Julia Keefe Inspired by Mildred Bailey

Sweet, smooth vocals always get my attention and I'm a sucker for a well played vocal scat - thus my ears perked up when I first heard Julia Keefe of the Nez Perce Tribe. Her voice is of another era and stands out in this one as one of the only jazz songbirds in Indian Country. But she's not the first.

Born in 1989 in Seattle, Keefe is currently a senior studying jazz performance at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, though it's been since grade seven that Keefe has been singing jazz. She has performed on the East and West coasts and if you've seen her live, you've noticed that she typically dedicates a song to the legendary Mildred Bailey at every performance.

Bailey was a groundbreaking and influential blues and jazz performer in the 30s and 40s, and a Coeur d’Alene tribal member. Early in her studies Keefe was drawn to Mildred's life and work and in 2009 performed her musical tribute Thoroughly Modern: Mildred Bailey Songs at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in 2009. But her passion for Bailey didn't stop there.

In Indian Country Today's Jazz Vocalist Julia Keefe 'Just Likes to Sing' Keefe describes to Jack McNeel her experience visiting the Jazz Hall of Fame for the first time at New York's Lincoln Center:

“It was beautiful and I loved it,” she said, “But I noticed there were only four women in the Jazz Hall of Fame and Mildred Bailey wasn’t one of them.” Those four are Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday, Bessie Smith and Mary Lou Williams.

She doesn’t question that those four belonged — but says she “sort of realized there was a great injustice being done. I feel without Mildred Bailey and what she did, we wouldn’t have Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holliday. She was the one who kicked open the door and made way for those amazing vocalists to get the stature they got.”

This past winter, Julia was home in Spokane on break and was asked to do a gig at the Coeur d’Alene Casino. “It was a private event for the Idaho State Legislature and some of the tribal council,” she explained. “I brought some of my Mildred Bailey stuff and said a few words about her, the things she had done for women in jazz and Native Americans in jazz.”

“The Idaho Legislature was just completely engrossed,” Keefe says. “They were talking like they loved it. They came up afterwards and said they’d like to help any way they could. I told them I was hoping to get Mildred Bailey into the Jazz Hall of Fame.” This March, both the Idaho House and Idaho Senate passed resolutions to honor Mildred and to support and encourage induction into the Hall of Fame.

Julia Keefe put her idea into action. Her open letter to the Jazz Hall of Fame selection committee can be read at whereismildred.com and while you're there, be sure to sign the petition!

Check out Mildred Bailey's swinging rendition of Georgia on My Mind:

And here, listen to (and download!) Julia Keefe's sweet take on the classic song:

Mildred Bailey died at the young age of 44 - her story and her songs are truly worth digging into, if you haven't already. As for Julia Keefe, she reports on ICTMN:

“My plan for the future is just to perform as much as possible. I love it. I love singing. I love entertaining people so that’s where my life blood is, where my joy comes from. My plan is just to go out there and do it whatever way I can.”

We look forward to it.

VIDEO: Russell Wallace - "Indian Head"

Lil'wat Nation composer Russell Wallace shares a new video for his track Indian Head which was composed in 1992 - the 500 year anniversary of Christopher Columbus.

Russell Wallace has been a composer and traditional performer on the west coast of Turtle Island for a couple of decades. He continues to release material from his early catalogue - which both was before its time and has stood the test of time. Recently he released a brand new video for his song entitled Indian Head.

I asked him what his inspirations for the music and video were, he replied:

"It was written around the time of the 500 year anniversary of Columbus' 'discovery'. At that time there was a lot of house and acid house music with the sound of the whistle so I thought of the eagle whistle and thought it would be cool to have a techno song with that in it as well as singers. I liked the idea of gated sounds and thought that our voices have been cut out of history many times. For the video, I thought about the images of 'Indians' and most of them are are men and they usually are just heads which says a lot about what American history thinks about us....a bounty on our heads.....Indian heads.....my head."

Watch "Indian Head" by Russell Wallace here:

Check out more of Russell Wallace and his work in the RPM Podcast #004: “New Traditional”.

DOWNLOAD: Ron Loutit - "Why Don't You Call"

Métis Ron Loutit isn't as widely known as his country music chops, knowing voice and clever and charming lyrics should have him, but that almost makes his old school songs even better, because we're the lucky ones to hear them.

His bio says his songs "based on love, drinking and heartbreak." This chipper ditty, replete with a plucky banjo part, delivers on all three. You might find yourself toe-tapping and singing along before you realize you're chiming in on the bittersweet "sitting here along again, drinking with the moon again." And that's a good thing. I like a song that isn't what you might think it is, first time around.

From his APCMA nominated album Where I Come From, download and enjoy Why Don't You Call.

DOWNLOAD: Ron Loutit - "Why Don't  You Call"

Video: Caley Watts Band - "The Wolf Song"

The Caley Watts Band's The Wolf Song begins as a slow howl before picking up into a quick trot and bringing us down some west coast trails, heads nodding to the rhythm.

I imagine game trails, hunting and rabbits. Images of wolf cubs come to my mind, and then young pups testing their strength against the others'. If The Caley Watts Band from Bella Coola drew inspiration for this song from the wild, it's worked to bring the author back into the woods in his imagination.

Bella Coola is the traditional territory of the Nuxalk Nation, who have been there for an estimated 10,000 years, if not longer. There is a rich culture of storytelling there. In traditional narratives told by Aboriginal peoples of the Pacific Coast, supernatural beings were known to take the form of animals, birds or fish in the human world. In their own villages, these beings lived among the people as humans. Many stories tell of the encounters between humans and animal or supernatural beings, sometimes even with traditional masks and dance that were preserved through the times, even though potlatching and masks were at one time not allowed.

Is Caley Watts really a wolf being, singing the songs of her ancestors?

Watch: The Caley Watts Band - "The Wolf Song":

Cris Derksen and Kristi Lane Sinclair on 2-Er

Electro-cellist Cris Derksen and smokey-folky Kristi Lane Sinclair are pairing up for the second year in a row on a Canadian tour - The Red Ride 2-Er.

With a kick-off party that took place in Vancouver last night, half-Cree Cris Derksen and Haida Kristi Lane Sinclair are now on their way to Toronto and back bringing their mix of music and style to Banff, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg (as part of 8 Days in May, eh!) and Regina.

In a recent interview with Music CBC, the girls talked travel and touring with Kim Wheeler. Like "What is the one thing you cannot live without on the road?"

Cris: Always pack a swimsuit, you never know when you're gonna be in a hot tub or by a lake, and sometimes wearing your undies in said scenarios just doesn't work! Also, swimming is great for stretching those car muscles after sitting for hours and hours. Kristi: Dry shampoo! Most days we would have to spend the whole day in the car and then perform right after. The ability to go from greasy to glam is a pretty awesome option!

Check out the full interview here: http://music.cbc.ca/#/blogs/2012/5/QA-Cris-Derksen-Kristi-Lane-Sinclair-talk-travel-and-touring

And check out the Red Ride 2-er dates:

May 18 Banff AB. House Show! Tanglewood Cabin,208 Beaver St 7pm $10 May 19 Edmonton AB. The Empress. 9912 – 82 Ave 3pm May 23 Ottawa ON. The Mercury Lounge w/ guest Bear Witness. 56 Byward Market Sq. early show. 7pm-10. $8 May 25 Toronto ON. Red Revue @ The Sister. 1554 Queen St W. 9:30pm May 26 Winnipeg MB. 8 Days of May Eh! Marlborough Hotel Hall. $35 May 28 Regina SK. Artful dodger. Doors 7pm Show 7:30. $15

Event details on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/345143342205544/

DOWNLOAD: Will Belcourt - "Obliterate"

While Will Belcourt's latest album Epoch garnered "Best Rock Album" nominations at both the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards and the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards, his music reaches beyond that genre into blues, jazz and country, all with a base of electronic beats.

From Marlboro, Alberta, Belcourt bills himself as a singer/songwriter/guitar player/performer/recording artist/music producer/writer/director/producer - ie, a one man show and reconnaissance kind of guy. His deep, rough around the edges voice calls to us to "forget about tomorrow" and "scream along" and it's hard to resist - download this track to get out of your seat and raise the roof.

DOWNLOAD: Will Belcourt - "Obliterate"

SPOTLIGHT: The Arctic Circus of Artcirq

The Igloolik, Nunavut, collective Artcirq is a collaborative, community-based circus and multimedia company that has been creating work, engaging youth and performing around the globe since 1998. And that's not all! The arctic circus also makes music and has released two albums recently on iTunes.

