“The new era” (Alahd Aljadeed) is a song promoting peace in Darfur by the Sudanese singer Omar Ihsas and sponsored by UNAMID. Omar Ihsas, born and raised in Nyala (the capital of South Darfur),  is one of the most respected singers and composers of Darfur.

He is a committed artist, singing for peace in the camps in Darfur. He once said “the multi-cultural nature of Darfur’s music holds the key to resolving the conflict“. The Darfur peace song “The new era” was written by Al Tijani Haj Mousa and composed by Omer Ihsas.

You can get more information about this song and complete lyrics on this page. You can also download the song (MP3) here.

Below, the first part of the meaningful lyrics:

For the peace, harmony and a new era,
Oh Darfur, We your sons would restore your glorious days

No conflict, No divisions, let’s lay down arms,
Through dialogue and consultation, success would be achieved
Tomorrow, a new morning will come in our valley
With hard work and struggle we build our new Darfur

See how many years were wasted in vain! And how many children were displaced
See how many rainy seasons have passed without gains
Livestock routes, grievances, ordeals and disputes were the root causes of the conflict and destruction.

Twitted by Usamah M. @simsimt.

Sama Readers, we got some great news about Pete Fowler for you! You remember our news from last month: Paintings by Pete Fowler tonight in London about Pete’s recent paintings adorning the walls of the Silas store. Now here is your chance to buy some original artworks from our favorite artist!

You can buy acrylic on paper signed original artworks on this page. Be quick, they sell like hotcakes, really! Our favorite one is Seaweeds (illustrating this post). The remaining Kernow paintings still at Silas will be up for sale on @Greedbag tomorrow.

Since good news never comes alone, Seahawks (formed by Pete Fowler and Jon Tye in 2010, read our news for more) collaborated with Autre Ne Veut on the Don’s Rainbow single. It is the first release on new label Ocean Moon and the first recording from the Invisible Sunrise sessions. Invisible Sunrise is the forthcoming album from Seahawks and the first to be recorded with live musicians. More info and ‘add to wishlist’ here.

If you are eager to listen to the single, you can watch Don’s Rainbow video on this page. Needless to say we are very excited about this new release.

And last but not least: Pete Fowler is on Facebook. Like him!

Ten days ago, Max Dana posted about Imany, a successful folk/soul singer born in France. Since then, we have been listening to her music and we love her !

That’s why we decided to cross post Max’s blog so you can read (if you didn’t already) what Max thinks of Imany, and learn more about the amazingly talented singer…

When I first saw Imany, I thought: ‘What a beautiful woman!‘. Then when I first heard her sing, I said: ‘What a beautiful voice!‘. A former Ford model, Nadia Mladjao, also known as Imany, is now a successful folk/soul singer born in France (her parents are both from the Comoros islands).

Don’t be fooled by her lovely face, Imany has a deep, dark haunting voice some people compare to the one of Tracy Chapman. Imany cannot leave you indifferent. Just listen to her first single ‘You Will Never Know’ (video below) and you will be hooked and want for more!

Visit Imany’s website here.

Mehdi Favéris-Essadi also known as DJ Mehdi, was 34 years old. He died from fatal injuries on Tuesday after roof of his Paris home collapsed. He was a French-Tunisian Hip-hop/electro producer and DJ, and much appreciated by electro fans, and by us.

Billboard.com says about him:

DJ Mehdi gained prominence in the French electro and house scene in the late 90s as a DJ for Different Teep, and recently became a staple of Ed Banger Records. He has worked with and remixed artists like Architecture in Helsinki, Chromeo and Miike Snow. Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter recently reworked Mehdi’s single “Signatune,” which has sold 9,000 U.S. downloads according to Nielsen SoundScan. 2006 album “Lucky Boy” has sold just south of 1,000 copies in the U.S.

His last release came just a month ago on Pedro Winter’s ‘Let the Children Techno’ mix tape album.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends, especially to French artist Fafi, his wife.

Twenty years ago, on March 2, 1991, Serge Gainsbourg died. He was one of the major French music personalities of the 20th century. If you don’t know his music yet, a box set available on Amazon commemorates the 20th anniversary of Gainsbourg’s death in 1991 and is the first ever exhaustive collection of his work for Universal Music from 1958 onwards.

In New York, the Gallery of the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) presents the US debut of a new exhibit of photos of France’s legendary bad boy, Serge Gainsbourg. Initials L.G. features portraits as well as rare and unusual images of the icon from photographers Helmut Newton, William Klein, Patrick de Spiegelaere, Tony Frank and other noted artists who documented his celebrity.

His daughter, Charlotte Gainsbourg is a great actress but also a singer. Last year we posted about her new album: Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck together on ‘IRM’. Some of us were too young to remember Serge Gainsbourg but Max Dana and da-eYe were there when he died. Twenty years later, da-eYe is back on the wall of Serge Gainsbourg’s house…

You can comment on Max’s Blog.

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da-eYe is back rue de Verneuil. But this time, virtually. When Serge Gainsbourg died on 2 March 1991 of a heart attack, I was among the ones who came at his home rue de Verneuil in Paris and wrote or drew graffiti on the outer wall of Serge Gainsbourg’s house. I drew a da-eYe and it was one of the last time I did. I have always considered Gainsbourg as one of the best (if not the best) French singer-songwriter. It was a great loss.

I could mention several of the many songs he wrote, from ‘Le Poinçonneur des Lilas‘ to ‘Love on the Beat‘, ‘Valse de Melody‘ and of course the reggae version of the French national anthem ‘La Marseillaise‘, and so many unforgettable other songs… But what I’m the most interested in is his paintings. Even if he never become a renown painter, I’m sure he expressed some of his most profound feelings which have been later expressed using music and words.

Earlier this month, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the death of Serge Gainsbourg. On this occasion, French social media website OWNI created an online app so we can ‘write’ on the wall of Serge Gainsbourg’s house. Virtually, that is. I think it was a great idea and I used the app as a background to create my own wall with da-eYe on it. I didn’t go back at the 5 bis rue de Verneuil for a decade, those days are over now and I feel kind of nostalgic…

If you want to know more about Serge Gainsbourg, a feature film titled ‘Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque)‘ was released in France last year. It is based on the graphic novel by Joann Sfar. Definitely a most see!

Click on the picture below to see it full scale on da-eYe’s website. ‘Gainsbourg forever‘.

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Great news, shipmates! Pete Fowler and Jon Tye had a mini repress run done of their mini CD LP from early last year on Bunkland Recordings. They say on their blog: ‘We have 20 pieces only and expecting them around the first week of April, hence setting up a pre-order as these babies aren’t going to hang about’.

Isn’t it a great news for all Seahawks fans? You can go to the Seahawks for sale section for ordering info and send an email to reserve your copy of this ‘rare little nugget’. We used  the green artwork to illustrate this post (flipped from blue to green to denote the reissue, as you may have noticed).

Now listen to ‘Seahawks-Immer Shimmer II’ below and after that, order your piece!

Great news, Sama-shipmates! Seahawks‘ CD Ocean Trippin’ is available to purchase. We have introduced you to Pete Fowler and Jon Tye‘s music project Seahawks a couple months ago, with our post: Seahawks ‘Omega Beach/Keep On Growing’ on June 14 then back again in October with: Seahawks: ‘Exploring The Galaxy’ by Pete Fowler, Jon Tye.

First, our ‘sense of responsibility’. We are big fans of Seahawks’ sounds and music (Max Dana even posted about it on her Blog), and since we have many visitors coming on the Sama Gazette looking for Seahawks information (search: ‘seahawks omega beach’ on Google and check the fourth result), we had to let you know about Ocean Trippin’ release and share with you the interesting information.

Second, about the CD (from Seahawks website): the CD collects all of our vinyl releases this year, topped and tailed by 2 unreleased tracks, packaged in a hand assembled soft DVD style case, full colour CD artwork and cover with a Seahawks sticker tucked neatly inside the box. This CD is limited to 1000 copies and is selling out fast and starting to pop up on various end of year charts.

