KARL Jannuska

Graphic design by Oliver Degabriele, inspired by a traditional, First Nations star blanket design.

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 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 (his sixth) “On The Brighter Side” featuring Cynthia Abraham has now been mixed and mastered but needs your help to get to the finish line ! A crowd-funding campaign with Kisskissbankbank is underway until October 24th so please consider chipping in. All the info you need is here in two languages : ENGLISH FRANCAIS

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) Karl has made five recordings under his own name: Liberating Vines, Thinking in Colours, Streaming, The Halfway Tree and Midseason. All five are entirely comprised of his original music and the latter three feature Sienna Dahlen with whom Karl has enjoyed a long collaboration.

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. They will be touring Mexico from Sept 25th - Oct 6. Check out the new teaser.

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 over fifteen 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)

Midseason

MIDSEASON is Karl’s 5th CD comprised entirely of his own original songs and lyrics featuring two talented canadian vocalists Sienna Dahlen and Denzal Sinclaire.

Sienna Dahlen (voice); Denzal Sinclaire (voice); Tony Paeleman (piano, keyboards); Pierre Perchaud (guitars); Julien Herné (electric bass); Karl Jannuska (drums, percussion) with Sonia Cat Berro (additional vocals); Andrew Downing (cello)

Mixed by Tony Paeleman & mastered by Nate Wood

Listen / purchase: BANDCAMP.