Categories
Artist Profile

For Pierre Boulez, It’s Still About the Music

From NYTimes.com:

IN a maroon turtleneck and loose-fitting gray suit, eyes on his score, Pierre Boulez took turns one late August morning here rehearsing the soloists for “Répons.” Written in 1981 for six soloists, chamber orchestra and live electronics, it is the first major work he wrote using the electronic-music institute in Paris, Ircam. But it has rarely been performed, just a few dozen times.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Categories
General

French Jazz Venue Under Financial Pressure

This information comes from a music journalist in France, discussing the potential closing of Instants Chavirés, a Paris venue for improvised music.

On Thursday July 2nd 2009 we were shocked to learn that the balance of the operational subsidy allocated to our Association by the General Council of the Seine-Saint-Denis Department had been slashed by no less than 25,000€ – a drop of more of 19%. This in addition to a 7,000€ cut in our municipal subsidy (at the beginning of the year, the town of Montreuil had announced a reduction of 15,000€, 7000€ being the amount eventually decided upon by the end of June). This means that we have lost 32,000€ in 2009.

The lack of funding has forced us to cancel our Autumn season of concerts, video projections and exhibitions, in its entirety. Even maintaining a strict minimum of programmed events would lead to a budgetary deficit that we simply could not contemplate.

We maintain that an intermediary cultural space like the Instants Chavirés is an essential complement to existing institutions, and that it has made a major contribution to the diversity of the cultural offer, playing an essential role in discovering and promoting art for over 18 years.

We urge you then to sign the online petition (http://instants.mollo.fr), and write to Claude Bartolone, President of the General Council of Seine-Saint-Denis, and / or to the Mayor of Montreuil, Dominique Voynet, to inform them of what the Instants Chavirés represents in the local, national and international cultural landscape, and express your own commitment to the lasting nature of this project.

You can address your correspondence directly to us at the following email address soutiens[at]instantschavires.com, or by regular mail to Instants Chavirés, 7 Rue Richard Lenoir 93100 Montreuil. We undertake to forward it to the parties concerned.

Association Muzziques – les Instants Chavirés
http://www.instantschavires.com/

Choice of comments:

-Evan Parker : Les Instants Chavirés is known throughout the world and through its work people see Montreuil as a very hip part of France.

-Mark Dresser : Instants Chavirés is a cultural institution of great importance. It’s budget should not be compromised by the general economic crises. It is short sighted in the extreme. I fully support this venue and those artists and public it serves.

Keith Rowe : Instants Chavirés is amongst the most important venues for new
music, its loss would make Paris and France all the poorer.

-Martin Davidson : It would be better to scrap nuclear weapons rather than
Les Instants Chavirés !

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Categories
Interviews Releases Reviews

Summer 2009 Paris Transatlantic

Image of Nate Wooley from Facebook
Image of Nate Wooley

The latest Paris Transatlantic has a ton of news and reviews, as well as an interview with Nate Wooley.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Categories
Performances

Nu Band Touring Europe

Roy Campbell at Jazzy Spring Festival 2008 (Bu...
Image via Wikipedia

Though on on their web site yet, the Nu Band begins a European tour this week.

THE NU BAND EUROPEAN TOUR

Mark Whitecage – alto sax, clarinet
Roy Campbell, Jr. – trumpet, flugelhorn
Joe Fonda – bass
Lou Grassi – drums

Where:
Wednesday, January 7 – De Werf, Brugge, Belgium
Thursday, January 8 – Grand Theatre, Groningen, Netherlands
Friday, January 9 – Sunside , Paris, France
Saturday, January 10 – Le Moulin à Jazz , Vitrolles, France
Sunday, January 11 – open
Monday, January 12 – Aufsturz-Klub, Berlin, Germany
Tuesday, January 13 – IG JAZZ Freiberg , Freiberg, Germany
Wednesday, January 14 – open
Thursday, January 15 – Alchemia Club, Krakow, Poland
Friday, January 16 – Club Zak, Gdansk, Poland
Saturday, January 17 – Club W71 , Weikersheim, Germany
Sunday, January 18- L’Archiduc, Brussels, Belgium
Monday, January 19 – Oben Kino, Cottbus, Germany

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Categories
Reviews

Axiom Ensemble’s take on Messiaen Reviews

Olivier Messiaen
Image via Wikipedia

From the NY Times:

The stars that govern music must have been aligned exactly 100 years ago. Olivier Messiaen was born in Avignon, France, on Dec. 10, 1908. The next day Elliott Carter was born in New York. Messiaen died at 83 in 1992, composing until the end, still playing the organ every Sunday at the exquisite Trinité church in Paris. Mr. Carter remains very much with us and active, a miraculous fluke of nature.

Messiaen’s centenary has been acknowledged around the world this year, and the Miller Theater at Columbia University presented an exciting program as part of its Composer Portraits series on Saturday night. The deft conductor Jeffrey Milarsky led the Axiom Ensemble, a flexible group of Julliard School students who have palpable enthusiasm for challenging contemporary music and the technical skills to play it.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]