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Syriana – The Road to Damascus
Syriana Orchestral Debut Performance at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall 30th June 2011
Syriana – The Road to Damascus – visuals by Nico Piazza
Z - STAR
ZARA McFARLANE
THE TWO
ARUN GHOSH
AMKOULLEL
CLASSIC MOMO
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Z – Star Live at Momo
September 29th 2011
The official release of “Tension” from the album, Masochists & Martyrs (Muthastar Records, 2011)
Masochists & Martyrs deemed “a creative masterpiece” by Blues&Soul.
“If Jimi Hendrix & Nina Simone had had a daughter together, she would have grown up with the same voice, strength, intensity and charisma as Z-STAR” – Il Corriere Della Sera
“Androgynous sensuality & a virtuoso chameleon uvula, it’s difficult and limiting to define the talent of Z-STAR” – RockAction (Italy music site).
Featuring Zee Gachette (vocals/acoustic guitar), Vezio Bacci (bass), Elisabetta Serio (rhodes), Fabrizio Fratepietro (drums), Mark Edwards (hammond), Patrick Murdoch (electric guitar & solo), Kevin Robinson (trumpet & flugel), Julian Hinton (extra rhodes) and Fred Portelli (percussio
Z-Star (pronounced / ‘zee’ / star, styled Z*) (aka Zee Gachette) is a British/Trinidadian singer, songwriter, musician and producer, currently based in Brighton, UK. Z* was born in Hackney, East London to Trinidadian parents. Her mother, Lisa Yeates (known as ‘Schultzi’) was a celebrated international model and local entrepreneur in the B&B and catering business. Her father, Kenneth McKell, is a Business Consultant and a bass guitarist.
Z*[1] left Trinidad at 18 years old to pursue her musical career in London. She started busking and doing gigs, and was soon signed to the President of A&M Records (now part of Island Records). However, the company went into liquidation prior to the album release.
Z* gathered a serious underground following with her residency at the Vibe Bar[2] on Brick Lane (London), as the ringleader and curator of Entry Level & Worship. Curating and introducing the audience to artists such as Shingai Shoniwa (The Noisettes), Nemo Jones (Faithless) and Keziah Jones.
It was through these residencies in 2002 that Z* was introduced to two times Danish Grammy nominee and dance music producer, Morten Varano (Murena Records,[3] Voodoo Recordings & DRAMA!king). He was then responsible for pairing Puddu Varano[4] with Z-Star (otherwise known as Lady Z) for the 12 inch release of “Blue Sky White Sand” which hit the number one slot on UK and Danish Radio 1 DJ favourites’ list. Shortly after, Lady Z and Morten decided to create SlowTrainSoul (originally named SlowTrain).
Their first album, “Illegal Cargo”[5] (licensed to Tommy Boy Records in the States and Playground in Europe) was favored by the Los Angeles radio stations and venues, and had tracks featured on many HBO TV Series including Six Feet Under, Ugly Betty, Californication[6] and CSI: Miami. In addition, tracks were aired in France, the Nordics, Russia, Italy, Greece, Spain…gathering an underground following, which now spans far beyond Europe into Korea, the Philippines, Canada and Australia.
In 2003, shortly after the release of her first SlowTrainSoul album, while performing her acoustic soul jazz material in Rome, she was spotted by Francesca Bianchi (currently Gabin’s Manager) of EMI. Within weeks, the president of EMI (which later became Virgin EMI) signed Z-Star for a four album global deal. The first single was “Lost Highway”, and the album was “Who Loves Lives” (co-produced with her bass player, Vezio Bacci) in 2004.
She performed on Top of the Pops, Festival Bar, MTV Live and major festivals as well as receiving national radio airplay.
Next came the second SlowTrainSoul album “Santimanitay” (licensed to Quango in the States).
Many people will be familiar with the music from hearing tracks from both albums on compilation albums such as Buddha Bar, Nirvana Lounge and Hotel Costes.
In 2009, Z* returned to her acoustic roots and recorded her fifth album “Masochists & Martyrs” – inspired by and dedicated to her mother, Schultzi. The songs depict how love shapes us and ultimately how love reveals the masochist and martyr within us all. Released on her independent label, Muthastar Records, set up with business partner, Lucy Anderson. The album has been deemed “a creative masterpiece” by Blues&Soul magazine.[7]
Recently touring Europe and Russia, as well as collaborating with world champion loopmaster and beatboxer Shlomo, performing with Nigel Kennedy at BergenFest, Polish Woodstock and Ronnie Scotts as well as on his new Sony/BMG album, Arthur Brown (musician) at the Ray Davies Meltdown at Southbank Centre, and Jarek Smietana.
In 2001, Z* had a role in Mannafest’s production of “The Mango Lick” (a combination of poetry, music and theatre) directed by Rayshell, performing alongside Umar Bin Hassan[8] (The Last Poet’s) and musicians, Marque Gilmore and Michael Mondesir. In 2002, Z* performed at the Royal Albert Hall in the celebrity cast of “The Vagina Monologues” alongside Isabella Rossellini, Myeera Syal and Beverley Knight. As well as playing a striking femme fatale role in Oliver Ashton’s dance short “The Jaffa Man” previewed in 2003 on BBC1 and at many film festivals nationwide.
Z-Star’s influences have been cited as Nina Simone, The Doors, Peter Green &Fleetwood Mac, Yusef Lateef, Meshell Ndegeocello, Miles Davis, Joan Armatrading, Bob Marley, Lauren Hill, Erykah Badu, The Roots, Keziah Jones, Johnny Cash, Ástor Piazzolla, Shuggie Ottis, Chuck Berry, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Alice Coltrane, Chris Pierce, Cat Stevens, Terry Callier, 4 Hero, Fink, Mos Def, Zero 7, Massive Attack, Thomas Dybdal, Shadow, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn and Belo Velos.
Z* has written, recorded and performed with Terry Callier, Nigel Kennedy, Keziah Jones, Richie Havens, Meshell Ndegeocello, Max Sedgley,[9] George Benson, Sinéad O’Connor, Matthew Herbert, Natacha Atlas, Youssu Ndour, Angelique Kidjo, Noel Mckoy, Omar[disambiguation needed], Youssu Ndour, Baby Charles and Isabella Rossellini. Many collaborations with Sunlightsquare over the years, in 2008 their cover of Pastime Paradise was featured by Gilles Peterson on his Radio BBC1 show, and Sunlightsquare have remixed Z-Star’s 2011 UK summer single, Tension.
Discography
Studio albums-Z-Star
2010: Masochists & Martyrs
2004: Who Loves Lives
2000: Voodoo Dragon Risin’
Studio albums – SlowTrainSoul
2006 Santimanitay
2002 Illegal Cargo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z-Star
http://www.itzcaribbean.com/zstarmusic
http://www.spannered.org/music/564/
http://www.murenarecords.com/artist_slowtrain.html
http://www.murenarecords.com/artist_pudduvarano.html
http://dancemusic.about.com/od/reviews/fr/SlowTrainSoul.htm
http://www.bluesandsoul.com/review/1477/z-star_masochists_and_martyrs_muthastar_records/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Poets
http://www.metro.co.uk/metrolife/17610-max-sedgely
Zara McFarlane – Live at Momo
October 6th 2011
Anybody keeping an eye on the ongoing development of the British jazz scene will have noticed Zara McFarlane in the last few years. The 28 year-old London vocalist has made a string of impressive appearances with musicians who do no choose their collaborators without careful consideration – Denys Baptiste, Orphy Robinson, Soweto Kinch and Jazz Jamaica All Stars to name but some. McFarlane’s appearance on the latter’s 2006 Motown-themed album Motor City Roots revealed a singer whose power was offset by delicacy, as was clear from her sensitive handling of Stevie Wonder’s My Cherie Amour.
All of these experiences have furthered the growth of Zara McFarlane as an artist in the most complete sense of the term and the singer made good on her potential when she issued her self-produced EP, Until Tomorrow in 2010. The 6 track mini-album was evenly split between original compositions such as Captured and standards like the perennial jazz favourite On Green Dolphin Street. There was enormous poise in the way that McFarlane handled the melodic line and chord changes of a piece but what was arguably as impressive was the fact that she asserted herself as a thoughtful lyric writer.
Now that EP has evolved into a full-length album, Until Tomorrow, and it marks Zara McFarlane’s debut for Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings.
Backed by a brilliant aggregation of musicians that includes pianist Peter Edwards, double bassist Nick Walsh, drummer Andy Chapman and saxophonists Binker Goldings, Camilla George and Zem Adu, McFarlane comes into her own on an engrossing set that includes more originals such as Chiaroscuro, Blossom Tree and More Than Mine.
“Most of this album was recorded before I even met Gilles,” Zara explains “I did 5 new songs this year in January. Pete [Edwards] wrote arrangements and things just fell into place. I suppose that I was really trying to bring a contemporary feel to old music. I think anyone can listen to jazz but it’s up to us to make it fresh so that anyone can relate to it.”
All of the finesse in Zara McFarlane’s delivery stems from both a natural gift and years of formal study at a very high standard. In 2001 she studied popular music performance at Thames Valley University and then went on to complete a Masters Degree in Jazz Studies at the Guildhall School of Music in 2009. As her education suggests, McFarlane is as drawn to popular culture as she is high art, and her work to date wholeheartedly shows that she is comfortable in a wide variety of contexts. She has thus collaborated with the acclaimed house producer Bopstar, contributed one of her original compositions to the contemporary soul compilation Basement Soul and also done gigs with South African icon Hugh Masekela and the gifted British pianist and arranger Alex Wilson.
The creative spark for Until Tomorrow was lit a long time ago.“Some of the songs on the album go back some time,” she notes. “I’ve wanted to make an album for years, probably about 10 years or so, and now this definitely feels like the right time for me.”
One of the curveballs that McFarlane throws on Until Tomorrow is her rendition of The Children And The Warlock and Thoughts. These two superb tracks are by pianist and composer Harry Whittaker, a relatively unheralded figure in the jazz world who is nonetheless respected for his work with Roy Ayers, Carmen Lundy and his own Black Renaissance project. “Gilles [Peterson] introduced me to Harry Whittaker’s trio album, Thoughts Past And Present,” Zara says “There were a couple of tracks that I chose from there. His writing reminded me of Pete’s [Edwards] in a way. It was really melodic, spacious and very emotive. That’s what I try to have in my music. It’s more of an emotional journey as opposed to a just piece for the sake of writing a piece.”
The arrangements for Until Tomorrow have a liberal dose of subtle, stealthy swing, yet as steeped as Zara McFarlane is in the jazz tradition, she has brought an eminently soul undercurrent to what she does, and it is entirely possible that she could appeal to audiences weaned as much on Jill Scott and Erykah Badu as Cassandra Wilson and Dianne Reeves. Blessed with a fine voice and a strength of character that has led her towards thought-provoking, if not challenging lyrics, Zara McFarlane has with Until Tomorrow taken a giant step down the road to what is surely a long, illustrious career.
http://www.gillespetersonworldwide.com/brownswood-recordings/artists/zara-mcfarlane/
Live at Momo – archives
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