Anya M. Wassenberg's Blog: Art & Culture Maven, page 39
October 8, 2020
Jazzy Pop: Shihori - Soul Trip (Independent / 4 September 2020)
Shihori - Soul Trip
(Independent / 4 September 2020)
New York City based singer and songwriter Shihori's new single Soul Trip is atmospheric and ambient. Interesting rhythms and interwoven melodic vocal lines showcase jazzy harmonic progressions in a slow groove mode.
As a songwriter, she uses electronic effects with impeccable musical taste. As a singer, her flexible vocals range from a sweet soprano to a strong mid-range.
A veteran of the Japanese pop scene, Shihori moved to New York City in 2018, a move she talks about in a media release.
"I was so surprised when I came to NY for the first time. Independent and strong women are respected and there are lots of different preferences in music and style. I thought, 'oh my God! This place really accepts uniqueness and freedom! I didn't know there is a place like this totally different world that allows you to be yourself. Everybody looks so different. So many races, colors, cultures, fashion, ideas...I am so happy to be surrounded by colorful people!"
Shihori is planning on a string of singles in the months to come, so we can expect a lot more down the pipe from this interesting artist.
Electric Single Mix: Shawna Virago - Heaven Sent Delinquent (Tranimal Records / 20 May 2020)
Shawna Virago - Heaven Sent Delinquent
(Tranimal Records / 20 May 2020)
Shawna Virago is a transgender music pioneer and has built a cult following as a solo acoustic artist. The single is an electric version of her acoustic release, including a video.
In some cases, alternate versions of a song only make you think of the original. In this case though, the electric version of the song sounds fresh and original, translating nicely into a soft pop rock song with a bit of a Western twang to it. Shawna's lyrics tell a story that pulls no punches.
Daddy called me a son of a bitch
Mommy said I was the devil's daughter...
Music and message seem to be more important than ever these days, but Shawna proves you need to pay attention to the music for the message to resonate.
Virago is an active member of San Fran's artistic community and beyond. Shewired named Virago as one of the nation's "Top 25 Hot Femmes." The Advocate named Virago's song 'Objectified' as one of the nation's top transgender anthems.
She is the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival. Virago is also a filmmaker, and her music video Transsexual Dominatrix has screened at more than 30 film festivals around the world, and was awarded Best Music Video at New York's CineKink Festival.
As a writer, her work appears in Gender Outlaws: Next Generation and in the anthologies Trans/Love: Radical Sex, Love & Relationships Beyond the Gender Binary and Take Me There. Virago has been featured in documentaries aired on PBS and NPR. Virago has composed original soundscores for transgender choreographer Sean Dorsey.
Electro-pop David Thompson - the wall (Independent / 24 September 2020)
David Thompson - the wall
(Independent / 24 September 2020) Listen on Spotify
Philly native David Thompson offers dance music with a quirky musical imagination on The Wall, his latest release.
There are shades of classic Brit synth-pop in time, a bit of a throwback to 80s New Wave with a spooky vibe and appropriately angsty vocals. Thompson offers something a little unexpected in each track - familiar, yet unfamiliar. The title track, the wall, is ethereal, but runs at a breakneck speed.
this goon cant has earworm hooks that weave in and out of the vocal melody, with the keyboards offering a range of colours. clair is the upbeat pop-rock song on the EP, with his melodic tenor above electronic guitar, the sound given an intriguing distortion. obsession layers electronic sounds into a danceable and hypnotic track.
the wall is David's second release as a solo artist. A veteran of the Philly scene since 2012, he took time out from his music career to help start the Philly Tenants Union and Philly Workers for Dignity.
There will be more coming down the pipe soon from this interesting artist.
Tracklist:
Websites:
Official Website: https://www.davidthompson.band/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djfthompsonTwitter: https://twitter.com/2Big2ProsecuteInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/2big2prosecute/Personnel: Howe Pearson plays lead guitar on 'the wall' and 'clair', all other instruments by David
Time:
September 27, 2020
Review: Night of the Kings / La Nuit des Rois by Philippe Lacôte
Night of the Kings
La Nuit des Rois
by Philippe Lacôte
A France, Côte d'Ivoire, Canada and Senegal co-production
Now Playing In The New York Film FestivalImageAfter Venice and the Toronto Film Festival, Philippe Lacôte's Night of the Kings has moved on to conquer New York City.
Image Courtesy of TIFFA young pickpocket (Koné Bakary), is incarcerated in the giant La MACA prison, the largest in Côte d’Ivoire. The prison offers a hostile atmosphere, where the guards have long given up keeping order and the prisoners run the show, albeit confined within the prison walls. They dance, sing, and mingle at will in a common area called The Jungle.
