Music

Places we’d go: Stradivarius exhibit in Phoenix at the Museum of Musical Instruments

Museums, ,

The Stuck at the Airport Museum Team missed visiting the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix, AZ our last time through and we plan to make the MIM our first stop the next time we head that way.

Which may be soon.

The museum displays more than 4,200 instruments representing all the world’s countries and many territories. 

This week MIM unveiled Stradivarius and the Golden Age of Violins and Guitars, showcasing more than 70 exceptional string instruments and bows crafted by master luthiers such as Antonio Stradivari, Andrea Amati, and Giuseppe Guarneri “del Gesù.”

This exhibition includes violins, guitars, lutes, and bows from the 16th to 19th centuries—many of which have never been publicly displayed before.

Exhibition highlights include:

  • The “Tartini” violin by Antonio Stradivari (1726). This comes from late in his golden period when he made his most mature instruments.
  • A mandolino coristo by Antonio Stradivari. This is one of only two known surviving mandolins crafted by the iconic luthier.
  • A violin by Andrea Amati who created the violin and the violin family as we know them today. This violin is one of only twenty-three documented Amati instruments known to survive today.
  • A guitar from the school of Matteo Sellas, c. 1625. This Venetian guitar is embellished with ivory, ebony, tortoiseshell, and pearl, and it has a tiered “wedding cake” rose, a common feature of guitars until the mid-18th century.

If you’re a music fan flying into Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (PHX), check the airport’s Traveling Tunes live music program schedule. Local artists take the stage and play live music on the Traveling Tunes music stage in Terminal 3, Level 4 on the main concourse, and in the Terminal 4 Food Court on Level 3.

There’s a different musical genre featured each month. And for November the theme is classical.

See you there!

100 Music Legends in 1 Mural At New Orleans International Airport

Art, , , ,

Alaska Airlines canceled our direct flight from Washington, DC to Seattle, WA on Sunday. And the rebooked route home gave the Stuck at The Airport team the gift of a 7-hour layover at New Orleans International Airport (MSY).

That gave us plenty of time to check out the fun shops, the bars, and the restaurants.

And all of the art.

We could identify just a few of the people pictured in this three-panel mural. And we’ve reached out to the airport for a key or list of them all.

In the meantime, let us know how many musicians you can ID in this great mural by Richard C. Thomas, called The Roux, which depicts 100 music legends from New Orleans.

Update: Here’s a brochure sent to us by MSY Airport that includes a list of all the people featured in the mural:

Museum Monday: PHL celebrates The Sound of Philadelphia

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PHL exhibit honors Philadelphia International Records (PIR)

An exhibit celebrating and highlighting the 50th anniversary of Philadelphia International Records (PIR), a record label dubbed “The Sound of Philadelphia,” is now on view at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), near Terminal A-East.

The label created by songwriting duo Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, along with collaborator Thom Bell, released hits by artists such as Teddy Pendergrass, Patti LaBelle, Lou Rawls, The O’Jays, and Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.

Chuck Gamble, the nephew of PIR co-founder Kenny Gamble (first photo), was on hand for the ribbon-cutting, as was co-founder Leon Huff (below, in the checked shirt).

23 airports hosting 1 big music festival May 6

Music, ,

Airports are really lonely and miss serving as the front doors to their cities.

So they’re working hard to stay in touch with their communities with updates on their Covid-19 responses, of course, but also with educational and cultural activities.

Case in point: 23 North American airports are joining together on Wednesday, May 6 to host the JetStream Music Festival.

The online event celebrates local music from each of the host cities and kicks off at 5 p.m. CST on May 6 on each of the participating airports’ Facebook Live.

Here’s how the JetStream Music Festival will work:

Each airport will feature a 10-minute set from a local musician.

Each musician will have a virtual tip jar so you can contribute during the stream.

Here’s the lineup:

  • Gina Chavez – Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) 
  • Don Hicks – Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
  • Eddy Fabrizio Castellanos – Jacksonville International Airport (JAX)
  • Jane Kramer – Asheville Regional Airport (AVL)
  • Chuck Courtenay – Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV)
  • Lauren Eylise – Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
  • Kendal Conrad – Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE)
  • Chill Moody – Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
  • Julian Taylor – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)
  • Honey & Blue – John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)
  • Big Blitz – Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
  • Key to Adam – Yeager Airport (CRW)
  • Zuriel Merek – Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL)
  • John Hayes – Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)
  • The Honey Vines – Evansville Regional Airport (EVV)
  • Robin Barnes – Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
  • Rhythm Kings – Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE)
  • Leah Leyva – Albuquerque International Airport (ABQ)
  • Patrick Contreras – Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT)
  • Tyler F. Simmons – John Wayne Airport (SNA)
  • Jordan Richard – Portland International Airport (PDX)
  • Nico Hueso – San Diego International Airport (SAN)
  • Tomo Nakayama – Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

Travel Tidbits: free inflight wif + a call for your vacation audio

Free Stuff, Music, Wi-Fi, , , , ,

As we head into the Labor Day holiday, here are some travel tidibts for you.

Free Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi on Labor Day 

Free Wi-FI at airport

Here’s a nice Labor Day perk for anyone flying on a Gogo-equipped domestic flight:

On Monday, Sept 3, you can get 30 minutes of free Wi-Fi, courtesy of T-Mobile. The off is good even if you’re a Verizon or AT&T customer. (T-Mobile customers get a free hour, as always; a great perk!)

Get more details about the free Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi offer from T-Mobile for Labor Day.

 

Heathrow Airport seeking your vacation sounds

Pictures from vacations help us remember a great adventure, but so do sounds.

Studies show that the same part of the brain in charge of processing the senses is also responsible for storing emotional memories. That means sounds, noises and songs you might hear on your trips will be part of travel memories that will be able to transport you back in time.

