Music Appreciation and Performance
Rod MacDonald began his career as a singer/songwriter in Greenwich Village, NY in 1973. He has 21 songs in the Smithsonian Folkways collection and has released 12 CDs of his own songs, including 2018’s “Beginning Again” and three CDs with the Palm Beach County band Big Brass Bed. He performs in festivals, clubs and concerts locally and throughout North America and Europe and was named “Best Local Acoustic Performer” in Broward and Palm Beach counties by the New Times and “one of the ten magnificent musicians of Palm Beach County” by the Palm Beach Post. An instructor with Osher LLI at Florida Atlantic University since 2006, his previous series include Music Americana, The Great American Songbook and The Roots of Rock and Roll.
Learn more about Rod at www.rodmacdonald.net.
Music Americana: The Music of Modern Life
As popular music travels through the 21st century, the things that stand out remain: a melody, a sound, a lyric that lasts through time. From the riverboat jazz that educated Louis Armstrong to the bright lights that launched Carol Channing; from the poetic ramblings of John Prine to the passionate lines that made Tim Rice the biggest selling lyricist on Broadway; from the ecstatic rhythms of the Gypsy Kings to the ground-breaking world music that lifted Peter Gabriel to the “Big Time,” great artists create the soundtrack of our time. This series will examine the work, biographies and enduring importance of these musical artists, and attempt to sort myth from reality, using updated videos and excerpts from feature films, live performances and a few surprises.
Four Lectures
- The Big Easy - Louis Armstrong, The Neville Brothers
- The Fabulous - Carol Channing, Jackie Wilson
- The Wordsmiths - Tim Rice, John Prine
- The Exotics - The Gypsy Kings, Peter Gabriel
|
| Course # F4T3 — Last 4 Weeks
|
|
| Place: | Auditorium, Lifelong Learning Complex, Jupiter Campus |
| Dates: | Tuesdays, November 12, 19; December 3, 10 2019 |
| Time: | 2:15 - 4 PM |
| Fee: | $50 / member; $65 / non-member |
|
|
Register Now
The Songs of Woodstock
Rod MacDonald & The Humdingers
In August, 1969, the Woodstock Festival brought
together 32 acts and half a million fans for “An
Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music.”
Artists gave legendary performances, from Richie
Havens, who opened the concert with a tribute to
“Freedom,” to Crosby and Stills & Nash, who went
on at 3 a.m. Along the way, Joan Baez, Melanie, Arlo
Guthrie, Santana, Canned Heat, Creedence
Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Sly & The Family
Stone, The Grateful Dead, The Who, Joe Cocker, The
Band, Blood Sweat & Tears and many others
electrified the giant crowd before Jimi Hendrix
signed off at 8 a.m. Monday with “The Star Spangled
Banner.” The film won Best Documentary at the
Academy Awards, and 50 years later, the children of
the 1960s are still referred to as “the Woodstock
Generation.”
Join Rod MacDonald & the Humdingers for a fun and low-decibel remembrance of this historic event, as told in its songs.
Register Early! There is a $5 charge for registering on the day of a one-time lecture or event.
|
| Course # F1R4 — One Time Event
|
|
| Place: | Auditorium, Lifelong Learning Complex, Jupiter Campus |
| Dates: | Thursday, November 21 2019 |
| Time: | 7 - 8:30 PM |
| Fee: | $30 / member; $35 / non-member |
|
|
Register Now
