Anya M. Wassenberg's Blog: Art & Culture Maven, page 43

Singer/Songwriter Annamay - New Singles

Singer/Songwriter
Annamay - new singles
From the album Out Of Reach
(Independent / 29 May 2020)
• Out Of Reach • Om Hon Hade Vetat 
If you're a fan of pure pop and finely crafted songs, you'll enjoy the work of Annamay. From a solo/studio act, the singles see her branching out with a new band. Annamay's vocals range from a lower/mid-range that sounds a bit like Marianne Faithful without the rasp, to an effortless high end with a girlish lustre.
Out of Reach ranges from lush piano ballad to pop with a groove. Annamay talks about the song in a media release.
A song about lost opportunities that may arise again (if you really want them to..) <3Living, loving, in solitude, longing for that special person.
Om Hon Hade Vetat is upbeat, with a busy drum line. It's bright and catchy - whether or not you understand the Swedish lyrics - and reminiscent of effervescent 1960s/70s pop. 
A native of the mountains of Åre, Sweden, she began studying music at the age of 10. Alongside her music, Annamay also added a career as an expert level engineer in underground infrastructure and urban planning.
Personnel:Annamay: vocals; Jonas Petersson: piano; Henrik Naglitsch: bass; Bo Ahlbertz: irish bouzouki; Esko Vuonokari: electric guitar; Jens Stenbro: drums
Stay in touch:Official Website: https://battrekonst.se/artist/annamay/Facebook: @annamayofficialTwitter: @annamayartistInstagram: @annamayartist

Indie Film: Wakaliwood's CRAZY WORLD - See It Free For One Week Starting May 29 2020

From a media release:
Wakaliwood's CRAZY WORLDPremieres Friday, May 29, 2020 at 2pm (EST)Available for One Week for FREE!
Crazy World, by Uganda's renowned zero budget filmmaker Nabwana IGG, is back. After a sold-out world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2019, it's back for free viewing as part of YouTube's online film festival. Here's a message from Wakaliwood.
Supa Fans! Our new child Kung Fu action film CRAZY WORLD will have its International Premiere as part of YouTube's We Are One: A Global Film Festival alongside Bong Joon Ho, Francis Ford Coppola, Guillermo del Toro, Jane Campion and Jackie Chan!You can see the international premiere HERE.
The film has been screened only once before, the World Premiere at TIFF 2019. This special version features an introduction from Uganda with your fave filmmaker Nabwana IGG and a Special Scene produced under lockdown with Supa Fans around the World.
We chose to share Crazy World with We Are One as a way to help raise money to stop Corona and to entertain. Crazy World will be presented in CoronaVision - Fighting Virus & Boredom!
Participating Festivals include Berlin International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI), Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, New York Film Festival, San Sebastian International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and Venice Film Festival. Not bad! Crazy World at the We Are One Festival
Meet the594 EXECUTIVE PRODUCERSfrom Around da WorldAll Supa Fans who supported us on PATREON and Kickstarterwill have screen credits as Executive Producers on Crazy World
You're all Ugandan Action Movie Producers!Add yourselves to iMDb. Watch the film premiere & see your name (or Patreon moniker) on the screen!
Thank you to everyone for helping make the film possible, and so much more. Join us and be part of the next film! Check it out at the link

Wakaliwood Supa Store is Wide Open
T-Shirts, Paintings, Stickers, Mugs,DVDs & Posters signed by Nabwana IGG
Available at the link
To give you an idea what you're in for, here is Who Killed Captain Alex, Wakaliwood's premiere on the world stage: 

LAMC2020: Latin Alternative Music Conference June 9-13 2020 Online

From a media release:

LAMC2020
Panel Topics
Livestream Partner Announced
The Latin Alternative Music Conference is going digital in 2020 for obvious reasons. This year, you can stay on top of industry trends from the comfort of your own home.

• When is LAMC2020? June 9-13th, 2020• How much does it cost to register? $0 = Free = Gratis = Cero dinero!• Where do I register for LAMC2020? www.latinalternative.com• Where do I tune in to watch? www.latinalternative.com 
Our LAMC livestream partner is Twitch. 
Panel discussions at the LAMC are a key part of the conference as they provide a forum for discussion on a wide-range of topics that help create important conversation about the current state and future of the industry.

Check out this year's panel topics below and stay tuned for future announcements of our panellist lineup and conference schedule.

This year we are asking you to send your panel questions in advance. Email your questions to info@latinalternative.com
LAMC Panel Topics

• Mental Health for the Creative Community - A conversation among artists
• Playlists: How to get on the radar - Presented by The Orchard
• Wonder Women of Latin Music - A discussion between and celebration of women making a difference in the industry - Presented by Amazon Music
• Music Publishing Explained and Expanded - Presented by Songtrust
• Finance for Musicians and Entertainment Companies - Presented by City National Bank and Prager Metis
• Finding Your Sound - A conversation between an award-winning group of hitmaking studio pros - Presented by Symphonic Distribution

LAMC 2018: Mala Rodriguez, Anita Tijoux, Niña Dioz | Nueva York

I Am Samuel - World Premiere 2020 Hot Docs Online Festival May 28-June 7 2020

From a media release:

Documentary Film:
I Am Samuel - World Premiere
2020 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Online Festival
World Showcase Section
Screening from May 28 through June 7, 2020

• Check out the Hot Docs Festival Online

Filmed in a vérité style over five years, I am Samuel is an intimate portrait of a Kenyan man torn between balancing duty to his family with his dreams for his future. U.S. Premiere to follow at 2020 Human Rights Watch Film Festival New York

Hot Docs Festival Online starts May 28! Ontario audiences will be able to watch doc premieres, enjoy pre-recorded filmmaker Q&As, and partake in virtual live events—all on hotdocs.ca.Starting May 21, ticket package holders, premium pass holders and Doc Soup subscribers can book their films, and Hot Docs Members can purchase single tickets. Single tickets will be on sale to the public starting May 26.Tickets: $9 per film ($8 for Hot Docs Members)

SynopsisSamuel grew up in the Kenyan countryside, where tradition is valued above all else. He is close to his mother but his father, a local pastor, doesn’t understand why he isn’t married yet. After moving to Kenya's capital in search of work and a new life, Samuel falls in love with Alex and finds community and belonging. Despite the threat of violence in the city and of rejection by Samuel’s family in their rural home, the couple move between their co-existing worlds, hoping to win acceptance in both.

Director's Statement"My name is Pete Murimi and I am a documentary director and cameraman. Since the beginning of my career in 2003, I have been drawn to shine a light on the unseen, marginalised and vulnerable in our society. Through my storytelling I want to empower the people who allow me into their lives to document their stories, so that their voices can be heard. It is very rare for a poor, uneducated gay man to be given a platform to tell his story from his point of view, particularly in Kenya where such love is not accepted by society.  Although it is not illegal to be queer and to fall in love, homosexual intimacy is criminalised under colonial-era laws. People who identify as queer aren't able to love or live openly, and face the threat of assault, abuse and discrimination.

This is a love story of two men, Samuel and Alex, who are deeply committed to each other. It is also a film about the resilience of love between father and son. Samuel’s relationship with his father is very similar to my relationship with my father. Both our fathers had expectations of us that we could not fulfil. In my case, my dad wanted me to have children of my own and go into business, rather than filmmaking. Samuel’s father, Redon, was desperate for him to marry a woman and live the same kind of life as him - as a farmer, pastor, husband and father.

Redon is a retired painter who has been married to his wife Rebecca for 50 years. He is also a pastor at the local church, and a small-scale farmer in rural  Kenya. Every season, the couple plough their two-acre farm and plant maize and beans to eat at home. They also keep two cows for milk. Redon, being deeply religious, struggled to cope with the discovery that his son was gay and the film follows the family as they adjust to this difficult new reality.

Kenya is a country with extreme wealth inequality. Money and privilege can buy some privacy and security if you are gay. But most Kenyans are poor and live in rural areas or informal urban settlements where they cannot afford to hide dangerous secrets like their sexuality. Their voices are unheard, and their issues are rarely discussed in the media or by mainstream policymakers. It was very important for this film to capture the reality of being poor and gay in Kenya – an experience shared by millions of LGBT+ people around the world."

– Pete Murimi, May 2020

Jazz Release: Bartosz Hadala Group - Three Short Stories (Independent / 2020)

Jazz Release:
Bartosz Hadala Group - Three Short Stories
(Independent / 2020)
• Buy the CD

Each track is a new adventure on this album of new jazz from Toronto's Bartosz Hadala Group. Hadala wrote all the compositions on the album, and he makes good use of jazz idioms from a broad swath of eras from classic swing to avant-garde and even flashes of atonality, without losing the thread or leaving listeners behind in a self-indulgent exploration.

The first track, Prologue: Slow to Anger, is expressive and moody, a fitting introduction to this series of short stories. In True North X, Hadala swings into a contemporary jazz mode, full of changes in direction and tempo. He's assembled an impressive group of musicians who can take the spotlight with their virtuosity but play beautifully off each other as well.

As a pianist/keyboard player, he's inventive and melodic, with a solid rhythm section in drummer Marito Marques and bassist Brad Cheeseman. Guitarist Eric St-Laurent adds some nicely liquid melody and harmonic lines to Monk's Unfinished Symphony.

Longing is a stand out track with an upbeat momentum and a nice sense of restraint - virtuosity subsumed to good taste. Slow to Anger features a languid and expressive sax part with Luis Deniz.

EST is busy and even frenetic in sections, the bass playing a prominent counter melody against the piano and horns, and a kinetic drum line underneath it all. It's another highlight of the album. Itsy-Bitsy Spider Blues has a bit of a throw-back vibe to it, like a classic jazz track injected with a distinctly modern soul.

Born in Poland, Bartosz began studying music at age 7, and went to Berklee College of Music in Boston at the age of 17. He studied at the Odessa Conservatory with professor Anatoliy Kardashev, and in 1998, came back to the USA to study at Western Michigan University. He moved to Toronto in 2010, where he's active in the local scene as well as on the recording side. He's returned to Poland several times over the last decade to play with well known Polish jazz musicians such as recent Grammy Winners bassist Pawel Panta and drummer Cezary Konrad, among others.

EST

Mediterranean Jazz: Erodoto Project - Mythos: Metamorphosis (Cultural Bridge / May 1, 2020)

Jazz release:
Erodoto Project - Mythos: Metamorphosis
(Cultural Bridge / May 1, 2020)
• Buy/Download from your favourite service
• Stay in touch

Cool grooves meet hot chops in this latest release from Italy's Erodata Project. Despite the emphasis on themes and stories from classical Roman mythology and literature, listeners can expect a thoroughly modern approach to jazz - one that blends various elements into the music as needed.

The Mirò String Trio (Fabiola Gaudio, violin; Lorenzo Rundo, viola; Marco Simonacci, violoncello) adds a moody orchestral touch to Bob Salmieri and his jazz quintet, featuring Salmieri on tenor and soprano sax, ney (a Persian flute) and  ney, sax tenore e soprano, friscalettu (a wooden flute), Alessandro de Angelis on keyboards, Maurizio Perrone on contrabass, Giampaolo Scatozza on drums and Carlo Colombo on percussion.

The rhythm section creates the basis for their signature sound, with shimmering cymbals and a nicely delicate sense of rhythmic patterns and changes, and the bass offering melodic walking lines and rhythms that create forward momentum.

The tracks are a compelling mix of moods and rhythmic changes. Meleagro is a laidback composition that highlights fluid keyboard lines and inventive bass counterpoint. Even the drum solo is fluid rather than frenetic, making for a sexy vibe.

