Contactless pickup services and in-person services are now available at Glendale Central Library, Brand Library, and Montrose Library.
Brand Library Plaza Series
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2021
FRIDAYS AT 7:00PM
Join us for eclectic live music on the Brand Library lawn!
August 13 Black Market Reverie (Swing & Jazz)
August 27 The Leftover Cuties (Rock & Swing)
September 3 Son Rios (Latin & Salsa)
September 17 The ROAMies (Contemporary)
September 24 Reckless Night Ensemble (Swing & Jazz)
Visitors are welcome to bring a chair or blanket and picnic on the lawn. Seats are not provided.
The Brand Library Plaza Series is sponsored by the City of Glendale Arts & Culture Commission through funding from the Urban Art Program, with support from Glendale Library, Arts & Culture and the Associates of Brand Library.
Join us for our first concert of the 2021 Plaza Series on August 13 with Black Market Reverie.
Lyman Medeiros and Renee Myara find common ground between jazz, classic French pop, Americana, and original songs to create their familiar but unique sound.
Join us for eclectic live music outside on the Brand Library lawn! Concerts run 60 - 90 minutes without intermission.
Additional information about the Plaza Series is available on our website, library event calendar, and Brand Facebook page.
Music Playlists
Listen to a streaming playlist from Freegal Music, Naxos Music Library, Naxos Jazz Music Library, Hoopla or Music Online from Alexander Street free with your library card. Alexander Street will ask for an academic institution, use Glendale Public Library.
Today's recommending listening is The Flatlanders, Soul Asylum, pianist Martha Argerich, composer Joan Tower, gospel/blues musicians Reverend Gary Davis and Pink Anderson, and guitarist Leon Redbone.
Read About Music
Surf Music Playlist
Since it’s summer, here are some fun old and new surf albums! Brian Wilson, Jan & Dean, Surf Party!, The Shadows, The Frights, and Messer Chups.
New Music Books
Here are some fun new music books we recently received. Find these books and many more in the library catalog.
Online Magazines
We recently started subscribing to PressReader. Fully scanned music magazines include Mojo, Rolling Stone, Computer Music and BBC Music Magazine are accessible using your library card.
Music Podcasts
The New York Times Popcast is hosted by Jon Caramanica, a pop music critic for The New York Times. It covers the latest in popular music criticism, trends and news.
Tape Notes is podcast about the art and craft of music production. Hosted by John Kennedy, each episode reunites an artist and producer to talk about the highlights of their collaboration in the studio.
Films Online
Presented by the Victoria and Albert Museum, this video demonstrates how medieval-era stained glass panels were made. Using centuries old techniques, artisans Goddard and Gibbs replicate the painstaking process of reproducing a 14th century stained glass image.
Japanese woodworker Kazuaki Harada has spent years crafting playful automata that activate with a simple hand-crank. Harada often pairs an audio component with the mechanical movements for an additional dose of whimsy. Check out his YouTube channel for an array of fun automata videos.
A new documentary from Art21, Wangechi Mutu: Between the Earth and the Sky, features the Kenyan-American artist in her Nairobi studio discussing her pieces that span many different media (collage paintings, photography and bronze sculptures), her themes and her relationship with the nature and the city.
Checkout some art books from the library in person or using our Contactless Pickup Services.
Brand Library Staff Reviews
Taylor Swift’s Folklore: I didn’t think I would ever consider reviewing a Taylor Swift CD, whose work I have not checked out very much. Yet, when I first listened to Folklore I was surprised at the thoughtful lyrics and rather minimal production on most of the songs. She co-writes with several people on a number of these tunes including Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff. The songs I found the most compelling were “This is Me Trying,” “My Tears Ricochet,” and “Exile” which features a duet with Bon Iver. One tune called “Epiphany” seems to speak about the pandemic year and the struggles of loved ones seriously ill in hospitals. “Someone’s daughter, Someone’s mother, holds your hand through plastic now.” “Invisible String” is a beautiful song, which in the liner notes Swift speaks of as “a single thread that, for better or for worse, ties you to your fate.” I would recommend at least one listening of this CD, if you’re in the mood for interesting ballads. -CV
Listen to Folklore online through Hoopla.
MAHLER, G.: Symphony No. 10 / SCHOENBERG, A.: Chamber Symphony No. 1 / STRAUSS, R.: Der Rosenkavalier (Alban Berg Ensemble Wien) Deutsche Grammophon 2020: Mahler never completed the orchestration of his 10th Symphony before he passed away in 1911. There have been many attempts to guess what instrumentation Mahler might have used. This recording is a recent chamber arrangement (flute, clarinet, two violins, viola, cello and piano) of the first movement by British composer Martyn Harry. It was interesting that they picked this movement of the symphony, it’s the one portion of the piece that is fairly complete. However, I like the intimacy of the arrangement and so much of Mahler’s late music has chamber music-like passages. The next piece, Schoenberg’s Chamber Symphony No. 1, is a famously compressed work. It’s at the breaking point of his Romantic period crashing into his atonal period. You can actually hear the influence of Mahler and Strauss but also the frantic pace of his new style- much musical information rushes by in a short time. This masterful arrangement by Anton Webern is for the same instrumentation as Pierrot Lunaire - flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano - the original piece is for 15 players. I actually like this version more than the original which I find almost unfathomable. The Alban Berg Ensemble Wien brings a lot of warmth and clarity to the work; the smaller instrumentation probably helps as well. Martyn Harry also arranged the Der Rosenkavalier Suite. This arrangement also works very well and is very enjoyable to listen to. It’s a fantastic debut performance by the ensemble and an excellent recording. I’m disappointed that Deutsche Gramophon or Naxos did not provide a booklet. Also check out the official album trailer on YouTube. -BW
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Covid-19 Resources
Reliable information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) is available from the World Health Organization, the California Department of Public Health, the Los Angeles County Public Health Department, the City of Glendale, and the Library, Arts & Culture department.
Resources for Music Businesses And Industry Workers, Playing for Change, Sounding Point LA
Resources for Freelance Artists, California Arts Council, Americans for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts
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