Life 2 the Full - Music

Something to smile about - Jarre's Téo & Téa

nospam@example.com (Danté Jones) — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 22:22:00 +1000

Jean-Michel Jarre, that funky old romantic is releasing a new album worldwide tomorrow (26th March). It's called Téo & Téa.

After a few year's in a personal and creative wilderness, and the last few albums being ok but not great, the Grandfather of the Synth has gone back to his roots, and made an album that succeeds in being full of energy, true Jarre, while probably being his most accessible album to date.

People afraid of the long allegorical tracks that are a Jarre tradition, need not be concerned. The shorter and downright funky tracks will hopefully introduce many a stranger to Jarre's work they'll be getting down to it in no time at all.

Yet, there are more than a few Proofs of Jarre evident, with many of his signature sounds and textures animating the music with layers and depth as well as being fun.

And the thing I find most heartening is that Jean-Michel Jarre, that wonderful old romantic, despite all the suffering he's endured (some of which was of his own making) has with this album re-affirmed his faith in Love. More specifically that hard to quantify yet timelessly astonishing period of New Love. He mentions this in an interview with Metro International.

The names Téo and Téa are abbreviated from Theodore, which is derived from the Greek name Θεοδωρος (Theodoros), which means "gift of god" from Greek θεος (theos) "god" and δωρον (doron) "gift". It more than amply symbolises the astonishing richness and urgent energy of two people in the initial stage of falling in Love. That tremendous vigour, the unprecedented rapport and divine necessity that animates those intensely stimulating moments in time.

This music encapsulates this phenomena, if you wish to listen for it. For many however it's simply awesomely funky music.

As he has done in the past, Jarre delivers a whole package, magnificent music that is more than the sum of it's parts, and for those who are interested, food for thought. Thank you again Jean-Michel!

Jarre, Strings, Theory & Practice

nospam@example.com (Danté Jones) — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 23:14:00 +1000

Just in case you were suffering from any misunderstanding or illusion, Jean Michel Jarre is one of the most influential and important contemporary creators of music in our age.

Very few even come close to the scope and magnificence of the wonders of beauty he's nurtured into existence. And then there's Zoolook... He's human after all I guess.

The world and human experience could never be the same again thanks to the music he has gifted us with, and we are so profoundly richer and better off thanks to it.

Unfortunately, like other artists who get too comfortable, it's impacting on his work now, and rendering some of it a little soft, bland and less than the Earth changing revolution that the bulk of his work is.

Those with an imagination can do far worse than sample some Jarre while letting your creative juices flow. Like many of the 'Classics' before him, Jarre has the ability to reach into the human soul and allow something wonderful and good to come out and say hi.

So how was a humble Jarre fan such as I to respond to the discovery that the City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra has recorded the "the Symphonic Jean Michel Jarre" to be released on the 2nd of October this year?

With over 200 musicians, the 120 voice crouch end festival chorus & singers and approved by Jean Michel Jarre himself, what is one to make of it?

Well to start with, it made me feel old to even consider listening to such a thing! What's next, Jarre on bagpipes or Jarre on kazoos with whoopee cushions?

However, after listening to some of the excerpt samples and contending with a haunting familiarity of each of the tracks, some have their spirit intact while others limp along maimed and harmed.

Those with rich and animated spirit intact include Chronologie 3 and Industrial Revolution - Part 1, despite being a tad laggy and lacking crispness. Magnetic Fields 1 shines like a world of grace and goodness to an astonished arriving soul that's long been in need of a miracle. Yep, Magnetic Fields 1 is intact.

Some of Jarre's babies that die in translation include Equinoxe 4. Such a shame.

Will I buy this confusing and out of context album? Well I guess I'll have to. Partly for reference, and partly for classical music loving friends of mine who could use an introduction into the God blessed music of Jean Michel Jarre.

One last question regarding this perplexing album; who was the moron who encoded the id3 tags of the samples with Genre set as Blues? Someone smack that joker in the head for me!

Chant, with Substance

nospam@example.com (Nemeritus) — Fri, 3 Sep 2004 18:00:00 +1000

How many times have you sat in a Catholic Church and been subjected to the shrill shriek of a 40 or 50 something soprano who, aided and abetted in her foul act of musical vandalism by the parish organist, leads the congregation in song through a register of notes that only dogs can hear (and I say this as a tenor who is fortunate to be able to reach those lofty heights but can only look on helplessly as my fellow parishioners fall on either side of me, unable to maintain the pitch, in a gallant effort to "fully participate" in the liturgy). Whilst you could excuse the fact that most of these parish cantors (or is that a sexist term?) cantresses, just simply pitch the music beyond the range of the average Catholic congregation, you cannot excuse the dribble that these banshees scream/sing. A great many parishes in Australia use books such as "Gather Australia," "On Eagles Wings" etc all of which contain various hymns (often written by religious - notably Jesuits or Mercy Sisters) written specifically for the Novus Ordo Mass and it is these hymns that contain the "poignant" reflections of a Baby Boomer generation who just didn't seem to get it.

Let me give you an example "The Lord is my shepherd" Good so far; "...and I want to follow..." a noble sentiment to which all baptised Christians should aspire "...wherever He leads me, wherever we go..." such faithful trust "And while on the journey to where we are going..." Whoo, just put the tambourine down and step away from the guitar - what does that mean! Where else would you be going on a journey except to where you are going! Me thinks someone had too many beats in a bar and not much to say to fill them. Beautiful hymns written in English do exist (look at the Anglican musical tradition) and they can be used at a Novus Ordo Mass. The Living Parish Hymnal is an excellent example of this. Contained therein are pearls written by the great Australian poet James McCauley - there are even texts by John Henry Cardinal Newman set to music by Edward Elgar. And the beauty of this music is that any parish can sing it all - you can "Come as you Are." Of course not all old hymns are good hymns. Often enough the hymns of the '50's can smack of a saccharine sweet piety. So what is the criterion of good parish music? Quite simply, nobility. This is nobility both in the musical score and the lyrics.

A piece of music is noble if it allows a listener to experience the presence of God. God is experienced in the transcendental qualities of truth beauty and goodness. Sadly most modern liturgical music (and secular music for that matter) neither celebrates truth, nor is beautiful and consequently is rarely good. The problem lies in the fact that this music is not Christocentric it does not concentrate on God. Rather it is egocentric it concentrates on the I, me. And so musical expression becomes subjective, emotive and for the most part shallow _ which isn't surprising, when liturgical musicians turn from the objective and infinite that is the praise of God.

Continue reading "Chant, with Substance"

What Method?

nospam@example.com (Danté Jones) — Fri, 9 Jul 2004 19:30:00 +1000

Intelligent people were sleeping at midnight last night. I was not one of them.

Instead, I went to the Crystal Method gig at the Family, in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley.

Although it's fine for a couple of DJ's to start their gig a quarter of an hour late, which a large numbers of their fans have paid $30 a head and given up a night's sleep to see, it's not fine at all when they drown their audience in an ocean of endlessly looped, uninteresting, badly produced, two dimensional DJ froth.

It was all gravy and no Roast and Vegies...

Continue reading "What Method?"

The Felspar Process comes to town

nospam@example.com (Danté Jones) — Fri, 25 Jun 2004 06:54:00 +1000

The Felspar Process is a colloquial term for a rather energetic electronica duo called the Crystal Method.

Their music is like an intravenous injection of adrenaline, at least most of the time. It's cool and funky, sharp mixing with great rhythm and such a sweet use of LFO.

And now they are visiting Brisvegas - Lucky us!

I'm not so sure about the venue, but if you love great electronic music, you should probably make an effort to be there.

Pax.