EPISODE 6 - On-Air Urban Salon
Episode 6 is all about the movies, and everyone we feature in this show is a part of that world: Academy Award winner Lee Grant, Robert Osborne the host of Turner Classic Movies, and author Tania Grossinger, who talks about her books, “Growing Up At Grossingers,” “Jackie and Me” and “Memoir of an Independent Woman” and knowing all kinds of people in the biz. We listen to music by composer and singer-songwriter Alfonso Vilallonga, including compositions from his new score from last year’s Best Foreign Language Film, the Oscar-nominated “Blancanieves” and songs from his not-yet released album “Frogland.” We play songs from Armenian-American composer Tatev Yeghiazaryan’s in-production stop-motion animated film “Off the Wall” and a song from the soundtrack of the film “Rosso Malpello” by Italian composer and vocalist Miriam Meghnagi from the film “Rosso Malpello,” as well as several recordings by international opera star, the late Jan Peerce, who appeared in a few movies. Also featured guest saxophone player/comedian Samuel Bronowski joins us at the round table and plays a few tunes with the M57 band. Seth Goldman Co-hosts with Sandi Billingslea and Ellen Kaye who also performs with the M57 Band: Musical Director Ethan Fein on guitar, Benjamin Franklin Brown on bass, Sandi Billingslea on violin and Jamie Eblen on drums.
Listen to the full interviews of Lee Grant, Larry Peerce, Samuel Bronowski, Alfonso Vilallonga, Robert Osborne, Tatev Yeghiazaryan and Tania Grossinger below
Lee Grant
JUNE 2013
Actor/Director/Producer Lee Grant won The Critics’ Circle Award for her portrayal of the shoplifter in Detective Story on Broadway. The film version garnered her the Cannes Film Festival Citation for Best Actress as well as her first Academy Award Nomination while still in her 20’s. Ms. Grant was blacklisted in the 1950’s; after 12 years on the blacklist, she again received acclaim for her work on Peyton Place (Emmy Award winner). She went on to great success with In The Heat of The Night (Golden Globe nomination), The Landlord (Academy Award nomination, Golden Globe Award winner), and Shampoo (Academy Award winner), Voyage of the Damned (Academy Award nomination, Golden Globe Award winner). Her documentary film Down and Out in America won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. To learn more about Ms. Grant, please click HERE!
Lee Grant – Episode 6
Larry Peerce
JUNE 2013
Larry Peerce made his directing debut with One Potato, Two Potato in 1964. Peerce went on to direct several episodes of the Western television series Branded and the superhero series Batman, among other shows, before directing the documentary The Big T.N.T. Show, featuring The Byrds, Ray Charles, Bo Diddley, Donovan, The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Ronettes, and The Ike & Tina Turner Revue. He directed the films Goodbye, Columbus, The Incident, and A Separate Peace. To learn more about Mr. Peerce, please click HERE!
Larry Peerce – Episode 6
Samuel Bronowski
JULY 2013
Sami was born in London and raised in Paris, studied at the jazz department of the Versailles Conservatory, and began playing in major French jazz clubs (Sunrise-Sunside, Le Baiser Salé, Jazzcartoon) shortly thereafter. He opened for Louis Sclavis at the Versailles Jazz Festival with his own quartet in May of 2009. During that time, Sami studied at the Sorbonne, earning Masters degrees in philosophy and in political science. In January 2010, he arrived in New York and began to study at the New School on a full scholarship. Since his arrival, he has had the opportunity to perform with his own band at Dizzy’s, and as a sideman at some of the city’s great venues: Lincoln Center, the Iridium, the Living Room, Shrine, Alphabet Lounge, Freddy’s Backroom. He has toured in countries around the world, including Israel, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, and more. Most recently, he was spotted with his saxophone doing stand-up comedy at Stand Up NY. Click HERE to learn more about Sami.
Samuel Bronowski – Episode 6
Alfonso Vilallonga
OCTOBER 2013
Alfonso Vilallonga is the composer of the score of “Blancanieves,” a modern retelling of the Snow White tale, which was a Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award nominee in 2013. His newest album, “Alphosphore Variations,” is available only in Spain, or wherever Alfonso is performing (as of late Fall 2013), and songs from this CD are premiering in the US on our Episode 6 podcast. Alfonso lives and works in Barcelona. Learn more about Alfonso HERE!
Alfonso Vilallonga – Episode 6
Robert Osborne
OCTOBER 2013
Robert Osborne has been the prime time host and anchor of Turner Classic Movies since its debut in April 1994. He wrote for The Hollywood Reporter from 1977 until 2009. Robert is the author of numerous books on the Academy Awards. His “75 Years Of The Oscar” — written at the request of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — was praised by The Weekly Observer as “A scholar’s dream, a researcher’s paradise, a movie buff’s heaven.” His latest addition to the series is “80 Years Of The Oscar.” Osborne has received an Honorary Doctorate from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and has been presented with the National Board of Review’s William K. Everson Award. He has also been honored by Lighthouse International for his contributions to preserving film history, and has been given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. More about Robert Osborne HERE!
Robert Osborne – Episode 6
Tatev Yeghiazaryan
OCTOBER 2013
Tatev Yeghiazaryan is an Armenian-born vocalist, composer, producer and performer whose music is inspired and influenced by classical, jazz and Armenian music, as well as her lifelong fascination with authentic cartoons and the haunting magic of fairy tales. Her project “Off The Wall” is a stop motion animation about 3 animated characters, created and drawn by her sister Sona Yeghiazaryan, who are introduced to a new world in which they turn into 3-dimensional characters made of clay, with Sona directing and Tatev composing the soundtrack. Tatev composes music for her septet “Soundsketch” which aims, in her words, “to ornate and strengthen the visual experience of motion pictures.” She collaborates with her sisters as an ensemble, the YY Sisters, which performs Armenian folk, traditional and classical music, as well as some original music composed by Tatev. See more of Tatev HERE!
Tatev Yeghiazaryan – Episode 6
Tania Grossinger
NOVEMBER 2013
Alfonso Vilallonga is the composer of the score of “Blancanieves,” a modern retelling of the Snow White tale, which was a Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award nominee in 2013. His newest album, “Alphosphore Variations,” is available only in Spain, or wherever Alfonso is performing (as of late Fall 2013), and songs from this CD are premiering in the US on our Episode 6 podcast. Alfonso lives and works in Barcelona. Learn more about Alfonso HERE!
Tania Grossinger – Episode 6
