SunShiningMusicLover

back to the future from Leb

2008-03-25T14:10:00.002Z

six months without a word in the beautiful wwww void
i am attending Rami Khalife's concert tomorrow at Assembly Hall
so see ya on Thursday

Girls&Boys&Björk

2007-08-27T21:03:00.000Z

So there I was , among the 7000 people attending Rock en Seine yesterday.

Two things: ohmyGodwhatacrowd! of course, the usual grungysmelly blokes, you know those ones who spend three days in a tent, soaking wet, covered with mud, were there.

AND there weas a rejoicing part of the crowd that was... hot, man! Unfortunately for everyone but me and the RockEnSeinois, i didn't have my camera...

Beautiful outfits (FYI ladies, if you plan to attend an outdoor concert, you'll wear plastic boots and tiny tiny shorts please) on beautiful ass... sorry, bodies. And loads loads loads of lesbian couples popping out of I don't know where... Khay, what a relief!

And then, @21.45, she was there; the stage was beautiful, covered with huge and weird electronic machines and the brass section was entirely a female one!!! yeeeehhaaa!!

She was wearing a delightful butterfly-like dress and sang barefoot as usual. We all went crazy for her. Please listen to "Declare Independence" from the Volta album. Björk, my petit vulcan, I love you!

See ya

The Kronos Quartet rocks!

2007-07-27T13:53:00.000Z

I never went to the Saint-Denis basilica until that night when I attended the KQ concert with a friend of mine.

I heard them before in that magnificent place under the summer stars (see picture above) and I understood suddenly what being open-minded means. These guys are basically interested in the present, and in the music that lives into that present. And I love it, just as much as I love Mozart or Tchaïkovski.

Check out their program: I was astonished by the powerful and bright madness of Felipe Pérez Santiago's Encandilado and Terry Riley's Cadenza on the Night Plain, always perfect and genuine. That electric version of the KQ was a bit frightening at the very begining, but I just decided to let go and everything was just perfect!

See ya

Lou Reed Impact

2007-07-02T13:09:00.000Z

So many things have been written about the Lou Reed's Berlin show so far. I bought my ticket without knowing what I was about to hear. I trusted my gutt feeling.

Me and my two friends we bought the very last tickets. But we had separated seats.

I was fascinated by the musical environment just before the show began - it is definitely from his meditative new album : a huge transparent curtain hid the stage for a while and beautiful images of a growling river were shown on it. Massive!

And then it all began. What a set! Two hours and I was completely taken away - I just remembered my seat neighbor asking me "Waouw! You came here by yourself?" holding his girlfriend's hand tight -, I forgot about time (which is a big big deal for me), almost space.

It's all about setting a feeling between the stage and the audience. And Lou Reed just made it happen. His unbeatable guitar sound, his unreal strings companions (Steve Hunter, I love you so much!), the smoothness of the young girls' choir, the flute, the violins...

He offered us two come backs and Walk on the Wild Side sounded still the same!

I hope I will soon get to hear such a wonderful live "climat" (in french for... I don't know!), where there is only Life through Music.

Come back soon.. I am going to this concert tonite...

Michael and his walls

2007-06-15T15:02:00.000Z

I spent a tremendous evening with one of my childhood friends, who i haven't seen in ages, and her boyfriend. Quickly after dinner, we talked about and listen to the music we loved. "You have to listen to this! Oh, and you, to that!", and so on for two hours.

There is nothing i love more than listening to other people's favourite music. Because every time it happens, i get in touch with tunes that i have forgot about until that very minute when i say "Oh yes, this is sooooo good!". And it happened that night when i heard Michael, you know, the Off the Wall Michael. The three of us agreed that this album is better than Thriller.

Souvenir, souvenir...

See ya!

Never as good as the first Sade

2007-05-26T08:35:00.000Z

Nothing new these days, apart from this quite interesting compilation... I much more enjoyed the "Pieces" disc than the "Songs" ones... I am still completely overwhelmed when my ears discovered sounds they've never heard before... Ah, Free Music, love of my life!

Where is Sade? I downloaded my Best of on my MP3 and i am enjoying her smooth voice over and over again... Haunt Me is a must!

Bye for now!

Send us a breathtaking song!

2007-05-13T16:19:00.000Z

I was listening quietly to Andy Kershaw Show on BBC 3 on this weird sunday afternoon when my ears, and my heart and body and soul melted in the voice of the astonishing, the sooo moving June Tabor singing Send us a quiet night... Nothing more to say; i have to listen to it again and again and again... and keep on crying and blessing my computer and the WWW for this magical (i mean it, just listen to it!) encounter!!
PS: June Tabor will be live on A.K. Show on monday 14th of April... Be there!

See ya

Too gloomy, very daring

2007-05-10T16:08:00.000Z

So I finally listened carefully to Charbel's idols. Well, i must admit that i am not so thrilled. Sonic Youth, whom i've got a fantastic track on my Sub Rosa anthology, Audience, only managed to set my head in a gloomy mood, which i quite hate these days!

Maybe because i am too obsessed with my beloved The Pixies, maybe because it was the wrong album to begin with, i don't know. What i know is i will definitely attend their concert at la Villette...

So, at the end of the day, it seems i quite like Sonic Youth! What's the hurry?

Bye

Anger Music

2007-05-05T08:06:00.000Z

Oh yeah, i am angry with myself these days!
So i am listining to the right stuff: Albert Ayler "Le Fracassé" (thank you my Love for this wonderful word!!!): violin for the hysterical complexity banging in my skull, tenor saxophone to itch the crazy parts of my pathetic masochism and a good spoon of percussions. This guy is crazy and i love him! This is the album i am listening to.

The Pixies are quite alright for the situation too!!! Especially a track like Planet of Sound... I picked up their excellent compilation, from 1987 to 1991. Because the only thing i knew from them was Where is my mind? and i think i just needed their unrated energy!

Later!

Hello Alvin!

2007-04-17T20:07:00.000Z

Before leaving for the week-end to Bloomsburry, i had a wonderful surprise: a great jazz gig at Unesco Fontenoy Room (my, what a name!). Alvin Ailey, in a supershape, gave almost one and a half hour of brilliant jazz, with friends Jesse Davis on the alto saxophone, Dado Moroni on piano and monsieur Pierre Boussaguet on bass.

Of all pieces, i immensely enjoyed Estate, a sugary bossa, Ricorda Me and, my cherry on the cake, the excellent This There from the incredible Cannonball Alderley.

I love it so much when a drummer with the talent of Queen gives me goosebumps and almost makes me dance on the table (it took place in a conference room, remember?). Drum liberates me. This rythmic sweet violence always reminds me how much music is essential to my life...

Later

I love Matmos

2007-04-01T15:31:00.000Z

i can't wait to be here and i am getting ready to spend a week-end in London, so i forgot about my blog. Before leaving for a two weeks holiday and being busy busy, i took Matmos's latest album from the library. I discovered their work when they collaborated with my friend Björk. In 2004, i bought their first album which i don't regret at all.

The rose has teeth in the mouth of a beast, their latest album, is a beautiful project about different people's musical biographies: Patricia Highsmith, William Burroughs and Ludwig II of Bavaria are the only ones out of the ten tracks whom i know the names of. But is it really important?

Later...

Punk or not Funk?

2007-03-17T19:40:00.000Z

For many many years - in fact, since i've been listening to Music -, i used to say Punk music and recent French music -oh, and Celtic music, too!, weren't my cup of tea at all.

Recently though, i took this compilation from my beloved library. I chose it because the first track of the first cd was from Pere Ubu, that i adore, especially since the "Stolen Cadillac" track of his last album.

Surprise! I very much enjoyed listening to Cabaret Voltaire, Coil, Television Personalities, the beautiful Pixies and Crass. The sound is so nude, the lyrics are so funny and so scary, it's awesome !!! I am thinking of the extraordinary Crass's "Reality Asylum", it's like a punch in my ears!

