SayRoar Studios - The SayRoar concert went very well on June 12th, 2019. The CDA Resort Conference Bay #4 was sold out. The Coeur d'Alene Symphony conducted by my new friend Jan Pellant played original music from the Goldfish Project animated film composed by Jeff Drew and Isaac Murcar that I transcribed and some of which I arranged for the orchestra. I received a lot of compliments for the transcriptions and arrangements and Isaac and I were brought to the front of the house and given special recognition from Jeff. SayRoar announced its plans for expansion and job creation in the Coeur d'Alene area and raised funds for its non-profit foundation that will train young people in the film business so they don't have to leave Coeur d'Alene to find jobs. It was a great evening and another pinnacle in my personal musical journey. SayRoar.com is posting job openings coming up including a Script Reader position.
Book Review – Prague Winter by Madeleine Albright – I found a new friend, Jan Pellant, who is from Czechoslovakia so I got this book about War and Remembrances from 1938 to 1949 or so from the Post Falls library so I could learn more about that country. The book merges Abright’s personal story with the history of Czechoslovakia. The book was very well written and most of the complex events of the times were understandable. I learned a lot of new information.
Book Review – Up Country by Nelson Demille.This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I got the large print version from the Post Falls Library. It is the story of a recently retired military man who is hired by a former commander to go to Viet Nam and investigate a murder involving a US Army Captain suspect and a US Army Lieutenant victim that happened 30 years earlier in Viet Nam and the only witness was a North Vietnamese soldier. He teams up with a beautiful expatriate American woman who can speak Vietnamese fluently. Nothing as it seems and there are numerous intriguing plots and twists. This book gives me a clearer idea of what veterans went through and the different points of view from all sides of the conflict. It helps me resolve some of my own ambiguous emotions about the war.
Book Review – Ambush by James Patterson and James O. Born– This is a great detective yarn from the Post Falls Library about a New York cop who is set up for ambush and his adventures trying to discover who the culprits are.
Movie Review – The Sapphires. This is a fairly old movie about a group of Australian aborigines who are selected to go to Viet Nam and entertain the troops with soul music from the 1960’s. The book focuses on racial prejudice in Australia and elsewhere and the experiences of a musical group trying to merge their personalities and perform great music.
Movie Review – The Last Laugh– Chevy Chase and Richard Dreyfus team up again as the agent and comedian decide to go on the road together for one last comedy tour. It’s hilarious, and I can relate to the movie as a senior citizen.
WaTaino CD Update- My friend from Puerto Rico, Orlando Sanchez and I composed music together for a CD. The style is a fusion of rock, Latin and Taino Indian inspired sounds. He is laying down live tracks in Florida right now. Orlando has played with Stevie Wonder, the drummer Jessie Carabello is playing with Marc Antony’s band and the fantastic bass player Army Zerpa is from Menudo, so there’s a lot of great music being laid down. Orlando has been sending me updates of the progress of the recording session. I’ve gotten four songs now with the live drum and bass parts and they are great. I’m looking forward to getting the finished CD into distribution and transcribing the parts so we can create a live music show based on the CD.
New Musicals Update - Claude Solnik, my co-writer in New York City, and I have been working on three musicals we wrote since 2016:
A Stitch in Time - based on the Emperor wears no clothes story.
Long Island Lolita - based on the true story of a mechanic Joey Buttafuoca who seduces a 17 year old girl named Amy Fisher who shoots her lovers wife on the front porch of her home.
Stealing Mona Lisa - about an Italian Janitor who steals Mona Lisa (the painting) from the louvre Museum in Paris and starts talking to her and falls in love with her (the painting.)
Qualchan Opera Update - Give Me Five program - I am asking individuals to donate $5.00 or more, and asking businesses and organizations to donate $500 or more to fund the production and filming of my Qualchan Opera. You can see the 19 minute video pitch at this link https://www.fracturedatlas.org/site/fiscal/profile?id=18525 and then click on the video at the top of my Qualchan Opera page. To donate to this non-profit fiscal sponsorship website, click on the
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Yours,
Gary A. Edwards
EdwardsMusicSite.com gedward@roadrunner.com