Jazz Jam Open Mike Night

6 Comments

1. 

   dada on May 5, 2006 at 7:14 pm

   Late Wednesday night, one of my favorite KGNU ladies, SaraD,  played an extended set of Ry Cooders beautiful and haunting soundtrack to the film, Paris Texas, to my great listening pleasure.

   

   I’ve been a long time fan of Rye and this album is a stunning masterpiece, compositionally and instrumentally. It evokes the desolated landscapes and angst of the film beautifully, and is, unfortunately, not widely known. I’ve pretty much worn out my vinyl copy and have begun the search for a Master Audiophile Copy, or a CD.

   Cooder and partners Jim Dickinson and David Lindley create otherworldly timbres from such traditional instruments as Cooder’s trademark slide guitar and Lindley’s bowed banjo, generating a sense of emotional water treading that aptly fits the film’s troubled mood. The clarity, richness and depth of this stunning recording amplify the impact of a musical statement about the human experience.

   Track list:

         1. Paris, Texas      
         2. Brothers      
         3. Nothing Out There      
         4. Canción Mixteca      
         5. No Safety Zone      
         6. Houston in Two Seconds       
         7. She’s Leaving the Bank       
         8. On the Couch       
         9. I Knew These People       
       10. Dark Was the Night    

   
   Paris, Texas a film by Wim Wenders with Natasha Kinski, Dean Stockwell, Harry Dean Stanton, Aurore Clement, Hunter Carson. Bernard Wicki…Sountrack: Ry Cooder. 1984

   Travis (Harry Dean Stanton), a seemingly mute, semi-catatonic, amnesiac man wanders out of the desert and into a small, rural Texan town, his sole possession a piece of paper bearing the Los Angeles telephone number of his younger brother, Walt (Dean Stockwell). Returning to LA with Walt, Travis’s memory slowly returns as he begins to piece together the details of his life, discovering the wife and young son he walked out on four years previously. Beautifully shot by longtime Wim Wenders cinematographer Robby Muller and featuring a memorable, haunting score by Ry Cooder, Paris, Texas is an unforgettable study of human emotions, relationships and alienation.

   Here’s a review, from an unknown source,, that pretty well sums up the experience of the film:

   Okay, I’m gonna attempt to put into words why this film is great, a task not easy to do. This film, written by sam shepard, is a truly original take on a character study. To try to understand the character of Travis (harry dean stanton), Wim Wenders takes us on a journey where the suspense we feel is in the fact that we know nothing about who travis really is until very near the end of the film. In one of the most beautifully and horrifyingly written scenes ever filmed, Travis spills his guts to a adult bookstore dancer (you know the ones behind the tinted glass windows) whose connection to Travis we are only just beginning to understand.

   The film moves slowly as is typical of most Wim Wenders’ films. It is not for the average movie-goer, but for someone truly excited by character development. What will strike you most is the subtle nature with which the story moves. I admit the first time I watched this film I almost fell asleep. But I stuck it out and watched the movie. I watched it a couple more times since then and the film keeps getting better. This, to me, is the true test of a great film. I can still watch this film and enjoy it and find new things about it to love.

   Bottom line: This film is great, but not for the average movie-goer. If you enjoy character development and arresting dialogue this movie is for you.

   Enjoy both if you can, and the album is Highly Recommended regardless of whether you have seen the film or not.

   Enjoy

   Peace

   • 

     CabinGirl on May 5, 2006 at 7:15 pm

     Ry Cooder and David Lindley.  Excellent choice.

2. 

   keepinon on May 5, 2006 at 8:16 pm

   As far as female jazz vocalists are concerned, I wonder what you all think of Canadian Singer/pianist/composer Diana Krall?  I have several of her Cd’s and have been to a live concert; in my opinion she is absolutely excellent at what she does.

   Her duet with Ray Charles on his last album (You Don’t Know Me) should have received the Grammy last year IMO.

   • 

     AP on May 5, 2006 at 10:20 pm

     I like her, but I like Cassandra Wilson more. It just doesn’t seem like folks are as interested in her in the same sort of breathless way folks are a ga-ga over Krall.

     I think it’s the Joss Stone effect. A big and/or soulful voice isn’t supposed to come from a blonde, which is stupid. But for some reason, it becomes a marketing tactic, and voila.

     • 

       AP on May 5, 2006 at 10:22 pm

       And Shirley Horn. To this admittedly biased observer, she never really received all the roses she was due while she was alive. Truly amazing vocalist. The hubby and I saw her at every possible opportunity.

       She is missed.

3. 

   James Benjamin on May 6, 2006 at 2:50 am

   Played some recordings by South African jazzers Mongezi Feza, Louis Moholo, and Dudu Pukwana.