Co-founded by Isuma Productions and Guillaume Saladin,  Artcirq blends techniques of modern circus like juggling and acrobatics with aspects of Inuit culture including drum dancing and throat singing.

At first, the group formed in reponse to local tragedy. From articirq.org:

Summer 1998, Igloolik, Nunavut. Two teenagers commit suicide, once again shattering this small island community of 1500 residents. Every time a suicide occurs, feelings of despair and powerlessness resurface in this world where two cultures collide. In the Arctic, loss of sense and sorrow are real facts of life. Based on government statistics at the time, 4 to 6 young adults commit suicide every year in Igloolik, which represents a rate seven times higher than in Montreal.

Following the recurrence of such tragedies in Igloolik, some concrete actions are taken to give children and teenagers a medium to express themselves. The initiative of Isuma Productions (movie Atanarjuat, the Fast Runner) forms a group of eight young people, intended to prevent suicide in this small community. The organism Inuusiq, which means “Life” in Inuktitut, is created, and its first mission is to realize and produce, with the help of ISUMA production, a television series about the youth’s life in the Canadian Arctic of today. Guillaume Saladin was a member of this organism, “Inuusiq youth drama group”, and a co-writer and actor of the series. Furthermore, studying at the National Circus School of Montreal at that time, he implements the circus project Artcirq with six others students of the circus school, including Karine Delzors.

The group and work evolved from there. Members of Artcirq have performed in Timbuktu, Mali, Mexico, Greece and France. Six members were part of the Canadian Arctic performers representing Nunvut at the 2010 Olumpic Winter Games and this month, the group will travel to Windsor, England, to represent "The Americas" in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Pageant.

Both of Artcirq's musical albums - Artcirq Jam and Made in Igloolik - are credited to be by "various artists" and accordingly it's difficult to describe the diversity on both albums which showcases various permutations of the groups contributing members. In style, language and instrumentation, they are both delightfully varied and interesting collections of songs. It's also difficult to pick a favourite, but for a taste, check out this track Anuri from Made in Igloolik:

STREAM: Artcirq - "Anuri"

Both Artcirq albums are available on CDBaby and iTunes.

Music is just a part of what the group creates. This short doc is a great introduction to the breadth of the work of Artcirq. I love co-founder Guillaume Saladin's definition of circus in it. He says "circus is a pretext - a pretext to create a circle of trust, a space where people can communicate with each other, an area where you can work on yourself, trust the other, and dream."

Indeed it seems that in its 14 years so far, the group has maintained this practice of creative, communicative, and collaborative process. From the heartbreak of a community's loss, to the empowerment of movement, music and exploration, their work continues to inspire, represent, delight and move anyone it engages. Keep an eye out for more from Artcirq, and for additional video and music check out their Isuma channel at isuma.tv/hi/en/artcirq.

DOWNLOAD: Duster - "You've Got to Be Number One"

In family band Duster, father Jim Agecoutay plays guitar, and sons Trent and Bryce play bass and drums. Part Ronnie Milsap, Gram Parsons, Waylon Jennings and CCR, Duster loves to drive the party and fill the dance floor.

Within this track's country-rock jam, there's a darker tale. The inspiration for You've Got to Be Number One came to the band via the last boom in their home province Alberta. Says Trent Agecoutay " ...with all the money that was around we literally saw musician friends disapear from cocaine abuse."

The track is from their debut album The Foundation of Who I Am - download it now and spread the word of Duster!

We've got a copy of The Foundation of Who I Am to give away - leave a comment be 5pm PST Friday May 18th to be entered in the draw!

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DOWNLOAD: Duster - "You've Got to Be Number One"

Video: Lisa Jackson's "Savage"

This five minute short film Savage, from award winning Anishinaabe filmmaker Lisa Jackson is a unique exploration of the first day of school for a young First Nations child set in the 1950's.

