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| | Arts Calendar / March 21 / Concerts |
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 Brazzaville's vocalist and founder David Brown and a Spanish string players' V.O. Quartet gained a recognition for music critics made an absolutely new project Brazzaville With Strings and they will have some shows in Moscow and other Russian cities in June 2013. The name V.O. Quartet comes from the Spanish "Versión Original" ("Original version") which you see on advertisements for films shown in their original language. V.O. Quartet is Naomi Wedman, Rebecca Macauley and Kirsten Tinkler (who met whilst playing together for a production of Shakespeare's "Tempest" in 2003) and Frances Bartlett, who joined the group in October 2005. A typical V.O. concert will make you want to dance in places, or at least tap your toes, will definitely make you laugh out loud and you will probably find your hair standing on end as you experience haunting harmonies and strong melodies written by this exciting combination of four talented women. Born in L.A., David Brown had been a teenage runaway and heroin addict before cleaning up his act and finding a new lease on life. He traveled through Europe, South America, and Asia, picking up musical influences from the Far East, Brazil (bossa nova and Tropicalia), Africa, and France (cabaret pop), among others. Eventually, he returned to California, where he studied the saxophone at L.A. City College. Stationed as Brazzaville's songwriter and lead vocalist, Brown is backed by a six-piece ensemble of seasoned musicians from around the globe, melding all kinds of musical sensibilities to create one hauntingly beautiful hybrid of a sound. Deep, dark, infectious, Brazilian-flavored bass lines are fused with Brown’s poetic and distinctly made-in-the-U.S.A. songwriting. Brazzaville recorded a self-titled debut album and released it on Brown's own South China Sea label in 1999. It received favorable reviews of its hybrid of indie pop, lounge jazz, world music, and nourish atmosphere, and was most often likened to Tom Waits or Morphine. In 2012 Brazzaville celebrated its 15th anniversary. In 2014 Brazzaville appeared in "Sixteen Tons" for the first time in their history of a lot of Russian performances and presented new album Morro Bay to their 16th birthday which was released at the end of 2013. David Brown says: "Morro Bay is a concept album that takes its name from an iconic coastal town in California. It tells the story of Anabel, a girl born to a teenage mother who grows up in foster homes and on the streets of a California filled with drugs and prostitution. The story follows her from before her birth until after her death. In addition to the album, we've decided to print a book! In it you'll find original art inspired by the music on the album. Nine different artists from around the world have contributed art. In addition there will be poems, photos and even a few recipes." In November 2014 Brazzaville released single "Robot" with Russian band AloeVera and back-vocal and guitar of Zemfira. The program "B-Sides" will include the most rare David Brown's songs. More info
Sixteen Tons  |
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