Under Plum Lake │ Lionel Davidson

"Under Plum Lake" by Lionel Davidson, is a masterpiece of the Sci-Fi, Fantasy genre.  It was originally released in 1980, and until very recently, it was a hard-to-get-book that fetched high prices on Amazon.com.   "Under Plum Lake", was out-of-print for many years, but it has finally been reissued as a trade-size paperback book.  It tells the story of twelve year old Barry Gordon who accidentally finds a cave on the Cornwall coast, and discovers a highly advanced subterranean civilization called Egon.  Barry's adventures there are magical.  He meets up with a boy called Dido, and they explore Egon together.  It is actually a thinly disguised alien abduction case.  The adventures that Barry and Dido experience are a kaleidoscopic series of magical escapades that have delighted reader of all ages for more than thirty years.    Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Danilo Brito │ Bandolim Virtuoso

 

Danilo Brito

Felipe

In this edition of Angel Watchers we are featuring bandolim (mandolin) virtuoso Danilo Brito.  He was born in São Paulo, Brazil and started playing the bandolim at the age of three.  I am impressed by his impeccable phrasing and intonation.  It is very hard to get a good tone out of the bandolim as the notes die out very quickly, but in the hands of Danilo, the notes of the bandolim seem to ring out forever.  In the video below he is joined by: Eloy - violão; Felipe - cavaquinho; and Adalton - pandeiro.  The song is called "Meu Chorinho (My Little Cry)", and it was written by the famous choro composer Jonas do Cavaco.  Danilo has a terrific website that can be found at this link:  Danilo Brito - Official Website  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Ave Maria │ Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois

The Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois (The Little Singers of the Wooden Cross), was founded in Paris in 1907.  For over a hundred years they have been thrilling audiences all over the world with their magnificent singing.  In this edition of Angel Watchers, they sing Franz Schubert's beautiful "Ave Maria", which just happens to be one of my favorite songs.  I have a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the "Ave Maria" holds a very special place in my heart.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Tinikling │ The Beautiful National Dance Of The Philippines

The beautiful Tinikling dance is not, unfortunately, well known outside of the Philippines, but to those of us who were born and raised in Hawaii, it is something that we grew up with, and learned to love at a young age.  The word tinikling is a reference to birds known in the Philippines as tikling.  The term tinikling literally means "tikling-like".  The dance originated in Leyte, which is a part of the Visayan islands located in the central Philippines, as an imitation of the tikling birds dodging bamboo traps set by rice farmers.  Tinikling is the most popular, and best known of the Filipino folkloric dances, and is the national dance of the Philippines.  In this edition of Angel Watchers we are honored to present the exhilarating, and hypnotic Tinikling Dance for your enjoyment.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Where Is Love? │ The Winning Olivers

 Laurance

 Gwion

 Harry

In this edition of Angel Watchers we are featuring Laurance, Gwion, and Harry who are the three winning "Olivers" from the BBC program "I'd Do Anything", singing "Where Is Love?".  Lionel Bart's "Oliver" is my favorite musical in the whole world, and it is always a pleasure to hear new arrangements of the music from it.  You are in for a real musical treat because Laurance, Gwion, and Harry are exceptional singers who have a pure, angelic stage presence.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Ivan Kupala Day (St. John the Baptist Day) │ Vlad Krutskikh and Street Magic

Ivan Kupala Day (St. John the Baptist Day) is celebrated in Eastern European countries around July 7.  Tvorila Night, the eve of Ivan Kupala Day, is considered to be a time for good humor, mischief, and boisterous fun.   On Ivan Kupala day itself, children have water fights, and perform pranks mostly involving pouring water over someone's head.  After all, it is St. John the Baptist day.  I am a bit nostalgic about "Ivan Kupala", as it is the song that introduced me to the amazing, and entertaining, Vlad Krutskikh and Street Magic.  It is interesting to note that all the performers in this cool video are wearing Ivan Kupala (St. John The Baptist) themed costumes.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Esperança Do Natal │ Chico and Roberta

Chico and Roberta is an exciting musical duo from Puerto Seguru in Brazil.  They were inseparable from their infancy, and went to the same school, and even did their homework together.  Chico and Roberto initially received a lot of media attention with their spirited dance interpretation of the Lambada, which you can find many versions of on YouTube.  In this edition of Angel Watchers, my Dear Aunt Martha and I are presenting two remarkable video presentations of  "Esperança Do Natal (Christmas Hope)"  performed by Chico and Roberta with a large supporting cast.  These videos have really high production values, and stands out as some of the best music videos ever to come out of Brazil.  As usual, my Dear Aunt Martha and I discovered "Esperança Do Natal" quite serendipitously when we were browsing for something else.  "Esperança Do Natal" is an extremely hypnotic, haunting, infectious, exotic, intriguing, and beautiful song.  I can listen to it over, and over again with complete enjoyment.  By-the-way, the conga player has a rhythmic intensity that is very appealing.  He is fun to watch.  Without further ado, please click on the video widgets below for an incredible video treat.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.