There is a violent power struggle between Lord Blackbeard (Steve Tientcheu), who runs things, and the younger leaders of other factions. Blackbeard is old and infirm, and he knows he can't hold on forever. But, he does want to hold on long enough to leave on his own terms.
Image courtesy of TIFFBlackbeard designates the newcomer as the new storyteller - the griot - called Roman (novel in French). On the night of the red moon, Roman must tell a story. We gather eventually that he's buying time for old Blackbeard à la Scheherazade, but perhaps also for himself...
The confines of the prison are visually spare - an old, run down structure. The prisoners themselves make up most of the scenery. They're perplexing, menacing, quixotic. Why do they value the stories so much, and why must Roman continue until dawn?
Image courtesy of TIFFSometimes, the narrative flashes outside the prison to scenes from his story that occur outside its walls. Other aspects of his stories are fleshed out by eccentric performance art as done by the prisoners, who listen in rapt attention.
It's atmospheric, and in eschewing a traditional kind of movie storytelling, Lacôte emphasises the power of story. There's a growing sense of tension, and reality and magic blend, as we are as much in the dark about the nature of the ritual as Roman himself.
It's an unusual approach to storytelling that makes for an absorbing film.
Modern Romanticism | Stanley Grill: And I Paint Stars with Wings (Innova Recordings / February 14, 2020)
Stanley Grill: And I Paint Stars with Wings
In praise of mysteries
(Innova Recordings / February 14, 2020)
Composers: Stanley Grill
Performers: Camerata Philadelphia, Stephen Framil, Brett Douglas, Deubner, Peggy Pei-Ju Yu
American composer Stanley Grill is about to release another album of his work, so I thought I'd catch up on the last one, And I Paint Stars with Wings.
His work with Camerata Philadelphia and others on the release is melodic and evocative, modern romanticism with achingly sweet harmonies. Grill's goal is to use his music to encourage thoughts of world peace, most obviously evidenced in Pavanne (for a world without war) for string orchestra. It's part of his Music for Peace project, composed, as described by the composer “after having made a decision that my music needed to serve another purpose besides the obvious one of touching the hearts of those who listened to it. However unlikely of success, that purpose is the achievement of world peace.”
Mystical Songs is a musical setting of four poems by Fernando Rielo, a Spanish Catholic mystic, for soprano, viola and strings. Rielo was a philosopher, author, and founded the Universidad Technica Particular de Loja, who commissioned the work. They are intimate pieces, weaving layers of harmony with the voice on top.
Grill draws out a mood for each in The Four Elements, a concerto for viola, ending with the moody turbulence of Fire. Pavane is sweeping and cinematic in its vision, the harmonic pprogression building from sombre to uplifting in velvety tones and orchestral colours.
His next album, Afterwards... is set for release on October 23.
tiff Bell Digital Talks: Planet Africa Black Film Now
Planet Africa
Black Film Now
Planet Africa was a TIFF initiative, a programme designed to showcase films from Africa and throughout the diaspora that became hugely popular at the festival for about a decade. Twenty-five years after it began, the 2020 Festival honoured that effort with a talk that featured four of the Black filmmakers at TIFF this year in a discussion about the state of Black film now.
Tommy Oliver, Dawn Porter, Charles Officer, Dieudo HamadiCameron Bailey was the moderator. While he is of course TIFF's artistic director and co-head these days, in fact, his involvement with the festival began as one of the founders of Planet Africa.
Participating were Americans Dawn Porter (The Way I See It) and Tommy Oliver (40 Years A Prisoner), Canadian Charles Officer (Akilla's Escape), and Congolese director Dieudo Hamadi (Downstream to Kinshasa).
This year's festival took place largely online, including the Talk, which was held on Zoom. Still, the TIFF experience is valuable, the filmmakers said.
"It's almost an overwhelming honour to be part of this group," Porter noted. "Canadian audiences have so warmly embraced my film." She mentioned participating in panel discussions along with in-person screenings.
Torontonian Charles Officer was the only filmmaker attending in person. "It's been wild," he said. "This city - the city I grew up in - it's a dream to present it here." His first public screening was held at Ontario Place. "The weather was beautiful, we were lucky for that." The indoor, social distanced screenings felt strange, he said. "It was hard to feel engaged."
American filmmaker Tommy Oliver's first film premiered at TIFF back in 2013. "It's been completely different," he said.
Downstream to Kinshasa
Bailey mentioned the fact that noted Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène visited Toronto and TIFF in 2004 with Moolaadé, his last film, and that at the age of 81. He then asked the panel how - and whether - they saw themselves in the context of African film.
"Have I earned this mantle of "African filmmaker"?" asked Dawn Porter. As she mentioned, it is a question at the heart of African American identity. Are they part of the community?
"Pan African?" wondered Oliver. "I appreciate it, because you can't separate the fact that I'm black from the fact that I'm a filmmaker," he explained. "We are finally getting to a place where we are telling our own stories, and celebrating our own stories."
For Hamadi, however, working in DRC in central Africa, there is no sense of community - or even of a film industry as such. Outside Nollywood, there is no infrastructure to connect to.
Planet Africa was, in some ways, a victim of its own success. As the profile of African films was raised overall, filmmakers became reluctant to be associated with what was seen as a niche - and not the mainstream of TIFF.
Officer, however, pointed out that Planet Africa and its legendary parties was an invaluable source for networking. He said he met Saul Williams, the lead in his movie, at such a gathering. "It has been instrumental in my education in filmmaking."
Others spoke of a continued need for a boost for Black filmmakers in the industry. "You can keep chasing the awards that are stacked against you, or seek affirmation elsewhere," Porter noted.
As far as a lack of diversity in the awards, it's just business as usual. "It's a system that is doing exactly what it was designed to do," Oliver, the only Black producer on the panel, noted.
While others were optimistic about the democratizing effects of streaming, Officer was less impressed, particularly with Canadian Crave service and its lack of enthusiasm for Black film.
Identity and access - it's still the same landscape.
Akilla's Escape
American Classical | Third Sound: Heard in Havana (Innova Recordings / February 14, 2020)
Third Sound: Heard in Havana
A musical delegation
(Innova Recordings / February 14, 2020)
Composers: Spencer Topel, Kati Agocs, Ingrid Arauco, Christopher Wendell Jones, Kai-Young Chan, Jeremy Gill, Amadeus Regucera, Michael Harrison, Cindy Cox, Jennifer Higdon
Performers: Third Sound, Sooyun Kim, Romie de Guise-Langlois, Karen Kim, Michael Nicolas, Orion Weiss, Patrick Castillo
Check It Out At Innova Recordings
From white noise minimalism to romantic lyricism, Heard in Havana, perhaps surprisingly, offers a unique snapshot of the work of living American composers. Heard In Havana is the third release for Third Sound, an ensemble made up of adventurous New York City- based chamber musicians. It's a project with a bit of a history.
It was late 2015 when American Composers Forum (ACF) sent Third Sound to Havana, Cuba, along with a group of ten American composers. The group made history when they presented their program at the 18th century Basílicia Menor de San Francisco de Asís - the first concert with an all-American program, with all composers in attendance, since the Cuban Revolution.
The new recording is the product of Third Sound's third Cuban residency, and offers the work of composers Kati Agócs, Ingrid Arauco, Kai-Young Chan, Cindy Cox, Jeremy Gill, Michael Harrison, Jennifer Higdon, Christopher Wendell Jones, Amadeus Regucera, and Spencer Topel. All of it was written after 2001, and the group includes composers at varying points in their careers, from students to Pulitzer Prize-winning Jennifer Higdon.
Kai-Young Chan's Mieko is a highlight of the release. The flute takes centre stage against a bed of ethereal - even spooky - sound. Flutist Ooyun Kim shows a striking fludity of expression, with a range of tonal changes that illuminate the work, along with impressive power in the high range.
Jeremy Gill's Paean, Epitaph, and Dithyramb has a sweeping vision, perhaps the most orchestral of the pieces, in the traditional sense. There are dramatic highs, with the flute and piano prominent. Dithyramb is all virtuoso piano (played by Orion Weiss), a bit like a mad hatter's take on a classical symphony.
The release sparkles with imagination and freshness, and will reassure listeners about the direction of modern music in North America.
September 23, 2020
Harlem Stage Digital Event: A Drop Of Midnight October 13 & 15 2020
From a release:
Harlem Stage Digital Event:A Drop Of Midnight
October 13 & 15 2020
A two-part conversation with Jason ‘Timbuktu’ Diakité and his creative team around the developmental process of creating his autobiographical theater project, A Drop of Midnight. In this conversation Jason will take us on his journey to becoming one of Sweden’s chart-topping hip-hop artists and a best-selling author.
Jason ‘Timbuktu’ Diakité, Jonathan McCrory, MapeiHe’ll also share the story of how a mixtape from Brooklyn traveled across the waters to the tiny village of Lund, Sweden and altered the course of his life forever. We will examine the impact of hip hop music and culture on the globe. How has hip-hop united communities of color globally? How do you translate a personal story into a universal truth? How do you build a creative team? How has the current climate of social justice informed your artistic practice? Jason will read excerpts from the play and share some of the music.
October 13—Part IIn this conversation A Drop of Midnight author Jason Diakite, and Dramaturge/Director Jonathan McCrory share their creative process as artists of color committed to advancing stories reflecting social justice. How is creating during these prodigious times of social change across the globe influencing your creative practice.
October 15—Part IIA Drop of Midnight author Jason Diakite discusses his evolution as a chart topping Afro Swedish musician and Hip-Hop artist with fellow Afro Swedish musician and vocalist Mapei and DJ/author/filmmaker Bobbito Garcia a.k.a. Kool Bob Love in conversation around the power of hip hop music and culture in their work and the inspiration to reflect community, liberation and freedom.
WAYS TO WATCH:
Harlem Stage YouTube ChannelHarlemStage.orgJason ‘Timbuktu’ Diakité's A Drop Of Midnight, directed by Farnaz Arbabi, with Jonathan McCrory as production dramaturg, composed by Erik Hjärpe, and accompanied by live band, The Rakiem Walker Project.
Fall for Dance North Debuts 2020 Festival: Live + Digital Experiences Sept 29–Oct 18 2020
From a media release:
Fall for Dance North Debuts 2020 FestivalCaptivating Live + Digital Experiences on Newly Enhanced Digital Platform
Toronto’s premier international dance festival launches curated collection of original content and proprietary programs on new custom-built website
TORONTO, ON — Fall for Dance North (FFDN) proudly presents the 6th edition of its esteemed international dance festival, The Flip Side, from Sept. 29–Oct. 18, 2020.
Featuring a new, Netflix-style digital platform, an enhanced line-up of free programming, and a ticketed signature livestream presentation featuring six world premieres by Canadian dancemakers, FFDN has reimagined the festival experience to offer audiences an intimate connection to the art form of dance during these extraordinary times.
Starting on Sept. 29, free programs will be released at ffdnorth.com daily, including an original podcast, a quirky interview series in a bathtub, a poetry + music album, a new dance film featuring 46 Ryerson School of Performance dance students, and an in-person interactive encounter where virtually enhanced social dancers are brought to life through augmented reality (AR).
“I am delighted with the incredible array of performances and experiences that arts enthusiasts will have the opportunity to engage with at Fall for Dance North: The Flip Side,” says FFDN Artistic Director Ilter Ibrahimof.
“While this year’s festival was born out of necessity—following the closures of performing arts venues in the wake of COVID-19—it has flourished into a purposefully-designed and innovative live and digital program. In collaboration with more than 100 artists and our long-time co-presenters TO Live, this year’s festival is brimming with absorbing, entertaining, and thought-provoking live and digital dance content for audiences worldwide. There is truly something for every dance palate this festival season.”
Fall for Dance North 2020 Festival Highlights:THE BIG SOCIAL: AR Edition — Premieres Sept. 29
Experience the intimacy of social dancing, in augmented reality
Presented in collaboration with Harbourfront Centre
Harbourfront Centre's Natrel Pond becomes a liquid dance floor for Argentine tango, balboa and vogue. Aim your device at the large image in the centre of the pond and dancers will appear before your eyes. Follow their movement as ambient audio transports you to a dance club, or a square in Buenos Aires. Long-time (bubbled) dance partners remind us of the power of touch and physical connection—in augmented reality.
Bathtub Bran — Premieres Sept. 29
A six-episode, interview-style web series, in a bathtub!
Hosted by Bran Ramsey
Beloved Toronto dance artists talk about their lives and the impact of COVID-19 on their projects in this six-episode web series. Hear about their creations and watch video excerpts. Irreverent and off-the-wall, this series offers a frank and fun introduction to these artists. One tub, two artists (yes, clothed!), some suds—and the ubiquitous Plexiglass COVID-safety shield—bring a dose of humour to the situation.
Mambo — Premieres Sept. 30
A new podcast from Fall for Dance North
Hosted by Nicole Hamilton of Turnout Radio and FFDN Artistic Director Ilter Ibrahimof
This new six-episode podcast brings you stories about encounters with, through and beyond dance. A first-time dance festival experience leads to a first-time baseball game. A cancelled choreographic work transforms into an audio production. Follow your co-hosts’ curiosity as dance leads them into human and humorous exchanges.
