“questionmark”

Jaipur terrorised. Sichuan in ruins. Myanmar swept into bleakness. Delft on fire. Heck even Kent Ridge burned. It may be a sad world out there, but what the world really needs is a little optimism. Optimism is my religion. We don’t need alot, just a lil bit over half full is enough to get us by. 

For me, some Jay Kay and Jamie Lidell keeps it going. And I walk on.

Jamie Lidell - Multiply.mp3

got his apple back.

Dug the The Velvet Underground and Joy Division for the weekend!

Exploding Plastic Inevitable: Andy Warhol & The Velvet Underground!-

CONTROL- Anton Corbijn’s feature film on Joy Division front man, the late Ian Curtis.

Good film, no doubt, great cinematography, personification and performances.

Sam Riley’s’ portrayals of Curtis’ solo moments in his creative life- inditing words and poems, penning lyrics induced from a tormented personal life and recording live in the studio are the imageries and captured moods that linger on…

So this is permanence
Love shattered pride
What once was innocence
Turned on its side
A cloud hangs over me
Marks every move
Deep in the memory of what once was love

starts work again tmr after a 5 day break!

It’s time to sing the chipi chipi song. Where is it when we need them?!

Los Melodicos - Chipi Chipi (mp3)

So here- back, after 3 weeks of roving, back to a new year, back to life and new hopes, back to SG, back to home, work… and eventssss!

sondre lerche, earth wind and fire, broken social scene? and not forgetting the freeeebies.
mosaicmusicfestival

book soon!

looks forward to the coming of march already.

A beautiful 19th century Romantic chorale piece by Edward Elgar, managed to find a streaming here. One of my favourite choral pieces to date…
…………

O snow, which sinks so light,
Brown earth is hid from sight,
O soul, be thou as white,
As white as snow

O snow, which falls so slow,
Dear earth quite warm below;
O heart, so keep thy glow,
Beneath the snow.

… The snow must melt, must go,
Fast, fast as water flow.
Not thus, my soul, O sow
Thy gifts to fade like snow

…Then as the snow all pure,
O heart be, but endure;
Through all the years full sure,
Not as the snow.

is seeking a little inspiration…

OUTDOORS… & LIVE!…

Outdoor musical events seem to be a growing local trend.
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Free The Musique Raffles Place Park

Can’t wait to blog about this!

Unlike WOMAD (will do a short post following.. soon!), this other recent outdoor musical event comes without an admission fee- yes it’s FREE thanks to home-grown gig organisers Kinemat. And that does not imply a compromise in quality, in fact the 1st installation of the series sees independent local bands such as The Great Spy Experiment sharing the stage with Koop, the Swedish electronic jazz duo who performs live as a 7-piece swing orchestra. One word sums up the night of events- Amazing, amazing, amazing.

Local acts took to a 4-hr presence of the 5-hr event and one can’t help but feel that throughout a good part of the night, people seemed to be waiting; quietly anticipating the highlight of the night. But a major act as a ‘background’ to put the minor ones on the foreground is a great move considering the local music scene is still in its defining phase and isn’t as well received, yet. Though generally, local bands are still an introverted lot- there were little interaction with the audience as if the musicians were merely focused on getting their music right.

Local post electronic rock band MUON

Local duo DJ Dean & Kaye on the saxaphone

Thus, it was of little wonder, that the entire atmosphere took to a change the moment Koop and the mini orchestra were on stage- each of the members carried such comfortable vibes & energies that their stage presence as a whole was certain. Almost without hesitation they broke into an orchestrated swing of instrumental melodies, eventually joined by singer-songwriter Norwegian Hilde Louise Asbjørnsen with her distinctively infectious jazzy carabet vocals and those gentle sways in movement that sends you off to the Carribbean-scapes with a rendition of “Koop Island Blues”.

Koop- “Koop Island Blues” Live

The event remained in an all encompassing atmosphere throughout the night- the music was free, the grounds were spacious, setting casual & Koop’s performance attracted many passer-bys to simply stop by to enjoy the musique . And just round the corner, a man in his 40s, seemingly in a ‘homeless’ plight, could be seen sleeping on one of the ledges nearby as if the music was his lullaby.

It’s a pity I couldn’t stay right till the end, but the music continues to resonate even from a far…

Musique music!

More photos of the event here

is going to get Koop Island!

JEREMY MONTEIRO WITH JAZZ LUMINARIES
Jeremy Monteiro(piano), Jimmy Cobb(drums), Joy Anderson(bass), Bob Sheppard(sax), Roberta Gambarini(vocals)
Esplanade Concert Hall

We wish we could bring the sheer energy and the raw virtuosity of jazz to you guys, but jazz has to be experienced to be enjoyed. It is truly spontaneous. So how about some spontaneous notes about the concert?

Jeremy Monteiro - It’s his 47th birthday. (20 June)

Jeremy Monteiro - 30th year of professional career after breakout gig at Montreux Jazz, also 30th year of Singapore Arts Festival

Jimmy Cobb - 78 years old, yet banging the drums with the same fluidity and dexterity of a 20-year-old (without the pride). Respect!

Jimmy Cobb - performed with many jazz greats, including John Coltrane and Miles Davis!

Bob Sheppard - fluent in almost all woodwind instruments: clarinets, sax, flutes!

Roberta Gambarini - If you thought gibberish is, well, gibberish, wait till you hear her scatting. Syllables become pure nuances of aural expression as she composes melodies and rhythms that bring you into the new abstract realm of genuine sound, where the music doesn’t take hold of you by language anymore. Truly exploiting the vocals as a music instrument.

Joy Anderson - Double bass isn’t your typical centrestage instrument. However in jazz, all players are equal. It’s amazing to see how he strains to pluck the strings to max out the frequencies of the instrument, but for me a little sad that it still sounded strained. It’s not his playing, but the confines of the instrument.

Esplanade - Beautiful beautiful visual light displays, reminiscent of disco lights, cascading waterfalls, Yayoi Kusama installations, fireworks, iTunes visualisers. Brilliant and adds to the whole jazz vibe.

Esplanade - Techno-baroque interior?

For those clueless or yearning to learn more about this free musical form, perhaps one starting point would be Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. It features Jimmy Cobb on drums, and is the best-selling jazz album ever thus far.

Singapore Arts Festival 25 MAY - 24 JUNE 2007

loves jazz!

Synaesthetic people are those whose one particular sense can be stimulated by another. Here we ask: what are the connections between the visual and aural? If we are able to see music for a day, how will it look like (apart from being like beansprouts hung on power cables)?

Today, we attempt to explore the art of album covers, arguably one of the visual expressions of music very accessible to us. Musicians will want to dictate the look of their albums, projecting certain images of themselves or their music on the cover. Definitely, from a business standpoint, many will take that literally and feature the faces of already-famous singers to sell their albums and their recognisability. Others to conjure publicity resort to controversial art and photography (not coincidentally many are from goth/metal).

Qmark discovers that many exciting new covers come from the indie scene. Not about pretty faces, they feature beautiful graphic art and illustrations, tempting you to link visual beauty with musical excellence. However do they have sufficient continuity between the art and the music? Here’s our point of view….
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1 The Common

John Mayer “Heavier Things”

The literal cover. Not wrong, but… boring? It doesn’t say anything about the music.
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2 The Concept

The Flaming Lips “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots”

Concept Albums have a central theme/story running throughout the whole album. The cover is usually a well thought extension of that theme, where with the Flaming Lips, the story of fictional Yoshimi battling against evil is sung.
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3 The Cool

Nouvelle Vague “Bande A Part”
Keane “Under the Iron Sea”
Feeder “Pushing the Senses”
Death Cab for Cutie “Plans”

Strong clean flat graphic lines echo electronic soundscapes and cool dreary moods. Very chilly.
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4 The Crazy

Ted Leo & the Pharmacists “Shake the Sheets”
Edan “Beauty and the Beat”

Psychedelic and energetic! These colourful covers with hard strong eye-catching reds are so infectious, you can feel the beat already! I like!
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5 The Cream

Sigur Ros “Takk”
The Decemberists “Picaresque”
Daphne Loves Derby “On The Strength Of All Convinced”
Broken Social Scene “You Forgot it in People”

Hand-drawn and more arty pieces come with more personal notes. Enter the dreamy world of Sigur Ros or the theatrical world of the Decemberists: a more quirky experience! I love these too, you can feel the personality of these musicians.

recommends you to listen to them!