Think: waves lapping on the beach; the “Mind the Gap” announcement on the London Tube; and that street busker you stopped to listen to in Paris.

Heathrow Airport has decided to capture the essence of great vacations by gathering audio from travelers and commissioning a composer to create a collection of travel mood music and vacation sounds.

Heathrow says submissions sent in by the public will be turned into a “captivating and immersive soundscape” by British Academy Award-winning composer and sound artist Nick Ryan.

“We all record holiday memories with pictures, yet listening to the sound of a voice or a place can trigger far more intense emotions than a photograph on a phone,” Ryan said in a statement.

Travelers are invited to submit their holiday sounds over the next four months as an mp4 clip at soundescapes@heathrow.com. 

Ryan will collection the audio, do this thing with it and release the inaugural Sound Escapes audio installment in January 2019.

What vacation sounds will you send in? 

Kid Band Week at AUS Airport

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AUS KIDS WEEKS 2016

Annie, from Annie & Kate, performing on piano for Kid Band Week, 2015.

Each week, the Augstin Bergstrom International Airport  presents 21 live music performances in 5 venues throughout the airport. But next week there’s something even more special:

Kid Band Week!

This is the 10th annual Kid Band week. It runs July 18 – 22, 2016 (Monday – Friday) and features performers ranging in age from 14 to 18.

These aren’t thrown-together kiddie bands; these are top notch performers (it’s Austin, after all) who just happen to be young.

Here’s the line up:

All performances run from  3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Asleep at the Wheel Stage, located near Gate 10.

Monday, July 18 – Grace London (Singer, songwriter, guitar player, foot stomper. Age 16): .
Tuesday, July 19 – Annie & Kate (Classic tunes, ages 17):
Wednesday, July 20 – Joe Camp All Stars (Jazz combo group, ages 16 – 18);
Thursday, July 21 – Tiarra Girls (All-sister girl band, ages 14 – 17):
Friday, July 22 – Dillon Havins Band (Americana, Alternative Rock band, ages 16 – 18).

If you’re heading to Austin, be sure to check these bands out. Next time through, you may have to pay a lot more than nothing to see them.

PHL airport ready for Democratic National Convention

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PHL Political pins

Attendees at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia later this month will be welcomed at Philadelphia International Airport with a soundtrack featuring Philadelphia-made hits and an exhibition of political pins.

The soundtrack, playing now, features the “Sound of Philadelphia,” a series of songs from Philadelphia’s Grammy award-winning producers and songwriters Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff that became hits for artists such as Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Teddy Pendergrass, the O’Jays Patti LaBelle, the Stylistics and many others.

Gamble and Huff’s well-known songs being heard on the audio system throughout the terminals include I Love Music by the O’Jays, The Love I Lost and If You Don’t Know Me By Now by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Me and Mrs. Jones by Billy Paul, Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now by McFadden and Whitehead, Rubberband Man by the Spinners, and Don’t Leave Me This Way by Thelma Houston.

The exhibition of political pins – post-security in Terminal B – is from the collection of Philadelphian Alfio J. Brindisi, who has been collecting American political memorabilia for nearly 50 years.

Music for flying

Music, ,

music notes

Have a Spotify account?

You can get one for free. And if you do, you’ll be able to listen to the playlist global airline alliance SkyTeam has put together to mark its 15th anniversary.

According to the SkyTeamThe DJs, the songs chosen “reflect the diversity of the alliance and provide a relaxing musical background to customers’ global travels.”

Tracks on SkyTeam’s Spotify playlist include:

Asgeir, Going Home

Arthur Beatrice, Carter

Poom, Les Voiles

Tops, Way To Be Loved

Glass Animals, Black Mambo

Marie Flore, Empty Walls

We Were Evergreen, Daughters

Jose Gonzales, Heartbeats

Alela Diane, To Begin

St Vincent, Marry Me

Hindi Zahra, Imik Si Mik

ALB, Whispers Under the Moonlight

Fleet Foxes, White Winter Hymnal

Dan Croll, Home

Oh Wonder, Lose it

Pittsburgh & Cleveland Airports celebrate their cities

Entertainment, , ,

superman

This week the AIRMALL at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) is celebrating the city with a series of activities and exhibits.

Here’s a rundown of events:

On Tuesday, July 21:  The Cleveland Culinary Launch & Kitchen is highlighting entrepreneurs and products such as BBQ sauces, roasted almonds, cookies and more – all made in Cleveland.

On Wednesday, July 22:  As part of “A Christmas Story House” display, travelers will have photo opportunities with character cutouts, the Leg Lamp and other movie memorabilia from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

On Thursday, July 23:  The native Cleveland contemporary jazz band Forecast will perform from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Main Terminal Food Court.

And on Friday, July 24, Mitchell’s Ice Cream will treat passengers to a complimentary cone or cup from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Main Terminal Food Court.

PIT Trading card one

The AIRMALL at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) is also celebrating its city this week.

On Tuesday, July 21, Peace Love and Little Donuts will give travelers a taste of its “far out” donuts from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. near the video wall in the airside terminal.

Wednesday, July 22, Ronald McDonald will be offering passengers free Big Macs from noon to 2 p.m. at the McDonald’s in the Center Core. The celebration honors the local inventor of the Big Mac, Jim Delligatti.

On Thursday, July 23, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s dinosaur exhibit includes hands-on activities and replicas from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. near the video wall and from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., the National Aviary will be on site with an African penguin to greet travelers.

And on Friday, July 24, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., there will be furs, pelts, skins, feathers and other touchable items from animals all over the world at the airport’s Pittsburgh Zoo’s exhibit near the video wall. Small reptiles from the zoo will be there as well.

Have fun!