Utilizing a talented cast of vocalists, Breda Mayock, Katie McMahon, and Lasairfhiona Ni Chonaola, Zazou keeps the music relatively quiet. Zazou is at the far left in some of the photos, “playing” his Mac.Īnd Hector, why’d you have to die before working with Happy? I just knew you were going to.With Lights in the Dark, Hector Zazou set out to create accessible versions of the ominous, sacred music of Ireland. Strangely, Lanterna was booked at a place called Abbey Pub here in Chicago, but they weren’t put in the big room, they were forced to play in the restaurant(!!), so here you had this experimental group, supported by an absolute legend of world music/producing, playing spacey, atmospheric, instrumental music while people were munching on their All-You-Can-Eat Fish & Chips special! It was all very very surreal. As a huge Area, Moon Seven Times, Lanterna AND Hector Zazou fan, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. I was lucky enough to meet Zazou when he supported a group he was friends with called Lanterna (founded by Henry Frayne, who also founded Area with Lynne Canfield, and also Moon Seven Times). “Seven Joys of Mary” - vocals: Katie McMahon “Double Jeu” - vocals: Asia Argento (NSFW! Nude pics of Brigitte Bardot) Others (not favorites, though I like them): “I’ll Strangle You” - vocals: Anneli Drecker (of Bel Canto) (Male voice: Gérard Depardieu) (slightly NSFW because of a dancing bare butt) I think it’s one of the coolest songs ever ever EVER!: This is the type of song that DEMANDS to be cranked to the very limit of non-distorted volume. I can’t find most of my favorite songs by him, but this is one (MySpace video link, it opens full-screen but you can downsize it). Since he worked so often with female singers, I played him on my radio show numerous times. I first discovered him via the wonderful Sahara Blue, and Songs From The Cold Seas is one of my favorite albums. Hector zazou’s inventiveness as a producer led him to work with numerous artists among them Tibetan singer Yungchen Lhamo (Real World Records), Galician piper Carlos Nuñez, Uzbek singer Sevara Nazarkhan (Yol Bolsin, Real World Records), Italian band PGR (“Per Grazia Ricevuta”, released by Universal, was hailed as a masterpiece by the Italian press) and among others. Inspired by the musical folk traditions of the Northern Hemisphere, Hector’s next adventure was “Songs From The Cold Seas” (1995), a literal journey through Siberian Shamanism, Scandinavian folk songs, Japanese ballads and Greenland mythology featuring an impressive cast of musicians including Värttina, Tokiko Kako, Suzanne Vega, Björk, Siouxsie and Jane Siberry. The album was based on the work of the French poet Arthur Rimbaud and performed by the Sahara Blue Orchestra stars David Sylvian, Bill Laswell, Khaled, Dead Can Dance, Gérard Depardieu among other guests. The following year Hector’s “Sahara Blue” was released. The album “Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses” (1991) blended century-old a-cappella songs with shades of contemporary music performed by zazou and occasional collaborators such as Jon Hassell, Manu Di Bango, Richard Horowitz, Ryuichi Sakamoto and John Cale. Some of the musicians he collaborated with include Björk, Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno, Laurie Anderson, John Hassell, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carlos Núñez, Khaled, Lisa Gerrard, John Cale, Siouxsie, Bill Rieflin, Manu Dibango, David Sylvian, Suzanne Vega, Peter Buck, Jane Birkin, and Lisa Germano. zazou was an open minded musician who was comfortable working with classical, ambient electronic, pop, and world music. He was born in Algeria, the son of a French father and a Spanish mother. Zazou was a legendary figure in contemporary French music. He had fallen seriously ill earlier this year and had to cancel several performances during the summer. I’m crushed and am just passing this along to those who do know and appreciate the loss the music world has just suffered.įrench composer and renowned world music producer Hector Zazou died this morning in a French hospital. I know his name won’t mean anything to a majority of people, but please please PLEASE don’t post with a “Hector Who?” or make any snarky comments.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |