SOUNDTRACK: JORGE DREXLER-Tiny Desk Concert #730 (April 13, 2018).
Jorege Drexler’s music is utterly arresting. He has a kind of a storytelling delivery but with fascinating instrumental accents.
“Movimeinto” opens with so much percussion–the guitarist scratching at the guitar with drummer brushes, the drummer (Borja Barrueta – from Bilbao) and percussionist (Carles “Campi” Campon, Electronic beats, acoustic guitar and from Barcelona and Matías Cella from Argentina) tapping along–the drummer is even tapping a resonator guitar with his sticks. The drummer also has a vast array of other sounds to make including some little metal hands drums and a small hollow guitar body (no strings).
Drexler sing/speaks hies beautiful poem, he is playing some very simple but arresting chords. When the song starts in earnest, there is excellent use of electric guitar accents (by Javier Zarember from Argentina) and a fascinating acoustic bass (by Martín Leiton from Barcelona on either leona or guitarrón). Midway through, he to an electric bass which changes the dynamic quite a bit. By the end of the song everyone is playing everything.
So who is Jorge Drexler? He is
is a poet with a gift for song. The Uruguayan singer-songwriter, like the iconic Latin American lyricists of the past (Mercedes Sosa, Victor Jara and Silvio Rodriguez, to name just a few), has that rare ability to surround multi-layered prose with music that lends an even deeper resonance to the words.
Drexler has his share of fans here in the U.S., mostly Latin American expats and others whose grasp of the language allows them to appreciate the nuances of his storytelling. But, as if often the case with music performed in languages other than English, audiences here sometimes miss out on an emotional connection with artists they would otherwise celebrate if they only knew what they were singing.
So, we decided to do something about that with Jorge Drexler’s appearance at the Tiny Desk. With the cooperation of the artist, we translated Drexler’s thoughtful and playful ruminations on the human condition, and included them as subtitles.
That’s right, this is the first Tiny Desk Concert with subtitles!
Those clever lyrics wouldn’t hit as hard if not for Drexler’s backing band of magicians. The mix of guitarists and percussionists conjured a stunning cloud of sound that allowed Drexler to take flight, like the existential dreamer that he is.
The first song has this cool lyric:
we are a species in transit we don’t have belongings we have baggage
and
what I dream of is more intimate than what I touch / I’m not from here, but neither are you
For “Silencio” Jorge switches to electric guitar. He says, “I must warn you that it contains actual seconds of silence in it.” As he is saying this a phone rings. “That shouldn’t happen.” “Don’t be afraid of silence.” The song opens with a very cool seven rhythm that includes some silence. And the pauses before he says “Silencio” are long…sometimes six seconds–far longer than most songs allow. detente! the drummer is using what looks like fluffy paint brushes on a piece of cardboard to really muffle the sound. During the final silence he does bird calls awhile and the guitar then winds up playing a really loud solo which is a great counterpoint to the music so far.
There’s a beautiful sentiment:
I can’t find anything more valuable to give you / nothing more elegant than an instant…..of silence
“Asilo” means asylum but this song is not about refugees, it is about seeking one night outside the problems of reality. He asks, “Can you sing in Spanish?” and they play a slow bluesy number.
“Telefonia” beautiful chords in a song about means of communication. It has a kind of smooth rock feel, but with a nifty Latin twist especially when the backing singers all sing along in Spanish.
I found this lyric surprising probably because I associate this kind of music with older songs. Even though it makes perfect sense as a modern song
Long live the phone system in all its variations / I thought you might be ghosting on me until I saw your name on the caller id.
I really enjoyed this set a lot.
[READ: January 30, 2018] “An Accidental Place”
This is an excerpt from The Sly Company of People Who Care.
The narrator has moved to Guyana and had to make fiends. The first one was Mr. Bhombal who was, like the narrator, an Indian national. He wore polyester trousers and his watch was palmside up. He had the appearance that one was always on the verge of making a huge mistake
But this is an excerpt and the bulk of the excerpt does not have to do with Mr Bhombal (funny as his introduction was). (more…)
I Just Read About That... 