Lincoln Center Out of Doors - FREE

It's summer, summer, when all you need is a lot of patience to scope out a good location, time to cook up some portable vittles, good strategic thinking for how to lug lawn chairs and coolers in and out of the park and on public transportation. But no one said EASY, they just said FREE.

There will be some great offerings this year at the Lincoln Center Out of Doors 2008 season with multiple afternoons of the 25th Annual Roots of American Music Festival including Charlie Haden and Family, The Knitters with John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Dave Alvin and DJ Bonebreak, and Patti Smith, along with the Campbell Brothers(!), Irma Thomas, and a brass band battle, watch out! There's also a line up of African pop and rock, Toshi Reagon and BIGLovely and Bernice Johnson Reagon, a birthday tribute to Graciela, vocalist for Machito and His Afro-Cubans and the Mario Bauza Orchestra. There's dance and theater as well with Brazilian ensemble Ologundê, and Bonga & The Vodou Drums of Haiti, Armitage Gone! dance company with Lukas Ligeti's Burkina Electric, and Ronald K. Brown's Evidence Dance Company. Legacy is in full effect with a night honoring the record producer Joel Dorn (who passed away in December 2007) with Dr. John, Roberta Flack, Les McCann (!!!), David "Fathead" Newman, Mocean Work (Adam Dorn), and Jane Monheit, and more artists to come, another bill features jazz violinist Regina Carter and Simone (none other the the High Priestess of Soul's daughter) singing with The Rob Stoneback Big Band, plus there's an African tribute to James Brown, and Wordless Music's program 800 Years of Minimalism: The Spiritual Transcendent.

This reminds me, Rhys Chatham is premiering A Crimson Grail (2008) for 200 Electric Guitars (World Premier, a Lincoln Center commissioned reworking of the piece) at the Wordless Music event.

However he still needs 200 electric guitarist, 16 of which have to be bassists.

HOW TO APPLY:
Guitarists must be highly-proficient players, read music, and be able to commit to three evenings of rehearsal, August 12, 13 and 14, as well as the performance on August 15. Those interested in being considered for one of the 200 guitar slots for A Crimson Grail should go to Lincoln Center's website: www.lincolncenter.org/wordlessmusic for complete information and an application form. Applications are due by June 15. Decisions will be announced by July 15. All guitarists will need to use their own guitars and amps, but will play strings generously provided courtesy of D'Addario.

Good Luck!