Editorial: La rentrée...
Posted July 30, 2007Means ” The homecoming ”, the ” back to work ” stumbling block after the holidays, in other words, the most busy period of the year in France, in the commercial context, the period from September to December. It augurs well for our artists and activities, here at Métisse Music, where we are trying to prepare the activities that will take place, in the best way we can, while the telephone is still quiet.
We are celebrating the return of Harold Budd to the fold. Harold’s work was part of Brian Eno’s Opal Music catalogue, which we have been representing, and still are, for some 15 years now. He was then signed by Universal for some years. Harold’s Toyon Music is now with Métisse Music for the world outside USA and Canada, and we are much looking forward to continuing to spread the word about his music, as well as the music itself, which is a world unto itself and, at the same time, universal. Harold Budd’s three most recent releases are on the American Darla Records. These are two collaborations with guitarist Robin Guthrie, the label founder and former member of the Cocteau Twins, called “After the Night Falls” and “Before the Day Breaks” ; the third one is an exclusive download on Samadhi Sound, David Sylvian’s label, a 2006 live solo piano recording called “Perhaps”. We hope and trust that Harold Budd will be back playing concerts in Europe in 2008, with the help of Guy Morley, his UK agent.
One of the main events of the season for us here will be the release of Yaron Herman album, the trio recording “A Time for Everything”. Yaron is with us worldwide since before his previous solo release “Variations”. All of us are convinced that he will have a big international career, and we are very happy to be able to be collaborating with an excellent entourage for this artist, which includes, first of all, his manager and touring agent Christophe Deghelt. If you look at Yaron Herman’s touring schedule for October and November on our website, you will understand our enthusiasm. Yaron now also has a North American agent with Michael Kline, one of the big agencies with some great names in Jazz, who plans a first US tour for the artist for 2008; and then there are the label, LaBorie= http://www.ebl-laborie.com/pages/label/label_jazz_fr.html , with Jean-Michel Leygonie at the helm of the jazz section, and their distributor, Naïve Records with Patrick Schuster and Florian Abessira handling export, a really committed team around this truly exceptional young pianist. Yaron’s album will be out before the end of the year in at least 10 countries.
Also on the “home front”, we are delighted with the music on Italian, Paris based pianist Giovanni Mirabassi forthcoming trio album (not mixed yet, this will be for next year though), as well as the first mixes we received of tracks from the forthcoming album by American cellist Eric Longsworth – also based in France. He recorded with an all French cast of jazz musicians, and the results, as you will discover if you are curious, is splendid – energetic, musical, and original. This will also be for 2008. And finally, the label for John Greaves Verlaine project has been determined. While the release is scheduled for 2008, the album will already be available for John’s concerts at the Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival (October 15), and elsewhere, towards the end of the year.
On the “musiques du monde” – world music side, we are proud and happy to be working with Essay Records’ publishing branch; the label of German based dj and artist Shantel and of Jean Trouillet, producing a brand of modern and rootsy, happy and adventurous, and definitely very recognizable “world music”.
There is much more to be talked and written about, and it certainly will be, in depths: the ACT label releases including Nils Landgren’s new Funk Unit release and as well as a very interesting trio recording by Joachim Kühn; the splendid Hazmat Modine, still unknown in France, a New York band of astonishing musical bandwidth on Jaro, that absolutely needs to get to the ears of a maximum of people (WOMEX, where they have a showcase, should help their cause); The 20th Anniversary celebration of Germans of the world Piranha Records with a series of releases…. All this and more will hopefully make it to your eyes and ears in the next few months. Enjoy!