I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: TAMINO-Tiny Desk Concert #871 (July 26, 2020).

Tamino is a 22 year-old singer of Belgian, Egyptian and Lebanese descent.

I didn’t know anything about him.  But the blurb mentions his voice.  As soon as I read Jeff Buckley and I heard it in the middle part of the first song I knew it was right on.

His voice is powerful and can really soar.  For “Habibi,” (a song about a sweetheart) it starts with just him and his guitar.  He plays a simple, quiet, repeating guitar melody.  After a few verses, he adds the low strings on his guitar.  The song has been so devoid of bass up until now that it’s hard to imagine it coming from that guitar. Vik Hardy adds repeating piano lines that create a tension that continues throughout the song.

Tamino fills this song with yearning in his voice, much the way Buckley did.  And the end of the song has him hitting some gorgeous ethereal high notes.

His use of that falsetto had some faces in the NPR audience gasping in astonishment.

The songs performed at the Tiny Desk by the 22-year-old singer come from both a 2018 EP titled Habibi and later that year an album titled Amir.

The second song, “Indigo Night” (about despair turned to joy) stars in a similar way–quietly with just a little guitar and Tamino’s amazing, deep vocals.

Colin Greenwood (yes, of Radiohead) plays bass on this song, adding some nice lines to the moody piece.  There is definitely a Radiohead feel.  The blurb lets us in on a bit of personal humor:

The Radiohead bassist shared a brief text exchange with his son, basically telling his hugely accomplished dad that playing the Tiny Desk was “the coolest thing he’d ever done!” That made us all smile.

Midway through the song, as Tamino’s voice wordlessly soars along with the guitar melody, it feels even more like a Radiohead song, except with a more impressive voice than Thom Yorke’s (sorry, Thom).

Tamino’s grandfather was Muharram Fouad, a well-known Egyptian singer known as “The Sound of the Nile.”

The final song, strangely called “Tummy” starts with Tamino’s almost plucked guitar style.  He learned on his grandfather’s guitar.  He gets such an interesting sound out of the instrument.  Ruben Vanhoutte adds some simple drums to flesh out the sound.

It’s a truly impressive set and he has a truly impressive voice.

[READ: August 5, 2020] “Motherless Child”

Olive Kitteridge is an older woman with a grown son.  The son is married with children of his own.  They have been rather estranged for the last few years.

But Christopher was finally coming to visit his mother with his wife and children. But they were late.  In fact, Olive had lunch set up for them, but Christopher had just called to say they were going to eat lunch on the road (it was two P.M.) and that they wouldn’t be there for a few more hours.

Olive had been taking things down in her house–it looked almost bare.  Her husband had died three years ago and she was ready to move on.  She just hadn’t told Christopher yet.

When they finally arrived she could not believe how old Christoper looked.  He acknowledged her but had his hands full with all of the children.  Two were from his wife’s previous marriage, but two were “his.”

The only child Olive really cared about was her son’s boy Henry (her first grandson).  But Henry was not interested in meeting her.  Olive was also disappointed at how much Henry Kitteridge did not look like her husband Henry.  This boy looked like his mother: dark haired, dark eyed.

When Olive and Ann first met, Ann asked is she could call her Mom.  But on this greeting she called her Olive.

The children were quiet and sullen.  The welcome felt stiff.  Chris acknowledge that the house looked empty and hoped she wasn’t getting rid of all of his fathers things,

Ann asked for a drink of water. Christopher asked for a drink drink, but said she probably didn’t have anything like that.  She surprised him by bringing out a bottle of wine.

Christopher asked when she started drinking.  She said she does a little. He said no she didn’t. She said she had friends over for cheese ad wine.  He discounted that too.  She was not ready to tell her son about Jack just yet.

Neither of Ann’s children spoke to Olive.  Not a thank you or a please: “She thought they were horrible children.”

Olive expected chaos, not the silence of these children. At least Henry warmed up and was nice to her.  Then Olive presented Henry with knitted scarf.   Ann asked if she had anything for the other two children.  Olive said she sent them Christmas presents.  Ann said, yes but that was Christmas.

Well, I never heard a word from you, so perhaps they didn’t get them.

Ann took the children to bed and Christoper stayed up talking to his mom.  She didn’t care what he was saying just that he was there with her talking.

That night there was commotion form the children, which woke up Olive.  She checked her email and Jack asked how it was going.  She promised herself she wouldn’t call him until she told Christopher about him.  So she just said she had a lot to tell him.

In the morning the family was up before her which was a surprise.  They were mad because there were no Cheerios.  So Olive went out and got some–still half asleep. Only to be told when she returned that they didn’t have enough milk either.

When Ann’s son Theodore asked why the Cheerios cam in a paper bag and Ann said they they only used reusable bags. Olive took reusable bags out of the drawer and threw them on the table saying she rushed out so fast to get the Cheerios that she forgot to take the bags.

Things settled down as they agreed to go to the bay.  The kids had never seen the ocean proper and Christoper was excited to show it to them.

But when Christopher saw the Subaru, he had to ask her about it.  She lied that she felt she needed a new car.  It was actually Jack’s car that she was borrowing while hers was getting fixed.

It was cold at the beach.  Christoper ran around with the kids while Ann sat on a rock, watching.  Olive tried to talk to her, but Ann was resistant.  Finally Olive asked abut Ann’s mother.  Ann muttered something that was taken away by the wind.  When Olive asked her to repeat it, Ann screamed, “I said she’s dead!”

It happened a couple of months ago.  She died just before Ann had given birth to Natalie.  Olive was compassionate and Ann seemed somewhat comforted.  Ann admitted that her mother didn’t take care of herself so a heart attack really wasn’t a surprise.  But still.

Ann said that she always felt like the song “Motherless Child” and now she was one.

When Olive asked why Christopher didn’t say anything to her about Ann’s mother, he shrugged and said, “Well, she was nuts.  Whatever.”

Olive didn’t ask “How come you married this woman.”

The next fee days were much the same, awkward but manageable.  Finally on the last day, she told Christopher that she was getting married.

He didn’t say anything for a time and the replied, “Wait What did you just say?”

He didn’t know who Jack Kennison was and he didn’t like it.  She said he’d lost his wife a little while ago.  But Christopher didn’t care, he just asked her why.

Because we’re two lonely old people and we want to be together.

Christopher said, you invited us here so you could tell me you’re getting married? Then he cursed and stormed off.

Olive heard him and Ann talking and heard her say that he’s always been a narcissist.

Jack arrived soon after and Chris was cold to him.  Olive tried to talk to him, but he still acted petulant until finally Ann said for Christ’s sake, Chris, let the woman get married.  What’s the matter with you?  You think I have four little kids, I have five little kids.”

Chris immediately relented and apologized.  They began talking and it seemed like Chris and Jack actually started to get along.

But as she looked at her son, she was astonished that her son would act this ways.  And that she was actually afraid of him.

Perhaps she had raised a motherless child, too.