Day Eight Hundred and Forty Eight

All the crimes committed, day by day

No one try to stop it in any way

All the peacemakers turn war officers

Hear what I say

Police and thieves in the streets

Fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition

Police and thieves in the streets

Scaring the nation with their guns and ammunition

Binker Golding Interview: Youth and the Wild

Photo by Carl Hyde

BY JORDAN MAINZER

“I’m just not that interested in fitting in.”

It’s a statement that certainly rings true for Binker Golding’s second solo album Dream Like A Dogwood Wild Boy, out Friday via Gearbox Records. Up until this point, you could pinpoint the tenor saxophonist, composer, and one half of excellent duo Binker & Moses as part of an ever-burgeoning British jazz scene, one that has seen the likes of Sons of Kemet, Nubya Garcia, and Zara McFarlane receive global reach and acclaim. Press play on Dream, however, and you hear an unfamiliar sound, at least for Golding: bluesy slide guitar, then drums, piano, and double bass, all before his saxophone enters. It sounds like the instrumental to a classic rock song, still embedded in a jazz tradition, but threatening to bridge the gap.

Sure, in a few years and probably many albums later, we’ll look back on Dream Like A Dogwood Wild Boy as Golding’s “heartland jazz Americana” record, one where influences of John Mellencamp and Skip James rubbed elbows with the current cream of the crop of UK jazz heavyweights like drummer Sam Jones, bassist Daniel Casimir, and pianist Sarah Tandy. The genre-hopping is certainly thrilling, on moments like Golding’s saxophone taking a lead vocal against Billy Adamson’s twangy guitar lines on “Love Me Like A Woman”, or the rock harmonies of guitar, piano, and saxophone on album closer “All Out Of Fairy Tales”. But the idea that Golding isn’t concerned with fitting in is especially illuminating when listening to the album, which was born out an intense period of self-reflection for Golding. He had lost both his biological father and stepfather. He was looking at the characteristics he had inherited from his dad, good and bad. He was looking at himself as a man. If jazz as a genre is one inherently collaborative and outward-looking and listening, Golding’s second album--though displaying mighty band chemistry--is a bit of a thematic outlier. It’s instrumental, but you can hear the way it communicates the contrasts between the expanse of the music and middle American landscapes and the inner depth of Golding’s thoughts. 

I asked Golding some questions about Dream Like A Dogwood Wild Boy over email, including its influences, communicating lyrical themes instrumentally, and playing live. Read our conversation below.

Since I Left You: Why did you decide on a blues, heartland rock, Americana-influenced aesthetic for your second album?

Binker Golding: The music is just another part of who I am. It’s an honest reflection of how I felt at the time. I think people often think that you’re hopping genres or being influenced by something new that you’ve come across, but it just wasn’t the case for this record. The music was right there on the surface for me. I’ve always felt deeply attached to those styles, and over the course of my life, I’ve become them. I suppose it surprises people, given the current climate of British jazz, but I’m just not that interested in fitting in.

SILY: The first single and opening track "(Take Me To The) Wide Open Lows" opens with bluesy slide guitar riffing. Was it important for you to open with a specific sound so different from what you had presented before?

BG: Yes, I’d say so. It’s usually a good idea to make a big statement on the first track of a record, to draw the listener in and let them know what sort of world the album inhabits. In a way, the first track is an overture for the rest of the album. I felt “Wide Open Lows” was probably the most representative of the sound of the album, so it made it as the first track. I don’t think it would’ve worked anywhere else on the record. I wanted the guitar solo that opens the track to be unusually long. I wanted a sprawling track that was evocative of the sort of landscapes I was thinking of. I’m also against the contemporary idea that a piece of music has to get straight to the central part as quickly as possible. Intros are currently at their most short in the history of popular music. I think this is a travesty.  

SILY: Like you've said, it's hard to explicitly explore concepts like masculinity, humanity, love, and sex on an instrumental album. At times, however, I feel like certain instruments--whether your saxophone or electric guitar or even drums--take the lead the way a vocal would. Did you notice that? Was that intentional?

BG: There was definitely a lyrical intention to the way I wrote the melodies and to the way I directed the band, in particular the soloists, Billy Adamson on guitar and Sarah Tandy on piano. The solos the three of us played were as free as ever, but we were deliberately trying to play the songs in a lyrical fashion. For most of the songs, I wanted people to hear them and say, “There should be words to this,” or, “I can hear lyrics to this.” I wanted to invite the listener into making up their own lyrics to the songs.

SILY: What's the inspiration behind the title "My Two Dads"?

BG: Literally, my biological father and my stepfather, both of whom died in 2020. I wasn’t looking to pay tribute to them in any way, and I don’t like to think of it as a tribute as such. I often write pieces and get halfway through and start to think to myself, “This is about this person,” or, “This is about this time,” etc. The piece is less about the memory of them and more about the feeling of the loss of them. I realized I had no more male father figures in my life, and there was a profundity to that. I also had three friends who were going through the exact same thing at the exact same time. All of them were males, and the loss of our fathers were a big talking point for us.

SILY: Were you at all inspired by British folk and folk-rock on this record?

BG: Not so much British folk, but certainly American and Canadian folk-rock. Mainly Neil Young, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, [and] Tracy Chapman, and then hugely by heartland rock musicians, mainly Springsteen and John Mellencamp. I listen to a lot of old American folk music also. The Delta Blues artists like Skip James and Mississippi Fred McDowell are very important to me. I listen to a lot of the traditional Appalachian music also.

SILY: What's the inspiration behind the album title?

BG: Dogwood is a tiny town in Kentucky. It’s very remote. It’s somewhere I imagined I’d like to go to and just be alone, have no worries or cares, at least for a short time. Youth and the wild go hand in hand with that idea. I like instructional titles. If they’re good, they help the listener get into the music. I take great consideration over them.

SILY: What's the story behind the album art?

BG: The album is another portrait of me in one way or another. My first album was, too, but this one was a bit more complex. The cover is very loosely based on the painting Wanderer above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich. The important thing about the painting and cover of the album is the fact that the face is hidden, and as a result, you can’t tell what expression the subject has on. I wanted it to be ambiguous. The back cover is just a shot of my hands. The inside has pictures of my face, but the expression is completely blank, which is deliberate. I wanted the listener to decide what mood the album is based in, in a similar fashion to the Mona Lisa. The wanderer above the sea fog is slightly triumphant in the sense that it symbolizes the conquest of nature. Something has been won. I wanted the cover to be the opposite. I’m not on a mountain top. The ground is completely flat, and there’s no crop left. Instead, there are weeds growing where the crop once was. I didn’t want it to be negative, just subtle and ambiguous.

SILY: Are you playing this record live? If so, how are you adapting it to a performance?

BG: Yes, we’ve been playing it very faithfully live. It’s not too hard to adapt, minus some of the guitar parts. We play the songs in the exact order that they appear on the record. I don’t really think they work any other way. We also don’t play any of the songs from the previous album, as I don’t think they blend very well, except for “You, That Place, That Time”.

SILY: What's next for you?

BG: I’m currently writing a follow up to this album. When one’s done, I just start another one. I’ve not found a better way to live my life. I’m happy living like that.

SILY: Anything you've been listening to, watching, or reading lately that's inspired you?

BG: I seldom draw inspiration from external sources, which people often find odd to hear. I read regularly and watch films often, but as I say, they don’t often feed back into my work except for in a technical aspect. I suppose people that tell stories about people are ultimately the thing that’s inspired me most in the last 5 or so years. For example, the filmmaker Ingmar Bergman: I’d like to one day make an album that serves the same purpose as one of his films. I’m interested in telling stories about people through music.

Comparing Roxanne's pink costume to Natalie's, I noticed that the upper peplum on Roxanne's costume is completely flat, contrasted to Nat's costume where the peplum is flared. The peplum on Roxanne's costume actually looks much more similar to Shekinah's than Nat's or even Zara's. Just found that interesting.

Hey! Yes, there's quite a bit of variation in how Roxanne Couch and Natalie Pilkington's costumes are fit!

This is partially up to fitter/makers. Shekinah McFarlane and Zara MacIntosh's pink alt costumes were made by Katy Adeney. Roxanne Couch's was not although it's not clear who made it. It's also not clear who made Natalie Pilkington's. My best guess is that Camden Costumes made one or both of theirs, but for all I know Katy Adeney could have made Natalie's!

Roxanne Couch’s costume has a slightly longer torso and significantly wider front cutout and vacuform panels. She also has a relatively shorter skirt with smaller cutout panels but a rounder hem overall. Natalie has a much shorter torso, still wide but thinner cutout panel, tand hin front vacuform panel. Her skirt has much larger cutout panels, sits a little bit higher on her, and has a slightly more oval shape with a smaller/flatter opening in the front. And Roxanne’s skirt opens in the front while Natalie’s does in the back, which also affects their shape. A fair bit of the longer top/longer skirt is due to differences in their body shape and the location of their natural waist, but most differences are just general difference in fitting rather than purely that. 

"You, you said that I tricked ya Cause I, I didn't look like my profile picture Too, too bad I don't agree So I'm gonna hang it up for everyone to see And you can't stop me cause I'm the queen of the castle Get down you dirty rascal Get down!"

[Grace Mouat; Vicki Manser; Courtney Stapleton; Shekinah McFarlane; Nicole Kyoung-Mi Lambert; Cherelle Jay; Collette Guitart; Cassandra Lee; Harriet Watson; Jennifer Caldwell; Natalie Pilkington; Zara MacIntosh; Liv Alexander; Ella Burns; Karis Oka; Emily Harrigan; Rachel Rawlinson; Keirsten Nicole Hodgens; Marilyn Caserta; Paisley Billings; Chiara Assetta; Abbi Hodgson; Shannen Alyce Quan; Danielle Rose; Esme Rothero; Grace Melville; Kelly Denice Taylor; Cassie Silva; Channing Weir; Harriet Caplan-Dean; Ayla Ciccone-Burton; Kayla McSorley; Holli’ Conway; Monique Ashe-Palmer; Princess Sasha Victomé; Jana Larell Glover; Cecilia Snow; Leah Vassell; Bethany McDonald; Leesa Tulley; Ellie Jane Grant; Izi Maxwell; Hailey Lewis; Gabriella Boumford; Marta Skrzypczyńska; Darcy Stewart; Mónika Horvath; Naomi Alade; Shakira Simpson; Deirdre Dunkin]

Six swalts who never hit swingo. [Pink Edition x]

Actress: Cristina D'Agostino (Swing, Australia, 2022-2023) Played 1/6 (P) Note: PHYSICALLY how did she play 1 role in A YEAR.

Actress: Shekinah McFarlane (Alt A/C, W.E, 2019-2019) Played: 2/6 (A/C) Note: Shekinah was already contracted to play Cleves in the Uk tour. however due to 1 of the alternates departing, and their replacement not starting until October, She was asked to join the cast in London.

Actress: Zara MacIntosh (Alt A/H, W.E, 2019-2021) Played: 4/6 (A/B/C/H) Note: Zara's debut in the show, occurred 1 month earlier than planned! She Emergency covered Howard for 1 performance. To date, this is only the 2nd occurrence where an actress had debuted one of their first covers early, first being her castmate, Hannah Stewart.

Actress: Roxanne Couch (Alt S/P, W.E, 2021-2022) Played: 5/6 (A/B/S/H/P) Note: Roxanne would remain with the show after the 2022 cast change, This time appearing as principal parr!

The other day I mentioned that 22-23 UK Tour was now the first to have each of its' alts perform in another production, or in that scenario specifically emergency cover on the West End. Here's where others are at. 2019 West End: Vicki Manser (Tour principal promo), Shekinah McFarlane (pre-cast Tour promo); Grace Mouat (none), Courtney Stapleton (none)

19-21 West End: Collette Guitart (UK Tour), Cherelle Jay (UK Tour), Hana Stewart (Broadway); Zara MacIntosh (none)

21-22 West End: Roxanne Couch (standby for UK Tour), Rachel Rawlinson (standby for Hampton Court/proshot); Esme Rothero (none), Paisley Billings (none), Danielle Rose (none)

22-23 West End: Rachel Rawlinson, Esme Rothero, Monique Ashe-Palmer, Danielle Rose, Leah Vassell (all none)

19-22 UK Tour: Natalie Pilkington (West End and UKT), Jennifer Caldwell (West End), Harriet Watson (West End and universal), Alicia Corrales-Connor (standby for West End); Cassandra Lee (none)

22-23 UK Tour: Harriet Caplan-Dean (West End), Grace Melville (West End), Leesa Tulley (West End), Natalie Pilkington (West End and UKT)

23-24 UK Tour: Izi Maxwell (West End); Shakira Simpson (none), Ellie Jane Grant (none), Tamara Morgan (none)

20-22 Broadway: Nicole Kyoung-Mi Lambert (standby for Broadway), Courtney Mack (principal promo for Aragon Tour), Keirsten Hodgens (Aragon Tour); Mallory Maedke (none)

Aragon Tour: Cassie Silva (Broadway and Boleyn Tour), Kelly Denice Taylor (Broadway and Boleyn Tour), Kelsee Kimmel (Broadway); Erin Palmer Ramirez (none)

22-23 Boleyn Tour: Aryn Bohannon (Aragon Tour); Cecilia Snow (none), Jana Larell Glover (none), Taylor Pearlstein (none)

Bliss 1.0: Natalie Pilkington (joined UKT/see above), Bryony Duncan (UK universal), Lori McLare (joined onboard), Amy Bridges (principal promo for Breakaway 1.0)

Bliss 3.0: Marilyn Caserta (US universal)

Breakaway 1.0: Liv Alexander (UK universal, principal promo for Breakaway 2.0), Elizabeth Walker (principal promo for Breakaway 2.0), Maddison Firth (planned principal promo for original Breakaway 2.0); Laura Blair (none) Breakaway 3.0: Madeline Fansler (Aus); Channing Weir, Princess Victome, Sunayna Smith (none)

I saw an ask from someone ages ago about dreamcasting a Six alternate universe cast, where the cast was of 20 queens, no main cast, each covered three (like a theme park). I’m very inspired by this so here’s my take on it:

(taken from @six-costume-refs)

A/B/S: Kelly Denice Taylor

A/B/C: Nicole Kyoung-Mi Lambert

A/B/H: Brianna Mooney

A/B/P: Khaila Wilcoxon

A/S/C: Shekinah McFarlane

A/S/H: Lauren Byrne

A/S/P: Casey Al’Shaqsy

A/C/H: Channing Weir

A/C/P: Marilyn Caserta

A/H/P: Roxanne Couch

B/S/C: Maya Christian

B/S/H: Keirsten Hodgens

B/S/P: Gabriella Stylianou-Burns

B/C/H: Zara Macintosh

B/C/P: L’Oreal Roache

B/H/P: Jarynn Whitney

S/C/H: Phoenix Jackson Mendoza

S/C/P: Monique Ashe Palmer

S/H/P: Shannen Alyce Quan

C/H/P: Leesa Tulley

Special mention: Natalie May Paris would be the stunt cast for Seymour for the first 3 months of the run.

Nicola Conte - Umoja - the host of musicians on his new album take his sound even closer to the ideal of 70s-era soul-jazz

Renowned Italian spiritual jazz master, DJ, producer, guitarist, and bandleader Nicola Conte proudly presents his new album Umoja via London based label Far Out Recordings. A joyous exultation across ten tracks, Umoja taps into the abundant well of knowledge Conte has amassed over his career as connoisseuring compiler and archivist of deep jazz, latin, afrofuturist, bossa-nova and soul music from around the world. Expressing unity, oneness and harmony in Swahili, Umoja coalesces universal feelings through the multifaceted global music Conte has spent his life studying and researching. The music of Umoja draws on the deep-dug 70's independent spiritual and free jazz sounds, private-press soul records, and African and Afro Caribbean rhythms in Conte’s collection. But he equally recognises his debt to many of the decade’s more celebrated musical icons, such as North American cosmic jazz masters Lonnie Liston Smith and Gary Bartz, and Afrobeat originators Fela Kuti and Tony Allen. Proudly revivalist, Umoja was recorded direct to analog tape, with just two takes for each track. “Searching for an unadulterated, spontaneous, almost improvised feeling”, Nicola made sure that the few overdubs were also transferred to tape in order to retain the colour and warmth of the analog sound. “Very little post production or editing has been added, so what you hear is largely what happened in those magical live sessions”. Zara Mcfarlane - Lead Vocals On Arise/life Forces/freedom & Progress Bridgette Amofah - Lead Vocals On Dance Of Love & Peace/soul Of The People/flying Circles Myles Sanko - Lead Vocals On Into The Light Of Love Timo Lassy - Tenor Saxophone Teppo Makynen - Drums Pietro Lussu - Fender Rhodes , Wurlizter, Acoustic Piano Alberto Parmegiani - Guitar Abdissa Assefa - Congas & Percussions Ameen Salim - Fender Bass & Double Bass On Freedom & Progress/Flying Circles/Umoja Unity Marco Bardoscia - Electric Bass On Dance Of Love & Peace/Arise/Life Forces Luca Alemanno - Fender Bass & Double Bass On Soul Of The People/Heritage/Into The Light Of Love Simon Moullier - Vibraphone On Arise/Heritage Dario Bassolino - Fender Rhodes Piano & Moog On Soul Of The People/Into The Light Of Love Magnus Lindgren - Flute On Into The Light Of Love Fernando Damon - Drums On Heritage Milena Jancuric - Flute On Heritage Pasquale Calo’ - Tenor Saxophone On Flying Circles Hermon Mehari - Trumpet On Freedom & Progress Paola Gladys - Vocals On Flying Circles/Freedom & Progress Chantal Lewis - Vocals On Into The Light Of Love Jaelee Small - Vocals On Into The Light Of Love Produced By Nicola Conte Music Composed By Nicola Conte & Alberto Parmegiani Except Into The Light Of Love By Conte/Parmegiani/Sanko Arise By Conte/Parmegiani/Mcfarlane Soul Of The People By Conte/Parmegiani/Amofah

"Mo Soul" Player Playlist 30 July

Sault - Fight For Love

Photay with Carlos Nino - Feeling, Now

The Soultrend Orchestra Feat. Alan Scaffardi - About Love

Eric Hilton - Googoosh "Talagh"

Dego - Warp 7

Aldorande - Beauty Island

Sarah Jane Morris - Ever Gonna Make It

STR4TA - Rhythm In Your Mind

Zara McFarlane - In Between Worlds

Fatima & Joe Armon Jones - Only (Live from Maida Vale)

Jazzanova - Saturday Night Special

MF Robots - Make The Call

Per Husby Septett - The Peacemaker

Sean Khan Feat. Heidi Vogel - Naima (Atjazz Remix)

Brian Jackson Feat. Roy Ayers - Outstandind

If you really want to enjoy music and help musicians and bands, buy their lp’s or cd’s and don’t download mp3 formats. There is nothing like good quality sound!!!

(Angel Lo Verde / Mo Soul)

Respect to Aretha : un concert hommage à la Reine de la Soul aux Nuits de Fourvière

En ce vendredi 7 juillet, nous sommes au Grand Théâtre. Une douce brise d’été nous accompagne durant le concert puissant rendant hommage à la Reine de la Soul, Aretha Franklin. Des artistes de renom pour rendre hommage à Aretha Franklin Parmi les musiciens jouant à “Respect to Aretha”, on retrouve entre autres Robin McKelle, Zara McFarlane, Alice Russell et le groupe Antibalas. Originaire des…

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2022年8月のプレイリスト ～ Cool, Cool, Cool ～

～ Cool, Cool, Cool ～

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4R5kLX_ups0LWAMWm3MnQmDkNC0HIJft

最近知った曲や、過去プレイリストに入れようとするも選外になった曲を中心に、"Cool" な曲を。

涼しげな曲、カッコイイ曲、ヘンテコな曲、不穏な感じでヒエっとなる曲…などなど。 …まあおよそどんな曲だって、その気になれば "Cool" と形容できちゃうとは思うのだけど。

45曲、約2時間55分

01 Cool, Cool, Cool … Godley & Creme 02 Like the Morning Dew … Laura Mvula 03 Cursis Melodias … Natalia Lafourcade 04 Lean On Me … Club Nouveau 05 Hate Myself … dodie 06 Formwela 10 … esperanza spalding 07 Oboe … Jackie Mittoo 08 Nothin' on You … Marcela Mangabeira 09 WOLF … SPECIAL OTHERS ACOUSTIC 10 Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1 … The Flaming Lips 11 Dek Kai Nuang Sue Pim … Sangthong Seesai 12 Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo) … Julie London 13 Don't Sleep in the Subway … Petula Clark 14 Pisca Punga … Pat C. 15 ねこなでたい … YMCK 16 Girl On My Mind … Roland Ray 17 It Keeps You Runnin' … The Doobie Brothers 18 Wonder Groove … Steve Gray 19 East of the River Nile (feat. Dennis Bovell) … Zara McFarlane 20 Minus Me … Alostmen 21 Amazonia (Sax Version) … S-Tone Inc. 22 Charade … Nicola Conte 23 Mr. Rose … Roy Budd 24 Life Is Good … Funkservice International 25 Just Say Goodbye … Frank Popp Ensemble 26 Peter Popgunn … The John Schroeder Orchestra 27 Per Noi Due Soli … Piero Piccioni 28 Bare Necessities … Dimie Cat 29 We No Speak Americano … Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP 30 Tengo Miedo … Maria Rodes 31 Box Of Secrets … Zarif 32 Stamping Ground … Moondog 33 Little Steps … Nostalgia 77 34 Tableau de Chasse … Claire Diterzi 35 miu … Marina Herlop 36 貞奴 … 冥丁 37 What the World Needs Now … Tom Clay 38 I'm a Fantastic Wreck … Montaigne 39 Ecstatic Baby … Yeasayer 40 Oss 118 et le poulpe aux œufs d'or … Mini Groove Orchestra 41 A Morte de Um Deus de Sal … Eumir Deodato, Neco & Samba Nova Concepção 42 真珠のように … Nadja 43 Japão … Dora Morelenbaum 44 snow … Serph 45 Glitter of the City (Song by Tahira) … Ron Everett

<メモ> 01 Cool, Cool, Cool (Godley & Creme) … ゴドレー＆クレームらしく、短い中に変化の多い曲。おなじみのミュージカルっぽさに、ブルースハープがいいアクセント。後のアルバム『Goodbye Blue Sky』の萌芽を感じたり。

03 Cursis Melodias (Natalia Lafourcade) … この時期のNatalia Lafourcadeのポップセンスたるや…。現在はメキシコや中南米に根ざした楽曲ですこぶる評価が高い。でも、時々はこういう軽やかなポップスも出してもらえると嬉しいのだが。

04 Lean On Me (Club Nouveau) … 80年代のヒット曲。ダンサブルでいいアレンジのカバー (原曲はBill Withers)。

05 Hate Myself (dodie) … 郵便局員になるって、こんなに大変やったんか…。

06 Formwela 10 (esperanza spalding) … "Songwrights Apothecary Lab"というアルバムに収録。曰く「癒しの手段としての音楽とミュージシャンシップを探求することを目的とした実験的空間」で作曲されたとのこと。変わったデザインだけど身体にしっくり馴染む服のような曲。

08 Nothin' on You (Marcela Mangabeira) … YouTubeのおすすめに出てきて、試しに聞いてみたら悪くなかった。

10 Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1 (The Flaming Lips) … "ヨシミ" というのは、ボアダムスのYoshimiO。彼女にインスパイアされて書かれた曲なんだそうな。

11 Dek Kai Nuang Sue Pim (Sangthong Seesai) … タイの曲。ルクトゥンという、民謡のような演歌のようなジャンルらしい。不穏な感じのするイントロから、ガラッと変わる曲調と声が良い。

12 Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo) (Julie London) … 12月のプレイリストに入れるつもりが、何となく選外になった曲。北極圏を思い浮かべながら、夏に聞くのもよいかと。

13 Don't Sleep in the Subway (Petula Clark) … こちらは6月 (雨) のプレイリストに入れようかと思っていた (ちょっとだけ雨が出て来るのだ)。…が、雨の曲と言うには弱くて選外に。

14 Pisca Punga (Pat C.) … Pat C.の"Toshishita no Otokonoko"を探していたら出てきた曲。"Pisca Punga"をGoogle翻訳に掛けるとルーマニア語と判定され「袋猫」と訳されるのだが…どういうこと?

15 ねこなでたい (YMCK) … うむ。猫なでたい。

17 It Keeps You Runnin' (The Doobie Brothers) … 70年代半ば。マイケル・マクドナルドが加入したての頃のドゥービー・ブラザーズ。サビのコーラスに妙な高揚感がある。

18 Wonder Groove (Steve Gray) … イギリスの劇伴。80年代のテレビ番組主題歌っぽさが非常によろしい。

19 East of the River Nile (Zara McFarlane) … 女性ボーカルがいい雰囲気だが、原曲はメロディオン(ピアニカ)が主旋律のインストゥルメンタル。ジャマイカのレゲエミュージシャンであり、メロディオン奏者のAugustus Pablo作。

20 Minus Me (Alostmen) … ガーナのバンド。コロゴという現地の三味線っぽい楽器でガンガン押してくる。

22 Charade (Nicola Conte) … たぶん、世界で一番かっこいいアレンジの「シャレード」。

23 Mr. Rose (Roy Budd) … "Mr. Rose Investigates"というテレビ番組のテーマソングだったそうな。

26 Peter Popgunn (The John Schroeder Orchestra) … 「ピーター・ガン」はアメリカのテレビ番組で、ヘンリー・マンシーニ作のテーマ曲も非常に有名。この曲は「ピーター・ガン」の本歌どりなのか、題して「ピーター・ポップガン」。タイトルから想像するほど「ピーター・ガン」と似ていないのだが、かっこよさは本歌に勝るかも。

28 Bare Necessities (Dimie Cat) … エレクトロ・スウィングとかエレクトリック・スウィングとか言われるジャンル。この手のは、意外に今までプレイリストに入れていなかった。

31 Box Of Secrets (Zarif) … これも、いかにもなエレクトロ・スウィング。

32 Stamping Ground (Moondog) … Moondogは、ニューヨークの路上でバイキングの格好をして立っていた盲目の路上詩人/音楽家。後にドイツに渡り音楽活動で暮らしていく。ジャンル分けの難しい、Moondogならではの曲。

34 Tableau de Chasse (Claire Diterzi) … 同名のアルバムには、一風変わったアート色の濃い曲が多い。Wikipediaを見ると、フィリップ・ドゥクフレの舞台音楽を手がけていたりで、なるほどなと思ったり。この曲/アルバムも舞台音楽だったらしい。

35 miu (Marina Herlop) … 美しくもあり、どこか不穏な感じでもあり。ちなみにMVは、牛の出産ドキュメンタリーみたいな映像 (専門家が監修というクレジットあり) になっている。バルセロナ在住のアーティストらしい。

37 What the World Needs Now (Tom Clay) … バカラックの"What the World Needs Now"にラジオ音声を乗せた、1973年のリミックス作品。ラジオ音声は、軍隊の訓練の様子やラジオ放送のジングルの他に、ケネディ大統領暗殺時のラジオ放送、キング牧師の演説と暗殺を伝える報道、ロバート・ケネディ上院議員暗殺時の放送、その弟エドワード・ケネディの弔辞。

38 I'm a Fantastic Wreck (Montaigne) … 映像も印象的だが、ワルツって強いなぁとも思ったり。

39 Ecstatic Baby (Yeasayer) … 軽妙な曲なのだが、映像は 虫 注意。まあ、ある意味ヒエッとするということで。

41 A Morte de Um Deus de Sal (Eumir Deodato, Neco & Samba Nova Concepção) … "A Morte de Um Deus de Sal" という別の有名な曲があるので、タイトルは誤記かもしれない。自分が昔買ったCDでは、この曲は "Neptune's Heptune" というタイトルだったが…。

42 真珠のように (Nadja) … 80～90年代のシティ・ポップの豊潤さを感じさせる逸品。

43 Japão (Dora Morelenbaum) … ブラジルのシンガーソングライター。父親も著名な音楽家で坂本龍一と親交があったらしい。「戦場のメリークリスマス」の一節がほんのり使われているのは、その辺りの由縁。

45 Glitter of the City (Ron Everett/Song by Tahira) … 日が沈んでも、街の灯り一つ一つにはどこか希望がある…と、そんなことを思ったり。良い。

Songs of an Unknown Tongue [2020] - Zara McFarlane

What’s the story behind Shekinah‘s transition from WE alt to UKT principal? Was it always planned or was it something like a cast member dropping last minute? It just seems crazy to me (and doesn’t make much financial sense) that they’d make a whole pink alt costume for one cover for only a three month period that likely only went on a handful of times. I know while expensive, these costumes truly can be just a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of Six’s revenue, but I’m just surprised it was never reconfigured into Zara/Rox/Nat’s pink alt costume. As always, loving the blog and the analysis, and thank you for always being so kind in your replies! Hope all is well!

Hey! So I called in @redladydeath to help with figuring out your first two questions because it’s been a while. It’s unclear which Shekinah McFarlane was cast for first (that’s not public info anyway), but it was definitely planned that she would be joining the Tour by the time she was announced for West End.

Couple thoughts as to why (probably a combo of all): - Union rules may or may not dictate that she needed a proper costume. I can’t access all of SOLT/UK Equity’s rules as readily as I can access the US’ so I can’t confirm that, but from what I’ve seen from Six and other UK productions in the past it does seem like that’s the case. - While Shaka’s contract does seem fairly short, it was also still three months. She was expected to go on a minimum of twice a week in that time and cover up to six roles, and this was also during some pretty big alternate chaos scenarios so more could definitely have been expected. She went on 25 times total for Aragon - definitely a significant amount of shows, and more than most of the cruise alt costumes have gotten. - They also just didn’t really have any other alternative costumes. Emergency cover costume out of band pieces is obvious but it’s also definitely not an ideal long-term solution. Maybe Shaka could have worn a former Aragon, but for a couple reasons that doesn’t really work; at that point they only had one not currently in use and it likely wouldn’t have fit her properly, and she was initially intended to cover more roles than just A + C. - This was also at a point when they were experimenting quite a bit with new costume designs. Shaka’s may have been viewed as a way of trying out a new design on a short term scale.

I’ll also note that the costume couldn’t have really been repurposed for Zara MacIntosh, Roxanne Couch, or Natalie Pilkington. The Six costumes/materials are very unforgiving which makes it effectively impossible to alter on a large scale. We have seen them reuse costumes, sometimes with small alterations as needed, but those have typically been in very specific scenarios in which the very specific measurements and body proportions were so close that it worked (this can literally come down to a 1/4 of an inch). Shaka’s costume just wouldn’t have fit any of those pink alts correctly, and the alterations that would have been needed are too significant. 

Thank you for the kind words!! I hope that helps answer some of your questions, and if not feel free to send another ask and I’ll see if I can help!

"You must think that I'm crazy You wanna replace me? Baby, there's n-n-n-n-n-n-no way! If you think for a moment I'd grant you annulment Just hold up, there's n-n-n-n-n-n-no way!"

[Grace Mouat; Courtney Stapleton; Nicole Kyoung-Mi Lambert; Collette Guitart; Shekinah McFarlane; Vicki Manser; Zara MacIntosh; Natalie Pilkington; Cassandra Lee; Hana Stewart; Ella Burns; Harriet Watson; Jennifer Caldwell; Liv Alexander; Paisley Billings; Abbi Hodgson; Rachel Rawlinson; Marilyn Caserta; Shannen Alyce Quan; Karis Oka; Danielle Rose; Chiara Assetta; Esme Rothero; Mallory Maedke; Grace Melville; Madeline Fansler; Harriet Caplan-Dean; Kelly Denice Taylor; Kelsee Kimmel; Roxanne Couch; Willow Dougherty; Princess Sasha Victomé; Jana Larell Glover; Cecilia Snow; Monique Ashe-Palmer; Leesa Tulley; Holli’ Conway; Kristina Leopold; Jillian Worthing; Ellie Jane Grant; Leah Vassell; Shakira Simpson; Gabriella Boumford; Darcy Stewart; Agnieszka Rose; Deirdre Dunkin; Cassie Silva; Gabriella Stylianou; Hailey Lewis]

Silhouette (feat. Shabaka Hutchings)

“It’s impossible to be in love with all the six queens’

The Six queens in question:

Megan Gilbert, Ashleigh Weir, Holly Musgrave, Oliver Wickham, Annabel Marlow, Shimali De Silva, Renee Lamb, Christina Modestou, Natalie Paris, Genesis Lynea, Aimie Atkinson, Izuka Hoyle, Jaye’J Richards-Noel, Millie O’Connell, Alexia McIntosh, Maiya Quansah-Breed, Grace Mouat, Vicki Manser, Courtney Stapleton, Adrianna Hicks, Andrea Macaseat, Abby Mueller, Brittney Mack, Samantha Pauly, Anna Uzele, Mallory Maedke, Nicole Kyoung-Mi Lambert, Courtney Mack, Shantel Cribbs, Courtney Bowman, Sophie Isaacs, Danielle Steers, Zara Macintosh, Cherelle Jay, Hana Stewart, Collette Guitart, Candace Furbert, Hazel Karooma-Brooker, Caitlin Tipping, Sophie Golden, Alicia Corrales-Connor, Viquichele Cross, Bryony Duncan, Natalie Pilkington, Lori McLare, Amy Bridges, Lauren Drew, Maddison Bulleyment, Lauren Byrne, Shekinah McFarlane, Jodie Steele, Athena Collins, Cassandra Lee, Jennifer Caldwell, Harriet Watson, Jasmine Shen, Kelly Sweeney, Jessica Niles, Georgia Carr, Amelia Walker, Liv Alexander, Elizabeth Walker, Maddison Firth, Laura Blair, Chloe Zuel, Kala Gare, Loren Hunter, Kiana Daniele, Courtney Monsma, Vidya Makan, Ella Burns, Karis Oka, Shannen Alyce-Quan, Jade Marvin, Lucy Aiston, Gabriella Stylianou-Burns, Scarlet Gabriel, Rebecca Wickes, Megan Leung, Sophie Rose Middleton, Abbi Hodgson, Kara Ami Mcraenor, Emily Harrigan, Gabrielle Smith, Melissa Ford, Kaylah Attard, Fia Houston-Hamilton, Rhiannon Bacchus, Rhiannon Doyle, Carly Mercedes Dyer, Elena Gyasi, Keirsten Hodgens, Artemis Chrisoulakis, Ellie Sharpe, Sadie Hurst, Melinda Porto, L’Oreal Roache, Wesley Carpenter, Maya Christian, Brianna Mooney, Meghan Dawson, Marilyn Caserta, Ashlee Waldbauer, Adrianna Glover, Alize Ke’Aloha Cruz, Kristina Walz, Amy Di Bartolomeo, Amanda Lindgren, Claudia Kariuki, Dionne Ward-Anderson, Tsemaye Bob-Egbe, Meesha Turner, Paisley Billings, Danielle Rose, Roxanne Couch, Esme Rothero, Rachel Rawlinson, Lauren Irving, Danielle Mendoza, Shelby Griswold, Kennedy Carstens, Abigail Sparrow, Jarynn Whitney, Madeline Fansler, Channing Weir, Princess Victomé, Sunayna Smith, Chloë Hart, Casey Al-Shaqsy, Aiesha Pease, Jaina Brock-Patel, Alana Robinson, Grace Melville, Leesa Tulley, Harriet Caplan-Dean, Khaila Wilcoxon, Storm Lever, Jasmine Forsberg, Olivia Donalson, Didi Romero, Gabriela Carrillo, Cassie Silva, Kelly Denice Taylor, Erin Ramirez, Kelsee Kimmel, Phoenix Mendoza, Chelsea Dawson, Chiara Assetta, Cristina D’Agostino, Joy Woods, Bre Jackson, Keri Rene Fuller, Brennyn Lark, Ayla Ciccone-Burton, Holli’ Conway, Brianna Javis, Gabbi Mack, Casey Esbin, Ellie Wyman, Sasha Renae Brown, Nicole Lamb, Aja Simone Baitey, Willow Dougherty, Kayla McSorely, Emily Rose Lyons, Chelsea Wargo, Hannah Taylor, Jessie Bodner, Jasmine Hackett, Janice Rijssel, Lucia Valentino, Elena Breschi, Meg Dixon-Brasil, Sarah McFarlane, Reca Oakley, Gerianne Perez, Zan Berube, Amina Faye, Terica Marie, Aline Mayagoitia, Sydney Parra, Jana Larell Glover, Taylor Pearlstein, Aryn Bohannon, Cecilia Snow, Rhianne Louise McCaulsky, Baylie Carson, Koko Basigara, Monique Ashe Palmer, Leah Vassell, Hailee Kaleem Wright, Leandra Ellis Gaston, Bella Coppola, Nasia Thomas, Zoe Jensen, Taylor Iman Jones, Aubrey Matalon, Kristina Leopold, Rae Davenport, Gianna Grosso, Kathryn Kilger, Bethany McDonald, Jillian Worthing, Haley Izurieta, Jasmine Smith, Lois Ellise Reeves, Alyssa Giannetti, Eden Holmes, Jaelle Laguerre, Kate Zulauf, Lee ARumSoul, Son Seungyeon Kim Ji Woo, Sophiya Pae, Park Hye-na, Park Ga-Ram, Kim Ji Sun, Choi Hyun-sun, Kim Ryeo Won, Heo Sol-ji, Yoo Ju-hye, Hong Ji Hee, Nicole Louise Lewis, Laura Dawn Pyatt, Erin Caldwell, Kenedy Small, Lou Henry, Aoife Haakenson, Ellie Jane Grant, Izi Maxwell, Tamara Morgan, Shakira Simpson, Fiorella Bamba, Lucinda Wilson, Caitlyn De Kuyper, Amanda Lee, Gabriella Boumford, Audrey Fisher, Brooke Aneece, Jaz Robinson, Julia Pulo, Maggie Lacasse, Krystal Hernández, Elysia Cruz, Lauren Mariasoosay, Julia McLellan, Darcy Stewart, Hailey Lewis