The 27 th edition of Madajazzcar festival will take place from 1st to October 14, in any city Tana. Some 60 groups will move the city to the rhythm of the jazz endiablé.
Madajazzcar, an annual and inevitable rendez-vous for jazz lovers, takes ages but does not age. 27 years of history now, passion and a lot of motivation for each year to organize a festival of international scope, the committee does everything to make this event indelible in the annual cultural calendar Malagasy. Every month in October, and for many jazz fans both in Madagascar and abroad, like the jacarandas that bloom, the Madajazzcar offers its musical bouquet.The story then begins when three jazz-loving doctors, Dr. Allain Razakatiana, Dr. Bruno Razafindrakoto and Dr. Henri Rakotondrabe, decided in 1988 to create a jazz club at the Alliance Française de Andavamamba. Other illustrious musicians and aficionados will join them, such as Dr Hervé Razakaboana, Arnaud Razafy, Serge Rahoerson, the brothers Raymond, Dédé and Jeannot Rabeson, the brothers Gilles de Commarmand and later Désiré Razafindrazaka, who chairs the committee Organization to date.
Carrefour . Jazz is increasingly vulgarized and no longer remains within the walls of “music lovers” who have to be jazz fans to be part of a certain social class. Today, jazz goes down the street, and thanks largely to this festival which organizes free concerts practically throughout the city, the general public can appreciate this music at its true value. A true crossroads of international jazz, the Madajazzcar is, like all the other festivals of this world, a great international scene to be included in its artistic journey. This year again, several international artists will be invited to participate. 11 in total, including Bunny Brunel, Kaylene Peoples, and The Jazz Diplomates of the United States, Baptiste Herbin, Francis Lockwood, Guillaume Perret and Jean Pierre Como. Jah Pinpin from France, Hakon Storm-Mathisen from Norway, Jin Jim from Germany, and Christoph Hegi from Switzerland. And a multitude of national groups and artists, 43 in total. They will play in 17 sites, which leaves the choice to all jazz lovers to appreciate without moderation this music.
She is founder of the organization Pop Culture Hero Coalition which uses stories and celebrities from television, film and comics to speak out against bullying and other forms of hate and prejudice.
Masterson says she was picked on herself in school.
She says bullying is a universal problem.
“Whether it’s in kindergarten, first grade, or high school or the work place or relationships, or economic bullying or terrorism or war, it’s oppression. It’s the same issue. So, if we can teach kids how to overcome that, how to be heroes and how to find the joy of being heroes at an early age, we really can change the world,” she said.
Middle schoolers from other local districts also attended.
Sci-fi convention returns to Binghamton with panels, authors, costume contest and more
Earlier this month, “Star Trek” celebrated 50 years since Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy and the intrepid crew of the starship Enterprise first appeared on American television screens.
Even the cancellation of the original series after only three seasons couldn’t stop “Trek” and its optimistic spirit. The franchise currently stands at 13 films (including the most recent “Star Trek Beyond” this summer), four additional TV series (with a fifth one coming out in 2017) and millions of devoted fans worldwide.
One of the memorable characters from “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” was Leeta, an attractive Bajoran casino worker at Quark’s Bar tasked to relieve travelers of their money through a roulette-style game called dabo.
And although the character wasn’t the main focus of the frontier outpost’s space saga, it proved to be a pivotal role for actress Chase Masterson, who played Leeta over five of the seven seasons that “Deep Space Nine” aired.
This weekend, Masterson will be the guest of honor at the fourth annual RoberCon, the science fiction / media convention held at Roberson Museum and Science Center in Binghamton. She’ll participate in interview panels, sign autographs, pose for photos with fans and discuss the Pop Culture Hero Coalition, an anti-bullying group she founded that uses heroes onscreen to inspire heroism in real life.
