SOUNDING OUT: JOHN HEART JACKIE

I have really been enjoying listening to We Are Gold Mounds by John Heart Jackie. Jennie Wayne and Peter Murray, the duo behind JHJ have crafted a beautiful gem of an album.

Initially, I was drawn to the music, which made me feel like I was out walking on a country road on sunny spring day. A little folk, a little country, the songs have an easy feeling to them and I just loved the confidence that is shown in allowing quiet spaces to exist within these songs. But after a listen or two, I was also quite taken with the lyrics.

Earlier this week I had an opportunity to talk with Jennie and Peter about their music and writing. What struck me was that John Heart Jackie is an idea that goes beyond the notion of a band and making music.

Peter explained that for years he has carried around a letter that he found in a used copy of the book Le Balloon Rouge. The book had originally been a gift from one friend to another, and the correspondence had been given along with the book. “The letter really spoke to me.” Peter said. “It was a really beautiful thing. In this letter this person is saying let this beautiful book be an escape for you when you need it to be…..This project (JHJ) is in a sense this idea.”

For a time when Jennie and Peter got together, they wrote a series of make believe letters to each other, taking on these characters who where corresponding. They simulated the way letters use to be written, before email and instant messaging, when time passing between correspondences could be weeks or months. “We would not write back and forth everyday.” Peter said. “We would sit with these things for a while.” The letters and characters, they explained, took on a life of their own over time. “We thought that this was an important part of creating other parts of this project that are not musical.”

This idea of allowing a new form of expression and interaction to develop between Jennie and Peter is so intriguing to me. For Jennie and Peter, it allowed them to find a new space to create and collaborate in that was different from what each had done before on their own.

Hook In My Arm   

“When we were having conversations about music, when we first started, one of the things that we were particularly interested in was the notion of the duet….and what you can create with just two people. In being together, we can make music that we could not make on our own. And that is the whole idea behind collaboration. The sum of our parts is greater than what either one of us can do individually.” Peter went on to say “I think that it is an important and humbling thing that I always try to remind myself of…… And it is more fun to hang out with your friends and make wonderful things.”

That sense of humility that Peter mentioned was no more apparent than when Jennie talked about song writing. Jennie said “I am not a tremendously prolific writer. I am not constantly writing little songs. I have to pull them out of myself. Those songs that come in 30 minutes are really few and far between. We are both constantly considering other artists and writers and listening to lots of different sounds and reading lots of different words and thinking of those things. And with all those bits of information in our heads, we can apply our own musical sensibilities. I think as long as we stay inspired by things we are able to create.”

I asked them, in creating songs, did the music or the lyrics come first? “The words and music are really related.” said Jennie. “You have to have the right words at the right point in the melody. You cannot just write some words that are meaningful and put them with some other melody. They really need to be created simultaneously and woven.

Listening to We Are Gold Mounds, one can really sense that these songs were created in a special and unique space, both figuratively and literally: From the ideas that developed from their letter writing, to the sounds of birds in the back ground of songs recorded at a countryside winery in Oregon, to the playing of a saw, recorded in the upstairs bedroom of a house.

Deep As Whales   

When I asked Jennie and Peter if they have arrived at a sound and process for creating music that they were content with, they said no. “There is the inevitable progression of an artist.” Peter said. “You make one thing and that is just a step to the next. And at the end of your life or in this case, the end of a project, when it is done, whether it be tomorrow or in 25 years, it will end when it is supposed to end. And it leaves this body of work and you will have seen the progression from the first recordings that we did out in our garage to the end.”

From the sounds of it, Jennie and Peter are onto the next set of songs, which they say will be more fully developed than those on We Are Gold Mounds. I will look forward to hearing those recordings when they are done. In the mean time, I will be enjoying the songs from what I hope is the beginning of a great creative journey for them both.

For those in Seattle, John Heart Jackie will be playing at the Sunset Tavern on February 20^th….so come and check them out.

TRACEY THORN, LOVE AND ITS OPPOSITE

I don't know why I did not pay much attention to Tracey Thorn's third solo album when it came out earlier in the year. I have always been a big fan of Everything But The Girl. Perhaps it is the topic, broken relationships and middle-aged single life after the fact. Not lighthearted stuff. But Thorn sings about the sometimes realities of life and real feelings in such a beautiful way, that I found myself drawn into each one of these songs.
Oh, The Divorces!      
Why Does The wind?   