Like the French say, Y'a que les imbéciles qui ne changent pas d'avis...

And strangely enough, i was pretty disappointed by this double live album... Nevermind, i know that sooner or later, i will give the old George and his mates another chance...

Later

Death Contest: Labels vs Music... but here comes a Savior!

2007-03-14T12:36:00.000Z

I bumped into this very good news. This site is trying to federate all the artists who refuse to become the slaves of multinational labels. The subtitle (originally in french) explains that this is "the first ethical and participative music label"...

Sometimes and when it's usefully directed, the Web is just a beautiful way to contribute to the freshness of Music. The label has also its blog (in french). See ya

90's hot chocolate voice

2007-03-10T14:20:00.000Z

Thanks to a dear friend of mine (Yas, i miss you so!) who inherited a magnificent collection of 800-CDs , i discovered the magnetic voice of Arthur Russell, who died of aids in the 90ies. He was only 41.

i can't stop listening to "You and me both"... This guy was obviousely a talented cellist and a disco artist: the blend is delicious and his voice is as sweet as hot chocolate with a very special late 80's flavor, that you immediately recognize... and love. Later!

Golden african pop music

2007-03-06T21:35:00.000Z

Once again, the library around the corner made me and many others happy! Right after my discovery of London is the place for me, I was really thirsty for African music. More the modern than the traditional one. And that's how i was immediately attracted to Golden Afrique vol.2 and its appealing subtitle: "Highlights and rarities (gimme more rarities, please!) from the golden era of african pop music (1956-1982); the great days of rumba congolaise and early soukous".

It is absolutely impossible to resist to "Coopération" track by Franco&Sam Mangwana from Congo: you can't help yourself, you dance, as the two artists encourage you to do so: "On danse!!" You'll find also there the early Manu Dibango and you will give a big big up to wonderful Tabu Ley Rochereau, another Congolese!

Keep on dancing!
Bye for now

Is it because i am Black (in 1969)?

2007-02-28T08:45:00.000Z

I fell in love with the voice of this guy. All the pain of the world, of the oppressed human condition, lies in those notes. And, as usual with gifted blues artists, your heart is aching ( right now, i am thinking of The sky is crying, performed by the late Stevie Ray Vaughan) when you hear someone asking "Is it because i am Black?" (that so many died in New Orleans, for example?).

Little by little, i am getting in touch again with the music i used to love. And the blues was, is actually, my first true passion. When i was 17, i plucked up the courage to go to the Oldies but Goodies shop, and ask, with a voice my adviser could hardly hear: "I'd like an only-piano blues cd". And the guy gave me the Memphis Slim and Roosevelt Sykes magnificent conversation (i am not at home, i can't remember its name right now).

This is the only disc that has been saved from the curious decision that i took one day: to sell ALL my blues and gospel collection to a friend, who is the owner of a music shop. "dialag, are you really really sure you want to sell all this?" "Yeah, i need some fresh air". I sold the whole package (maybe 100 cd's) and today the sky is crying.... A+

An interview with Scott Matthew

2007-02-21T14:06:00.000Z

All my gratitude goes to Scott Matthew, who agreed to answer my questions via email without knowing anything about me, except my blog. With this first short interview, I am back to journalism. Hopefully, lots more will come soon…

When I asked Scott Matthew how he got in touch with the Shortbus crew, this is what he answered: “I met the lovely John [Cameron Mitchell, director of Shortbus] at a party in Williamsburg. We got chatting about Tarnation and how I love Low. I gave him a demo and he liked it. The rest is history”. For me, history is one of those movies where you realise that sex, whenever you want it, deny it, or not, is the most beautiful energy of the entire universe.

Ever since I saw Shortbus, I have been listening almost non-stop to his four songs on the soundtrack. I know how I feel about Scott Matthew’s music and i wondered how he would describe it: “I tend to write fairly straight forward ballads mostly about love, love lost, heartbreak, you know, the usual. Oh, I do have a new song about the horrors of big business exploiting children.”

