[Меломан Пух]

Штат Флорида посмертно помиловал фронтмена рок-группы The Doors Джима Моррисона, осужденного в начале 1970-х годов за нарушение общественного порядка. Об этом 9 декабря сообщило агентство Reuters.
Решение о помиловании Моррисона приняла специальная комиссия во главе с губернатором штата Чарли Кристом (Charlie Crist). За то, чтобы простить покойному музыканту его проступок, члены комиссии проголосовали единогласно. "Виновен он [Джим Моррисон] или нет – решать богу", – заявил губернатор, комментируя решение комиссии.
Эпизод, привлекший внимание флоридских полицейских, произошел на концерте The Doors в Майами 1 марта 1969 года. Во время выступления Моррисон якобы выкрикивал нецензурные слова в адрес фанатов, а также демонстрировал им свой половой орган. Впоследствии суд предъявил вокалисту The Doors обвинения в сквернословии на публике и непристойном поведении, а в конечном итоге приговорил к шести месяцам тюрьмы.
Сам Моррисон признавал свою вину лишь по обвинению в сквернословии, тогда как все остальное отрицал. Неоднозначными были и показания свидетелей, присутствовавших на концерте – одни утверждали, что певец действительно вел себя непристойно, в то время как другие отмечали, что ничего подобного не видели. Моррисон подал апелляцию на решение суда, но так и не довел дело до конца – 3 июля 1971 года он скончался в Париже от сердечного приступа.
С тех пор поклонники творчества Джима Моррисона неоднократно призывали власти Флориды амнистировать певца, но тщетно. Когда губернаторское кресло занял Чарли Крист, известный поклонник The Doors, у фанатов появилась надежда, что Моррисон все же будет помилован. В конце ноября 2010 года Крист пообещал добиться помилования музыканта к 8 декабря – в этот день Моррисону должно было исполниться 67 лет.

Cardiff band Wonderbrass make music for 2012 Olympics

Wonderbrass are the only applicants from Wales to be given one of the grants to produce music for the Cultural Olympiad
A Cardiff jazz band has been awarded a £10,000 grant to create music to celebrate the 2012 London Olympics.
Wonderbrass is one of 20 groups picked for the project to reflect the diversity of new music across the UK.
They will work with London composer Jason Yarde on a piece of music exploring "new world rhythms".
All the pieces will be broadcast by BBC Radio 3 and performed during a UK tour as part of celebrations in the run up to the Games.
The project is called New Music 20x12 which covers a wide range of genres from contemporary classical, folk and opera in Scotland and Northern Ireland to bell ringing, beat boxing, jazz and brass band music in England and Wales.
The music is part of the Cultural Olympiad, a four year arts project aimed at inspiring creativity in the run up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Judging panel chair Roger Wright, controller of BBC Radio 3 and director of the BBC Proms, said: "These pieces will form a vibrant and exciting celebration of British composition in 2012 and help to reflect the Olympic and Paralympic values through their creative excellence and inspirational ideas."
Wonderbrass are the only applicants from Wales to be given one of the grants. They submitted their bid jointly with composer producer and saxophonist Jason Yarde with whom they've worked previously.
They are due to mark their 20th anniversary in 2012, having begun life as a 10-week community music workshop in Pontypridd.
Musical director Rob Smith said the band was "really pleased" to win the accolade which showed Wonderbrass was "up there with the professionals".

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sings for charity
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11975902

Coldplay look to 'outsiders' for inspiration
It has taken Coldplay four albums and 10 years to get around to it, but the band have confirmed they are finally on the verge of releasing their "concept" album.
The as-yet-untitled record is being produced by Brian Eno and Marcus Dravs - the same team behind the band's last album Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends.
"It's from the point of view of two people who are a bit lost," says frontman Chris Martin.
"Two like-minded outsiders who meet in a very difficult environment and therefore have a journey together."
Viva La Vida was seen by critics as a return to form after a more muted response for their previous effort - the equally commercially successful X&Y.
While Viva La Vida explored grander sweeping themes of love and war, Martin said the new album will be more intimate by comparison.
"It's a concept album but it's supposed to be very personal within a big framework. Does that make sense?"
Much of Viva La Vida's musical experimentation came from producer Brian Eno, who began his career with Roxy Music and has produced artists including David Bowie and Talking Head's David Byrne.
"Brian is the sower of seeds and ideas and experimenting, which is very liberating. Then Marcus's job is to come in after all that's been done and try and sculpt it into some kind of releasable format.
"They're like a tag team," says Martin.

Experimentation
The chaotic recording sessions left them with a lot of half-formed and half-completed tracks, he adds.
"We spent a year making a lot of noise. You know those things in a fairground where you have bran in a tub and in there are some hidden prizes? That's sort of where we are at," says Martin.
"Like a lucky dip?," clarifies his bandmate, guitarist Jonny Buckland.
"Yeah, a lucky dip," Martin agrees.
While the music remains a collaborative effort between musicians and producers, the songwriting is still very much up to Martin.
The singer admits bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion can be brutal in their assessment of his new lyrics.
"Jonny's delightful, he's the easiest to convince," he smiles. "It's when you have to take a verse to Guy or Will that things become very tearful.
"I think Guy isn't too savage with your lyrics, it's Will really," adds Buckland. "He's savage."
Yet internal squabbles over lyrics aside, Martin insists he is grateful for such candour.
"I'm so lucky that we have that group, in as much as there are a lot of people who don't like us in the world, but there would be a lot more without this filtering system.
"Think of the rubbish that doesn't get out, if you don't like the stuff that does."
Later this month, Coldplay will play two sold-out gigs for UK homeless charity Crisis - a cause long-supported by the band.
"I think it will be good for us to get our gig feet on for a couple of days because sometimes you can get very institutionalised in the studio," says Martin.
"There's a danger that you forget that you're going to have to play this for people and that's when music can become a little bit silly."

Charity
Buckland agrees that the months the four-piece have spent in the studio have taken their toll: "You can forget that there are other people in the world, you can become so focused on the small group that's around you.
"It's very much like I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here in our studio," says Martin. "A lot of difficult tasks and people that you find it hard to get along with, i.e. me."
Martin and Buckland say they don't have a definite date for release of the new album but add dryly that it will be "some time in the future".
Rather too self-deprecatingly given their past chart success, Martin suggests that he would like to avoid a potential battle with another big UK band.
"Preferably not the same week Take That are doing anything.
"Nowadays, if Gary says he might be possibly playing piano on a certain day, we just say, 'Ok we'll go and work in Germany that day, there's no point in us being here.'"
Coldplay's new single Christmas Lights is out now.


Beatles' Abbey Road zebra crossing given listed status
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12059385
The crossing is described as a Mecca for Beatles fans
The Abbey Road zebra crossing in north London - made famous after appearing on a Beatles album cover - has been given Grade II listed status.
The crossing - the first of its kind to be listed - is being recognised for its "cultural and historical importance" following advice from English Heritage.
The Beatles were photographed on Abbey Road in Ian Macmillan's iconic cover shot for the 1969 album Abbey Road.
Sir Paul McCartney said it was the "icing on the cake" in a great year.
'Huge cultural pull'
The original zebra crossing, where the photograph was taken, was moved several metres for traffic management reasons more than 30 years ago, and no original features remain.
A spokesman for Westminster City Council said: "The detail of exactly when and why the crossing was moved from its original location have been lost in the annals of time.
"But by comparing photographs with the Ordnance Survey maps, we believe that the crossing might have been further north nearer 3 Abbey Road, which was the front house of the EMI Studios, because the steps of Neville Court appear to the right of the crossing in original photographs of the crossing, whereas the present crossing is near the junction of Abbey Road and Grove End Road."

A day in the life of Abbey Road
But John Penrose, Minister for Tourism and Heritage, said: "This London zebra crossing is no castle or cathedral but, thanks to the Beatles and a 10-minute photo-shoot one August morning in 1969, it has just as strong a claim as any to be seen as part of our heritage."
Roger Bowdler, head of designation at English Heritage, said: "This is obviously an unusual case and, although a modest structure, the crossing has international renown and continues to possess huge cultural pull - the temptation to recreate that iconic 1969 album cover remains as strong as ever.
"Together with the nearby Abbey Road studios, also listed at Grade II on our advice, they remain a Mecca for Beatles fans the world over."
Sir Paul said: "It's been a great year for me and a great year for the Beatles and hearing that the Abbey Road crossing is to be preserved is the icing on the cake."
The crossing is outside the Abbey Road studios, where the Beatles recorded much of their output.
That building was granted Grade II listed status in February.
A Grade II listing, the most common protected status, means that a building or monument is recognised as nationally important and of special interest.

@темы: The Doors, The Beatles, Coldplay, свежие новости музыки, джаз и дыры, классика, Wonderbrass, Jim Morrison