The Legendary Leonard Cohen by Zeller and Zermeño at Boutique Theater
by Christie Seeley published in Vallarta Tribune
vallarta sounds.com
I didn’t discover Leonard Cohen until late in life but it was perfect timing. By the time I tuned in to him, his music and lyrics sang to me in a way no other music had. Quite by coincidence friends and real estate clients of mine told me they were attending a concert of his the night I was submitting an important offer for them for a perfect mid century home by Roger Lee for their daughter. I missed the concert but we got the house. I researched his music and fell in love. Just a few years before this inspiring man passed away, I kept a promise to myself and saw him at the beautiful Paramount Theater in Oakland, California. Already in his late seventies he gave us his all in this peerless performance with vivacity and charm. It was difficult to accept his passing only a few of years later.
Leonard Cohen, Renowned Canadian poet, novelist, composer and singer came of age at around the same time as Bob Dylan. His early music often spoke of those impassioned years. The bold, perhaps scandolous, “Chelsea Hotel”, which he somewhat contritely admits he wrote about Janice Joplin, and the entrancing melody of “Susanne” take us back to that era where boundaries were being stretched and magic was in the air.
Cohen was a soul searching man. He openly admitted his shortcomings in pieces like “I’m Your Man” and “Famous Blue Rain Coat”, his religious probing in “If It Be Your Will” and the perhaps metaphorical “Sisters of Mercy”, his outrage at what was happening in the world around him with “Everybody Knows”, his incurable romanticism in “Dance Me to the End of Love”. Cohen’s songs invariably evoked different interpretations by the many artists who presented the music. The inspiration for a favorite of everyone, Hallelujah” is one such piece. KD Lang sang it for Leonard Cohen’s induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in a perforance described by Cohen and his partner singer Anjani Thomas as being the song’s “ultimate blissful state of perfection”. Lang felt it represented "the struggle between having human desire and searching for spiritual wisdom”.
The uplifting “Anthem” is certainly one of my favorites. https://youtu.be/6wRYjtvIYK0:
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in
Cohen’s lyrics are always complicated, thought provoking and, while at times heavy, inspiring.
Leonard Cohen’s legend lives on with Zeller and Zermeño’s tribute at the Boutique Theater above Nacho Daddy’s, 287 Basilio Badillo in Puerto Vallarta. It begins on January 31, at 6:00 PM and runs through the 16th of February. Mark and Dana Zeller are founders of the 78th Street Theatre Lab in New York City and have produced hundreds of very successful new plays and revivals. They are joined in this production by Rafael Zermeño, probably the most outstanding electroacoustic guitarists in Mexico today. Their combined talents are sure to produce a supurb show, showcasing the marvelous life and works of this profound artist. I hear that for one of Zeller’s shows you need to reserve early, so don’t miss out on this one, reserve today! Dinner & Show $650 pesos or Show Only $350 pesos are available online at BTPV.org or at the Box Office in Nacho Daddy one hour before show time.
by Christie Seeley published in Vallarta Tribune
vallarta sounds.com
I didn’t discover Leonard Cohen until late in life but it was perfect timing. By the time I tuned in to him, his music and lyrics sang to me in a way no other music had. Quite by coincidence friends and real estate clients of mine told me they were attending a concert of his the night I was submitting an important offer for them for a perfect mid century home by Roger Lee for their daughter. I missed the concert but we got the house. I researched his music and fell in love. Just a few years before this inspiring man passed away, I kept a promise to myself and saw him at the beautiful Paramount Theater in Oakland, California. Already in his late seventies he gave us his all in this peerless performance with vivacity and charm. It was difficult to accept his passing only a few of years later.
Leonard Cohen, Renowned Canadian poet, novelist, composer and singer came of age at around the same time as Bob Dylan. His early music often spoke of those impassioned years. The bold, perhaps scandolous, “Chelsea Hotel”, which he somewhat contritely admits he wrote about Janice Joplin, and the entrancing melody of “Susanne” take us back to that era where boundaries were being stretched and magic was in the air.
Cohen was a soul searching man. He openly admitted his shortcomings in pieces like “I’m Your Man” and “Famous Blue Rain Coat”, his religious probing in “If It Be Your Will” and the perhaps metaphorical “Sisters of Mercy”, his outrage at what was happening in the world around him with “Everybody Knows”, his incurable romanticism in “Dance Me to the End of Love”. Cohen’s songs invariably evoked different interpretations by the many artists who presented the music. The inspiration for a favorite of everyone, Hallelujah” is one such piece. KD Lang sang it for Leonard Cohen’s induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in a perforance described by Cohen and his partner singer Anjani Thomas as being the song’s “ultimate blissful state of perfection”. Lang felt it represented "the struggle between having human desire and searching for spiritual wisdom”.
The uplifting “Anthem” is certainly one of my favorites. https://youtu.be/6wRYjtvIYK0:
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in
Cohen’s lyrics are always complicated, thought provoking and, while at times heavy, inspiring.
Leonard Cohen’s legend lives on with Zeller and Zermeño’s tribute at the Boutique Theater above Nacho Daddy’s, 287 Basilio Badillo in Puerto Vallarta. It begins on January 31, at 6:00 PM and runs through the 16th of February. Mark and Dana Zeller are founders of the 78th Street Theatre Lab in New York City and have produced hundreds of very successful new plays and revivals. They are joined in this production by Rafael Zermeño, probably the most outstanding electroacoustic guitarists in Mexico today. Their combined talents are sure to produce a supurb show, showcasing the marvelous life and works of this profound artist. I hear that for one of Zeller’s shows you need to reserve early, so don’t miss out on this one, reserve today! Dinner & Show $650 pesos or Show Only $350 pesos are available online at BTPV.org or at the Box Office in Nacho Daddy one hour before show time.