Category Archives: Musicabilia

About my musicals that are not “Speakeasy” or a “Poe musicabre”

Mainstreet Musicals touts FEEDSTORE QUARTET

Posted on December 4, 2021 by dannyashkenasi

“Feedstore Quartet”, a musical created by Jack Hilton Cunningham and myself, has been selected by Mainstreet Musicals, a non-profit that “promotes development opportunities for new musicals throughout regional America”, as a Director’s Choice Award Winner. Jack and I met at … Continue reading →

Posted in LGBTQ Alphabet Soup, Live! On Stage, Musicabilia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

HEXEN in HOF TONIGHT

Posted on October 21, 2021 by dannyashkenasi

A Bewitching Production Born out of a Pandemic My musical “Hexen” (“Witches”) is back on the boards, or rather the foyer, in Theater Hof in Germany. Originally premiered in the fall of 2020, it is back in repertory this season, … Continue reading →

Posted in Live! On Stage, Musicabilia, Notes in the News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A NIGHT AT THE MUSICABRE – the Art is Alive Magazine Article

Posted on March 4, 2021 by dannyashkenasi

Art is Alive Magazine’s Matrell Wood interviewed me a few weeks back and the article has just been published. It touches upon “The Tell-Tale Heart – a musicabre“, its companion piece-in-the-works “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” as … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema Scope, Literary Lyricism, Musicabilia, Notes in the News, Poe Musicabres | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

CINS CHAT CORNER INTERVIEW

Posted on November 15, 2020 by dannyashkenasi

Friday, November 13th, I recorded an interview with Cindy Mich from Art is Alive, which she has now posted on her Blog Talk Radio webpage and YouTube (see below). We talked for nearly 90 minutes about my short film musical … Continue reading →

Posted in Beginnings, Literary Lyricism, Musicabilia, Notes in the News, Poe Musicabres, The Speakeasy Chronicles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

HEXEN in HOF

Posted on October 2, 2020 by dannyashkenasi

A New “Witches” Production Premieres Tonight in Bavaria The new production of “Hexen” (“Witches“), the two women musical I created with Peter Lund, that is premiering tonight in Theater Hof, in northern Bavaria, Germany, has at least two strong claims … Continue reading →

Posted in Live! On Stage, Musicabilia, Notes in the News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

LANGSTON HUGHES, TOO, SINGS AMERICA

Posted on June 5, 2020 by dannyashkenasi

Who But The Lord – Words: Langston Hughes; Music: Danny Ashkenasi The above words were written by Langston Hughes in the 1950s. It angers me that they still speak so closely to the struggles we are witnessing today, even more … Continue reading →

Posted in Literary Lyricism, Musicabilia, Notes in the News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

DROPPING NAMES

Posted on April 12, 2020 by dannyashkenasi

  A Collection of Mini Memoir Memories You may have seen this going around on Facebook or Twitter:  People listing names of celebrities they have met in their life times, but including one name that is a lie.  Then people … Continue reading →

Posted in Beginnings, Cinema Scope, Musicabilia, Notes in the News, The Teaching Artist | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Staten Island September 11th Memorial

Posted on September 11, 2019 by dannyashkenasi

  This year at this date, I would like to share photos I took earlier this summer at the Staten Island September 11th Memorial, just across the water from Manhattan’s financial district, and the new World Trade Center. The memorial … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Musicabilia, Notes in the News | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

MARK TWAIN NEVER GOT TO THE LOUVRE (but I did)

Posted on December 14, 2018 by dannyashkenasi

A trip to the magnificent Louvre museum with Mark Twain.  Well actually Mark Twain himself never got there, but he wrote about not getting there in “The Innocents Abroad”, and that satirical anecdote about what happens to unwary, blustery Americans … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Musicabilia, Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

WITCHES IN HOUSTON

Posted on September 30, 2018 by dannyashkenasi

UPDATE:  Lone Star Lyric has postponed their production of “Witches” to June, 2019 However, my Nov 3 talk at the Round Top Theater Forum will include numerous performed excerpts -songs and scenes – from the musical. —— Looking for something … Continue reading →

Posted in Musicabilia, Notes in the News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In Which I Complete the 30 DAY SONG CHALLENGE

Posted on July 6, 2017 by dannyashkenasi

Fun on Twitter.  Last month I took on the #30daysongchallenge. Here are the complete results, lightly annotated:   No kidding.  Kurt Weill’s haunting masterpiece. The subject of one of this blog’s most widely read pieces: Speak Low, Phoenix, Speak Low…   … Continue reading →

Posted in Beginnings, Melodies Linger On, Musicabilia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

CANNIBALISM IN THE CARS – a Musical Take on Mark Twain’s Succulent Satire of Congress

Posted on April 11, 2017 by dannyashkenasi

Congress … yuck!  A distasteful subject!  Quite literally even, according to Mark Twain. Every year Congress gives us more reasons to loathe it.  This year perhaps more than ever. Thinking ill and making fun of Congress is a sport that … Continue reading →

Posted in Literary Lyricism, Musicabilia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

SONGS OF JOB’S DESPAIR – “I’m Alive” & “Divine Intervention”

Posted on February 16, 2017 by dannyashkenasi

“I’m Alive” and “Divine Intervention” are two songs that speak to humanity’s age-old despair, in the person of one man crying out against overwhelming unspeakable events outside of his fault and control. They were written for The Song of Job … Continue reading →

Posted in Literary Lyricism, Musicabilia | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jacqui Sutton and the Frontier Jazz Orchestra perform “Grass Dolls”

Posted on January 28, 2017 by dannyashkenasi

My friend and collaborator Jacqui Sutton has posted a video of her and the Frontier Jazz Orchestra performing “Grass Dolls”, a live performance that also functions as a video submission for NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts. “Grass Dolls” is the first … Continue reading →

Posted in Musicabilia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

HOPE? Maybe just PRAYING FOR TIME

Posted on January 3, 2017 by dannyashkenasi

Last year I ushered in the new year with Hope for a New Year, featuring the cathartic finale “Hope” of my oratorio The Song of Job 9:11.  A song of phoenix like rising from the ashes, a gently defiant assertion … Continue reading →

Posted in Literary Lyricism, Melodies Linger On, Musicabilia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Holiday Repost: HAPPY HOLIDAYS – How this Carol Curmudgeon Ended Up Unwittingly Writing Three Seasonably Suited Carols Himself

Posted on December 28, 2016 by dannyashkenasi

(Originally posted last Christmas… Last Christmas … sniff… R.I.P. George Michael…) I plead guilty to being a bit of a Christmas Carol Grinch.  OK, I used to be a BIG Christmas Carol Grinch, really loathing most carols and sometimes resorting … Continue reading →

Posted in Beginnings, Musicabilia, Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment