Festival Season: "Voices Across The World" @ the Royal Opera House London

Orlando Gough, Royal Opera House Associate Artist, curates this year’s annual summer celebration of traditional and contemporary music from a variety of global cultures, with a focus on different singing traditions and the uniqueness of the human voice.

The Royal Opera House

Paul Hamlyn Hall 2pm - 6.30pm

July 31 2011, Covent Garden, London

Orlando has invited twelve of his favourite singers to perform at the Royal Opera House on one day. The singers will perform unplugged, either a cappella or with minimal accompaniment in the Paul Hamlyn Hall between 2pm and 6.30 pm. In Orlando’s words:

‘Each of them not only has an amazing voice but an original and radical attitude to singing’ :

Christian Zehnder is a spectacular yodeller and throat-singer.
John Tomlinson, the legendary opera singer with a seriously bass voice.
Mikhail Karikis is an eye-opening performer and ear-opening singer.
Erika Stucky sounds more like Tom Waits than any other female singer I know of.
Dessi Stefanova sings like a Bulgarian, which she is – enough said.
Clare Wilkinson sings early music as if it were brand new.
Manickam Yogeswaran is a Tamil from Sri Lanka with a voice of pure honey.
Phil Minton sings with a bravery verging on the heroic.
Loré Lixemberg is the most experimental opera singer I’ve ever come across.
Eska Mtungwazi sings jazz-soul-hip-hop-folk-African music with a friskiness verging on the ecstatic.
Talitha MacKenzie sings Gaelic music in a way that makes you understand Gaelic
Melanie Pappenheim has the voice of an angel and the sense of humour of the devil

Orlando Gough

There will also be surprise events in the other front-of-house spaces including an exclusive showing of the film Turbulent by artist Shirin Neshat and a chance to try out your own voice in an Extreme Karaoke – an aural playground created by composer Dominic Murcott.

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Motor Mouth Music Linbury Studio Theatre 7pm - Unreserved standing only

A selection of the singers from the day will join electronic artist Andrew McDonnell in a thrilling improvised session. Expect looping, live sampling, duets, trios, choruses, transformations - experimentation and exhilaration!

Festival Season 2011

It's been kinda lazy lately @ TJ headquarters and usually what it needs to get up and going again it's an email from the other part of the globe from a keen reader who just wants to know some crucial jazz dates in the Old Continent and beyond.
Montreux, Switzerland begins its allstar festivities on the 1st of July with Carlos Santana & John McLauglin. And that's only the opening act! Quincy Jones, Sting, BB King, , Paul Simon, Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, Jimmy Cliff, The Skatalites, Ziggy Marley, Alpha Blondy, Yousou N'Dour, Seal, Trilok Gurtu, Lee Ritenour and Dave Grusin, George Benson, Leon Russel, Dr. John, Ruben Blades, Liza Minelli, Ricky Martin, Rumer, Esperanza Spalding, James Blake, Arcade Fire, Lamb, Mogwai, Deep Purple and TJ absolute favs RAPHAEL SAADIQ, CHARLES BRADLEY, ALOE BLACC, MARIO BIONDI, ERIC TRUFFAZ, FEMI KUTI and last but not least BOOTSY COLLINS!
Worth checking out the celebration for the 30 years of TommyBoy records with a concert featuring Africa Bambaata, Coolio, Digital Underground, House of Pain, Naughty by Nature, Prince Paul as well as a Tribute to Miles Davies with Herbie Hancock and Wayner Shorter!

The capital of Umbria region, Perugia, hosts one of the best European jazz festivals known as UMBRIA JAZZ (8-17 July). It's a perfect opportunity 4 us to make it public that this particular jazz institution is the spark of birth for this blog. In fact the idea of the blog was conceived while living in the Etruscan town and breathing the UJ air every summer!
Wanna know what's in store 4 this year's edition? Grab a bite ...
P R I N C E (yeah the one and only, Gilberto Gill & Sergio Mendes, BB King, Dee Alexander & Caro Emerald, Miles Tribute feat. Hancock, Shorter and Miller, OUR MAN AHMAD JAMAL, Branford Marsalis, Santana, Liza Minnelli, Renato Sellani & Massimo Moriconi, Stefano Mincone Trio, Anat Cohen Quartet, Giovanni Guidi Quintet (feat another TJ fav GIANLUCA PETRELLA), Tia Fuller Quartet, Chihiro Yamanaka Trio and many more...

Our (relatively) newest entry of favourite festivals, GP's WORLDWIDE takes place between 6 - 10 July in Sete France and between 16 - 18 September in Singapore (we'll be posting more about the Sing fest nearer to its dates).
Meanwhile in Southern France this year's line-up is rammed with heavyweight talent includes Raphael Saadiq live, Dam Funk w/ Master Blazter live, James Blake live, Jamie xx, Flying Lotus live, Mount Kimbie live, Derrick Carter, Laurent Garnier presents L.B.S live, Kode9, The Pyramids live, DJ Harvey, Konono No.1 live, Rich Medina, Benji B, Owiny Sigoma Band live, Sofrito Soundsystem, FM Belfast live, Cut Chemist, Joy Orbison, Brandt Brauer Frick live, Souleance live, Prommer & Barck live, Baths live, David Rodigan, Ghostpoet live, Pearson Sound aka Ramadanman, Rainer Truby, Awesome Tapes From Africa, Lefto, Simbad, Dj RKK, Quantic, Boiler Room x Young Turks, Ross Allen, Toshio Matsuura, MC Dynamite and many more

That's it for now folks...more essential info about Euro Twisted Jazz fests as we go along. Have a nice trippin' ...Take Care!

Matthew Halsall - On The Go (2011)

Sometimes it's best to get straight to the point, to stop beating around the bush and avoid going round in circles. This is one of those times. On The Go is superb .-
more here...

The Weeknd - House of Balloons (2011)

It's THE controversy of 2011! RNB's mystery men THE WEEKND released via their website 4 free "House of Balloons" dividing the hip hop and RNB fans.

"What makes this whole thing work in an album context is that all the thematic and sonic pieces fit together-- these weird, morning-after tales of lust, hurt, and over-indulgence ("Bring the drugs, baby, I can bring my pain," goes one refrain) are matched by this incredibly lush, downcast music. It's hard to think of a record since probably the xx's debut (definitely a touchstone here) that so fully embodies such a specific nocturnal quality. And even though the image of nightlife painted by the Weeknd isn't a place you'd ever want to live, it's one that's frankly very hard to stop listening to."

Joe Colly - Pitchfork

The Weeknd - House Of Balloons by The_Weeknd

New Music in Yo Ear

Cubic Zirconia's DAVI, one of the finest talents of our days, just released this beautiful tune that's been on rotation in the TJ headquarters for the past week and dare we say one of the best to be released in 2011. A TJ instant classic...check it out!!!

available as a free HQ mp3 download from DAVI's official website right here

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - Scandalous (2011)

Scandalous was produced by Jim Eno of Spoon, who also produced the band’s celebrated 2009 debut, Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is! (Lost Highway). Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is! featured a young band’s modern and gritty take on classic American funk, soul, rock and blues. The album garnered positive feedback from the press, including Esquire, Spin, NPR, UTNE Reader, Los Angeles Times, Mojo, and Popmatters.com. On Scandalous, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears elevate their game to another level with 11 new songs that offer more diverse and contemporary stylings than its predecessor. Gospel punk burner "You Been Lyin'" (featuring The Relatives) fits squarely alongside the country blues of "Messin'" and the Stax-meets-Stones soul of Solomon Burke’s "Since I Met You Baby." The raw funk creeper "She's So Scandalous" stands out as an album highlight.

Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra - World of Funk (2011)

OUT TODAY ON OBIQUITY RECORDS

Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra - "Bina" by Ubiquity Records

Lee has as an uncanny ability to pick-up and play any instrument he can lay his hands on (his studio is like a candy-store for curious musicians) and for World of Funk he went global playing sitar, ektar, Balaphone, Tanpura, kalimba, Steel drum, Guitarron, Moroccan castanets, Cithare, vibraphone, Xylophone, Bulbul tarang, Charango, Bouzouki, talking drum, and Udu.

Adding to Lees melting pot of sounds are guests from around the world. Brazilian singer-multi instrumentalist Curumin (Hailing from Sao Paulo, and of Japanese/Spanish Brazilian background) and British/Egyptian singer Natacha Atlas completely embody the spirit of World of Funk. While on-tour in Los Angeles this Summer Lee locked down three very special collaborations. The first was with Chhom Nimol the LA based Cambodian singer with the band Dengue Fever. Lee made an instrumental track with Clutchy Hopkins (which includes the sound of a 1960's Smith and Corona typewriter!) for Dengue Fever member Paul Smith who recorded Chhoms haunting vocal. A chance meeting with Bardo of Chicano Batman on Sunset Boulevard led to some garage-y flavored West Coast Latino-funk. And then both Willie McNeal and Money Mark suggested Lee work with Cava.

The album also features Truth and Soul Recording artist Michael Leonhart, NOMO bandleader Elliot Bergman, and Lee’s mother-in-law (aka Nanny Jee)!