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Growing up, Refosco actually wanted to be a soccer-sorry, football-player. Refosco on stage with the touring production of ‘American Utopia’ in Boston (Shira Friedman) And so I joined the band and have been working with him ever since.” I was more into the classical world of it, and also Brazilian music. I had never played rock music or pop music in my life. He was looking for someone to play percussion and mallet instruments: vibraphone, marimba. “I did this master’s at Manhattan School of Music. “I joined his band in 1994,” says Refosco. Pause for a second and reflect upon what it must take to be David Byrne’s musical director. This week on “ Brooklyn Magazine: The Podcast” we speak at length with Mauro Refosco, a renowned percussionist in his own right, a nearly 30-year David Byrne collaborator, and musical director of “American Utopia.” (And we suspect you have someone’s password.) A Spike Lee-directed live recording of “American Utopia” is currently streaming on HBO. It’s spare and stunning.īonus: You don’t have to buy Broadway tickets to see it. Byrne’s kinetic Broadway showcase of his and other songs-interspersed with his musings on the state of the world and the self, the communal and the individual-is a remarkable, throbbing and ultimately life affirming … party. Tell a friend!Įarlier this month it was announced that “David Byrne’s American Utopia” extended its Broadway run for the final time and now will conclude performances on April 3 at the St. In addition to American Utopia on Broadway, the label has released eight other David Byrne records since 2003, including 2018’s American Utopia studio album and two versions of his musical Here Lies Love.Like what you’re hearing? Subscribe to us at iTunes, check us out on Spotify and hear us on Google, Amazon, Stitcher and TuneIn. David Byrne shares the spotlight with a diverse ensemble of eleven musical artists from around the globe to deliver “a marvel of staging and motion” (Chicago Tribune) that’s a “thought-provoking example of the power of live music” (Forbes). Alex Timbers serves as Production Consultant.įresh off an acclaimed pre-Broadway engagement at Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theatre, David Byrne’s American Utopia began performances on October 4 at the intimate Hudson Theatre on Broadway and celebrated opening night on Sunday, October 20.ĭavid Byrne’s American Utopia is the once-in-a-lifetime Broadway event that delivers “an experience unlike anything else” (Billboard) and marks a major cultural milestone in the worlds of music and theater. Choreography and Musical Staging is by Annie-B Parson. Karl Mansfield and Mauro Refosco are Musical Directors. The show’s design team includes Rob Sinclair (lighting) and Pete Keppler (sound). The British publication NME said it “may just be the best live show of all time,” and it was named Best International Contemporary Concert at Australia’s 2019 Helpmann Awards.ĭavid Byrne’s American Utopia features David Byrne with Jacquelene Acevedo, Gustavo Di Dalva, Daniel Freedman, Chris Giarmo, Tim Keiper, Tendayi Kuumba, Karl Mansfield, Mauro Refosco, Stéphane San Juan, Angie Swan, and Bobby Wooten III Davi Viera also performs on the album. Byrne and the ensemble performed more than 150 dates in twenty-seven countries over nine months. The concert tour in support of American Utopia, which inspired the Broadway show, included songs from the new album along with music from Talking Heads and Byrne’s solo career. "The concert-theater-dance spectacle finds solace in human connections … a tonic for our tumultuous times."Īmerican Utopia began as an album, also released by Nonesuch, which received a Grammy nomination and was the first by Byrne to reach #1 on the Album Chart it was also his first to reach the Top Five on the Billboard 200 chart. "A heady swirl of hope for our anxious times," says Rolling Stone. ![]() ![]() "A knockout celebration of music, dance and song. ![]() "Byrne puts the central tenet of making contact with a world outside your mind into dynamic, sensory practice onstage." "Dazzling, rapturous and jubilant," exclaims the New York Times of the show. The two-CD version was released on November 15 the vinyl edition is due December 27. Nonesuch releases the cast album for the current critically acclaimed Broadway production of David Byrne’s American Utopia, with music and lyrics by David Byrne it is available digitally now.
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