And last but not least, where to buy the CD before it’s sold out: Piccadilly, Rough Trade, Phonica and Normans.

It may be cold outside, snowing and even freezing (yes, it is!) but Ocean Trippin’ will make you forget about everything. Just listen to the music and ‘Stay warm!’

Monday, we received the last album of French band Les Yeux Noirs. We have been listening to ‘Tiganeasca’ for two days and we love it! Max Dana posted about it this weekend and we are glad she sent us the CD, most of us didn’t know much about this kind of music.

So in case you didn’t already read Max’s post on her Blog, and if you want to know more about this amazing French band and their wonderful music, we publish the article below. And don’t forget to watch the video!

Note: Comments are closed on this page but you can send your comments directly on Max Dana’s post.

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I love Jazz music. From bebop to jazz fusion, ragtime to free jazz, acid jazz to Afro-Cuban jazz. But also reggae, Gypsy and Klezmer music. I enjoy listening to any style of music as long as I find it entertaining, and French band Les Yeux Noirs definitely is. First time I heard of them was in 2002 when they released their album ‘Balamouk‘. If you listen to ‘Yiddishe Mame‘ (Jewish Mother) and ‘Rozinkhes‘ (Raisins) and if you appreciate Gypsy, Klezmer and Eastern European music then you will really love the songs of the album.

The good news is Les Yeux Noirs just released their new album: ‘Tiganeasca‘ and it is as good as the previous ones. Again, Gypsy and Yiddish music with Russian and Eastern European melodies but for this album, new musicians joined the group: Julien Herné and Elise Blanchard on bass guitar, Dario Ivkovic on Serbian accordion, Vincent Peirani on jazz accordion and some exceptional guest appearances with Klezmer clarinetist Yuri Schraibman, guitarist Tomas Gubitsch, percussionist Thomas Ostrowiecki and Smadj (electronic remix).

Founded by the violin-playing Slabiak brothers almost 20 years ago, Eric and Olivier Slabiak follow the steps of their Uncle Leo (violin-player Leo Slab who played with Django Reinhardt) and Grandma Esther. Les Yeux Noirs is among the best if not the best of its category as there are not many bands playing with such an amazing virtuosity. Their repertoire draws from an incredible variety of sources and ‘Tiganeasca‘ with songs like ‘Lomir zikh iberbetn‘ (Let’s reconcile) and ‘A brivele di mame‘ (A letter to the mother) is a must-have.

They toured in the United States for years and they will be in Paris (L’Alhambra) in a few days, a great opportunity to see them live. Below is a video of a concert they gave in Samois sur Seine (France) in 2007; the song they play is one of my favorite: ‘Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen‘ composed by Sholom Secunda.

Listen, watch, enjoy and buy their album. Spread the word about Les Yeux Noirs!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkkA979I2mc

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More than three years ago, we read just like you maybe also did if you are a regular of her blog, a post Max Dana wrote about the American jazz singer: Dianne Reeves: Good vibes, and Good work. We watched the movie Good night, and Good luck and we also noticed this beautiful voice; it was Dianne Reeves‘.

We still listen to the album “New Morning” (Blue Note Records) and some of us just got their tickets for the concert the artist is giving in Paris next Wednesday at the Théâtre du Chatelet with Russell Malone and Romero Lubambo. We will be there and maybe you will be too as some tickets were still available this afternoon.

Below is Max’s post about Dianne Reeves if you missed it the first time it was published in October 2007.

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Working hard on my next exhibition(a few more days left before the big night), I needed to take a break and listen to good music, the kind that really brings your spirit somewhere else during busy days. So two days ago, while I was looking at this huge pile of CDs I have, to find something ‘new’ (actually I mean something ‘else’, other than the artists I use to listen almost everyday like Hugh ‘Peanuts’ Whalum or Dean Martin), I finally found something ‘old’. Dianne Reeves‘ album: “New Morning” (Blue Note), recorded live in the pre-eminent jazz club of Paris in 1997.

I couldn’t find this CD I had for years when I was first looking for it last year. I was then watching “Good night, and Good luck” (I mentioned the movie in this post) when I heard Dianne Reeves’ warm and deep voice. The movie recreated the 1950s aesthetic of this particular era but Dianne Reeves’ soundtrack, singing in the recording studio in short scenes throughout the movie, contributed even more to bring this moody atmosphere. “Solitude“, “TV Is The Thing This Year“, “One For My Baby“, “Pick Yourself Up” or “Straighten Up And Fly Right” are real gems. Special mention to saxophonist (and excellent arranger) Matt Catingub, for the wonderful instrumental version of “When I Fall In Love“. Dianne Reeves won a truly deserved Grammy Award in 2006 for “Best Jazz Vocal Performance” for “Good night, and Good luck” soundtrack.

So I had finally found this “New Morning” CD, I listened to it and rediscovered those beautiful songs: Dianne’s own composition about women and artistry “Endangered Species“, “Love For Sale“, “Nine” which really talk to me, “Comes Love” and an amazing version of “Summertime“. Dianne Reeves is one of the most important contemporary jazz singers, and she is the perfect incarnation of the spirits of jazz, being inspired by gospel, African and Brazilian music (bossa nova), soul, folk songs, R&B… Reeves’ songs are a world mix of influences. If you don’t know Dianne Reeves already and if you like jazz (and not exclusively ‘pure’ jazz), then you should buy one of her CD (“A Little Moonlight“, for example).

I was looking for ‘good vibes to do good work‘ (it inspired my word-play with “Good night, and Good luck” in case you hadn’t noticed), and it is exactly what I got. Now, back to work!

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All started with Twitter Sunday: Favorites Tweets @themonsterist and French Cheese: Camembert, Brie, Roquefort, Chevre… in April 2010.

In June we talk about Seahawks ‘Omega Beach/Keep On Growing’ on June 14 and now this post is about Seahawks: ‘Exploring The Galaxy’.

But all really started with Max Dana because she is the one who told us about Pete Fowler. Then we got very interested in his work, and more recently in his music. Max appreciates it too, as you can read on her blog the original post: Seahawks: ‘Exploring The Galaxy’ by Pete Fowler, Jon Tye.

Note: Comments are closed on this post but you can send your comments on Max Dana’s post, on her Blog.

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On this sunny Sunday afternoon, I was in the mood to listen to some relaxing music. The kind of music you can listen to all day long. My friends at The Sama Gazette sent me an email the day before about Seahawks Friday Download 18, a 62 minutes mix by Jon ‘The Captain’ Tye titled ‘Exploring The Galaxy‘. Quite an adventure, right? If you don’t know what this is about, here is a quick explanation.

Seahawks is the music project by Artist Pete Fowler and Jon Tye described as follows: ‘Seahawks have been on the waves since 2009, cooking up their catches, beach combing for discarded, unwanted and buried treasures. Sometimes too covered in thick tar for most to notice. Psychedelic yacht rock, hazy beach pop vibrations and marina drone are all ports of call’.

This is exactly the music I needed, thank you! I know Pete Fowler’s work (illustrations, toys…) for a long time (I mentioned him three years ago in Yes, I’m a vinyl fetishist… vinyl toys actually.) and I love Monsterism Island, as well as his music. And apparently I have spread my interest for the artist to the Sama Team since they now keep me posted about Pete Fowler and his music.

Seahawks vinyls have already been released and I am waiting for the release of CAP004 CD due late 2010. You can read Ocean Trippin’, the home of Seahawks for news and also follow them on Twitter @seahawksmusic. Pete Fowler is on Twitter @themonsterist.

You can listen to  ‘Exploring The Galaxy‘ from this blog (audio player below) but you will find more information (tracklisting, news) on this page. Just like Pete Fowler and Jon Tye say on their blog: ‘Have a lovely day shipmates!’

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