Since “Deep Space Nine” ended in 1999, Masterson has gravitated toward a number of sci-fi roles, including one in the first Sci-Fi Channel Original Movie, “Terminal Invasion” (opposite “Evil Dead” actor Bruce Campbell) and leads in “Manticore” for Syfy and “Creature Unknown” for STARZ. She also starred in the award-winning sci-fi noir “Yesterday Was a Lie” and the critically acclaimed short “R.U.R.: Genesis,” currently in development as a feature film. Most recently, she was a guest star on CW’s “The Flash.”
This weekend, Masterson will be the guest of honor at the fourth annual RoberCon, the science fiction / media convention held at Roberson Museum and Science Center in Binghamton. She’ll participate in interview panels, sign autographs, pose for photos with fans and discuss the Pop Culture Hero Coalition, an anti-bullying group she founded that uses heroes onscreen to inspire heroism in real life.
Since “Deep Space Nine” ended in 1999, Masterson has gravitated toward a number of sci-fi roles, including one in the first Sci-Fi Channel Original Movie, “Terminal Invasion” (opposite “Evil Dead” actor Bruce Campbell) and leads in “Manticore” for Syfy and “Creature Unknown” for STARZ. She also starred in the award-winning sci-fi noir “Yesterday Was a Lie” and the critically acclaimed short “R.U.R.: Genesis,” currently in development as a feature film. Most recently, she was a guest star on CW’s “The Flash.”
Among her current projects are her lead role as an intergalactic assassin in Big Finish Productions’ audio series “Vienna” (a spinoff of Big Finish’s “Doctor Who” range) as well as Big Finish’s “Survivors” series, which was nominated in the BBC Audio Drama Awards.
Still, it’s through “Star Trek” that most fans know her best, and this year has been especially busy.
“It’s phenomenal to be part of the 50th anniversary,” she said. “This show has such a legacy and is such a powerful thing to be a part of. I relish my time with the other actors and the fans of the show, largely because of the history of it and how much has gone on through ‘Star Trek’ and because of ‘Star Trek.’ It certainly has enveloped 50 years of reinventing itself and making a difference in the world.”
In an interview earlier this month, Masterson talked about interacting with “Star Trek” fans, her role on “Deep Space Nine” and why she started the Pop Culture Hero Coalition.
QUESTION: You’re attending many conventions and events this year to celebrate the anniversary. What have been some of your favorite experiences this year so far?
MASTERSON: People often ask me about my favorite moments from “Star Trek,” and I think they usually are referring to stuff onscreen — but my very, very favorite moments have happened offscreen, even just recently.
For instance, last week at a convention in Cherry Hill [N.J.], there were two soldiers who came up who had fought in the Gulf War. They told me that when they would come back from a mission, if there was a new episode of “Deep Space Nine” that they hadn’t seen yet — because the show was running live at the time — they would drop everything and watch the show before they’d even change their clothes or take a shower. They said that it reminded them about what was important, that peace was possible. They said it reminded them of where they came from and that they would be going home.
To hear that the show held that kind of meaning for people and was so powerful not just in terms of its story and intrigue and entertainment, but to make a difference in the lives of people who were themselves in dangerous situations, it really means a lot. The show had such strong themes about war and peace and family. “Star Trek” has always had transcendent themes, but “Deep Space Nine” particularly had stories that took a risk and really made a difference, especially during its time.
Q: I imagine that getting to meet fans like that is one of the special parts of being part of “Star Trek” and other roles you’ve done over the years.
MASTERSON: Yes, people do open up to us. If you think about it, it’s because we’re in their living rooms. They often feel like they know us because they’ve invited us into their homes. There’s an intimacy to television when you’re all sitting around in your pajamas and you watch a show together. You really do feel like it’s closer to you than a lot of films when you see them in the theater. It’s a really cool relationship we have with our audience.
The media convention’s fourth year, set for Sept. 24-25 at the Roberson Museum and Science Center, also will include vendors, authors, discussion panels and fan groups covering a wide variety of geeky topics, as well as gaming, cosplay and a costume contest.
In addition to her role on “Star Trek,” Masterson has most recently been seen guest starring on CW’s “The Flash,” which won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite New Drama. She also plays the title role in the Big Finish’s “Doctor Who” audio spin-off “Vienna,” currently in Season 3, after originating the role opposite seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy in 2012. She also stars in “Survivors,” a Big Finish production currently in Season 2 that was nominated for a 2015 BBC Audio Drama Award.
Over her career, she has held recurring roles on “General Hospital” and “Live Shot”; guest-starred on programs such as “The Flash,” “E.R.”, “Presidio Med,” “Sweet Justice,” “Sci-Fi Vortex,” “Sliders” and “Acapulco H.E.A.T.”; and served as host of “Sci-Fi Entertainment,” “Showtime: Nighttime” and Encore’s STARZ On Demand. Her film credits include Stephen King’s “Sometimes They Come Back For More,” “Robin Hood: Men In Tights” for director Mel Brooks, “In a Moment of Passion,” “Married People Single Sex,” “Sammyville,” “Manticore,” “Chastity,” “Terminal Invasion,” “Creature Unknown” and a cameo as herself in “Comic Book: The Movie.” She will play the title role in “Vendetta Vette,” currently in development.
In 2013, Masterson — along with “heroism experts” Carrie Goldman and Matt Langdon — founded the Pop Culture Hero Coalition. It is the first-ever organization that uses the universal appeal of comics, film and TV to create anti-bullying programs at pop culture events as well as in schools and communities. Continue reading “Chase Masterson to be guest of honor at RoberCon”
Producer and engineer Rich Mouser began his career much as Les Paul did: by taking things apart to see how they worked. At 12 years old, his first piece of audio gear was a Sony reel-to-reel tape machine. He discovered that by removing the erase head, he could achieve something much like a multi-track recording. When he later found that friends would pay to be recorded, he realized he’d struck a rich vein. He now works primarily from The Mouse House, his Los Angeles home studio. Past clients include Chris Cornell, Dream Theater and Weezer.
His first taste of success came when he recorded Black Market Flowers’ demo after moving to L.A. from Colorado in 1993. It landed the band a deal with Relativity Records. “They went to do an album with [famed producer and musician] Butch Vig in Wisconsin,” Mouser recalls. “I thought that was the last I’d hear of them. But I got a call. They’d finished recording with Butch and realized they liked the demo we’d done better. They asked me to mix their album. That helped me advance from just doing demos. After that, I started meeting people and budgets got bigger.”
“The hardest thing to record is someone that’s not putting out much on their instrument,” the producer observes. “You’re only recording what somebody is throwing out to the microphone. You get the sound from the source first and then when you put a mic on it, you make sure you capture that. People retrigger and resample drums and they don’t put the time and care into making them sound good off the bat. I try to get character in the sound from the beginning. Getting drums to sound good is something that I’ve always worked hard at.”
Mouser regularly records to tape but doesn’t use it exclusively. Certainly, though, he nurtures a fondness for it. “When you erase something, it’s lost,” he explains. “If somebody says, ‘I can sing that line better,’ you know that when you hit the erase button, it’s gone forever. In Pro Tools, a guy can keep asking for more tracks and soon he’s got 15 takes. There’s not that worry of having to repeat what you’ve erased. That’s what I like about tape: the urgency. I have so much analog gear in my studio that I try to use that [rather than Pro Tools].”
Much of his work comes by word-of-mouth. He’s never advertised and he finds that coaxing a band into using him is a strategy that’s never borne fruit. “Feeler calls sometimes work,” he says. “But you can’t talk anybody into recording with you. When people find you and want you, they’ll do it. But I have found clients by overhearing people talking about music. I’d strike up a conversation and mention that I have a studio.”
Bands don’t always adapt well to the studio. Mouser shares one story. “I did a four-track demo with a band in two days,” he recalls. “They got a deal with MCA, and when it was time to cut the record, they wanted me to produce. The working title was The World’s Greatest Album. Suddenly a band that cut four songs in two days was scared of every little thing. They psyched themselves out. We had to recut vocals and at that point they’d been in the studio long enough they’d given up. Suddenly the singer was back to his old self. He wasn’t worried anymore and it worked out great.”
Mouser’s current and upcoming projects include albums with Farmikos (featuring former Ozzy and David Lee Roth guitarist Joe Holmes), supergroup Flying Colors and prog-rock outfit Spock’s Beard.
Music director Sandeep Chowta and vocalist Sanjay Chitale are all set with their new album ‘American Pilgrimage’ which comprises Indian melody and jazz improvisation – a cross-cultural intersection seldom heard.
The album is the culmination of a life-long dream of Bollywood music director, multi-instrumentalist and composer Chowta. He wanted to meet and record with his jazz idols, including John Scofield, Bunny Brunel, Eddie Daniels, Andy LaVerne, Dave Valentine and more.
His friend and musical partner, Chitale, made it his mission to bring this dream to reality. Several years ago, the two embarked on a two-year-long journey across the US, knocking on doors, calling friends, crashing on couches and recording music with the aforementioned legends they sought out.
While Chowta is a prolific music director whose work can be heard in some of the biggest Bollywood films such as Om Shanti Om and Rowdy Rathore, Chitale’s life was rooted in music until he found himself working in IT but when the opportunity to record American Pilgrimage came along, he sold his investments and drove head first into the project.
It seemed almost every great bassist in L.A. turned out for the Sunday night premiere of “Jaco,” the documentary about the late bass virtuoso Jaco Pastorius, including Robert Trujillo of Metallica, the film’s producer, Verdine White, Lee Sklar, Bootsy Collins, Hadrien Ferraud, Bunny Brunel and Darryl “The Munch” Jones, who holds up the bottom end for the Rolling Stones.
Not since Anaheim’s immense National Association of Music Merchant’s convention in January had so many professional bass players assembled under one roof.
The capacity event, which took place at downtown’s Theatre at the Ace Hotel, stood as a fitting tribute to a musical force of nature whose career took a tragic turn at the pinnacle of his creative powers. On-screen testimonials from such musicians as Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers — who introduced the film, along with Trujillo and the film’s co-director Paul Marchand — as well as Wayne Shorter, Peter Erskine, Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock, Sting and so many others reinforced the notion that Pastorius was the Jimi Hendrix of his instrument.
Trujillo recalled first seeing Pastorius play with Weather Report in 1979 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium as a teenager. “I witnessed something I will never forget,” he recalled form the stage. “It really changed my life. The thing that was amazing beyond him being a composer and an incredible bass player was the performance itself, the stage presence. It made me realize that you could be fearless.”
Post screening, the evening shifted into a bass clinic extravaganza, with multi-bass groups; Pastorius’ bassist sons Felix and John performed original jams and also covered their father’s music, while Trujillo thrashed with Mass Mental, joined by Flea.
The film is scheduled for a Nov. 27 release on VOD, DVD and Bluray.
Bunny Brunel is well known as an early progenitor of fretless electric bass in fusion, but he has also been involved in instrument design for many years. His previous signature model was one of Carvin’s most popular instruments, and his electric-upright design is a unique and effective contribution to the EUB genre. But even before that, Brunel helped to design prototypes with Gibson that never hit the open market. Now teamed up with ESP Guitars, Brunel brings out version 2.0 of his signature instrument, in fretless 5-string and fretted 4-string models. The new BB1005FL and 1004 basses bear a close resemblance to their predecessors, but a detailed look reveals changes to the platform that could make this the best Bunny bass yet.