The film, featuring Ta'kaiya Blaney, Skeena Reece, Doug Blamey, and Jennifer Jackson, won a 2010 Genie award for Best Short Film, a Golden Sheaf Award for Best Multicultural Film, the ReelWorld Outstanding Canadian Short Film, and the Leo Awards for Best Actress and Best Editing.  Fond memories of high school musicals resurfaced during the film for this writer - in Grade 12, Eugene taught himself how to dance the lead from Michael Jackson's Thriller during his lunch hours in the black box, to then teach his classmates the dance which went on to open their end of term shows.

From Lisa Jackson's website:

On a summer day in the 1950s, a native girl watches the countryside go by from the backseat of a car. A woman at her kitchen table sings a lullaby in her Cree language. When the girl arrives at her destination, she undergoes a transformation that will turn the woman’s gentle voice into a howl of anger and pain.

In a place like this, there aren’t many chances to be a kid. But, when no one’s watching…

A residential school musical.

Light-hearted as the video is at times, it commands the use of humor, thoughtfulness, dance and music to make a statement on the reality of a First Nations legacy which we all live with today. This stunning video is polished and beautiful, and leaves room for the viewer to reflect on the lived reality of First Nations children taken to boarding schools, while remaining accessible for people from any community.

Watch Lisa Jackson's 'Savage' here:

Wawatay News with Robin Ranger

There's not a lot of jazz players in Indian Country, but musician and composer Robin Ranger, from Fort William, Ontario, is blazing a trail of change. He talked with Wawatay News about his love of the genre, his goals as an artist, and what album got him hooked on jazz in the first place.

In Ranger discovers voice with jazz, Wawatay News writes:

While walking the streets of Toronto in his early-20s, Robin Ranger heard a guitar-playing busker hit a chord that captivated his ears. Using some of the $40 he had that was to last him three days in the city, the Fort William First Nation member paid the guitarist to play the song again.

“I paid attention while he was playing the song and waited until that chord rolled around,” the 39-year-old recalled. “Then I went back to the hotel, picked my guitar up and made the same chord, and it completely affected the way I played music.” Up to that point, Ranger was into rock and heavy music like Tool and Ministry. But the chord – a B-flat minor6 – converted him to a new style. He began to mess around with seventh, ninth and major-seventh chords and wrote songs based on them.

“After a while, another musician friend of mine said, ‘Wow man, this sounds a lot like jazz,’ and I’m like ‘Jazz? I don’t listen to jazz.’

Based on the comparisons, Ranger decided to give the genre a listen. He asked a friend that since jazz is a 100-year-old medium, where should he start. He was recommended Miles Davis’ 1959 album, Kind of Blue. Ranger was immediately obsessed with the album, considered the best-selling jazz record of all time...

Being a First Nations person, Ranger gets a lot of comments about the oddity of being an Aboriginal jazz musician. Ranger estimates there are about six or seven that perform regularly in Canada.

“Jazz chords aren’t something we hear a lot in our communities,” he said. “As a culture, we’re not big jazz appreciators. I hope that’s changing, because jazz is cool. More people should listen to it."

Read the whole article here.

And watch Robin's This Endless Night:

DOWNLOAD: Deathscene - "Next to Me"

Deathscene is the trio of Keithan (Navajo), Book (Navajo) and Erica from Tucson, Arizona. Together they write and record mellow, downbeat, trip-hoppy music and have been keeping it mostly to themselves. But, they shared this track with RPM, we really dig it, and we want to share it with you.

The subject of their work spans what Keithan describes as "the human condition", ie "the illusion of external reality, the conundrum of time & space, humble heartache, resistance to falling in love, romantic seclusion, and the relationship between noisey humans and  insomnia." Deathscene paints these pictures with bright pianos, playful keys, minor acoustic chords, shoegaze electric guitars, drum and instrument programming, lo-fi recording and voice samples. 

Get into this thoughtful and melancholic jam and share this post!

DOWNLOAD: Deathscene - "Next to Me"

VIDEO: NRG Rising - "From Darkness to Light"

NRG Rising, the New Zealand reggae band that features three powerful Maori women, performed at The Gathering of Nations over the weekend. For anyone not at Stage 49 of that legendary powwow, you can still groove with NRG via their brand new music video.

NRG Rising is Benita Tahuri, her two daughters, Anahera-Pono Tahuri-Whakatope and Honey Tahuri-Whakatope, Bevin Hira and Trinity Blake. Their music is conscious, soulful, Indigenous.

Watch NRG Rising - "From Darkness to Light":