Redhot & Blue
Encyclopedia
Redhot & Blue, usually called Redhot, is Yale University
's oldest coeducational a cappella
group. Founded in 1977, the group has released twelve albums and toured around the United States and the world. The group’s repertoire is based in the jazz
genre, but has expanded to include an array of musical styles. Redhot is a member of the Singing Group Council of Yale.
tap night, which is generally during the end of the Spring semester. The rush process is governed by the Singing Group Council of Yale.
Jamboree. Each of the fifteen groups sings two songs at this concert; the Dwight Hall Jamboree, a similarly-structured concert, occurs the Friday after the one at Woolsey Hall. At this second jam, potential members of Redhot & Blue sign up to audition. The group listens to auditions during the following Saturday and Sunday, and then there are three weeks of interaction between the group and hopefuls, resulting in callbacks for those the group wants to hear a second time.
This year, 2011, Redhot will appear at noon on Sunday, August 28th in the undergraduate activities bazaar in Payne Whitney Gym, and will perform second at Woolsey jam, which is scheduled to start at 10:30 P.M. on the same day. The group will sing directly after Whim ‘n Rhythm’s opening act at Dwight Jam on Friday, September 2nd. Redhot & Blue Tap night is the week after callbacks, on a date not released by the Singing Group Council until the day it begins at midnight.
On the recent tour to Paris, France, Redhot performed for the U.S. Ambassador
to UNESCO
. The event was described on the diplomatic mission's website as "a swinging soiree, with music by Yale's award winning a cappella group, Redhot & Blue." The group performed old favorites, such as George Gershwin
's “Summertime,” and new arrangements like “Georgia on my Mind.”
, and classic rock
. The group has historically added an average of between four and five arrangements per year during its more-than-thirty years of existence; thus, each musical director has more songs from which to choose than his or her predecessor. The group allows any group member to submit arrangements, though most who do so are well-versed in composition of vocal music. At any time, there are between thirty and forty songs in the active repertoire.
, won the 1997 Young Composers Competition from G. Schirmer. The group was also featured on "A Cappella Party: Best of the Ivy League Singing Groups," with 2 tracks out of 17 devoted to Redhot on this 1996 release. For a full discography, visit the Redhot & Blue website. Redhot's most recent album, riot, released in 2009, received a positive review from Mouth Off, a weekly podcast and blog about a cappella music.
(1936), written by Yale alumnus Cole Porter
, class of 1913. The group name combines Redhot into one word and uses an ampersand
, unlike the show. Porter's work is featured often in Redhot's repertoire, from Antoinette Birby, written while he was in college, to more popular songs like "It's De-Lovely
", "I Get a Kick Out of You
", "Night And Day
", and "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
". The group's name is often shortened to Redhot, although it has also been called RHB and RH&B.
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
's oldest coeducational a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group. Founded in 1977, the group has released twelve albums and toured around the United States and the world. The group’s repertoire is based in the jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
genre, but has expanded to include an array of musical styles. Redhot is a member of the Singing Group Council of Yale.
Membership
Most members join the group through the a cappella rush process at Yale University. The process starts when freshmen arrive onto the Yale campus in the Fall and ends a few weeks later with one of the university's most well-known traditions, tap night. This is not to be confused with Yale's secret societySecret society
A secret society is a club or organization whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their...
tap night, which is generally during the end of the Spring semester. The rush process is governed by the Singing Group Council of Yale.
Rush
Rush begins officially when freshmen arrive on campus, but the first major event in the process is the Woolsey HallWoolsey Hall
Woolsey Hall is the primary auditorium at Yale University. Woolsey Hall, which seats 2,695 people, was built as part of the Yale bicentennial celebration in 1901. The architects were Carrère and Hastings, designers of the New York Public Library....
Jamboree. Each of the fifteen groups sings two songs at this concert; the Dwight Hall Jamboree, a similarly-structured concert, occurs the Friday after the one at Woolsey Hall. At this second jam, potential members of Redhot & Blue sign up to audition. The group listens to auditions during the following Saturday and Sunday, and then there are three weeks of interaction between the group and hopefuls, resulting in callbacks for those the group wants to hear a second time.
This year, 2011, Redhot will appear at noon on Sunday, August 28th in the undergraduate activities bazaar in Payne Whitney Gym, and will perform second at Woolsey jam, which is scheduled to start at 10:30 P.M. on the same day. The group will sing directly after Whim ‘n Rhythm’s opening act at Dwight Jam on Friday, September 2nd. Redhot & Blue Tap night is the week after callbacks, on a date not released by the Singing Group Council until the day it begins at midnight.
Tours
Each year, the group takes three tours, of which at least one is international. Past tour destinations include Greece, London, Paris, Prague, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Washington D.C., New York City and Dallas. The most recent tours include San Francisco, the East Coast, Japan, Santa Barbara, Kansas and Nebraska, London, and Paris. This coming year, the group will visit Greece, Italy, Florida, and Georgia, and will be the featured entertainment on an international cruise through the Caribbean. The group pays for tours by singing concerts throughout the year and while on tour.On the recent tour to Paris, France, Redhot performed for the U.S. Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
. The event was described on the diplomatic mission's website as "a swinging soiree, with music by Yale's award winning a cappella group, Redhot & Blue." The group performed old favorites, such as George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
's “Summertime,” and new arrangements like “Georgia on my Mind.”
Repertoire
Each year, the musical director of the group chooses the active repertoire from the hundreds of songs in the group's archive. The repertoire spans a variety of genres, from jazz standards to Motown, folk musicFolk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, and classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
. The group has historically added an average of between four and five arrangements per year during its more-than-thirty years of existence; thus, each musical director has more songs from which to choose than his or her predecessor. The group allows any group member to submit arrangements, though most who do so are well-versed in composition of vocal music. At any time, there are between thirty and forty songs in the active repertoire.
Albums and awards
The group has released twelve official albums and various live recordings, both video and audio. Studio recordings by the group have been critically acclaimed, winning various awards and being included in compilations including the Best of Collegiate A Cappella (BOCA) series. Redhot's 1992 album, "Shut Up and Sing" swept all the categories of the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs) for which it was eligible: Best Mixed Collegiate Arrangement, Best Mixed Collegiate Soloist, Best Mixed Collegiate Song, and Best Mixed Collegiate Album. CARA also awarded alumna Lisa Bielawa runner up for the 1995 best female vocalist. The song When You Are Old, composed for the group by John Kelley '86 based on a poem by William Butler YeatsWilliam Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...
, won the 1997 Young Composers Competition from G. Schirmer. The group was also featured on "A Cappella Party: Best of the Ivy League Singing Groups," with 2 tracks out of 17 devoted to Redhot on this 1996 release. For a full discography, visit the Redhot & Blue website. Redhot's most recent album, riot, released in 2009, received a positive review from Mouth Off, a weekly podcast and blog about a cappella music.
History
Redhot was founded in 1977 by Shelley Lotter and Leslie Lipton, both in the graduating class of 1979. At the time, there were at least five all-male a cappella groups and one all-female. The repertoire was largely based on arrangements done by David H. Bass. Opening Night, the group's first album, was released in 1979.Name
The group's name is derived from the musical Red, Hot and BlueRed, Hot and Blue
Red, Hot and Blue is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and the book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1936 and introduced the popular song, "It's De-Lovely" sung by Ethel Merman.-Synopsis:...
(1936), written by Yale alumnus Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
, class of 1913. The group name combines Redhot into one word and uses an ampersand
Ampersand
An ampersand is a logogram representing the conjunction word "and". The symbol is a ligature of the letters in et, Latin for "and".-Etymology:...
, unlike the show. Porter's work is featured often in Redhot's repertoire, from Antoinette Birby, written while he was in college, to more popular songs like "It's De-Lovely
It's De-Lovely
"It's De-Lovely" is one of Cole Porter's hit songs, originally appearing in his 1936 musical, Red Hot and Blue. The song was later used in the musical Anything Goes, first appearing in the 1962 revival. The hit records in late 1936 and early 1937 included versions by Eddy Duchin, Shep Fields, and...
", "I Get a Kick Out of You
I Get a Kick Out of You
"I Get a Kick Out of You" is a song by Cole Porter, originally featured in the Broadway musical Anything Goes and the movie of the same name....
", "Night And Day
Night and Day (song)
"Night and Day" is a popular song by Cole Porter. It was written for the 1932 musical play Gay Divorce. It is perhaps Porter's most popular contribution to the Great American Songbook and has been recorded by dozens of artists....
", and "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
Published by Chappell & Company, "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" is a song with lyrics and music by Cole Porter. It was introduced in 1944 in Billy Rose's musical revue, Seven Lively Arts....
". The group's name is often shortened to Redhot, although it has also been called RHB and RH&B.
Jargon
Redhot & Blue, like many a cappella groups, has a jargon for some of the a cappella-specific facets of everyday life in a group. The musical director is known as the "Pitch Pipe," more commonly "Pitch." This name is based on the instrument most musical directors use to give the group their starting pitches: the pitch pipe. The group stands in a curved parabola-like shape, known to most as the "shoe," as it is shaped somewhat like a horseshoe.External links
- Redhot & Blue's Official Website
- Redhot & Blog | The Official Blog of Redhot & Blue
- Redhot & Blue's Facebook Page
- Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (CASA)
- Varsity Vocals (releases Best of College A Cappella Compilations)
- A Cappella News archive, including a New York Daily News article about Redhot