Sometimes you have to do things yourself. Aggrieved by the awful bands performing at political fundraisers in his US home-city of Portland, pianist Thomas Lauderdale decided to take matters into his own hands.
With his collective Pink Martini still in its early days in 1994 and with Lauderdale still angling for a political career (later discarded), he decided to merge both worlds and get the group to play a few of these white-collared gigs.
The aim was simply to liven things up, he recalls.
“These things can get pretty dull. I was working at Portland City Hall on the civil rights ordinance for the city,” he recalls. “Part of that whole thing was these gigs and I would remember how dull the bands were, so I was thinking why don’t we get on and give it a try. The gigs were good and they were pretty campy.”
It’s wasn't the most rock’n’roll of beginnings but instructive in a way and Pink Martini went on to build close to a 25-year career by surprising and enthusing listeners with their cross-blending brand of pop music.
Concert goers will be tapping their feet and at times raising their eyebrows during Pink Martini's Abu Dhabi Festival appearance at Emirates Palace Wednesday night, as nothing is off limits for the near dozen-strong group.
All sorts of styles will be tackled ranging from funk and rock to French chansons and baroque classical music.
That freewheeling approach has resulted in a fan base as equally diverse as their music; while their independently released 1994 debut Sympathique (with its variety of covers including the film soundtrack favourite Que Sera, Sera by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans and the Latin flair of Andalucía by the late Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona) was a minor hit in the US, it went on to sell over a million copies in Europe.
Over the preceding years and albums, the geographic balance was restored with full US tours now the norm in addition to jaunts to Australia, North Africa and Asia.
Lauderdale, who leads the band on keys, understands why it took some regions a while to get in on the party.
“I think it was down to understanding what it is that we do and whether we were just some fun and novelty project. I mean, like I said, what we were doing at the beginning was totally campy,” he says.
"But as we went on we became more earnest and I think you can even hear that in Sympathique. What saved it, in terms of the critics, was the musicians in the band are so good. That was tough to deny."
Indeed, Pink Martini can mix it up with the best of them when it comes to musical chops.
Samba and Cuban rhythm expertise is provided by Brian Davis who will be manning the congas, drums and percussion, while guitarist Dan Faehnle is renowned in US jazz circles and was enlisted by singer-songwriter Dianna Krall to join her touring band for three years as part of her 2000 world tour.
Despite their pedigree, their talents pale on stage in the light of Pink Martini’s two power-house vocals - China Forbes and the magnificently named Storm Large. Both are bright and brash personalities on stage and between them they can tackle the group’s varied repertoire.
This will include some choice cuts from the group's latest release, 2016's Je Dis Oui, which is arguably their most expansive collection yet.
The 15 tracks here span seven languages and two centuries. There is the Portuguese stylings of Solidão and a celebratory take of late South African singer Miriam Makeba's Xhosa sung Pata Pata.
The album ends with a genteel take of Serenade by German composer Schubert.
“It is a very happy album” Lauderdale says.
“That’s probably because I have been feeling more that way than in the past and the exuberance is coming through on these songs. The album also reflects the state of mind of the band.”
With the song credits shared by all members, how does Lauderdale manage the various expectations and muses within the group?
This where his former political experience comes in to play.
“Running any kind of organisation, even if it’s a band, involves politics. So you do learn to be as diplomatic as you can in certain situations,” he says.
“I look at myself as an editor of sorts and we all work together to get the best possible work out there. I mean, there are times where I am still surprised that I am in a band and that I coming to a place like Abu Dhabi. Such thoughts had never occurred to me, I tthoughtthat I would have a career in politics so this is all a surprise. That’s why, if anything, I look at myself as a reluctant leader.”
Pink Martini performs on Wednesday at Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi. Tickets begin from Dh175 from www.abudhabifestival.ae
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Read more:
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Emirati composer Ihab Darwish on the very personal story behind 'Waves of My Life
Eurovision-style Russian music awards Bravo to be held in Abu Dhabi this year
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Sreesanth's India bowling career
Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40
ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55
T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
The specs: 2018 Jeep Compass
Price, base: Dh100,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.4L four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 184bhp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 237Nm at 3,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.4L / 100km
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Juvenile arthritis
Along with doctors, families and teachers can help pick up cases of arthritis in children.
Most types of childhood arthritis are known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. JIA causes pain and inflammation in one or more joints for at least six weeks.
Dr Betina Rogalski said "The younger the child the more difficult it into pick up the symptoms. If the child is small, it may just be a bit grumpy or pull its leg a way or not feel like walking,” she said.
According to The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in US, the most common symptoms of juvenile arthritis are joint swelling, pain, and stiffness that doesn’t go away. Usually it affects the knees, hands, and feet, and it’s worse in the morning or after a nap.
Limping in the morning because of a stiff knee, excessive clumsiness, having a high fever and skin rash are other symptoms. Children may also have swelling in lymph nodes in the neck and other parts of the body.
Arthritis in children can cause eye inflammation and growth problems and can cause bones and joints to grow unevenly.
In the UK, about 15,000 children and young people are affected by arthritis.
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Results
4pm: Maiden (Dirt) Dh165,000 1,600m
Winner: Moshaher, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
4.35pm: Handicap (D) Dh165,000 2,200m
Winner: Heraldic, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.10pm: Maiden (Turf) Dh165,000 1,600m
Winner: Rua Augusta, Harry Bentley, Ahmad bin Harmash.
5.45pm: Handicap (D) Dh190,000 1,200m
Winner: Private’s Cove, Mickael Barzalona, Sandeep Jadhav.
6.20pm: Handicap (T) Dh190,000 1,600m
Winner: Azmaam, Jim Crowley, Musabah Al Muhairi.
6.55pm: Handicap (D) Dh190,000 1,400m
Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
7.30pm: Handicap (T) Dh190,000 2,000m
Winner: Rio Tigre, Mickael Barzalona, Sandeep Jadhav.
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Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Tina Fey
Directed by: Pete Doctor
Rating: 4 stars
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
