Sleepless Night

Our Music Recommendations From Among the Official Sleepless Night Events on Saturday

By Arielle Castillo

November 05, 2009 09:00

photo by Ben Thacker

Sleepless Night returns this Saturday to Miami Beach. Staying up all night there is nothing new, but the event is way more high-falutin', asking you to stay awake for things like opera and experimental dance. That can seem like a tall order in this town, but the last edition was surprisingly well-attended, and it's nice to at least say you did something cultural, no? (You can read a general explanation of it here.)

I have to say, though, that this year's musical line-up is somewhat disappointing. There is, indeed, a ton of live music all over the place as part of Sleepless Night, but most of it generally falls along the very wide spectrum from Latin to jazz to Latin jazz. Okay, jazz, I won't hate on, because about the only place to hear it around here these days is the Van Dyke, and jazz lovers gotta get a bone tossed to 'em some time.

But most of the event line-up completely ignores the opportunity to bring in a crowd that would usually give artsy events a wide berth. It would have been a lot more fun and smart to mix in some more dance music, hip-hop, or rock in with the program of short films, art, theater, and dance.

The only organizers who really aimed for a youthful, more party-type crowd are the people behind Rhythm Foundation, who, for the evening, control a stage at the 21st Street beach. However, even they played it safe by asking the Spam Allstars to headline. Yes, people love them, but it's not exactly like there's a shortage of events or venues in Miami regularly featuring Spam and Suenalo.

Anyways, there are a few music-type performances on the official Sleepless Night schedule that sound different and worth seeking out. Check out a few recommendations after the jump.

*Ben Neill and LEMUR (League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots, 6 p.m., Normandy Fountain Stage (Rue Vendome between Normandy Drive and 71st Street).

What is cooler than robots who play electronic music? That's right, pretty much nothing. Ben Neill, meanwhile, is a composer and inventor who created something called the "mutantrumpet." Of course these weirdos live in Brooklyn. Here's an example of a LEMUR tune, to give you an idea. Amazing.

*The Beach High Rock Ensemble, 6 p.m., the Euclid Oval Stage (Lincoln Road at Euclid)

Being in the school band at Beach High is actually cool, and this ensemble has produced local favorites like Jacobs Ladder.

*The Global Cuba Music Fest at the Fillmore Miami Beach, 6 to 11 p.m.

Yes, this is on that Latin jazz spectrum, but they managed to snag some pretty big names in that world. Also, this is a nice venue for that kind of music, with good acoustics and seating, and it's probably the only time you'll get into a show at the Fillmore for free. Click here for a Crossfade post from earlier this week with a breakdown of the performances.

*FLEA Ensemble, 6 to 11:30 p.m., the Wolfsonian-FIU (1001 Washington Ave.)

A very adjective-filled description full of many-syllabled words boils down to this: avant-garde laptop music.

*Rockarchive exhibit, 6 p.m. to midnight, the Betsy South Beach (1440 Ocean Dr.)

Not music per se, but music-related -- classic rock photos and a meet-and-greet with Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Jill Furmanowski.

*Oy-Le! 6:30 p.m., the Ocean Drive Main Stage (Ocean Drive between 8th and 9th Streets)

Siempre Flamenco and the Heavy Shtetl Klezmer Trio come together for a mash-up of klezmer and flamenco! Actually, that doesn't sound like such a discordant combination; it's guaranteed to be loud and dramatic.

*Miami Lyric Opera's La Traviata, 7 p.m., North Beach Band Shell (7255 Collins Ave.)

Stuffy as its reputation may be, opera actually is amazing when performed live -- dramatic, with lots to look at. It's admittedly difficult to make it through one without the translation supertitles, and it's doubtful the bandshell will have that sort of technological set-up. But the emotion and pageantry of this selection should provide enough to follow the general gist of the plot.

*The Entire Rhythm Foundation Stage, 8 p.m. onwards, at the 21st Street Beach

All performers here are a safe bet for fun. The Brazilian samba band and dance ensemble Grupo Embalo goes on at 8 p.m. Pop/rock wunderkind Jacob Jeffries plays with his band at 9 p.m., and Transit Lounge staples Lanzallamas Monofonica go on at 10:20 p.m. If your Spam Allstars tank is running dangerously low, they headline at midnight.

*Deep Surface, 9 p.m., Ocean Drive Main Stage

A multimedia performance created by composer Gabriel E. Pulido, this is an "homage to the sea" involving dance, video, and electronic and live music. This is the premier of the piece, which is sponsored by the Ocean Foundation and the Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO.

*ArtOfficial, from 9 to 11 p.m. at the Catalina (1720 - 1756 Collins Ave.)

One of the few acts to really get the live hip-hop thing right, these guys provide one of the best live shows in town.

*Angela Laino, 10 to 11 p.m., the Florida Room at the Delano (1685 Collins Ave.)

She's already a staple at the Florida Room, which is worth a visit just for its fabulous retro-mobster-chic interior design. But Laino is the real draw here on Saturday -- she's an amazingly talented soul-type singer/songwriter with a serious set of pipes.

*The South Beach Chamber Ensemble, 10 p.m., Ocean Drive Main Stage

Again, this is a stuffy name for something that is actually quite cool and genre-blending. This particular piece includes hip-hop artist La Guardia, drum machine beats from Name Brand, African drumming and dancing by Etagweyo Vincent Onokurte, and Indian percussion from Shri. Oh yes, and live poetry by Carlos Pintado.

*DJ Miguel's Disco Alfresco, 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., Da Leo Trattoria (819 Lincoln Road)

Okay, this is basically a retro DJ set, but disco is classic.

*80's Joe's Home Movies, 11 p.m. Keirin Cycles (235A 9th St.)

Honestly, I can't find any info on this guy, but it's supposed to be an acoustic thing, and the name is promising. The Keirin Cycles crowd is kind of the fixed-gear, cut-off-jeans type so this won't be boring. Also, it's worth sticking around Keirin afterwards for a big-screen showing of the '80s Disney epic Tron!

*Afin-k-o, 11 p.m., South Beach Languages (227 9th St.)

These guys get a shout-out for being the only Vallenato band playing.

*Silvano Monasterios and the Fourth World Ensemble, 11 p.m., Normany Fountain Stage.

Yes, jazz again, but among the best performers in the genre at Sleepless Night. This year Miami New Times even named him "Best Jazz Musician."

*"Rock the World" Featuring DJ Maximus 3000 and Tania Mashay, 1:30 - 5:30 a.m., Ocean Drive Showground (Ocean Drive Between 11th and 12th Streets)

The official description says this is a "kaleidoscope of pop culture presented as a party rock audio/visual showcase... topped off by theatrical light up LED costumes in sync with the music, audience participation and glow products spread throughout the crowd." Hmm, this could turn out to be just a DJ in a light-up suit passing out glowsticks, but the duo also promises live singing from Tania Mashay, showcasing original synth pop! Synth pop and glow products! Could be interesting.

Sleepless Night

THE VERSION: the version workshop

THE VERSION: the version workshop

A Stranformation of Image

Black History

“Untitled”

I am the light that shines in the day,
I am the tender voice that dwells inside the heart of the lonely.
I am the night, a fog swaying deep into every whispering ears sleeping far from home.
I am the song in your heart,
I am the shrill breeze that walks with you even when you find no path to trail.
I am unspoken, I am voiceless,
I am silence, I'm gentle,
tender like I don't exist.

Hubert Adedeji Ogunde (May 31, 1916 in Ososa, near Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, Nigeria – April 4, 1990 in London, England) was a Nigerian actor, playwright, theatre manager, and musician who founded the Ogunde Concert Party in (1945), the first professional theatrical company in Nigeria.
Ogunde starred in Mister Johnson, the 1990 motion picture which also featured Pierce Brosnan. The movie which was shot on location in Jos.

Background

He worked first as a teacher before joining the Nigerian Police Force. Like many of his theatre contemporaries, such as A. B. David, P. A. Dawodu, Layeni and G.T. Onimole, his theatre career began under the patronage of the Church. In 1944, he produced his first opera, The Garden of Eden and The Throne of God, by commission of the Lagos-based Church of the Lord, a sect of the Cherubim and Seraphim Society. The performance was in aid of the Church building fund. The huge success of the production spurred Ogunde on to writing more operas until he decided to leave his amateur status as an artist and turn professional. He founded Ogunde Theatre — the first contemporary professional company in Nigeria. By this act Ogunde began the rise of modern professional theatre in Nigeria, a movement in which he remains the supreme artist and father figure.

Professional theatre work

The first play featured at Ogunde Theatre was entitled Tiger’s Empire. Premiered on March 04 1946, Tiger's Empire was produced by The African Music Research Party and featured Ogunde, Beatrice Oyede and Abike Taiwo. The advertisement for the play was the result of Ogunde’s call for ‘paid actresses’. It marked the first time in Yoruba theatre that women were billed to appear in a play as professional artists in Light in their own right. Tiger’s Empire was an attack on colonial rule. It was followed by Darkness and Light, although Ogunde does not remember writing it. This is the only play that has escaped his memory.[citation needed] A public outcry had been going on for a year over the growth of a ‘social evil’ which was entering into Lagos society and corroding it. This evil was popularly known as the ‘Aso Ebi Craze’, a craze which required both men and women to buy the most expensive materials for social gatherings.

The rule was that: “When someone wants to celebrate a marriage or a funeral obsequies (sic) she chooses a piece of cloth to wear on the occasion and approaches relatives and friends to buy the same stuff to wear with her as uniform on the day. The number of people to wear the uniform with her will depend on her popularity and social connections.

“The custom has lent itself to much abuse in that the occasions for celebrating marriages of funerals occur so often that one may be asked by friends to buy ‘Aso Ebi’ more than ten times a year”. This craze of course bred intense competition with celebrants trying to outshine one another. It was a competition that delighted textile traders but which often ruined marriages, as women were known to leave husbands who could not afford to robe them, for lovers who could. Ogunde decided to make his first social satirical comment by writing a play designed to expose the vulgarity and ostentatiousness of the craze. He called the play Human parasites. A tragedy in two acts commenting that ‘Aso Ebi is a Social evil…

Aduke who kissed and keyed a thousand lovers for the sake of Aso Ebi… what happened when boys refused to be keyed is better seen than described”

Personal life and legacy

Clementina Oguntimirin later married Ogunde and became Adesewa Ogunde or Mama Eko (Lagos Mama) as she was popularly known by her fans in the 60’s, after taking the leading part in the popular play of that name. She had five children for Ogunde. The two senior girls Tokunbo and Tope are now leading members of the company.

Oguntimirin died in a road accident on September 1970 en-route to a scheduled performance in Ilesha. The following year, Ogunde wrote a play in her memory called Ayanmo. Her death was mourned throughout the country and press and mass media coverage of her death and funeral was extensive.[citation needed]

With many internal fightings amongst the elites Ogunde's Yoruba tribe of Nigeria in early 1970s, Ogunde came up with a song "Yoruba ronu" calling for unity of purpose. This has remained an evergreen album in Nigeria.

Ogunde died on April 04, 1990 at London's Cromwell Hospital following a brief illness.

Ogunde became the leading producer of Yoruba celluloid movies with "J'ayesinmi" (Let the world rest)and "Aiye" (Life!)blazing the trail.