And because I am completely obsessed with New York these days, I asked him if he finds his inspiration away from it: “Fuck yes... If someone would just give me some cash so I could get the fuck out of here. I really want to get to Europe, this year fingers crossed.” People of Europe, you’ve been warned…

His present dreams? “To finish my album and stop smoking”.

And just for the ride, these are his favourites of the moment: “Antony [and the Johnsons], I adore. Olivia Newton-John, Chet Baker.”

Later

1989: Bust A Move!

2007-02-19T20:00:00.000Z

Oh, my God, what a beautiful shock i had yesterday, around midnight. I heard Bust A Move for the first time since... waouw, high school!!! I bought the tape at the time... I hardly knew that the buttieshaker i was listening to was rap and of course I didn't understand a single word - on est Français ou pas????
Many years later, i was quite sad to discover my tape box empty. Then years went by, until this beautiful Sunday night that reconnected me with my tomboy years. I just bought Stone Cold Rhymin' again on Internet. Akhkhkh... Highschool! Later

Yummy... look at this little treasure!

2007-02-14T09:21:00.000Z

As i was browsing the Web, I found this incredible Chicago label: tremendous web design, passionate posts and comments, truthful musical mission... A big big up for Numero Group!!! Later

Thomas Adès...

2007-02-05T21:02:00.000Z

I don't really know what to write about Thomas Adès, who is the guest composer of the latest Présences festival. I listened to some of his works, but the first one was far too gloomy for my mouse heart. I almost enjoyed the rest of the recording though.

So I will definitely give him (and me) another chance on stage. Live music is a totally different experience... Later

Le trendy, c'est (parfois) funky!

2007-02-02T18:18:00.000Z

J'adore ce type, surtout son Say What qui claque et qui réveille les os de Jamie Brownie qui nous a laissé tomber... A+

Ah, les îles...

2007-02-02T13:57:00.000Z

Je ne me lasse pas de ce disque. Quelle vie dans ces percussions, on entend la mer, la joie de la mer, du soleil, des vagues, du vent, des dieux et des enfants qui sont, paraît-il, des presque dieux à Tahiti... A+

Radio-France: que du beau monde!

2007-01-26T22:12:00.000Z

Retour des Portes ouvertes, pour les deux sessions cette fois. Je tenais à rattraper Berio, Mantovani évidemment (Bruno, et pas Annunzio Paulo, 1905-1980, chef d'orchestre et amateur d'easy listening) et, tant qu'à faire, Bartok.

Et puis après le choc avec Marco Stroppa et son Concerto pour piano et orchestre emmené par un méticuleux et beau Pierre-Laurent Aimard... Très grand; et le compositeur est monté sur scène, applaudi trois fois pour cette création française [Mantovani était là aussi, c'est toujours bien sympathique de voir ceux qui ont créé tout ça].

Un beau début de nuit, tiré à toute vitesse par tout ce qu'un orchestre Philharmonique peut compter de percus.... A+

PS: En écrivant ce post, j'écoute Passing Ships de Hill... Quand je pense que je l'ai interviewé dans une vie antérieure: il déteste parler, la célébrité, ça ne l'intéresse pas, mais pas du tout. J'ai revérifié ça l'année dernière au New Morning: fin du concert, merci au revoir... Ecoutez-le!

Cheval au galop

2007-01-25T18:21:00.000Z

J'ai une passion ancienne et toujours pas assouvie pour la Mongolie, depuis Urga. Alors pour tromper le temps, j'écoute leur musique, qui ressemble à leurs beaux petits chevaux lancés au galop dans une steppe sans fin... Magnifique, je m'y croirais presque! A+

Does anyone know Andrew Hill?

