Just saw these incredibly talented musicians perform some traditional Persian material, some originals of theirs, some improv and some I Ching-based sound meditation triads at Zoraspace, a cute little known venue/bar/art gallery on 4th Av in Park Slope.
Eyvind’s magnificent viola playing was complemented by some electronics and sampling/looping techniques as well as by his new found love for the two stringed microtonal setar (whose gracing-style of playing he compared to the ‘green flash’ of the sun). Jessika’s heavenly voice interpreted Persian traditional material in original language and translated, Latin poems of the Virgil era and pieces they wrote themselves. April sparsely accompanied them both with her Arabic hand drums.
I have had/am having the pleasure to record this material at EastSide Sound over the past few months, whenever Eyvind is in town for something, and have a new session with them this week.
If you can catch Eyvind playing with Laurie Anderson at BAM every day until October 3rd, if not definitely check them out online at http://www.myspace.com/eyvindkangeyvind

I went to see Laurie’s new show “Delusions” tonight (currently playing at BAM in Brooklyn) and, not to my surprise, it was an amazing show!

Needless to say she is the greatest female story teller NY, if not the world, has had in recent times. This show is still political, but to a much smaller degree than “Homeland”. Above all it is personal, very much so, with tales of dreams, stories about her parents(‘s death), her dog and her travels and encounters. The amazing thing is that all the stories are true, and those who know her to varying degrees, will relate to a lot of what she is saying.
Fenway (her down-pitched male alter-ego voice) is very present too and she even does some singing in between the majestic spoken word parts.

Musically the show is more dynamic, with louder parts and very soft ones. Her supporting group consists of the uber-amazing Eyvind Kang on viola and the super-low-drones-producing horn player Colin Stetson.

Visually “Delusions” marks a return to the projections and to a more complex, but still simple, stage presentation. The beautiful set is made of a huge screen for projections, two smaller side screens for more projections (and to show the silhouettes of her two accompanying musicians) and a white couch in the middle which also serves as a projection surface.

Laurie Anderson is without a doubt one of the most gifted and original artists out there and I miss the times I was on tour with her.

If you live in NY I strongly recommend you, I urge you, to go see the show at BAM (it plays for another few days) and if you are not in NY go see it as soon as she is in a city near you. It is worth every mile you’ll travel and every penny you’ll spend! Guaranteed.

PS here’s some pics I lifted from Brooklyn Vegan

Is it really bad to say I never really checked them out back then? I guess they weren’t that big over in Europe where I used to live although I remember hearing the name thrown around in music magazines… Anyhow, better late than never, right? I’m filling in the gaps in my musical knowledge…

But the real highlight of the night is hanging out with my dear friend Dan again, their tour manager… We’ve been on tour together and got some stories…

I’ve been wanting to go check out the new Rockwood Stage 2 and I’ve been wanting to see Mike Visceglia’s own musical projects ever since I saw (and really liked) his playing alongside his long time employer Suzanne Vega at SXSW in Austin earlier this year. Well both were really pleasant surprises tonight: the band is called Destination Moon and consists of the amazig Oz Noy on guitar, Joe Bonadio on drums, Clifford Carter on keys, the soulful Elaine Caswell on vocals and Mike himself). They played an emotional set of great tunes, moody vibes and bad ass grooves. These are all amazing musicians and it’s a treat to see them in such an intimate setting. Rockwood 2 is a perfect place for it. Bigger than the original and adjacent Rockwood Music Hall and with better sound system and even better layout and use of space, the two stages have similar good vibes and are very conducive to this kind of stuff.
After their beautiful and heartfelt set I also got quick taste of the following act, a very talented young singer called Vicci Martinez, so it’s obvious Rockwood’s owner Ken is keeping his commitment to quality music and carefully selected talent leaving me wanting more… Just the way it should be!