All-Access Basses
Brunel’s design goal has always been an instrument that gives unfettered access to all the notes, is well balanced physically and musically, and provides a wide variety of tones. The ESP models certainly live up to those ideals, and they stand out in the crowded import field as a real alternative to higher-priced exotic models. While you don’t have to be a fusion player to appreciate the Brunels’ playability, those who use the entire range of the fingerboard will find the necks very player-friendly. The fretless 5 felt roomy, but not too spread out. The asymmetrical neck profile gave me better access to the lower strings in high positions and fit my hand’s shape naturally. The fretted 4-string model has a nicely rounded C profile that reminded me of a mid-’70s Jazz Bass. The ebony fingerboard looks great and provides plenty of snap for the slap lover, and the fretless 5 is unique for its polyester- coated fingerboard. Ever since Jaco slathered marine epoxy on his Jazz Bass fingerboard, fretless players have been fascinated by this idea. Brunel himself has always preferred this on his personal instruments, but his previous signature model did not offer this option. To be fair, applying the coating is a messy, toxic, and painstaking job that most luthiers try to avoid. It is unusual for a production line instrument to come with this feature, so kudos are in order. The main purpose behind the coating is to protect the wooden fingerboard from damage inflicted by roundwound strings, but it has a sonic influence as well. The high-frequency response from the string against the super-slick surface is definitely present in the final tone—it’s the icing on a very substantial cake. The fretless board was dressed to perfection, allowing each register to sustain naturally. As for mwah? We’ve got your mwah right here. The spreading, vocal-like articulation is easily produced in any spot on the 1005FL lined fingerboard. One feature held over from previous models is orienting the 5-string’s position dots as if it were a 4; if you’re new to 5-string, it’s comforting, as the dots are easier to see.
The new ESP BB basses are powered by Aguilar electronics, with a MM-style humbucker in bridge position, and a hum-canceling J-pickup in the neck slot. The Aggie OBP-3 preamp provides plenty of gain, a 3-band EQ implemented with a concentric pot for bass and treble, and a separate control for the mids with a push/pull pot to switch the frequency from 400Hz to 800Hz. While I’m not opposed to concentric controls, they can be tricky to set up properly, and I found that on both review instruments the stacked knobs tended to stick together, making it hard to adjust just one band. A push/pull pot for the volume control accesses passive mode, and the Aguilar pickups have all the output you need for a more old-school tone. Both instruments come with Hipshot hardware, and the traditional clover- style paddle tuners look extra cool in the flatblack finish. Both instruments also come standard with the Hipshot Bass Xtender. While the previous incarnation of the Brunel signature model offered a wide range of wood choices, cosmetic options, and pickups, ESP has decided to limit the finishes for now to Burnt Orange or Black Aqua for the 5-string and a Black Burst for the 4, both over nicely figured quilted maple veneer.
Thumping Bunnies
As a Carvin endorser back in the ’90s, I owned several Bunny Brunel models, in 4, 5, and 6-string versions, fretted and fretless, and while the ESP bears a strong resemblance, it feels very different. The ESP neck profile is a bit fuller, and the area around the body/neck joint is beefier, creating rigidity where it most benefits the sound. While I don’t typically describe neck-through-body instruments as “punchy,” these Bunnies can definitely thump. The fretted 4-string invites the thumb to slap it around, and the pickup configuration covers the classic MM-fueled spank tone of Louis “Thunder Thumbs” Johnson with ease. But the pickup blend produces a thicker texture with depth and clarity. The hum-canceling neck pickup let me fully explore the hollow chunk of a ’51-style P-Bass without 60-cycle dreck spoiling the fun. The preamp made it easy to conjure up virtually any tone I desired, but the nature of the beast is clear articulation. The tone of a bass line will pop while still being supportive in nature, but if you are a soloist, the BB basses are definitely your friend. With the bridge pickup favored, the BBs provided the punch and directness that brings a bass solo to the front. Approached passively, I could get a whole palette of more traditional Fender-like tones from the Bunny, making it applicable for pretty much any type of gig.
As Brunel is highly regarded as a fretless player, his fretless model is predictably dialed in to perfection. I was impressed with the consistency of the fingerboard dressing—I’ve paid hundreds of dollars to get my fretless boards feeling this good, and on an out-of-the-box import? Very nice. The BB11005FL responds to touch like a much more expensive bass; it can burp, hit, spread, and whine if you’ve got the hands to make it happen. Playing moving runs on the BB, it seemed all I had to do was stop on a note to get a lot of sustain. The glassiness of the coated board provides a little edge that gets you heard, and adds some finger mojo to the overall tone.
The new Bunny Brunel signature models are well suited to the demands of hardcore jazz fusion, but their playability and versatility make them a great choice for any gig.
SPECIFICATIONS
ESP
BB1005FL & BB1004
Street BB1005FL, $1,400; BB1004, $1,300 Pros Well balanced, versatile tone, better-than-average build quality Cons Concentric tone controls “stick” Bottom Line Basses that play well and sound great for any style of playing.
SPECS
ESP BB1005FL, BB1004
Construction Neck-through Body Alder Neck Three-piece maple Fingerboard 1004, ebony; 1005FL, acrylic-coated Fingerboard radius 1005FL, 16″; 1004, 12″ Frets 1005FL, 24 fret lines; 1004, 24 XJ Nut Molded Neck width at nut 1005FL, 1.75″; 1004, 1.5″ Bridge Hipshot A-style; e” string spacing Scale length 34″ Pickups Aguilar MM & humbucking J Tuners Hipshot w/Bass Xtender Weight 1005FL, 9.2 lbs; 1004, 9 lbs Made in Korea Contact espguitars.com
ESP is happy to announce that world-renowned bassist Bunny Brunel, whose talents have been employed by a wide range of artists covering many genres of music, is now part of the ESP Guitars family. As you may already know, we also recently announced the introduction of two new Bunny Brunel Signature Series basses: the BB-1004/QMand theBB-1005FL/QM.
“I’m a fusion player, but I play every style,” says Bunny Brunel. “Pop, rock and roll, and much more. My signature basses from ESP match any kind of music.”
“We are thrilled to have Bunny onboard at ESP,” says Jeff Moore, ESP senior vice president. “He represents the type of bass player who we love, with the ability to astound other musicians with his technical playing chops, and is respected by all. He came to us in search of a bass that would be up to the task of his many live performances and recording dates, and we were happy to deliver.”
Primarily known as a jazz fusion bassist, Bunny Brunel’s resume looks like a “who’s who” of the jazz world, having played with Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, Jack DeJohnette, Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, Stanley Clarke, Dizzy Gillespie, Tania Maria, Patrick Moraz, Ziggy Marley, Al Di Meola, and many more. His melodic approach to bass playing covers everything from smooth fretless growls to tight funk popping. He is a member of the fusion group CAB and also lends his talents to film and TV scoring.
Bunny’s two Signature Series basses are the LTD BB-1004/QM and LTD BB-1005FL/QM. The BB-1004 is a 4-string bass in See Thru Black Sunburst finish, while the BB-1005/FL is a fretless 5-string model in Burnt Orange. Both basses incorporate neck-thru-body construction, quilted maple top, ebony fingerboard, and a special Aguilar pickup set with an OBP-3 active preamp. Bunny was very active in regard to the basses’ designs, with a goal to create an instrument with excellent playing feel and balance, as well as tonal variety that made it appropriate for multiple music genres. He has also just released his latest solo album, Invent Your Future, which features jazz fusion notables Patrick Moraz, Virgil Donati, Patrice Rushen, and many more, and includes songs composed by Brunel as well as Chick Corea, Jaco Pastorius, and others. Continue reading “Bunny Brunel Joins The ESP Family”
Chase Masterson, best known to Star Trek fans for her role as the Bajoran Dabo Girl Leeta on Deep Space Nine, will guest star on The CW’s hit genre show The Flash.
Masterson, who turns 52 later this month, will play “Sherry” — a character written for her by Executive Producer Andrew Kreisberg — in the thirteenth episode of the show’s first season. The episode, entitled “The Nuclear Man,” airs next Tuesday, February 10. You can watch a trailer for the episode embedded below.
Upon hearing the news, William Shatner promised to live-tweet during the episode.
