No Static: Hindi Zahra

I was actually introduced to Hindi Zahra by Robert Glasper, an artist previously featured in this series (there's two posts, so it's a series now! :) ). He recorded a song with her for the French release of his album Black Radio (I think they connected because they are both Blue Note artists) - listen below:

Not having purchased the French release of the album (or any release... #poverty - thanks Spotify!), I only heard the song for the first time when I saw him in concert in Paris, where he and Hindi performed this song. She was amazing - powerful, sultry, and unique, without so many of the contrivances found in contemporary "jazz" (or whatever) vocalists. She pretty much instantaneously became my new girl crush (see all photos of her and this write up for proof that her style is as awesome as her music).

 A little more research led me to her debut album: 

...which is just lovely. Her sound isn't necessarily the most innovative, but that doesn't diminish the strength of her musicality and her immense talent. I love the mix of languages in her songs as well - somehow it sounds so natural.

This is probably her most well known song - apparently it was in a Western Union ad? :

And here's a really cool remix (and video!):

And proof she can do standards too:

Go forth and listen, and let me know if you think I can pull off her hair/style - i'm not above direct copying, but I'm just not sure I'm cool enough to work it like she does :)

Rio X Paris

I know it's blurry, I'm awkward about flash/am bad at my camera...

Not sure how I keep ending up at "world" (don't even get me started on the problems with that term... alternatively, suggest another word I could use that is less obnoxious!) music concerts in Paris, but somehow they always seem to be the cheapest and coolest... so there you go. 

On Sunday we got a taste of Carnaval in Paris (i know there is actually a Carnaval in Paris, but bear with me here) with the Orquestra de Frevo de Paris, who were playing at l'Alimentation Générale. Honestly, every time I go out in pairs, I have no idea what to expect because each time is completely different. On this particular evening (when I had luckily convinced a pal to come adventuring with me) we got there and the vibe was basically just Williamsburg Mexican restaurant. Which was good.

Then people started just randomly dancing... in what might gently be called a non-professional, yet organized fashion. Needless to say we were perplexed. Also the music had applause recorded in (...unsure).

After 45 minutes of that, the band finally came on - with the dancers (now in much more sparkly outfits) accompanying them. It was so festive to watch and be a part of - also just adorable on principle (french people in matching outfits playing Brazilian music). The band and the dancers made up for any technical deficiencies with an abundance of enthusiasm, and by the end of the night, the whole crowd was dancing.  My friend and I decided to run away and become samba dancers (even though i later realized that they were not actually samba-ing (?), but rather performing frevo, a type of music and dance specifically associated with Carnaval... details) - perhaps taking the cute trombone player (whose name was Giovanni... fact) with us.

I love Brazilian music (blame my mother) and when I initially read that the group was called "Orquestra de Frevo" this was my first thought (1:17):

Here's a danceable Brazilian playlist for you, in case you too aspire to drop everything and run away to Rio.

No Static: The Robert Glasper Experiment

Today, the "highly anticipated" (to use unfortunate jargon) new album from the Robert Glasper Experiment, Black Radio, was released in its entirety to NPR. Stream it. Immediately.

I've been a fan of this group since summer 2010 (... almost 2 years ago. Yikes.) when the organization I was interning with, the Brooklyn Arts Council, produced a concert in conjunction with Lincoln Center Out of Doors that featured them as headliners. They were really fantastic, and different in a way that was striking but not alienating - something that I think a lot of interesting contemporary musicians struggle with. Their music is fundamentally listenable, and is only made more so by their frequent collaborations with hip-hop and R&B artists.

I saw them again in February 2011, when they were playing with Lupe Fiasco at the Blue Note (picture below). Just completely fucking awesome. Also I was approximately 2 people from the stage... I died. A little. They were playing to a tough crowd - most people were just there to see Lupe - but they were compelling enough to really focus the show. The vibe was so chill, and the music was SO good.

One of the many times I've seen them live. Yes - Lupe, Kanye, and Mos Def are also on stage.

I went to see them again in May 2011, when they did a secret show at a hotel in New York... really fun. The small size of the venue meant that the artists were just hanging out - which is when you can see just how brilliant they are. At this concert specifically, they were experimenting (har, har) and it was just interesting to see the artistic processes happening... I'm a dork. In case you couldn't tell, as I cite the zillions of concerts I've been to with this one band...

Anyway. Saw them again in October, as a part of a CMJ showcase at Le Poisson Rouge with Taylor McFerrin and Jose James. It's interesting to see the type of demographic they attract - Robert Glasper has a huge following in the jazz community (which is dominated by nerdy white guys) but the music also has enough crossover appeal that he's starting to get attention in pop circles. The copious collaborations also help with that. That being said, none of them really feel forced - rather, it sounds just like the product of a really cool musical community (slash I just want to be all of their best friends).

I'm going to see them in Paris on April 6th... I'm so excited to see how the show is different than all the American ones I've been too. The new album is really great - I've already listened to it like 3 times, and it's just... chill. The music is awesome without being aggressive - Patrick Jarenwattananon at NPR calls it "organic," which is an apt description in the sense that the whole album flows so well. However I think the danger with the word organic is that it implies a sort of naturalism, when in fact this is a highly cultivated and frankly highly produced sound (another aspect that ties it more closely to the pop world). I digress. To be frank... it would be awesome make-out music. Just saying. I digress some more.

Anyway. Listen to it! And go to see them! They're on tour right now and are going basically everywhere, so you have no excuse.

Cute Boys and Good Music... What Else is There?

But seriously.

Last weekend, I took a visiting friend out to Caveau des Oubliettes to see a free concert by the group SETENTA, nebulously described on the website as "afro-jazz"... the question of genre is an interesting one - last time I went to this bar (ostensibly a jazz club), the band was doing Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson covers. jazz just has a really different definition here than in the U.S. - a jazz club is typically more easily defined by what it is not (at least in my limited experience): not pop, not rock, not rap, not classical.

Basically, I just figured it would probably be fun (generally I'm down for any music with "Latin" influences... whatever that means), but really didn't know what to expect. 

And that's when they all walked on in their not quite coordinated outfits, and started playing super danceable Latin/pop/funk. Probably best described as santana meets Tito Puente meets a hint of West Africa meets... French people. The band was so tight, with such adorably precise arrangements, that you really had to just not have ears to not want to have a total Shakira moment... they were all just having a fantastic time, dancing and singing and playing pretty much every percussion instrument you can imagine (I did not demand more cowbell, but I was sorely tempted).

The venue wasn't ideal (tiny cave crammed full of tables), since everyone (obviously) wanted to dance - I definitely would like to see them when they're playing at a larger venue (possibly one with affordable mojitos? I don't think I've ever heard more mojito appropriate music than these guys...). Here's another video of their live show... the most fun.

Unrelated: I just realized that online mixtapes exist.. like a day ago. Not sure where I've been. Anyway, found both of these on The Hairpin:

1. Just think slow jamz and dedications.

2. This is anti-valentine's (late i know) but also just a lot of good pop songs.

la Saint-Valentin

It's Valentine's Day in Paris... why that inspired me to post something here I don't know (certainly not because of any personal attachment to or anticipation of the holiday... sigh). But Paris is into it.

All the flower shops are overflowing with roses,

which leaves the sidewalks looking quite romantic.

Nothing more French than an immaculate themed display.

Except perhaps an afternoon of chocolat chaud and macarons :)

Also, to honor the holiday, I'm sharing part of my personal Valentine's agenda - namely, the soundtrack to my dream Valentine's Day with Jon Hamm (of course, in 1957 and in New York City and wearing this dress or this dress... basically Mad Men). 

So if you like love songs from the 50s and 60s that you can imagine dancing to... voilà!

a very mad men valentine's day

On the West Side

This week, I was lucky enough to see West Side Story presented in HD, with the entire score played by the NY Phil. It was incredible. To hear the vibrant score played by one of the world's finest orchestras, augmented to mimic the grandiose size of the typical film orchestra... truly sublime. Every emotion of the movie was exponentially more tangible when reinforced by the energetic and thoughtful accompaniment of 100+ musicians...

One aspect of the narrative that is often cited as problematic in both West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet is the improbability of their relationship - people are incredulous at how knowing someone for two minutes could result in such a fatal attraction (pun intended... sorry).

As I watched the movie (for the 3rd... 4th... maybe 5th time), I realized that perhaps the essentially impossible nature of this central relationship is irrelevant. Even without realism, this story taps into a universal human desire. I can't imagine that there is anyone in the world who doesn't want to meet someone and know, instantly, that they were destined to be together forever (dead or alive). That suddenly, for better or for worse, that person matters more than anything else and most importantly, that that feeling is reciprocated. Tony and Maria are embodying a fantasy - but that doesn't make their story any less sympathetic. Because we all want that, we all want that for them - and when they can't fulfill this promise (on earth, which carries a certain Wagnerian/Tristan element - same source material, I realize), it's all the more tragic because of the destruction of that fantasy. We live in a world too imperfect for perfect love.

Yes, I'm really cheesy. But when it comes to West Side Story, is there anyone who isn't?

Separating "Reality" From Realism: Why You Should Watch "Friday Night Lights"

I must begin with a disclaimer - I love the show Friday Night Lights. More than any other show ever. I'm emotionally invested in it to the point that it's basically unhealthy - I mean, I cry when I hear the theme song.

That being said, the end of the series has stimulated a lot of discussion about the show - what made it so unique and special. Not only has this discussion taken place within the media, but also just between me and my friends; those who love it, and those who I harangue into watching it, including my roommate.

When she told me that she didn't find the show compelling because of its purported subject matter (small town life and football), I have to admit it was a blow. However, in my experience, what the show is about transcends any superficial attachment to religion or sports. And that's a good thing.

Similar criticism of the show emerged in response to a piece in the Times by Heather Havrilesky about why Friday Night Lights is better than Glee. This editorial, although in essence correct, describes Friday Night Lights in almost negative terms - "mumbling, downbeat, old-fashioned" - which are then echoed in the comments. Most of the responses can be summed up as 1. don't care about football, high school, or small towns, 2. the show is depressing, the world is depressing enough and I want TV to be an escape, or 3. the shows are both good, but incomparable.

While I sort of agree with point three, I heavily dispute points one and two. The reason the show is compelling (more so to me than, for example, Glee) is because of its realism. The show reflects the reality of very few of its viewers: we might all have things that are depressing about our lives, but it's unlikely that they are at all related to a Texas high school football championship. In this sense, it is an escape. The viewer enters into a carefully constructed world of tangled relationships and events that are so close to reality you can't see past them. The thoughtful plot (ok, ok perhaps less so in season two) and carefully developed characters that form the world of Friday Night Lights are irrelevant to the success of Glee, a show whose theatrics take precedence over its narrative. The fact that FNL is so realistic means that the viewer is that much more involved in the show. Take, for example, the final critique from Ginia Bellafante, a NYT TV critic - she actually expressed her wishes for the futures of all the characters... as if they were real people. How much more escapist could the show be? And it's not the ability to transport people that I'm saying is laudable here; I'm attempting to say that the quality of the show is such that it is a more effective diversion, piece of entertainment, or whatever than a less carefully crafted show. In other words, truth is stranger than fiction.

To respond to the idea that it is depressing - it's true that there is a lot of misfortune on the show, a lot of losing. In this sense, the chant "clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose" takes on a cruel irony as time after time, the clear eyed, full hearted people of Dillon just keep losing. But seeing people overcome adversity has its own thrill - and also, the moments of happiness on the show seem that much more resplendent in contrast to the grimness and smallness that so often characterizes rural life on the show. Also, the show is, at its core, beautiful. Filmed with beautiful people, in a hauntingly beautiful place, with cinematography that forces the viewer to get intimate with the story - it's not forced, but at the same time there's no escaping it. The duality, the agony and the ecstasy as it were, is why it's so entertaining. The show is complicated, but that's what makes it exciting to watch. 

"It’s rare for a TV show to acknowledge that happiness is a fragile, transient thing. Although the tenure of “Friday Night Lights” may have proved just as fleeting, its exquisite snapshots of ordinary life won’t fade from our memories so quickly."

These are probably the most important ideas from this article. I suppose my fundamental problem with the negative assumptions about the show are that people believe what is thought-provoking cannot also be entertaining. 

Here's the article.

And for anyone looking for further reading material about the show, this link has everything you could ever want (except this article, of course) (also, spoiler alerts in advance).