Manafonistas

The bulk of the 32 minute title track on The Seer is two chords, one tritone apart from each other, played over and over again. The interval – once thought to actually be demonic – heaves back and forth, collapsing and recollecting like throwing a two-ton burlap sack of noise. Instead of crescendoing to some sweeping catharsis, the two chords remain steady and resolute, never resolving. The song doesn’t lift, it doesn’t pound, it just twists and screws and digs. It’s like: Say a word over and over and it can lose its meaning and succumb to semantic satiation. Intone a mantra or prayer every morning and it can be a spiritual guide. Have a drop of water fall on your head for seven hours and it’s torture. Watch a pendulum swing back and forth and fall into hypnosis. The volatile act of repetition yields all kinds of results ranging from pure truth and ecstasy to violence and lunacy, but the overarching theme of repetition is that it looks for what is beyond the surface. Repetition is a jackhammer trying to wrest truth from the muddy waters of the subconscious. Repetition is a wholly committed search.

You are now – somehow – interested in the new Swans opus? Read comment 1!

 
 

 
 
Ein Buch bei dem ich nicht weiß, was ich trinken soll. Zuerst entscheide ich mich für Kaffee. Bei jedem Absatz einen. Das geht zweimal gut, dann Espresso, bis mein Herzschlag sich dem Rhythmus der Sprache anpasst. Aber in Wirklichkeit geht es nicht ohne Wodka. Der bringt mich vom Denken ab und der Text zieht mich hinein in die Welten von Schriftstellern und Musikern, Gestrandeten und Gestrauchelten, Suchenden und Irrenden, Liebenden und Lieblosen. In die Welt derjenigen, die Chancen ergriffen, die sie nicht hatten.

Ich lasse mich treiben … Hamburg, Jamaika, Amsterdam. Eindrücke, Gespräche, Songtexte, Biographisches. Kunst und Leben auf unentwirrbare Weise miteinander verquickt. Hätte nie gedacht, dass das geht. Cool!

Reiseberichte, Reportagen, Aufsätze. Jean-Pierre Melville, Ernest Tidyman, James Crumley, Daniel Woodrell und David Osborn kommen vor und zahllose Unbekannte, die vor dem Vergessen behütet werden müssen. Es ist völlig egal, wie gut oder ob man die mehr oder minder prominenten Künstler zuvor kannte. Deshalb wird ja von ihnen erzählt.

Frank Göhre erzählt immer von jenen, die zu kurz gekommen sind, die sich haben durchschlagen müssen. Von den Unsteten, Risikobereiten, den Hassadeuren und Geschlagenen. Er ist ihr Chronist.

Wunderbar fügen sich die Episoden aneinander, nicht folgerichtig, sondern unbewertet, respektvoll und frei von jeglicher Hierarchie. Ich darf sie begleiten und mich anrühren lassen von ihrer Dynamik und ihrer Intensität. Geschichten gegen das Vergessen und für die Würde des Einzelnen mit raschen Beats, schnellen Schnitten und einem glasklaren und liebevollen Blick auf die Welt.

 

„But more than simply music, the multidisciplinary L A N D draw on and evoke a wide range of art forms. They describe this work as, „approaching an apocalyptic noir narrative,“ and Night Within, despite its slate visual appeal which recalls the grey paintings of Gerhard Richter, thematically points towards a world occupied by the early postmodern detective stories of Paul Auster and the urban neon dislocation of Taxi Driver with its existential protagonist roaming the city alone late at night.“ 

„Nothing is happening everywhere“ – this could be a remark be made remembering John Cage, but is in fact one of the titles of the LAND debut, featuring David Sylvian and other guest musicians and created by Daniel Lea and Matthew Waters, both taking a directorial role: „The album was sculpted in Reykjavik by Ben Frost, enhanced by his signature aural physicality and visceral sub bass. The album is a vast collision of sound, from free brass and woodwind to `geometric´ bowed cymbals and metallic percussion.“ (soundcloud.com)

LAND – „Nothing Is Happening Everywhere“ 

Y’Anbessaw Tezeta
2CD Terp AS-21/22
Release date: November 1
Vertrieb: Cargo
https://www.terprecords.nl/as21.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getatchew_Mekurya
https://www.theex.nl

Quite unexpectedly, last year, while here in Europe for several summerfestivals,
Getatchew Mekuria at the age of 76, expressed an urge to make one more recording.
With The Ex. Probably the last one in his life. A great responsability!

We recorded in December, in Wormerveer and Addis Abeba. The result is stunning.
Deep, old, classic melodies. Very different from the last  one. Instrumental, more senti-tive and fragile, deeper. Amazing hornriffs and solo’s.  But also dancable, with up-tempowar-chants. Many things. He called it: „Y’Anbessa Tezeta“. ‚In memory of the Lion‘. Memories on  65 years of playing music! But also always new and forward.

But there is more. We wanted to make something special. We added an extra CD, with
some historical recordings, including Getatchew and the Instant Composers Pool, Haile
Selassie 1 Theatre Orchestra (1960!) and a live performance with the Ex in Montreal.
Plus a 40-page booklet. With great photos by many photographers. Matias Corral specially came to Addis to shoot some Getatchew portraits in addition to his already striking black & white live photos. We decided to make this a benefit CD for Getatchew. Everyone contributed for free. After almost 65 years of playing music, we thought this amazing person deserves some kind of pension!

The first time we met Getatchew was early 2004. We were intrigued by his music, we
knew from an old cassette. What an orinigal sound! We  went to Addis to find him.
Getatchew agreed right away to come to Holland. To our 25th anniversary party in Amsterdam, November 2004.He played with the ICP, the Instant Composers Pool, and he loved it. But he was also intrigued by The Ex and wanted to play and record with us. We
invited some great hornplayers and things have never stopped since.

We recorded the Moa Anbessa CD and in some eight years we’ve done almost a hundred concerts in 15 countries.Jazz-, worldmusic- and rock festivals and venues all over the world. Lincoln Centre Out of Doors in New York, the French 8 ‚o clock news with 8 million viewers, Rio Loco in Toulouse to 20.000 people and broadcasted on TV in Ethiopia.

Getatchew Mekuria – Saxophone, Clarinet
The Ex:
Arnold de Boer – Trumpet
Andy Moor – Guitar
Terrie Hessels – Guitar
Katherina Bornefeld – Drums
Friends:
Xavier Charles – Clarinet
Ken Vandermark – Baritone
Saxophone, Bass Clarinet
Brodie West – Alto Saxophone
Joost Buis – Trombone
Wolter Wierbos – Trombone
Colin McLean – Bass
Melaku Belay – Dance

Including Bonus CD with a.o. Getatchew Mekuria & The ICP Orchestra, Haile Selassie 1 Theatre Orchestra and live with The Ex.

Recorded December 6/7 2011, Februari 24/28 2012, April 5/23 2012 in Jottum, Wormerveer, Holland. And May 3 2012 in Fendika, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.

Engineer Jottem: Maarten Tap. Co-engineered: Andy & Arnold. Engineer Addis: Arnold. Mixed by Arnold & Andy at Andy’s home and in Jottum. Produced by The Ex. Mastered by: Frank
van der Weij. Artwork: Emma Fischer. Photos by: Matías Corral, Emma Fischer, Andy Moor, Pavel Strá?ay, Nanni Angeli, Barbora Fabianova, Christina Halstrom, Nick Helderman, Leul Mekonnen, Paul Till. The Getatchew archival photos come from his own private photo-albums