West Deutsche Rundfunk Big Band does Prince
April 29, 2024 2:54 PM Subscribe
WDR BIG BAND - The Prince Experience | Konzert [1h40m] "The WDR BIG BAND plays the music of PRINCE together with internationally renowned guests Liv Warfield (vocals), Cassandra O'Neal (vocals, keyboard), Ricky Peterson (Hammond B3), Paul Peterson (vocals, bass), Mike Scott (E -guitar), Kirk Johnson (drums) and Luis Ribeiro (percussion). Vince Mendoza, Composer in Residence of the WDR BIG BAND since 2016, has specially arranged PRINCE's compositions for the WDR BIG BAND. The concert was recorded live during the Bonn Jazz Festival (August 2023)." Song list in video description."
It's Prince songs done by a big band jazz orchestra.
It's Prince songs done by a big band jazz orchestra.
Really putting the funk in rundfunk
Around 50m in, this becomes entirely undeniable.
I have no idea why the German word for broadcast radio is der Funk. They do also use "radio" [with an "ah" for the a sound], but Funk or Rundfunk is what they use to mean broadcast radio. Radio is more used to mean... I think the physical object?
After WWII German media was split up into regions so there could never again be nationwide propaganda broadcasts. West Deutsche Rundfunk is, I believe, for places like Hamburg and stuff. When I was an exchange student in the late Eighties, I was in the Nord Deutsche Rundfunk area, and there were I think 3 different NDR stations with different programming.
Interestingly as you drove around a zone of programming, the different stations would all be within a certain rage of each other and the car radios would automatically tune you to the next station for the best signal. Like if you are listening to NDR 2 while you are driving and you get out of range, the car radio would automatically find the strongest repeater and retune your car radio. Also radio stations there, back then anyway, had traffic reports on a CRAZY regular basis.
Anyway, to sum up... radio in Germany is vastly different than the radio experience in the US.
posted by hippybear at 3:46 PM on April 29 [1 favorite]
Around 50m in, this becomes entirely undeniable.
I have no idea why the German word for broadcast radio is der Funk. They do also use "radio" [with an "ah" for the a sound], but Funk or Rundfunk is what they use to mean broadcast radio. Radio is more used to mean... I think the physical object?
After WWII German media was split up into regions so there could never again be nationwide propaganda broadcasts. West Deutsche Rundfunk is, I believe, for places like Hamburg and stuff. When I was an exchange student in the late Eighties, I was in the Nord Deutsche Rundfunk area, and there were I think 3 different NDR stations with different programming.
Interestingly as you drove around a zone of programming, the different stations would all be within a certain rage of each other and the car radios would automatically tune you to the next station for the best signal. Like if you are listening to NDR 2 while you are driving and you get out of range, the car radio would automatically find the strongest repeater and retune your car radio. Also radio stations there, back then anyway, had traffic reports on a CRAZY regular basis.
Anyway, to sum up... radio in Germany is vastly different than the radio experience in the US.
posted by hippybear at 3:46 PM on April 29 [1 favorite]
According to Wiktionary, Funk (pronounced /fʊŋk/, with the vowel as in foot), comes from Funkentelegraphie, "spark-telegraphy".
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 4:21 PM on April 29 [5 favorites]
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 4:21 PM on April 29 [5 favorites]
But still, Prince music with a big band!
posted by hippybear at 4:23 PM on April 29 [2 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 4:23 PM on April 29 [2 favorites]
And yeah, this set ends up being pretty hot. I'm glad that YouTube is deciding to feed me unexpected big ensemble music shows right now. I'm entirely here for it!
posted by hippybear at 4:27 PM on April 29
posted by hippybear at 4:27 PM on April 29
And when speaking about the genre, Funk is pronounced /faŋk/.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 4:28 PM on April 29
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 4:28 PM on April 29
Funkentelegraphie, "spark-telegraphy".
Spark as in the Spark-gap transmitter , and goes back to the earliest days of German radio, probably since Heinrich Hertz. My sense is that it’s an archaic usage, kind of like
posted by zamboni at 4:29 PM on April 29 [4 favorites]
Spark as in the Spark-gap transmitter , and goes back to the earliest days of German radio, probably since Heinrich Hertz. My sense is that it’s an archaic usage, kind of like
wireless.Where English said wireless telegraphy, Germany had Funkentelegraphie, and subsequently rundfunk (broadcast), funkturm (radio tower), etc.
posted by zamboni at 4:29 PM on April 29 [4 favorites]
Seems a fitting big band post on Duke Ellington's 125th birthday...
posted by jim in austin at 5:56 PM on April 29
posted by jim in austin at 5:56 PM on April 29
They’ve got a few ringers in there with several former members of NPG!
posted by larrybob at 6:32 PM on April 29
posted by larrybob at 6:32 PM on April 29
hippybear: You're correct in that radio is regional in Germany, especially the public service programs like WDR and NDR. All of them have several different programmings: in the WDR region, which is where I live in North-Rhine-Westphalia, it's 1Live (Youth), WDR2 (Middle aged people), WDR3 (Classic and Jazz), WDR4 (Old people), WDR5 (Information). They also have TV stations. These are all public service stations (like PBS in the USA), paid by the public, and there are also private radio and TV stations, which run on advertising.
posted by Metahirn at 1:38 AM on April 30
posted by Metahirn at 1:38 AM on April 30
Also, important to note that a Funkturm is a literally "Tower of Funk". Taking "funk" as "spark," it brings a new depth to the old RKO insignia. Also just plain old "Tower of Funk" is hella evocative.
Arranging Prince for "big band" is one hell of an ask... this did kick off around the half-way mark but it wasn't the craziness it maybe might have could have been. (Covers of all sorts are always interesting though, and this was 100% that.)
posted by From Bklyn at 2:55 AM on April 30
Arranging Prince for "big band" is one hell of an ask... this did kick off around the half-way mark but it wasn't the craziness it maybe might have could have been. (Covers of all sorts are always interesting though, and this was 100% that.)
posted by From Bklyn at 2:55 AM on April 30
I have not looked at TFV but my day has been made by learning that Westdeutscher (it's one word, and mind that adjective ending) Rundfunk has a big band. Now I have to find out if they have a version of Sing, Sing, Sing.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 9:23 AM on April 30
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 9:23 AM on April 30
I was reminded of this post when YouTube served me up a similar video where the WDR big band and Funkhausorchester, plus a quartet of guest musicians and the vocalists Bilal and Ledisi, likewise led by Vince Mendoza, performed a very marvellous tribute to Curtis Mayfield.
posted by misteraitch at 11:57 AM on May 5
posted by misteraitch at 11:57 AM on May 5
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posted by threecheesetrees at 3:01 PM on April 29 [2 favorites]