Teitur: Quite The Singer

Teitur @ Jammin' Java
April 29th

Recommended beverage:
A cup of joe.

Absent caffeine, the relaxed trance this music puts you in

will make you pass out.

The sweet voice of Teitur Lassen was muffled in the States when his second album came out in 2006 for Teitur, who hails from the Faroe Islands near Denmark, had visa troubles and couldn’t tour here to promote it. But he’s here now, with a brand new third effort, titled The Singer, and it’s quite a departure from his previous works.

I was introduced to Teitur’s music when he first came to the States to promote his debut album, when he played Iota opening for Glen Phillips. He has played Jammin Java solo several times since and returned last night with a full band in tow. Being a CD release party, Teitur decided to perform the entire new album, including two seven-minute songs that he seemed a little worried about imposing on the crowd. One of those epic songs, “Legendary Afterparty,” had such massive tempo swings, it was almost unsettling. The other, “Guilt by Association,” told a true story that fascinated Teitur of a man who served time after shooting a gun through the fog and accidentally killing another man. A little dismal, indeed.

Much of this new album is fairly mellow but definitely leans toward the experimental, which is refreshing. It’s a whole new kind of alternative. His band makes heavy use of bass and various horns and woodwinds, including at times flute and clarinet. It’s very much a storyteller album and Teitur coined it best when he described it as “theatrical.” A few songs sounded as though, in preparation for writing them, he had dinner with Philip Glass, listened to a lot of later Beatles, then went to the circus. Perhaps the most mainstream, upbeat, and fun is the new song “Catherine the Waitress.” For that one, he asked the crowd to stand—many of whom were sitting on the floor as few chairs were set up, and a few even bopped around to the beat. They respectfully remained standing until the end.

After unloading this entire album, brand new to us all, he did reward us with the familiar and played three of his earlier songs. He played “Louis Louis,” not the Kingsmen song but one he wrote to pay homage to Louis Armstrong. It’s a lovely song from his aforementioned—largely unheard in the United States—second album. He ended the show playing two songs, solo acoustic, from his debut album, Poetry and Aerplanes, an album packed with gorgeous acoustic ballads. The two wisely chosen songs were “Josephine” and “I Was Just Thinking.”

Opening the show first was Teitur’s bandmate Helgi, alternating between trombone, guitar, and piano as well as singing. Helgi, who hails from Austria, played a brief and inventive one-man set. The second opener was an excellent New York-based band called Old Springs Pike. Fun, raucous with great vocal harmonies. Watch for them.

ClubD on Location: Brazil

Walking toward baggage claim at the airport in Rio de Janeiro, a live band was playing “Girl from Ipanema.” While it made me smile, it occurred to me, during my weeklong stay in Brazil in April, that any live musician, upon seeing an American, felt compelled to break out into that song. True, this famous song introduced bossa nova to the world, but even the song’s late composer Antonio Carlos Jobim might find that to be overkill.

Some restaurants, especially touristy ones, have bossa nova artists performing during dinner, and include a per-person entertainment fee with the bill. Generally, that fee was less than the cost of a caipirinha (Brazil’s national drink made from sugarcane rum and limes), and well worth it. This was the case during our two-day stay in Paraty, along the Costa Verde, about four hours from Rio. My favorite spot was a club called Paraty 33 where an excellent bossa nova band was jamming into the wee hours.

Back in Rio, my friend and I spent a Friday night exploring the Lapa district. How vibrant and wonderful a scene it was. A bit like the New Orleans French Quarter, numerous music clubs dotted several blocks while drink vendors sold beer in the streets. Along these streets, young people from disparate social classes converged in the streets around a common love of music. Up by the aqueduct, the scene truly spilled onto the streets with food, drink, and music.

We chose the samba club Café Sacrilégio along Avenue Mem de Sá. It was excellent (and the caipirinhas were dizzyingly strong). Several different samba bands played sets that night, generally five to seven musicians in each, with a range of percussion and wonderful vocal harmonies.

While samba seems unmistakably Brazilian, the music incorporates choro (an earlier Brazilian style) with music from Africa, notably the captivating percussion, which the slaves who came to work the plantations brought over to Brazil in the 16^th century. It’s a unique and uplifting sound. From the Latin jazz sounds of bossa nova to the energetic sounds of samba, the music of Brazil gets in your soul and leaves you smiling inside and out.

“When she walks, she’s like a samba
That swings so cool and sways so gentle
That when she passes, each one she passes goes – ooh”

ClubD: On the spring radar

Spring is a buzzing with great music. I'll be reporting from the road a bit too:

Week of April 13: samba scene in Rio de Janeiro

April 29: Teitur @ Jammin Java

May 2-4: Jazz Fest in the great city of New Orleans!

May 9: Enter the Haggis @ Jammin' Java
May 10: Willy Porter @ Jammin Java (and then emmet swimming in Herndon!)
May 11: Radiohead @ Nissan Pavilion
May 16: Lucky Day cd release at Iota (the drummer is a friend and he will kick my arse if I'm not there)

and much more to fill in...

The Golden Voice of Israeli Singer Etti Ankri

While most people in the room could not understand a word Etti Ankri said, once each song began, the music took on a meaning all its own. Famed Israeli singer/songwriter Etti Ankri performed last night inside the gorgeous sanctuary of the 6th and I Synagogue, where the acoustics were pristine, allowing her pure voice to soar through the air.

Performing spiritual and ethnic music from her Israeli homeland, Ankri sang in Hebrew and performed one song in Arabic, showing off her Tunisian heritage. She introduced most songs, sometimes with anecdotes, mostly in Hebrew and struggled some trying to provide English translation in parts. Some song were accompanied by English translations of the lyrics on a projection screen.

My friend seated next to me leaned over a couple of times to say Ankri was requesting the audience sing along but most didn't understand so few complied, except for one song in which she got the crowd to “la la la la” with her. The audience did often clap along during the chorus and she received a standing ovation after the show.

On this night, the gorgeous music superseded any language barriers as we were treated to one of the most glorious female voices I’ve ever heard.

As Israeli Independence Day approaches, I say with pride and love:
Happy 60th birthday, Israel.

Ambulance LTD Give Solid Show at RRH

The New York-based indie rock quintet Ambulance LTD put on a great show last night at Rock and Roll Hotel. This band is a shoegazing, Britpop-style rock lover's dream. This new incarnation of the band works well (all but the lead singer are new) and remains true to their sound.

I still relish seeing this band as the second opener for Stellastarr* at the Black Cat about five years ago. [The first opener of the night, would you believe, were the Killers just before their debut album got released.]

Ambulance's 2004 song "Anecdote" shows off the stunning vocals of lead singer Marcus Congleton, whose sweet voice has perfect pitch throughout, even live. And, keyboardist and backup vocalist Xander McMahon is a wonderful complement.

Glen Phillips Plays Jammin' Java

Jonathan Kingham (left) and Glen Phillips tune up for a fun, casual show at Jammin' Java.

On April 2, Glen Phillips played to a sold-out crowd. Best known for being the frontman of Toad the Wet Sprocket, which he started when he was just 16, the still-babyfaced Phillips, now 37, continues to tour in support of his solo material. With solid material to pull from several solo albums as well as rock collaborations with other notable musicians, his shows are always a good time. His songs range from beautiful ballads to silly fun, from the heartfelt "True" to the goofy "Solar Flare," from the just-released EP Secrets of the New Explorers.

Phillips and Kingham worked well off of each other; their stories and rantings were quite entertaining. Apparently, the two had a full tour of the Nasa-Goddard Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland and, as self-professed nerds, were enthralled by all the equipment and the scientists themselves. Phillips noted his pre-teen daughters were with them on the NASA tour and, recognizing their dad was having a blast, did their best to hide their boredom. He was beaming with pride about it.

Phillips also told a cheesy pirate joke that got a chuckle but then, when he started the next song, he stopped and apologized, “I still have some pirate in my throat.” He then recounted how he once did a show where he came out for the encore and, realizing he hadn’t played any Toad songs up to that point, sang only Toad songs in the encore but performed them in a Neil Diamond voice. That got quite a giggle. Luckily, he didn’t do the Diamond impression that night.