Lyrically and thematically, the music is inspired by Mediterranean lore, in this case, the Metamorphoses of Ovid. In Aci e Galatea, the piano and sax play against each other in a musical portrayal of the two lovers of classical Roman mythology.



Ifi et Iante (Iphis and Ianthe anglicized) is a hipster take on a complicated tale from the myths. It's not really necessary to know that Iphis was a girl raised as a boy to enjoy the ultra cool vibe of this track, with its sexy sax line and syncopated rhythms.

Traditional and contemporary jazz, and elements of classical European music blend on many of the tracks. The string trio is prominent in Sibilla Cumana, a mesmerizing track with a cinematic sensiblity - I could easily picture a story unfolding on the screen in the compelling music.

Pasiphae, in mythology, one of the more upbeat stories of the classical era. A daughter of the sun god Helios, she was gifted with medical knowledge and a healing gift, and happily married the King of Crete. In music, she's an upbeat track with a nice sense of musical and rhythmic abandon that swells to a crescendo.

Hiera begins like a Baroque era string trio, seguing neatly into a section of breathy flute and piano. It's a surprisingly seamless transition from traditional rhythm and tonality to the freer expression of jazz.

Danza della Luna has a distinctly Latin and Mediterranean flavour, the strings adding a gypsy jazz feel. Filitis delle Pramidi is a standout track, one with a melodic bass line against a harmony of strings and sax.

The album is the third in a triptych by the Erodoto Project dedicated to Medtierranean mythology. All the tracks wer ecomposed by Salmieri along with Allessandro de Angelis.

As the  CD liner notes mention, "The mythological figures in our Culture are all surprisingly Human after all – they fall in love, they suffer, they struggle to achieve things and they even die in the process, despite their Godly ancestry."

Kate Amrine: This Is My Letter to the World (Innova Recordings - January 24, 2020)

Kate Amrine
This Is My Letter to the World
(Innova Recordings - January 24, 2020)
• Buy/Download the CD

Kate Amrine's trumpet moans, pulses, and soars in rich tones and melody in this very interesting release of new music.

Her trumpet is the thread that leads us through the noise and cacophony of Gemma Peacocke's Skin, the first track on the album. It plays against the electronic sounds and Roberta Michel's alto flute beautifully.

Amrine composed What We Are Doing To Ourselves, a compelling track that incorporates string playing/noise, voice/spoken word, and flute - elements that at times sound as if they were all arguing with each other in a whirl of music. The words talk about the environment and our relationship to it, the music swirling in and around the libretto.

In Kevin Joest's Thoughts and Prayers, the trumpet and other instruments play off snippets of spoken word - speeches from Obama and others, and arguing voices, all talking about incidents of gun violence. It's both thought-provoking and compelling musically.

My Body, My Choice is another track with an overt message. Composed by Niloufar Nourbaksh, the music mirrors the urgent rhythm of the message. Amrine's Waiting? is more philosophical, playing flute against trumpet and voice in a piece that's cinematic in its emotional scope. It'll happen for you...but will it? the voice asks.

Close Fight (JacobTV) is playful and melodic, revolving around a fighter's story. Gradually, the words and music weave into tight layers of rhythm and melody.

Kate's We Are Women blends a chorus of voices in a repeated refrain against, then giving way to, harmonies between two brassy trumpets. The title track is a piece composed by Jaz Rizetto and set with words by poet Emily Dickenson. It begins with an elegiac trumpet line that blends with spoken word.

It's a captivating mix of storytelling, social consciousness, and inventive jazz, taking the art form into a vital direction.

In the liner notes Kate writes, “As an activist and storyteller, I created this album of different stories and viewpoints that I am excited to share with the world. Many of these pieces bring up issues that are extremely important to everyone and I hope that upon listening, you will act and inspire others to do everything they can to make this world a better place.”

Composers: Gemma Peacocke, Kate Amrine, Kevin Joest, Niloufar Nourbakhsh, Jacob TV, inti figgis-vizueta, Ruby Fulton, Jay Rizzetto, Howie Kenty

Heare Ensemble: VOX (Innova Recordings - January 24, 2020)

Heare Ensemble: VOX
(Innova Recordings - January 24, 2020)
• Buy/Download the CD

The Heare Ensemble is Jennie Oh Brown on flutes, Jennifer Blyth on piano, and Kurt Fowler on cello, and this is their debut recording - a surprise given the effortless sounding musicianship.

The recording commemorates the 90th birthday of American composer George Crumb. The first piece on the album is Crumb's Vox Balaenae - Voice of the Whale (1971). Written for "three masked players (electric flute, electric cello, and electric piano,) it  begins with the lovely and atmospheric Vocalise, a combination of voice and flute (and voice forced through flute) that sets the tone for the ominously rumbling piano that follows - like approaching thunder. The piece is evocative and flows through mood changes from majestic to playful to foreboding.

Crumb was responding to recordings of whale sounds he'd heard, and the piece is considered revolutionary. In addition to whale sounds, he alludes to the opening theme of Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra, a piece he is said to admire, even as he depicts a natural world without the overt presence of humankind.

In the third movement, the cello becomes a whale's voice, then perhaps a passing fly, then bounces off the flute. Each of the eight movements explores the concept in sound, with some of th emovements named after geological periods (Proterozoic, Mesozoic, and so on).

Even when the melodies and rhythms bounce off each other and clash, it's with rich tonal changes and shimmering rhythms that make it compelling. The Heare Ensemble began performing the piece as graduate students at the Eastman School of Music, and have performed it many times since then.

The other pieces on the recording were chosen because of their connections to the ideas and themes of Crumb's work in various ways.

Narong Prngcharoen's Bencharong, the second piece on the release, has five movements, each named after a different colour - Red, Blue and Yellow, including the three primary colours, white and black.

The word itself means "five coloured", and refers to traditional decoration of Thai pottery. Each movement uses its own set of notes and sounds - such as the naturally vibrant and kinetic Red, and the slower, moody and reflective Blue.

Two shorter pieces, Stacy Garrop's Silver Dagger, a riff off an Appalachian folk song, and Carter Pann's Melodies for Robert, written for Robert Vincent Jones, a talented flutist who became a physician - albeit one with a deep love of art and music - round off the CD.

This is an album of music that plays with the emotions and offers reflection and contemplation, where the superb talents of the musicians are almost forgotten in the sheer beauty of the music.

Vox balaenae: Var. 4, Mesozoic

Fandom Online - HOMECON: 2nd Edition May 16-17 2020

From a media release:

HOMECON: 2nd Edition
May 16-17, 2020 
HOMECON, the Virtual Fan Experience that Became a Six-Continent Unprecedented Success, Returns.
PANELS: Orphan Black, Vikings, The 100, Heroes, and Wynonna Earp

Toronto. Thursday, April 30, 2020. Following in the footsteps of a wildly successful inaugural launch, HOMECON: 2nd Edition takes place on Saturday, May 16 - Sunday, May 17 with more panels, more 1-on-1 Zoom chats, more HOMECON merch, and the new innovation for bashful fans, the group-on-1 interviews for $40 (holds up to 10 people chatting with one actor). HOMECON deconstructs the fan experience at conventions and transcends that design, adding the ease of accessibility that is the difference between just attending and really participating.

Headlining HOMECON: 2nd Edition will be these exhilarating panels. Check out www.homeconofficial.com for new guests as they are added.

*Orphan Black Panel: Featuring Emmy-winning and Golden Globe nominee, Tatiana Maslany (Stronger).
*Vikings Panel
*The Women of The 100 Panel
*Heroes Reunion Panel
*Wynonna Earp Panel: Creator Emily Andras and cast

HOMECON: 1st Edition chose #FirstRespondersFirst as the charity for donations, and they are proud to have donated $10,000. HOMECON: 2nd Edition is pleased to announce it will continue to support #FirstRespondersFirst. https://thriveglobal.com/categories/f.... In addition to that donation, actors participating in the HOMECON: 1st Edition have also been responsible for designating thousands of dollars of additional funds to support Canada Helps and Start the Wave, as well as funding nearly a thousand meals to the LA Regional Food Bank.

