English Suites, the French Suites, the Sonatas and Partitas for violin solo, the Cello Suites, more than 200 surviving cantatas, and a similar number of organ works, including the celebrated Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.

While Bach's abilities as an organist were recognized and highly respected throughout Europe during his lifetime, he was not particularly well-known as a composer. His adherence to Baroque forms and contrapuntal style was considered 'old-fashioned' by his contemporaries, especially late in his career when the musical fashion tended towards Rococo and later Classical styles. A revival of interest and performances of his music began early in the 19th century, and he is now widely considered to be one of the greatest composers in the Western tradition.

Lee Asher in Malaysia

Holee crap! This man is in Malaysia! This magician is responsible for initiating a new trend of entertaining and visual magic fused with flourishes. His works include ” Well Done “,” Five Card Stud “ and ” Hit the Road “.

His arsenal consists of : Diving Board Double, Thunderbird Aces and the move which made him shoot to fame internationally,  Asher Twist .

Enough said, this is an opportunity for us to invite him over to Singapore to give a lecture!

LEE ASHER :: Live In Malaysia

Date: 29th November 2008
Time: 5.30pm
Duration: about 2.5 hours
Venue: Bangkok Jazz, KL
Please visit: http://www.magicgarage.org/lee-asher-lectu…3.html?cPath=40

Both Vogue and I did attend this event! Read our stories!

Lee Asher: Live In Malaysia – The Review

Lee Asher: Live In Malaysia – The Experience

The Summer Jams 2010: Europopped!

On this edition of the Summer Jams, we expand our reach beyond the US with the help of the amazing blog Europopped. Thanks to them I found a whole bunch of tunes that sound and feel like pure summertime. If you go to the site you’ll see an ongoing parade of amazing jams from all over the world ranging from Timberlake imitators from Romania to totally bonkers stuff like Alexander Marcus’ ode to Hawaiian toast. I cherry-picked a couple songs you should add to your summer jams mixtape right away.

The French band Superbus has style to spare and a great sound. Ultra-slick and hooky, not totally unlike No Doubt when they were at their best. The video for “Mes Defaults” may not be all the summery but I want to hear this song on my radio when I hit the beach later this month

Jay-Z and the Occult Connections

Jay-Z takes aim at all those who have questioned his spirituality on the new Rick Ross song "Free Mason". At the top of the year, while on New York radio, Jay dismissed rumors that he was a member of the illuminati, worshiped the devil and had Satanic images in the video for "On to the Next One".

"I was a roadie on the Blueprint 3 tour for a few dates," Ross said in May of how the song came about. "It started off in St. Louis. I was just messing with everybody, kicking it with everybody, letting Jay hear my ideas and concepts. When you get the deluxe version of this album, we documented when I played the record. I played the track and my first verse," Ross recalled. "I put in the PS3 behind the stage.

"Played it, [Jay] listened to it," he continued. "We played it, backed it up, played it again. Played it, backed it up, played it again. Backed it up, and he spit his verse. It's gonna be magic for people to see Jay do his 'Rain [Man]' when he's rubbing his head, like he pulling his rhymes outta his mind. Just to see somebody come up with a verse that potent in less than two or three minutes ... 'cause it was just a snippet. The beat may have played for a minute and a half and started over," a process Ross says was repeated a few times as Jay composed. "He had his 16, an idea for the chorus. Trey Songz, all of us standing around in awe."

in addition

Jay-Z’s latest video called “Run This Town” (featuring Rihanna and Kanye West) contains occult symbolism relating to secret societies. It has been long rumored that Jay-Z is part of some sort of occult order (probably Freemasonry) due to the hints slipped in his songs and his imagery. ”Run This Town” certainly adds fuel to the fire. We’ll look at the symbolism in this song and in his clothing line, Rocawear.

Lady Gaga's Insurance Company Wants Nothing To Do With Lady Gaga

Bosses at Lady Gaga 's insurance company have filed court documents in New York distancing themselves from the singer's legal battle with a former producer - to ensure they aren't liable for damages if she loses the case.

Rob Fusari, Gaga's former mentor and ex-boyfriend, is suing the star for $35 million, claiming he helped his former lover come up with her stage name and played a key part in landing her a record deal with Interscope.

Fusari maintains he held a 20 per cent share in his company with Gaga, Team Love Child LLC, and argues she failed to adequately compensate him for his shares in the firm once she gained worldwide recognition.

The "Poker Face hitmaker has hit back with a countersuit, accusing Fusari of taking advantage of her naivety as a wannabe pop star.

Now executives at her insurers Navigators Speciality Insurance Company have waded into the lawsuit. Lawyers representing the firm filed a motion in court on Thursday asking the presiding judge to issue a declaratory judgment because Gaga's policy does not cover breach of contract claims, reports TMZ.com.

The legal papers state Gaga's policy only pays for "an act or omission including personal injury in the performance of professional services."

Justin Bieber wants to 'stay pure and honour women'

According to his mother Pattie Mallette, the 16-year-old pop star has pledged to continue treating women with respect and has hinted he plans to remain a virgin until he meets the perfect girl for him.

She said: "He's expressed his desire to stay pure, and honour women, and treat women with respect. So hopefully that stays valid."

Speaking in his 'My World' TV special on E!, the 'Baby' singer admits he finds it difficult to meet girls who aren't interested in his newfound fame and fortune.

Because of this, Justin is happy playing the field and "having fun" for the time being.

He explained: "It's definitely hard to find a girl that really likes me for me. You gotta be careful.

"Right now, I'm like so busy anyway, so I just have fun, hang out with girls and stuff. Try not to take it too seriously."

Justin's ex-girlfriend Cailtin Beadles recently sparked speculation they have reunited after she spent time with him back in June during his photoshoot with Kim Kardashian in the Bahamas.

On returning from the trip, she tweeted: "What happens in the Bahamas stays in the Bahamas!"

"Born Free" Banned From Youtube

Since the dawn of rock 'n' roll, radio stations, TV networks and even entire countries have sought to silence controversial musicians by making their music and videos less accessible to the public. Billboard cover star M.I.A. recently felt the burn of the censors when her incendiary video inflamed YouTube's gatekeepers. But she's not alone .

Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, better known as M.I.A., is no stranger to censorship. In 2007, her hit single "Paper Planes" was censored by MTV and "Late Night With Dave Letterman" due to its use of gunshots in the rhythm track. (In fact, the song itself is a response to the U.S. government denying her a visa in 2006). So she couldn't have been too surprised when the video for her 2010 single "Born Free" -- which showed red-headed youth being round up and brutally murdered -- was initially rejected by Youtube due to its violent content. Maya was not to worry; fueled by the controversy, the video spread across the Internet like wildfire.