Movie recommendation
I've recently rediscovered the music of the Comedian Harmonists, thanks to my boyfriend whose vast musical taste and repertoire overlaps mine in the strangest places... The Comedian Harmonists are six men who sang and were hugely successful in in-between-wars Germany. Their music is sweet and funny and melancholy and upbeat and just unbelievably tight. Elements of jazz blend with German perfection and humor, and it's all very nostalgic for me... Although I never knew their name when I was in Germany, being just a kid, I sure know many of their songs.
There's a movie about their story, called "The Harmonists," which I never knew existed either, but I just checked it out from the library. It is GOOD! I'm sure it embellishes their story some, but I know the main parts are true -- they had to disband because three of them were Jewish, and Nazis made it impossible for them to perform. They had a short, but amazing run of success. The movie uses all original recordings for the music. The Nazi scenes are tough, those things always get me hard. But the remainder of the story is so compelling and fun and inspiring, and they did get "out" in time, so it's not a total tragedy.
So: watch the movie! A lesser-known flick that is so worth checking out, especially if musical success stories inspire you.
And: their music! Sorry, all I can find on the Web are sound clips on German Amazon. The movie does a beautiful job of showing how they developed their style.
German singer Max Raabe has been reviving that music and singing style; check out his site (click on "home" to select the English version). There's only one of him, and he's got his own updated humor, but the influence is obvious.
Enjoy!
There's a movie about their story, called "The Harmonists," which I never knew existed either, but I just checked it out from the library. It is GOOD! I'm sure it embellishes their story some, but I know the main parts are true -- they had to disband because three of them were Jewish, and Nazis made it impossible for them to perform. They had a short, but amazing run of success. The movie uses all original recordings for the music. The Nazi scenes are tough, those things always get me hard. But the remainder of the story is so compelling and fun and inspiring, and they did get "out" in time, so it's not a total tragedy.
So: watch the movie! A lesser-known flick that is so worth checking out, especially if musical success stories inspire you.
And: their music! Sorry, all I can find on the Web are sound clips on German Amazon. The movie does a beautiful job of showing how they developed their style.
German singer Max Raabe has been reviving that music and singing style; check out his site (click on "home" to select the English version). There's only one of him, and he's got his own updated humor, but the influence is obvious.
Enjoy!