2007-01-16T10:23:00.000Z

Jazz, suite: ça faisait longtemps que je voulais écrire un post sur un homme que j'ai découvert dans un club de jazz de Beyrouth: Andrew Hill. J'aime tellement Point of Departure qu'à chaque écoute, je n'en reviens pas. Dusk est insensé aussi... A+

Coltrane, deux fois mort

2007-01-15T09:30:00.000Z

J'hallucine... PERSONNE dans la presse de ce matin - je sais que Le Monde va se rattraper cet aprèm - n'a évoqué la mort d'Alice Coltrane. J'ai appris cette bad news hier, au flash de Fip, qui s'est contenté de dire qu'elle avait fait vivre l'héritage de son mari. A+

16/01: C'est vrai que je n'avais pas été formellement transcendée par le concert qu'elle avait donné à la Cité de la musique en août 2005 ou 6...

Quel bol! Encore un webzine topissime

2007-01-09T22:07:00.000Z

Voilà, comme je m'emmerde à mourir sur les Champs-Elysées, j'ai eu la chance de tomber sur ça. Phil Zampino, merci, merci, merci. A+

Un web magazine bien foutu (et en anglais)

2007-01-09T13:51:00.000Z

Moi j'aime bien... Un peu de tout, mais dominé par l'indie. A+

Coltrane, 1970

2007-01-08T10:54:00.000Z

Pendant que je lisais les dernières pages de Noces à la mer, "Blue Nile" a tellement réveillé mes oreilles que j'ai acheté sur-le-champ Ptah, The El Daoud. Harpe, deux flûtes, que demander de plus? A+

Pépite de chez Bimbo

2007-01-03T13:39:00.000Z

Je savoure à petites gorgées une de ces pépites à dénicher chez Bimbo Tower; ces jours-ci, c'est an anthology of noise & electronic music Vol. 1 - first a-chronology 1921-2001, chez le magnifique label sub rosa, en attendant de m'offrir les trois volumes suivants. J'adore. A+

Une bonne B.O.

2006-12-31T13:51:00.000Z

Un peu de nouveau, pour moi du moins. J'ai passé un supermoment devant Shortbus, et particulièrement en écoutant la B.O. A l'année prochaine!

I Love 90's

2006-12-21T21:12:00.000Z

Voilà voilà. Rien de neuf en musique, si ce n'est ce revival de nineties. On a racheté dans la joie et la bonne humeur le parfait album d'(3 Years, 5 Months and Two Days in the Life of) Arrested Development qui, comme par magie, remonte sur scène.

Et puis là, avec un petit verre dans le nez , Diamonds and Pearls, from Prince and the N.P.G., dont il ne reste rien, je crois (le groupe). A+

London is the place for me 3

2006-12-06T23:26:00.000Z

Je confirme que je suis très absente de la musique et de ce blog par le troisième volume de "lounge music" avant la date... A+

Evan Parker's Electro-Acoustic Ensemble, recorded live at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London on 17th November 2006

2006-11-21T21:20:00.000Z

Voilà encore une merveille retransmise par la BBC.... 90' de plaisir. A+

9/01/07: la radio ne permet plus d'écouter l'oeuvre en live... Il faut se consoler avec l'achat du CD (ou essayer). A+

Fauves à Radio-France

2006-11-19T21:32:00.000Z

Vendredi, mes Portes Ouvertes de RF que j'attends avec impatience. Ce soir-là, Le Livre de la Jungle, de Charles Koechlin. Cinq percussionnistes, l'Orchestre national au grand complet avec Sarah Nemtanu en premier violon - d'où le monde... Je regrette de ne pas pouvoir vous faire partager le fascicule donné à l'entrée, très bien fait. De la musique très suggestive, très accessible (donc, pas de prise de tête mais quand même pré-Schönberg) avec les premiers et troisièmes mouvements vraiment très beaux.