RED RIVER, LITTLE SONGS ABOUT THE BIG PICTURE

Little Songs wonderfully shares and celebrates little slices of life and thoughts...mostly in quite ways...which is not what I would have expected from a 10 piece band. Throwing in everything but the kitchen sink, Red River uses a diversity of instruments to paint musical landscapes behind great narratives.

Carol Jean            
When We Are Wild   

For The Love of Jazz...Jason Moran

My mother would tell you that I came to my love of music by way of classical. My house, as well as that of my Grandma Lil, was always filled with the sounds of Schubert, Chopin, Dvorak.....really the list is endless. I love my mom, but she is not always right. My love of music came by way of Jazz.

I remember as a kid my Grandma Lil playing Scott Joplin on the piano. I loved ragtime and was fascinated by the timing, tempo, and structure of each song. I could feel my heart rate go up and down depending on the tune. Joplin, opened a door to musical exploration for me. I spent time listening to ragtime and jazz recordings that my folks had, and finally made my first jazz album purchase when I was 14. The album was Hot House Flowers by Wynton Marsalis.

To be honest, I knew nothing about Marsalis; I just thought that he looked so cool on the cover. While the reason for the purchase was misguided, the result was magical. I remember the first time that I heard When You Wish Upon A Star. The composition was a revelation for me. As a 14 year old, I had never heard an interpretation of a song that I knew. I just knew the song and expected to hear it as such.

When You Wish Upon A Star   

This song opened another door for me. And exploring I went. This happened again and again over the years as I explored the jazz greats and some great unknowns.

My journey continues with Jason Moran's album Ten. Jason Moran has made a very strong name for himself over the past ten years as his interests and intellect have taken him on his journey of musical exploration. Draw to and inspired by history, art, movement, sound, and of course music, Moran has produced albums that balance the pure joy of listening and the requirement of the listener to pay attention and think.

Listening to Ten for the first time brought me genuine excitement...and then made me step back and put on my thinking cap. Each of the compositions on this album operates on a number of levels. Take the opener, Blue Blocks, for example. Blue Blocks is a composition, inspired by the quilters of Gees Bend, Alabama, which was commissioned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This Gospel-esque composition acknowledges the racial tension of the past in Gees Bend and the existing tension that Moran still sees today in Philadelphia. It does this while musically interpreting Gees Bend quilts through interweaving patterns and tempos.

Blue Blocks   

Throughout the album, Moran continues to explore his interests. RFK In The Land of Apartheid was inspired by Robert Kennedy's 1966 trip to South Africa. Gangsterism Over 10 Years, sees Moran's continued exploration of the speech patterns and rhythms of rap and hip hop. Pas De Deux - Ballet Lines was part of a collaboration with choreographer Alongzo King for his Lines Ballet Company. Feedback Pt. 2 was inspired by Jimi Hendrix's performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.

Pas De Deux   

Moran also tackles the work of other musicians that have inspired and influenced his music and career. I loved what Moran does with Thelonious Munk's Crepuscule With Nellie. And while I am not very familiar with American Composer Conlon Nancarrow, I was intrigued with Moran's two interpretations of Nancarrow's Study #6. I also loved the playfulness of To Bob Vatel Of Paris, which was often performed by Jaki Byard who has been very influential in Moran's life.

To Bob Vatel Of Pasis   

Holding all of the compositions on this album together is Moran's trio The Bandwagon. After ten years together, the interplay that can be heard between Moran, bassist Tarus Mateen and Drummer Nasheet Waits is truly amazing. It is obvious that the connection that these three musicians share is something very special.

In September, three months after the release of Ten, Moran was named as one of the MacArthur Foundation's 2010 genius grant recipients. In receiving his Fellowship, the foundation noted "Through reinterpretation of jazz standards and new compositions of his own, Moran is expanding the boundaries of jazz expression and playing a dynamic role in its evolution in the twenty-first century." Tall praise, but well deserved. Even if one is not a 'jazz fan,' I would encourage folks to check out Ten and really spend some time listening to it. It really is remarkable and quite an achievement.

TOP ALBUMS OF 2010

It's that time of year when I spend WAY too much time choosing my favorite albums of the past year. This past year there were some really strong releases. Some made my list, others did not. Albums by bands such as The National, Arcade Fire, LCD Sound System, Yeahsayer, and Gorillaz were quite ambitious and gained a lot of attention, but I just could not get 100% behind them. What came as a surprise to me was that a few of the albums that I chose for my list are fairly recent arrivals for me...which means that I am running on a bit of a gut reaction. Having said this, each one of these albums really does stand on its own as something very special.

Broken Bells, Broken Bells

When I first hear that Brian Burton a/k/a Danger Mouse and James Mercer (The Shins) were teaming up I thought 'well there's an odd pairing.' Turns out the pairing is perfect. The depth of Burton and Mercer's musical knowledge and abilities complement one another so well and are prominently on display on their debut album. The songs that work well here are fantastic. Unfortunately, a few of the songs fall a bit flat and so the album did not make my final cut.

              

Villagers, Becoming A Jackel

Connor O'Brian is an Irish folk-pop singer/songwriter who performs under the name Villagers. On his debut album O'Brian has crafted some great songs. Beyond the strong song writing, I have to say that I just love his voice. He sings with such clarity. When you listen to him you feel like he is really thinking about each note and word and the meaning behind them. Like with Broken Bells, a few songs did not hold my attention. Having said this, there are a few songs here that are among the most memorable of the year for me.

Eels,  End Time
The release of an Eels album is always an event for me. Mark Everett can do no wrong in my book. Having said this, I approach each album with as much objectivity as possible. With End Times, Everett takes things down a few notches from his last album Hombre Lobo, as he takes the listener into his post love of his life break-up head. Everett's writing is open, honest, heartbreaking, and humorous.

The Radio Dept.,  Clinging To A Scheme

On Clinging To A Scheme, The Radio Dept. (from Lund, Sweden) continues to play with rich, textured sounds that fill whatever space they occupy. The band, the songs, and the album are in no particular rush to get from one place to another, so no one particular track really stands out from another. Both of these aspects of the album are just fine by me. It is a great listen on a cold and rainy day...or any other day really.

Deerhunter, Halcyon Digest
I'm always a bit skeptical when music critics seem to fall over one another to pour praise on album. It feels like folks jump on a ban wagon out of fear of being looked at the wrong way if they don't. This was the reason that I ignored Halcyon Digest for so long. So imagine my surprise when I took it for a spin and instantly knew that this album would make my top picks list for the year. Deerhunter's latest album is full of cool layers and textures of sound with vocals that are both contemporary sounding and a throw back to Britain in the 60's. The more I listened, the more I was drawn in to it. 

      

The Tallest Man On Earth, The Wild Hunt

Kristian Mattson, who records under the name The Tallest Man On Earth, is a special artist. As I wrote last month, his unfiltered voice, guitar, and story telling just feels so unique and original in today's music environment where everything feels pulled, pushed, and processed. I was absolutely captivated by The Wild Hunt. His writing and story telling here is just beautiful as he explores his spirituality and the world around him. 

              

Mumford & Sons, Sign No More

As much as I enjoyed this album, I knew that it was a true winner when my 10 year old son started requesting me to play it. Signs No More is a mash up of a British bluegrass type sound, country, folk, and a strong right elbow thrown in every once in a while for good measure. I am really encouraged that Mumford & Sons have found a wide ranging audience that has helped propel this album to the top of many music charts both in the States and in England. It is nice to hear some real diversity on the radio.

Cee Lo Green, The Lady Killer
The Lady Killer is currently my guilty pleasure. Everything about this album grabs the listener: the rhythms, beats, vocals, and lyrics..oh the lyrics....This is not a family friendly sing-a-long kind of an album...but you will be singing along. Green belts out these songs with such zeal and gusto. Honestly F*ck You (makes me cringe a bit to write this) may be my favorite song of the year. Do yourself a favor. Pick up this album, kick your kids out of the living room or car and crank this one up a few notches.  

Janelle Monáe, Archandroid
I will admit that I did not think that I would like this album let alone love it. I knew nothing about Monáe going into my first listen. I knew nothing about the alter ego she created, Cindi Mayweather, a messiah figure to a community of androids, that this album chronicles. And I did not know that mixing R&P, Hip-Hop, Soul, rock, and orchestral suites could be so successful and satisfying. Every song on this album surprised me and picking one stand out from the 18 proved impossible to do.

Surfer Blood, Astro Coast

I am a sucker for music with playful guitars. I still look fondly on Built To Spill's Keep It Like A Secret for this very reason. Add catchy melodies and poppy choruses (Think Fountains of Wayne or Weezer), and I am sold. Unfortunately, bringing all of these elements together in one song, let alone 10, is hard to do well. Surfer Blood has accomplished this with Astro Coast. This album is thoroughly fun, fresh, and enjoyable. 

              

Peña

I have loved the Twin Cities for a long time, going back to when my wife was going to Macalester College. One of the aspects of the city that I have always appreciated has been the music scene. So many great artists/bands have come out of the Twin Cities.

Cory Wong

Cory Wong is one of these artists. Wong is one of those rare guitarists who seems to have no bounds in terms of his comfort and ability to play across many different musical styles. From jazz, to rock, to classical, to folk to....Latin...which brings me to Peña.

Earlier in the year, Wong set out for Peru to immerse himself  (though briefly) in the traditional Afro-Peruvian music of the country. In October, Wong released Peña, which captures his musical journey. When I first heard and learned about Peña, I wanted to dig a deeper into the Wong's project. Last week, I had an opportunity to talk wit him about it.

The history of this traditional music is quite fascinating. As Wong has explained, in the mid 1500's, Spanish conquistadors brought African slaves with them to Peru. One of the many restrictions placed on the slaves was that they were not allowed to own or play instruments. In time they began using fruit boxes and dresser drawers as drums. This innovation became formally known as the cajón (large box) and it was the central component in fusing African rhythms with Spanish music.

Manuel Vasquez

After slavery was abolished in Peru (1856), Afro-Peruvian culture slowly withered away. By the mid 1900s the music had almost completely vanished. In the 1960s, a small handful of black Peruvians in Chincha (3 hours south of Lima) started a revival of sorts.  It quickly grew and before long the people of Peru were rediscovering this lost music. Today, traditional Afro-Peruvian music can be found being played throughout the country, but few recordings have made their way to North America. Enter Cory Wong.

When Wong headed to Peru with Eric Foss, with whom he co-founded Secret Stash Records, he did not go with a set agenda. They had no meetings or gigs lined up with musicians or clubs. Wong had only decided 3 weeks earlier to actually make the trip to Peru. For the 10 days leading up to trip, Wong spent every waking hour listening to recordings, transcribing songs, and writing some of his own compositions. By the time he landed in Lima, he had written 18 original instrumental pieces and transcribed another 15 traditional songs. Wth sheet music in hand, some field recording equipment, a room at a local hostel, and one contact in Lima, Wong and Foss set out to meet, play, and record music on the fly with musicians that they met along the way.

Through introductions and literally walking the streets, Wong, met a number of musicians who were eager to join him and help share their musical heritage. Over 7 days, Wong, Foss, and his newly formed friends recorded some 50 songs. They recorded where they could, in some cases, the very, very modest homes of the musicians.

Larry and Alberto are Street musicians that
Wong met while walking through a plaza

When I spoke with Wong, I asked him if the making of this album impacted him like he thought it would when he was conceptualizing it. It was eye opening he said. "It was such a significant experience for me, not only as a writer and musician, but especially as a producer and an engineer. Just knowing that if you have decent gear and can just set up some good mics in front of musicans that are really good and are really passionate, it doesn't matter what you do as an enginer. A great performance is a great performance and a greatly portrayed and emotional performance is a greatly portrayed and emotional performance."

To his credit, Wong simply got out of the way and let the music unfold in an organic manner. To drive home his point, Wong explained that of the 17 song on the album, 9 were spontaneous recordings that were done when the more planned out songs had been recorded and the mics were still live.

Cuando Liora Mi Guitarra is one such performance

It is obvious from talking with Wong, and listening to this album, that the making of Peña was a labor of love. When I asked Wong about the widespread attention the album is receiving, he responded by saying that he was totally surprised and very flattered by it. "It's just been really surprising to see what kind of response we are getting from the Album. Hopefully people are taking it for what we wanted it to be and will really explore Afro-Peruvian culture and Afro-Peruvian lifestyle....and what the music is all about. Hopefully they just don't stop at our record. We truly want people to be exposed to all of this music and culture."

Quizas  Un Dia Asi

El Mayoral



I think that Wong has accomplished his goal. Peña is a wonderfully rich and fully realized album and it has definitely piqued my interest in Afro-Peruvian music. I found this traditional music to be at once both familiar and unknown. While the rhythms and tempos are fairly straight forward, the timing of the beat on the drums is sometimes hard to figure out, which just keeps the music that much more interesting. I look forward to hearing the follow up album which will feature more songs from these sessions.