Pink Martini - Hey Eugene!
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Pink MartiniEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2007-05-15
Music Label: Heinz Records
Soundtracks:
- Everywhere
- Tempo Perdido
- Mar Desconocido
- Taya Tan
- City of Night
- Ojala
- Bukra Wba'do [Tomorrow and the Day After]
- Cante e Dance
- Hey Eugene
- Syracuse
- Dosvedanya Mio Bombino
- Tea for Two [From No No Nanette]
Free Music Notes for Hey Eugene!
Free Music Review: Everything New Is Old Again
Hit: 5 Stars
With their third album, Pink Martini continues their magical multicultural musical tour. Unlike the first two albums, which began with a Latin-flavored number, "Hey Eugene" begins with "Everywhere," an original song which evokes 1920's musical theater, or a film musical from the 30's or 40's. Harps, strings, and trombone accompany lead singer China Forbes' romantic delivery... very sweet and nostalgic.
It doesn't take long for the Latin theme to surface, however! "Tempo Perdoto," a samba written by Brazilian composer Ataulpho Alves, features peppy brass and a high school gospel choir. It will put you in a Carnival mood (and move).
"Mar Desconocido (uncharted sea)" is by Martin Zarzar, one of the percussionists in Pink Martini, with a sample of Chopin's Waltz in C Minor woven in. Someone in the group must love Frederic Chopin, as this is the second time one of his melodies artfully surfaces in a Pink Martini song. "Taya Tan" takes us back to Japan, a land Pink Martini first explored on their second album, "Hang on Little Tomato." Singing in Japanese, China Forbes delivers a pleasing, mellow blend of pop and mystery. The sparse accompaniment is seductive and soothing.
"City of Night", a romantic, Spanish-sounding number written by China Forbes and group founder Thomas Lauderdale, highlights the guitar skills of Dan Faehnle, Robert Taylor's horn talents, and Lauderdale's keyboard prowess. Next, "Olaja" provides a paradox of mood and message. If you don't listen to the words (which is relatively easy as the song is sung in French), it sounds like a light, frivolous number. However, read the translation which is provided, and the song becomes a dark, tragic tale: "My regrets are like stains on the shores of my hidden soul; I wish I could dry your tears and hold you desperately in my arms..."
Never one turn down a language challenge, China Forbes next covers a song originally performed by Abdel Halim Hafez, an Egyptian musical superstar-- in Arabic-- "Bukra wba'do (tomorrow and the day after). The musical backing is both sexy and at times Merrie Melody cartoonesque. "Cante e Dance" is a superbly soothing duet by China Forbes and Timothy Nishimoto, guaranteed to calm your nerves and warm your soul.
The funky title tune, "Hey Eugene," written by China Forbes, recounts a real-life encounter she had in New York City. Pink Martini performed this song in concert for some time before the album was released, and I had the pleasure to hear it live. I fell in love with the song instantly when I heard the lyric "I'm that chick you danced with two times through the Rufus album." The song features some superb back-up singing.
Reaching back to France of the mid 1960's, the musicians of Pink Martini next tackle "Syracuse," the hit song sung by Henri Salvador (who, about to turn 90, is still huge in France). "Dosvedanya Mio Bombino (farewell my bumblebee)," an original song, is a delightful operetta that morphs into "The Happy Wanderer." It tells a tale of cultural schizophrenia and lost love.
And we end, in a sense, where we started, with a song that really IS from musical theater of the 1920's and film musicals from the 30's and 40's: "Tea for Two" from "No No Nanette." The Pink Martini twist: slow things down, and have China perform the song with eighty-one year old jazz legend Jimmy Scott, who sounds eerily like an aged Billie Holliday.
Pink Martini's third venture continues their unique musical mixology. Take 15 outstanding musicians, throw in a dash or two of additional orchestras, marching bands, and high school choirs; choose a remarkably diverse spectrum of musical genres; pour in lots of intelligence and wit. Shake and be stirred!
Hey Eugene! Poster
"This ensemble from Portland, Oregon, wowed the fabulous on the Cannes party circuit ... but that accomplishment hardly addresses the beautiful and sophisticated music of Pink Martini ... breathtaking." -- THE NEW YORKER"No matter how Pink Martini gets described, there's always an element being overlooked, a reliance on phrases such as lounge, cosmopolitan rumba, or neo-classical that only tells part of this rich story. Impressive at every musician's station, this ensemble produces music that's charming and elegant." -- VARIETY
Pink Martini--the genre-bending, best-selling, supremely talented, and raucously fun twelve-piece ensemble that the New Yorker calls simply "beautiful," sophisticated," and "breathtaking"--returns with Hey Eugene! a twelve-track sonic journey anchored by deft songwriting and a no-holds-barred dose of cabaret showmanship. "We're kind of like musical archaeologists, bringing melodies and rhythms from different parts of the world together to create something that is modern," explains bandleader, artistic director, and founder Thomas Lauderdale.
Delivered with sultry grace by lead singer China Forbes, Hey Eugene! shines throughout--from the golden-era Hollywood melody of "Everywhere" to the French cabaret of "Ojala." Other collaborations anchor the set as well: the pan-world "Dosvedanya, Mio Bombino" with its Latin-meets-Russian beat and globetrotting subject matter, plus the Forbes-Lauderdale-penned sexy sway of "City of Night." Peruvian percussionist Martin Zarzar debuts the romantically complex "Mar Desconocido" and bassist Phil Baker adds the quiet beauty of "Cante e Dance." The group also mines the past for hidden gems, including the Japanese-language track "Taya Tan" and their first-ever recording in Arabic, "Bukra wba'do." Meanwhile, clever lyricism leads to an empowering dose of pop perfection on the title track by Forbes (about a boy she met at a party who asked for her number and never called). Finally, jazz legend Jimmy Scott makes a stunning vocal guest appearance in a duet with Forbes on the closing song "Tea for Two."
With Hey Eugene! Pink Martini has returned with an exhilarating album full of uncompromising musicianship, hope, beauty, and joy!
After a seven-year gap between their first and second albums, Pink Martini have brought forth their third long-player just over two and a half years later. Based in Portland, Oregon, this dazzling 12-piece ensemble are led by pianist Thomas Lauderdale and fronted by vocalist China Forbes. Their rich musical journeys carry listeners everywhere from a ballroom in Havana to a cabaret in Paris. This set even includes a number in Japanese and another in Arabic. With their strings, horns, and sultry rhythms, Pink Martini find the common denominators in these musics from around the globe. Hey Eugene! is perfectly bookended with a pair of decidedly American numbers: their original "Everywhere" evokes musicals from Hollywood's golden era, while "Tea for Two" finds guest duet partner Jimmy Scott adding his emotionally riveting singing. While Lauderdale and his cohorts draw from past times and styles, they never come off as museum curators; rather, they celebrate the vibrancy that makes music timeless. --David Greenberger
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