Sinon, pour la gente panaméenne, Los Artichos font leur marché le 2 décembre. A+

Music is everywhere

2006-11-13T12:17:00.000Z

Dimanche, vers neuf heures du soir, station Mabillon en direction de Boulogne.
Pour celles et ceux qui fréquentent cet arrêt, il y a un distributeur d'eaux et de canettes qui est une boîte à rythmes à lui tout seul. J'ai regretté de ne pas avoir de quoi l'enregistrer! A+

I Love My Radio

2006-11-11T14:31:00.000Z

J'ai toujours adoré la radio. Après avoir énormément consommé de radios commerciales, je découvre, avec la même joie renouvelée, les radios qui laissent de la place aux créateurs radiophoniques. Voici France-Culture qui, à travers son émission Atelier de Création Radiophonique, m'a fait rencontrer Laurie Anderson, la compagne de Lou Reed. A +

Un petit clin d'oeil russe

2006-11-10T22:56:00.000Z

Je vaque à des occupations qui me tiennent éloignée de ce blog, mais j'ai eu le plaisir, cet après-midi dans le métro, d'être assise à côté d'un garçon qui lisait la partition de Moussorgski, Les Tableaux d'une exposition, qu'on m'a fait découvrir il y a trois ans et que j'ai adorée dans l'interprétation d'Evgeny Kissin. A+

Qwartz Electronic Music Awards

2006-10-29T17:15:00.000Z

Au hasard d'un surf, le site quartz.org, disponible depuis le 27-10... A+

Baroque et bizarre

2006-10-20T21:04:00.000Z

Voilà, je viens de rentrer de la Maison de la Radio: un programme baroque avec Caldara, Tartini et sutout l'adagio du Concerto pour violoncelle en ré mineur de Matthias Monn: vraiment quelque chose, on comprend - et on remercie - Schönberg qui l'a édité juste avant WWII.

Sinon, par le plus beau des hasards, en fait en faisant une recherche sur les New York Dolls, je suis tombée sur ce site absolument dingue, où il y a beaucoup de 50's et 60's inconnus ou oubliés, des bouts de pubs, des reprises en japonais, etc.

(Probe is turning-on the people!) A+

The End of an Ear

2006-10-19T20:23:00.000Z

En vagabondant chez un disquaire puissant de France - aucune envie de lui faire une pub directe -, j'écoute au hasard jusqu'à ce que je tombe sur un disque qui me scotche: The End of an Ear de Robert Wyatt. Superpuissant, je ne connais que ça de lui. Je l'ai retrouvé en vidéo sur le site de la BBC. A+

Rituel somptueux pour la sélection des Espèces

2006-10-19T20:07:00.000Z

Au cours d'une recherche pour un job - moins de libéralisme, plus de musique, de mots et de temps -, je suis tombée sur la poésie sonore, dont je n'avais jamais entendu parler.
Isidore Isou, un de ses fondateurs, est un homme étrange: je ne me lasse pas d'écouter cet extrait. A+

London is the place for me

2006-10-16T20:11:00.000Z

O'cd, rue P. Lescot, un dimanche après-midi. C'est là que j'ai trouvé mon premier Gil Scott-Heron, réédité depuis - Small Talk at 125th&Lennox. Je suis depuis envoûtée par sa voix et je le découvre doucement pendant qu'il se bat avec la coke...

O'cd donc, à la recherche de la perle rare. Et je la vois: London is the place for me 2; sous-titre: Calypso&Kwela, Highlife&Jazz from young black London.

Je suis pas sûre d'avoir été prise par la musique, mais la présentation est si belle, le livret sacrément bien fait avec des témoignages de ces artistes trop peu connus: Russ Henderson, Ambrose Campbell, West African Swing Stars... Puisqu'Indigènes a rendu illico presto une dignité à nos chers combattants morts pour la France (salope avec eux), ce disque, c'est un peu les Blacks qui veulent très gentiment se faire une place au soleil (sic) de la Tamise... Un peu désuet, un peu fleur bleue dans l'approche, mais un vrai documentaire sonore sur l'énorme attente des rejetons des cotillons de l'Empire, avant qu'ils ne deviennent plus méchants. A +

Connexion, première!

2006-10-15T22:31:00.000Z

Bonsoir à toutes et tous, je suis ultrafière d'avoir le haut débit chez moi pour enfin écouter toute la musique que j'aime... Comme il est tard et que je ne sais pas encore comment tout ça fonctionne, je reviendrai vers vous - ou vers moi - très vite.