On the brighter side

On the Brighter Side is a magic carpet ride over the Canadian Prairies. Drummer, composer and lyricist Karl Jannuska presents his sixth CD - music that simultaneously reflects the big city sophistication of his adopted Parisian home with the cool, fresh air and vastness of his Canadian childhood landscape. One of France’s most in-demand jazz drummers (having performed and/or recorded with Brad Mehldau, Lee Konitz, Lionel Loueke, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Enrico Pieranunzi and Pierre de Bethmann) Karl combines elements of his jazz roots with his other musical influences such as Radiohead, Deerhoof, Caetano Veloso and Bjork giving his music a unique DNA best described as “Indie Jazz”. Newcomer to the band, Cynthia Abraham’s warm, soulful voice fits Karl’s musical universe like a glove. Organically hypnotic drum grooves create a foundation for ethereal melodies that are simultaneously familiar and foreign. Acoustic and digital sounds weave together forming melancholic major chords while the lyrics orbit around the theme of happiness and the eternal search for a life on the brighter side.

10 things to know about

karl jannuska :

1) Karl’s new album “On The Brighter Side” featuring Cynthia Abraham was released November 22 and is available here: STREAM or BUY

2) Born and raised in the province of Manitoba, Canada, Karl has since lived in Montreal, New Orleans, Brooklyn and currently resides in Paris, France.

3) He started drumming on pots and pans when he was five years old and got his first drum set at the age of seven.

4) Karl’s drumming can be heard on over a hundred recordings. He has recorded / performed with some big names in jazz (Lee Konitz, Brad Mehldau, Lionel Loueke, Kurt Rosenwinkel...) and some lesser-known (and equally talented) musicians. He is currently an active member of over a dozen bands.

5) Prior to “On The Brighter Side”, Karl has made five other recordings - all of which are entirely comprised of his own original music: Liberating Vines, Thinking in Colours (both instrumental) and Streaming, The Halfway Tree and Midseason feature the Canadian singer Sienna Dahlen.

6) He co-leads the band The Watershed with Christophe Panzani, Pierre Perchaud and Tony Paeleman. Together they make adventurous, improvised music and run a label called Shed Music.

7) He has a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Performance from McGill University in Montreal.

8) Karl is a die-hard Detroit Tigers baseball fan. His song Midseason Rise is about their 2012 World Series run. 

9) He has won several awards for his music including an Opus award for his debut recording and an Etoiles Galaxie Prize at the Montreal Jazz Festival for best composition. Karl has been a runner-up two times at the International Songwriting Competition.   

10) In 1999 Karl fell in love with a French girl just prior to his move to New York City and eventually moved to Paris to be with her. They’ve been happily married for seventeen years and have a daughter named Iris.

plus d'infos (en français) : Wikipedia

presse:

"TT - Hautement recommandé"

Télérama (Midseason)

"(ses compositions sont) le fruit d'une imagination personnelle (elles) élaborent un microcosme à la féerie euphorisante dont le groove aussi massif qu'inventif...forme la puissante charpente."

Les Inrocks (Midseason)

"Inclassable"

Paris Capitale (Midseason)

"Ni pop ni jazz. Poésie lumineuse. On aime beaucoup!"

Froggy's Delight (Midseason)

"On tombe très vite sous le charme de ces « bulles poétiques » aux rythmes changeants et entêtants... 

Une affirmation d’un quadragénaire en pleine santé créative."

Musique Buissonnières (Midseason)

"Une pop étrange et planante, quasiment désincarnée, avec les voix qui volent. Sa drôle de façon de taper les rythmes pop lui donnent une originalité flagrante."

Chroniques de Monsieur L'Ouie (Midseason)

"Chansons délicates aux ambiances éthérées et aux arrangements sophistiqués" 

Nouvelle Vague (Midseason)

"Une musique étrangement familière, aux accents de pop et de jazz intelligemment métissés" 

Dernières Nouvelles du Jazz (The Halfway Tree)

"Batteur incontournable…compositeur inspiré…disque poétique" 

Les Echos (The Halfway Tree)

"Une sorte de cantate moderne autour de textes originaux pour célébrer une union musicale quasi-parfaite entre voix humaine et voix instrumentales… envoûtante et fascinante sur des mélodies dont la beauté n'a d'égale que la simplicité. Du grand art assurément. Inclassable et, en cela indispensable!" 

Culture Jazz (The Halfway Tree)

"un disque atypique dont la musique vibre comme le frisson d'un peuplier caressé par une brise plus violente qu'il n'y paraît. La retenue dans un méchanisme huilé pour le désordre."

France Inter "Encore un Matin" (The Halfway Tree)

"Pas complètement jazz, mais avec les instruments du genre, pas complètement pop, mais avec une chanteuse qui en a le phrasé, la musique de Jannuska… n'a pas vraiment d'équivalent. Belle et subtile"

Le Monde (Streaming)

upcoming COncerts

November

4 : Olivier Bogé @ La Gare

11 : Olivier Bogé @ La Gare

15, 16 : Bulgaria w/ Toine Thys

18 : Olivier Bogé @ La Gare

22 : Toux / Panzani quartet @ Babilo

24 : Franck Amsallem @ Duc des Lombards (late night jam session)

25 : Olivier Bogé @ La Gare

26 : La Gare w/ Rick Margitza

december

2 : Olivier Bogé @ La Gare

3 - 5 : Matthis Pascaud “Square One” Residence, Angoulême

6 : Matthis Pascaud “Square One” @ La Nef, Angoulême

9 : Olivier Bogé @ La Gare

13 : CMDL masterclass

15 :  “On The Brighter Side” CD Release @ Sunset, Paris

16 : Olivier Bogé @ La Gare

23 : Olivier Bogé @ La Gare

 Watch more videos: