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Paul Simon lines up month-long residency in Brooklyn
Paul Simon will enter a month in residency at Brooklyn's Academy of Music this spring, performing songs from his catalog with help from a number of musical friends.
"Love in Hard Times: The Music of Paul Simon" will split the veteran singer/songwriter's career into three distinct parts, each tracing a different theme from areas of his musical history. The run kicks off with "Songs From The Capeman," running April 1-6, which will feature Simon, Claudette Sierra , Obie Bermudez and Ray De La Paz backed by Oscar Hernandez and The Spanish Harlem Orchestra, performing material from the singer's 1998 Broadway musical, "The Capeman."
David Byrne and Hugh Masekela will join Simon for the next installment of the series, "Under African Skies," running April 9-13. The performances will draw from Simon's respectively African- and Brazilian-themed albums, 1986's "Graceland" and 1990's "The Rhythm of the Saints."
The final program, "American Tunes," will include performances by indie rockers Grizzly Bear and folk/rock trio The Roches , among others. This final set of shows, running April 23-27, "revisits the quiet railway stations, urban rhythms, and immigrant dreams" that occupy the bulk of Simon's solo material, as well as his '60s work with Art Garfunkel, according to a press release.
More information on the shows, including ticket pricing and availability, can be found at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's website.
In 2006 Simon released "Surprise," an 11-song album he co-produced with Brian Eno (Roxy Music, David Bowie). Simon and Eno (who is credited with "sonic landscapes" on the disc) also co-wrote three of the album's songs.
Simon recorded the disc at Eno's studio in London, as well as at studios in New York and Nashville. Steve Gadd, Herbie Hancock and Bill Frisell are among the guest performers who make an appearance on the set, which includes the song "Father and Daughter." The Oscar-nominated track first appeared on the 2002 soundtrack for the film "The Wild Thornberrys."
Also in 2006, Rhino Records issued "From the Big Apple to The Big Easy," a DVD that captures a September 2005 Hurricane Katrina benefit concert that took place at New York City's Madison Square Garden. Simon is among the acts featured on the disc; he and Art Garfunkel perform "Mrs. Robinson" and "Homeward Bound" together before teaming with Aaron Neville for "Bridge Over Troubled Water." Simon also performs with Jimmy Buffett on "Sea Cruise."
