Friday, June 24, 2005

Jay-Jay Johanson - 2005 North American Tour

Jay-Jay Johanson, one of the last truly modern crooners for our time, is doing a short North American tour. I don't know if he's promoting a new release, from what I can tell his most recent release was a 'best of' compilation called "Prologue". I do hope he's been working on new material.

Jay-Jay is a Swedish singer after the moody Scott Walker style. His songs reference Burt Bacharach and thriller soundtracks. Its not particularly easy for me to characterize his sound, it is equal parts contemporary jazz, electro, and hip-hop in arrangement. He has sampled from Michael Nyman and Francoise Hardy. He is a truly original performer. Strangely though, despite the fact that he sings in English, he is only really loved and respected by the French. I first noticed him whilst leafing through an issue of TECHNIKART back in 1995, in a year when I thought Pulp's "Different Class" was the number one album, they had Jay-Jay Johanson's "Whiskey" topping their best of list. At that point I decided, this matter had to be investigated. Sadly, the label he records for, BMG SWEDEN, doesn't distribute here in the USA so it took some doing to track his music down. His last album, "Antenna" has been distributed here luckily.

Tonight and the following Friday I will play quite a bit of his music on my radio show in preparation for his live concert in New York City.

http://www.aboutglitz.com/
on the glitz productions site:

JAY-JAY JOHANSON
Jay-Jay Johanson is coming to play a concert in Toronto at The Opera House.
The show will be July 1, 2005.
Jay-Jay Johanson is an internationally renowned musician and singer. Johanson has released four albums with BMG Sweden, each selling over 100,000 copies in Europe and North America and garnering tremendous critical acclaim. Recognized for his unique sound, lush melodies and progressive rhythms, Jay-Jay Johanson has performed around the world including the Montreal Jazz Festival and the SonArt electronic music festival in Barcelona .

la Tulipe, Montreal - July 3 www.latulipe.ca
Mercury Lounge, NYC – July 4

for more information:
www.jayjayjohanson.com

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Blackpool takes all at Banff TV Awards

This looks good:

From today's Globe and Mail:

"A stylish British miniseries synthesizing music, gambling and drama took top prize at the Banff Rockie awards on Monday, leading a British invasion that captured nine trophies as the best shows in international television were honoured.

Canada, Japan and the United States each won three international Rockies at the 26th annual awards.

The creative innovation of the miniseries Blackpool, one of six BBC productions honoured Monday, was praised as it picked up the $50,000 Global television grand prize.

“What emerges in this production is nothing less than a new genre of television programming, a major step forward in advancing the kind of quality television that this festival was born to celebrate,” said Fil Fraser, the festival's funding chair and a member of an international judging panel."

From the BBC website:
Blackpool (DVD) (released in the UK - August 2005)

This story of the bright lights and faded grandeur of Britain's famous seaside resort is at once an entertaining musical and a thrilling murder mystery. A darkly comic look at greed, love and family, the story follows the rise and fall of local arcade owner Ripley Holden, a charismatic family man with a dark past, who is now poised to make top dollar - if the city can successfully reinvent itself as the Las Vegas of the Lancashire coast.

As Ripley struggles to keep his chaotic family in check, he hangs on to one hope: that the good life is just around the corner. But he soon finds himself under suspicion and out of control, when the a young man is found dead in his showpiece arcade. Investigating officer Carlisle is determined to get to the truth, no matter what it takes...

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Kira Muratova

Her films are currently the subject of a touring retrospective that is presently at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Jane Taubman, Professor of Russian at Amherst College, author of "Kira Muratova" (I.B. Tauris, 2005), the first comprehensive study of Kira Muratova's work, provided the film notes to the MFA's programme.

So far, I've only had time to see "Chekhovian Motifs" (bizarrely listed on the marquee as "Chekhov's Motives" ???) and
"The Asthenic Syndrome". Both were fun although, the subject matter of the latter film is arguably more serious and demanding. I'd first heard of Kira Muratova via Jonathan Rosenbaum's review of "The Asthenic Syndrome" in his book "Essentia Cinema: On the Necessity of Film Canons" (Johns Hopkins UP, 2004). "Chekhovian Motifs" was very Felliniesque in many respects, Ms. Muratova has a very lively and noisy sense of humor. Her films are extrordinarily modern, she uses unusual vocal techniques and sound mixes to achieve humor through overlapping and layered dialogue. I encourage anyone with a taste for true contemporary cinema to search for her works.

Monday, June 06, 2005

last Friday's playlist on WZBC

"off the cuff" (NCP) with George

Fri Jun 3rd 2005 7.00pm–10.00pm

Like everything else, times are approximate.

7:05PM
Tuxedomoon “The Waltz (Chilluminati Mix)” from The 2003 Remixes
"La Derniere Voix (Intro)” from The City Without Windows / La Derniere Voix OST 12-INCH (Creme Organization 2004)
David Kristian “The City Without Windows (Main Theme)” from The City Without Windows
Martial Canterel “nightfall in camp” from confusing outsides LP
The Durutti Column “its your life, babe (long version)” MP3
Yann Tiersen “Kala” from Les Retrouvailles CD
Benjamin Lew “Le Parfum du Raki” CD
Martial Canterel “steele” from confusing outsides LP
Yann Tiersen “A Secret Place” from Les Retrouvailles CD
The Honeymoon Killers “Histoire a suivre” from Les Tueurs de la Lune de Miel CD
Martial Canterel “ascent” from confusing outsides LP
Wio “zoen_x” from WIO CD ALBUM (K-raa-k 2001)
Yann Tiersen “le jour de l'ouverture” from Les Retrouvailles CD
Emak Bakia “what have you done to me?” from Jane CD
Martial Canterel “confusing outsides” LP ALBUM (genetic music geneticmusic.com 2005)
Yann Tiersen “la plage” from Les Retrouvailles CD
Ben Watt “North Marine Drive” (Cherry Red www.cherryred.co.uk)
Antena “Camino del sol” from camino del sol CD
Tuxedomoon “polonaise mecanique” from Suite En Sous-sol LP
Martial Canterel “fallen lords” from confusing outsides LP
Anna Domino “Zanna” from Anna Domino CD
David Kristian “Surgical Truth” from The City Without Windows / La Derniere Voix OST
Amor Belhom Duo “reminds me of...” from Amorbelhomduo
Yann Tiersen “Mary” from Les Retrouvailles CD
Mark Van Hoen “gifts and prizes” from playing with time CD ALBUM (Apollo 1998)
Emak Bakia “Honeymoon” from Jane CD
Martial Canterel “new death” from confusing outsides LP
David Kristian “brief notes that wept red” from The City Without Windows / La Derniere Voix OST 12-INCH (Creme Organization 2004)
HYPO “relax max msp” from Random Veneziano CD ALBUM (Active Suspension www.activesuspension.org 2004)
HYPO “the perfect kill” from Random Veneziano CD
Martial Canterel “consulates” from confusing outsides LP
Tuxedomoon “Everything You Want” from Ten Years in One Night (live) LP ALBUM (Materali Sonori www.matson.it 1989)
Yann Tiersen “Western” from Les Retrouvailles CD ALBUM (Labels www.labels.tm.fr 2005)
The Durutti Column “they work every day” from Vini Reilly CD ALBUM
Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto “Logic Moon” from Insen CD ALBUM (asphodel / raster-noton 2005)
Martial Canterel “phantom” from confusing outsides LP
Steven Brown “Last Rendezvous” from searching for contact (LTM www.ltmpub.freeserve.co.uk/ltmhome.html 2004)
David Kristian “I loved you” from The City Without Windows / La Derniere Voix OST 12-INCH (Creme Organization 2004)
Arbol “Bright day” from dreams made of paper CD ALBUM (lejos discos / emilii records www.lejosdiscos.com 2005)
David Kristian “Breath of Rain” from The City Without Windows / La Derniere Voix OST 12-INCH (Creme Organization 2004)
Karl Biscuit “La Morte” from Secret Love CD ALBUM (Crammed Discs www.crammed.be 1984)
Purple Confusion “Return to Nassau (Vocal Version w/ Villeneuve)” from Gooom Tracks Vol. 2 CD COMP (Gooom Disques www.gooom.com 2004)
David Sylvian “A Fire in the Forest - remixed by Readymade FC” from the good son vs THE ONLY DAUGHTER CD ALBUM (samadhisound www.samdhisound.com 2004) N
David Kristian “end titles” from The City Without Windows / La Derniere Voix OST 12-INCH (Creme Organization 2004)
Jimi Tenor “A Daughter of the Snow” from Europa CD ALBUM (Sahko Recordings www.sahkorecordings.com 1995)