News: March 08
Posted April 22, 2008This is the month of some fine concerts in Paris: Brad Mehldau at the Salle Pleyel on the 7th, John Greaves at the New Morning on the 12th, Wadada Leo Smith at the Banlieues Bleues Festival on the 14th, Mare Nostrum (Paolo Fresu, Richard Galliano, Jan Lundgren) on the 17th at Salle Gaveau, Omar Sosa at the Duc des Lombards on March 20 and 21, La Caravanne Passe on March 29 as part of the Festival Chorus in Paris/La Défense…we are spoilt with some brilliant music coming our way to delight our ears the best way possible: live!
And meanwhile, Watcha Clan brilliant new album on Piranha (distribution Discograph in France) has landed at the top spot of the international World Music charts; at No. 2 is the georgeous “Fragile Beauty” by Huong Thanh & Nguyên Lê (ACT), and Taksim Trio from Turkey on Double Moon have made into the top 10, too!
Gino Sitson, an artist from Cameroon, educated in France, is now living in the States, where he is building his reputation as an outstanding vocalist and author/composer, often compared to Bobby McFerrin, but in a more African vein. Gino’s first French release, VOCAL DELIRIA, recorded when he lived in Paris, an absolutely outstanding vocal solo project, did not get the attention it deserved at the time of release, around 1995. Gino has come a long way since. On February 23, he appeared with his revived Vocal Deliria project, à capella and including some new songs and accompanied by three fellow singers, with that same Bobby McFerrin at Carnegie Hall, New York! He is permanently performing with this and other, more jazz oriented ensembles, will come to Europe to tour with Vocal Deliria in the spring and will record the VD project for release in 2009.
Yaron Herman is off to the States to play with his trio and prepare for the forthcoming release of his trio album on the US label Sunnyside. They will play the Montreal Jazz Festival in June, and in September, the Tudoe Jazzfestival in Brasil, to be followed by the Monterey Jazz Festival. Meanwhile, he will be on French tv twice this month: in the Cultural Journal of the French/German station Arte on March 23, and in the cultural/political evening broadcast “Ce soir ou jamais” on national channel France 3, on March 25.
Jun Miyake album “Stolen from Strangers” has found a home in Canada on bright new label Do it Right!, which will also take care of US distribution (Groove).
On the synchronization front, Métisse has the song of the new Lotus tv campaign to start on March 16: the title “KUNG FU FIGHTING”(Carl Douglas, SMV), in a very funny little clip ! Kung Fu Fighting will also be part of a major French movie production, “Disco”, to be launched in April. Some of Sylvain Chauveau compositions will be part of a very interesting independent movie by a director of Russian origin, Jérôme Amimer, a film called “Le Reflet” relating the life of his grandmother who had to leave Russia to settle in France. Djamel Laroussi’s “ETOILE FILANTE” will be integrated in a Moroccan movie produced by Shilo Films to be out before the summer, for which he composed most of soundtrack. “Into the Wild” containing “KAA” by Claude Chalhoub is a major success here in France.
ACT releases three new recordings in the Young German Jazz collection, aiming to highlight on an international plan the effervescent young German scene. This new harvest features [em]’s new album as well as two newcomers : Chris Gall trio ft. Enik with “Climbing Up”, a jazz trio with an indie rock singer, pretty exciting! And Jan Zehrfeld’s Panzeballet, a combination of jazz inspired improvisation coupled with the energy of hard rock !