Night Shift — Premieres Sept. 30
Intimate livestream performances, featuring six unique and boundary-pushing works.
Co-presented with Citadel + Compagnie
Late night, livestream performances at The Citadel: Ross Centre feature the voices of six Toronto movement makers. Solo performances provide immediate access to the energy and aesthetics of the moment. Curated by Toronto-based dance artists Nova Bhattacharya, Jon Drops Reid and Santee Smith, Night Shift is directed by Oscar-nominated Barbara Willis Sweete. And with pre- and post-show chats, you get direct access to the creators themselves.
[in]verse — Premieres Oct. 5
An audio album, bringing world-renowned dancemakers together with poetry and music
Poems chosen and read by national and global dance stars, including Peggy Baker, Michael Greyeyes, and Louise Lecavalier, merge with classical selections curated and performed by Canadian cellist Arlen Hlusko in this collaborative album. Spoken in multiple languages, meet dancemakers in new ways as their dancing bodies emerge through voice.
A Gathering — Premieres Oct. 4
A new dance film by Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber
Co-presented by Ryerson School of Performance
For 46 Ryerson School of Performance dance undergrads, a remote creative process offered continuity when their courses were disrupted last spring. Through creative prompts and coaching, students document their at-home choreographic explorations in this new film dedicated to dance students worldwide whose educations have been impacted by COVID-19.
Open Studio — Premieres Oct. 5
Rehearsals-in-progress, both online and in-person
Presented in partnership with TO Live
Catch a glimpse of dancers at work. Witness new choreography taking shape right before your eyes. Watch dancers rehearse live in-person inside Meridian Hall’s West Lounge, or online via livestream. Curated with Toronto-based artistic advisors Vivine Scarlett and Laura Nanni, this glass box studio reveals a spectrum of exciting Toronto artists and their latest explorations.
The Lost Objects — Premieres Sept. 29
Ten objects share their feelings about being forgotten
Presented in collaboration with The Second City Toronto
While FFDN explores the flip side, the theatres, dressing rooms and studios normally inhabited during FFDN lie dormant. So many objects are just sitting, waiting. Do they know a festival is happening without them? Sit in on a group counselling session, where they share their feelings (and reveal some inside drama!), as actors from Second City bring these objects to life.
Toronto Stages: Dancing Through Time — Premieres Oct. 3
An interactive exhibition, bringing Toronto's dance histories to life
Presented in collaboration with Dance Collection Danse
A virtual tour of 14 significant Toronto dance venues, travel back through photos and stories highlighting the Canadian and international artists who have enlivened these stages with beauty and innovation. Wander through four special theatres in 360º and hear from the people who know them best.
+ FFDN will host a curated collection of online workshops (from Sept. 29) and livestream artist talks (from Oct. 3).
2020 Signature Program — Oct. 3 at 2pm
Six world premieres live from the Fleck Dance Theatre
Presented in collaboration with Harbourfront Centre
This livestream event features six world premieres by a diverse range of emerging and acclaimed Canadian choreographers, blending live dance and music with surprise guests and pre-recorded presentations from Calgary and Amsterdam. The line-up includes original FFDN commissions by: Red Sky Performance Associate Artist Jera Wolfe; Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal principal dancer Vanesa Garcia-Ribala Montoya; contemporary dancemaker Joshua Beamish; Broadway tap star Lisa La Touche; South African-born gumboots dancer Mafa Makhubalo; and Decidedly Jazz Danceworks’ Artistic Director Kimberley Cooper.
Single tickets ($15) and Watch Party passes ($150) are now available at: ffdnorth.com. Designed to give bubbled family or friends an in-home festival experience, each Watch Party package comes with a dedicated Virtual Host from within the dance community, and care package with playbills and festival swag. For more details visit ffdnorth.com.
September 15, 2020
Single: jefff - R U Hip 2 the Revolution (Conch Town Music / 21 August 2020)
jefff - R U Hip 2 the Revolution
(Conch Town Music / 21 August 2020) Stream It On Spotify
R U Hip 2 the Revolution combines spoken word and song in a hip hop-ish vein. Its strengths are a hypnotic rhythm and jefff's expressive vocals.
The track builds in momentum, with anthemic chord progressions that ramp up the intensity. It's danceable, with a nice melodic keyboard line.
The song's somewhat reminiscent of Marcy Playground's Sex & Candy - an irresistible rhythm and clever lyrics, although here, they're about global politics and not a furtive hook-up.
Listen for yourself.
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