Happy Wednesday, Visionary readers. Yes, it’s Wednesday, and what better way to get through the midweek slump than with a carefully curated playlist? Below are five songs—ranging from obscure to well-known, all extremely good—to help you over the hump.
“Frida’s Sonnet,” composed by Ayhan Sahin (vocal by Karine Hannah)
Formerly a civil engineer in his native Turkey, composer-producer Ayhan Sahin staged four full-length musicals there with an amateur theatrical group—includingSwedish Style, which grew out of Sahin’s admiration for pop supergroup ABBA. The production ultimately led to a meeting between Sahin and ABBA founders Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. Today he has his own indie label in New York and is working with the likes of Olivia Newton-John, Phoebe Snow, Sandra Bernhard, and American Idol finalists.
Michael Benedetto wants to save the world with sound.
The 27-year-old Rockaway folk singer is releasing a solo album on Thursday to raise money for orphans.
“I was told if you have the opportunity to do something good then you should do it,” he said.
The album, titled “Burnt Hill Road,” was recorded in a cabin in upstate Roscoe, N.Y., during a two-week burst of creativity.
“It’s a mix of things,” Benedetto said. “It begins acoustically, gets electric and comes back.”
The six songs and four poems on the album sprouted from being in the Rockaways, he said.
“Being near the water inspires a lot of songs,” Benedetto said.
His album can be purchased at projectsofpeace.com for $1.29, a dollar which will go to fund children charities.
Benedetto said a few years ago he was bumming change on subway platforms to get by, so he wants to help the world any way he can.
“The reason I’m doing this is because I know what it’s like not to have money,” he said. “In order to receive you have to give first.”
Ayhan Sahin, who owns the record label Young Pals Music, said Benedetto is a multi-faceted musician who can switch from one instrument to the next seamlessly.
“The fact that he recorded the entire project in a cabin in upstate New York playing everything himself — including guitar, harmonica and a whole host of acoustic, roots-driven instruments — proves and distinguishes his remarkably authentic talent,” Sahin said.
Benedetto has been playing guitar and singing for over three years in what he descibes as a “pirate rock band” called “Rattrap Bumpkin.” He said music is his life. “It’s everything,” he said.
Matt Schilling, 30, of Howard Beach, who works as Benedetto’s business manager, said his work ethic impressed him.
“Mike is probably one of the hardest working guys I’ve seen in a while,” he said.
Benedetto’s goal for the project is ambitious.
“I want to raise a million dollars from New Yorkers to help kids,” he said. “It’s for a good cause.”
Soundtrack Released For “Swedish Style: The Musical,” Inspired By The Behind-The-Scenes Split Of Super Group ABBA
Full-Length Rock Musical Available For Commercial Theater Groups & Schools
No mention of timeless pop music would be complete without Swedish pop super group ABBA at the top of the list. For a decade starting in 1972, the quartet released eight studio albums and a staggering 73 hit singles. In all, Benny, Björn, Frida and Agnetha have sold more than 370 million albums around the world.
But all good things come to an end, and ABBA’s demise was sullied with divorce between the two couples, internal strife and ultimately, dissolution.
This is the story that inspired full-length rock musical “Swedish Style,” written by Turkish composer/producer and NYU Tisch School of the Arts Master’s grad Ayhan Sahin. Selcen Pamuk, equally accomplished as a university professor with a PhD and Master’s in Business, wrote lyrics.
The dramatized theatrical production—set in the early 1980s and rapt with love, loss, friendship, heartbreak and the penance of ultimate artistic immortality—illustrates the saga of beloved pop group Opus 10’s demise, following the break-up of the quartet’s two couples. Manager Anna pleads with members Reno, Rita, Kurt and Katherine to deliver a final album that propels them beyond their “bubble gum” legacy and insures legendary status in the pop pantheon. Ultimately, the group’s primary nemesis turns out to be staring them in the mirror, as they strive to conjure their original magic one more time and achieve “immortality.”
“Swedish Style” was originally staged in the mid-1990s at the Operetta House in Sahin’s native Ankara, Turkey, with subsequent performances in Copenhagen; Reykjavik, Iceland; and a symphonic version staged in Istanbul by the acclaimed Presidential Symphony Orchestra. In addition, “Swedish Style” was honored via an alliance of the Swedish-Turkish Cultural Cooperation during Stockholm 98’s Cultural City of Europe campaign. The ensemble featured a cast of 45 performers/musicians and 25 offstage contributors.
The success of “Swedish Style” also led to a personal invitation by the Swedish Ambassador in Turkey, then, Michael Sahlin for Sahin to fly to Sweden for a rendezvous with ABBA founders Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus “to strengthen musical and cultural cooperation between Sweden and Turkey.” Within the past decade, the musical has also been showcased on VH1 in the U.S. and in a one-hour special on Turkish National Radio.
Now based in New York, Sahin has revised and refashioned “Swedish Style: The Musical” for licensing by commercial theatrical groups and schools. The concept album for the musical comprises a full-cast vocal production featuring five principal singers and an eight-member ensemble mastered for use in licensed productions of the show. The 12-piece band offers a robust palette of keyboards and piano; electric, classical, flamenco and acoustic guitars; percussion, bass, violin, cello, flute and sax.
A video vignette was also filmed by Christopher Holmes/Holmeswood Features Entertainment in December 2011 that provides a compelling sketch of the new production and its soundtrack recording. The five-minute promotional trailer offers potential production companies a snapshot of the cast in action, detailing elements of the script, choreography, set and costumes.
Of course, the inspiration for “Swedish Style: The Musical” remains as vital today as it was 30 years ago. ABBA has indeed become immortal, thanks to the ongoing success of Broadway sensation “Mamma Mia!” and the accompanying 2008 film starring Meryl Streep, along with the group’s 2010 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
Now, adding to the legacy, “Swedish Style: The Musical” offers, for the first time, the captivating tale of a lesser-known—but all-important—chapter in the group’s fabled history. “It is through death a legend is born,” is a pivotal line in the production. Through this theatrical dramatization, the legend lives on.
For information on “Swedish Style,” contact Janet Castiel at Redwood Entertainment, Inc.
New York based music producer Ayhan Sahin and his manager Janet Castiel visited Pearl Studios to watch Seven Hills Anatolian Folk Dance Group’s rehearsal.
Sahin, who recently celebrated his record label Young Pals’ 5 years in the industry, has been living in New York City for the last 12 years. He has worked with world renowned names like Sezen Aksu and Sandra Bernhard. Sahin, who visited Pearl Studios to watch a rehearsal of the folk dance group quoted that it is a brilliant idea to spread our rich Turkish culture in the U.S. by staging our folkloric dance in various American venues.
Sahin’s American manager Janet Castiel from Redwood Entertainment was also there to watch the rehearsal. Redwood Entertainment also manages Sezen Aksu, Sertab Erener, Demir Demirkan and Fahir Atakoglu in the U.S. territory. Castiel, who is a big admirer of Turkish culture, said that she has watched previously the staging of “Anatolian Fever” and loved it. She said that with persistence, the dance group’s future looks bright.
Seven Hills Anatolian Folk Dance Group’s first performance willl take place on October 29.