HOMECON, created by Paul Amos (Jupiter's Legacy, Lost Girl, Assassin's Creed) and Rachel Skarsten (Batwoman, Lost Girl, Reign) to combat the isolation felt in the pop/nerd culture enthusiast community now that so many conventions are canceled due to COVID-19, ran April 10-11, 2020. With more than 44,000 views (Source: Twitch) and online conversations about the event in more than 38 countries spread over six continents (Source: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram).

“After the overwhelming response from Homecon: 1st Edition, which included many people attending a con for the first time ever, albeit virtually, we have decided to make Homecon: 2nd Edition free to the world! However, we do encourage people to donate and support this wonderful endeavour in the same way as the actors who are contributing to this wonderful weekend," said Paul Amos and Rachel Skarsten.

Virtual conventions have been done before, but never to this extent. HOMECON: 1st Edition offered 16 panels, 38 guests, and in lieu of signing tables, up-close-and-personal 1-on-1 Zoom chats with celebrities (of which almost 1000 were conducted over the two-day period). HOMECON: 2nd Edition promises to be even more exciting.

HOMECON is hosted on the Twitch platform, and attendees pay no subscription fee this time (Twitch subscription is free with Amazon Prime), making HOMECON financially attractive and incredibly accessible.

Follow us at:
Web: https://homeconofficial.com/
Insta: @HomeConOfficial
Twitter: @HomeConOfficial
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/homeconofficial

ABOUT HOMECON
Born out of a quarantined world of isolation, HOMECON connects individuals who are respectfully staying at home to an online event community that’s bringing a brand-new face to the world of pop culture conventions. Attendees have the opportunity to attend live virtual panels with the stars of their favorite shows—and the ability to book video chats with celebs in intimate one-on-one video settings. Created by Paul Amos (Jupiter's Legacy, Lost Girl, Assassin's Creed) and Rachel Skarsten (Batwoman, Lost Girl, Reign), HOMECON is the ultimate virtual fan experience. www.homeconofficial.com

Here's a look at the Supergirl panel from the April 10/11 event:

New Wave Redux: Matt Lande - Don't You (Forget About Me) (Independent / March 6, 2020)

New Wave Redux:
Matt Lande - Don't You (Forget About Me)
(Independent / March 6, 2020)
• Stream it on Spotify

Simple Minds' Don't You (Forget About Me) is an iconic hit for many who grew up (or loved) the 19080s. Portland-based Matt Lande has released a cover as a tribute to his love of the music of that era.

Lande's version is more guitar-heavy, with the same kind of soft and soaring vocals that made the original a monster hit. The synth part is less prominent, giving it a spacier, more modern gloss.

Matt had this to say about the cover in a media release:

"I love New Wave music and "Don't You (Forget About Me)" is such a great song from that time...lots of nostalgia there. It's been exciting to break from doing my original music and become immersed in the 80's for this project. I really dug into this song with a goal of reproducing the fantastic original vibe that it had, while giving it my own personal touch as well. I hope you enjoy my take on it."

Raised in Central Florida, Matt spent three years on the road with StorySide: B, and then another five years in Los Angeles writing and recording with another band. After relocating to Portland, he released the Alt Pop album GLOW in 2015, followed by Boxes in 2017 as well as his latest album, Aftermath, in 2019. He's currently writing material for another EP release later in 2020.

Personnel:
Matt Lande: Vocals, Guitars, Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Mixing; Joey McAllister: Drums

Official Website: www.MattLandeMusic.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mattlandeofficial
Twitter: @mattlande
Instagram: @mattlande
Bandcamp: https://mattlandeofficial.bandcamp.com/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/matt-lande
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattlande