Palinka gives French kick to gypsy jazz

MUSIC: The French musical group 'Palinka', renowned for their gypsy jazz tunes will be in Sri Lanka to hold a concert at the Samudra Ball room, Hotel Taj Samudra on September 7 at 7 p.m.

Gypsy jazz (also known as "Gypsy Swing") is an idiom sometimes said to have been started by the Ferr‚ brothers in the late 1920s, which later became popular due to the work of guitarist Django Reinhardt in the 1930s. Because its origins are largely in France it is often called by the French name, "Jazz manouche," or alternatively, "manouche jazz," even in English language sources. Django was foremost among a group of guitarists working in and around Paris in the late 1920s and 30s.

The members of Palinka met in Paris (2003) around Jazz manouche (Gypsy Jazz) and music from the east (Eastern Europe). Being very enthusiastic about their music, they went on tour in a van and performed in the streets, bars and at Jazz festivals.

Their summer tour strengthened the understanding among band members and it also showed their common tastes for music. By the end of the summer the group was formed and started working on songs written by Daniel. Up to date they have been performing continuously.

Their first 'real' tour was in 2004, organised by the band itself. They toured France in a van and from August to October they toured the Balkans travelling up to Romania. They played in the streets and also had some improvised concerts according to the public they met.

In 2005 they toured intensively with concerts in bars, at various festivals in Paris and in the countryside. More and more of their own creations started replacing the traditional Jazz manouche.

In 2006 the band recorded their first album "Un malin Plaisir".

From their beginning in 2003, the Palinka band members take a lot of pleasure in performing together and by attracting large crowds to their concerts with Jazz manouche (Gypsy Jazz) and their own creations.

They like to perform and travel around the world discovering new territories and sharing their passion for music with the local public.

Many of the musicians in this style worked in Paris in various popular Musette ensembles. The Musette style waltz remains an important component in the Gypsy jazz repertoire.

Reinhardt was noted for combining a dark, chromatic Gypsy flavour with the swing articulation of the period. This combination is critical to this style of jazz. In addition to this, his approach continues to form the basis for contemporary Gypsy jazz guitar.

Reinhardt's most famous group, the Quintette du Hot Club de France, also brought fame to jazz violinist St‚phane Grappelli.

Gypsy jazz, along with traditional Gypsy music, is learned by the passing down of knowledge from older generations. Many Gypsy musicians do not read notated music. It is more common for beginners to spend hours learning and memorising songs from recordings and gleaning techniques from more experienced players.

In Gypsy jazz, guitar and violin are the main solo instruments, although clarinet and accordion are also common. The rhythm guitar is played using a distinct percussive technique, "la pompe", that essentially replaces the drums.

An upright bass fills out the ensembles. Although many instrumental line-ups exist, a group including one lead guitar, violin, two rhythm guitars, and bass is often the norm.

Theertha International Artists Residency 2007

SEARCH FOR IDENTITY: Mariam Omar

BEYOND BOUNDRIES: Sameera Macan Markar

Don’t Blame the Moon: Leung Mee Ping and a clip from her video installation

IMPLODE: Imran Ahmad with his creation

FROM HANDCRAFT TO THE EXOTIC: Vijitha Bandara and his handcrafts

LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL FEAR TURMOILS: Pradeep Chandrasiri

EXHIBITION: The 'Theertha International Artists Residency 2007' an exhibition of artwork by local and international artists highlighted the Theertha Red Dot Gallery recently. Theertha International Artists' Collective is an artist led art organisation in Sri Lanka.

"Theertha Artist's Residency 2007 July-August" is part of the international art exchange program of Theertha that is being held regularly. The primary objective of the international residencies is to provide a creative environment to stimulate artistic practice by bringing artist's from diverse geographical and cultural backgrounds together to experiment, dialogue and exchange artistic knowledge and experiences.

International residencies are also part of a series of activities undertaken by Theertha to strengthen the artists network it has established in collaboration with Khoj (India), VASL (Pakistan), Britto (Bangladesh), Sutra (Nepal), and Triandgle Arts Trust (UK).

In this residency, which was coordinated by Thisath Thoradeniya of Theertha, six artists participated. Imran Hahamad from Pakistan, Mariyam Omar from Maldives and Leung Mee Ping (aka Momo) from Hong Kong were the three foreign participants. Pradeep Chandrasiri, Sameera Macan Markar and Vijitha Bandara were from Sri Lanka.

In the beginning of their month long residency, an artist talk was held at Theertha which mainly aimed at the art students and teachers from art institutions. The exhibition that is held at the end of their art residency was opened at the Theertha Red Dot Gallery in Pitakotte.

Imran Ahmad, a self thought artist and a professional at the first liberal arts university in Pakistan, the Beacon House University has thought in terms of mechanical qualities as well in his installation artwork "Implode". As said by the artists his work is a simple manifestation for the theoretical question "Why does society create gun culture".

He has casted a toy gun in metal to create a morbid, almost real feel. The correlation of the organic human eye with that of the mechanical gun implodes all things in society with the utilisation of his installation. Dissection and deconstruction in that order respectively.

He further says: "I feel that it is equally mechanical when people move around my suspended work according to the grid, like they are always searching for an answer when they are unaware of the question."

"Society constantly invades and violates the peace of mind and there's a forced refuge taken inside a bubble to aspire and search for identity from within in order to escape, become and empower."

Those are the words of Mariam Omar which described her works titled Smokescreen. Mariam's works could be considered as a conscious departure from making art for the tourists' eyes, which is a prominent observation in Maldives. Ironically she is a tourist in a way in Sri Lanka enjoying the Sri Lankan culture with newly found friends.

Don't Blame the Moon by Leung Mee Ping (aka Momo) was an interesting video installation. In her children of different religions talked about their personal ambitions in front of religious places.

Momo says it is a process of "We" being "Me". In general her works examine daily life through perception of daily life itself. Art genres she has used include mixed-media, video, multi media installation and site-specific event-based projects. Born in Hong Kong, she has lived in Paris and California and now has settled in Hong Kong.

Pradeep Chandrasiri uses a gas cylinder which provokes many local and international societal fears and turmoils. He says: "I felt the restlessness, confusion and the uncertainty in this political moment!" Pradeep Chandrasiri lectures at the University of Visual and Performing art.

This is what Sameera Macan Markar, a fulltime artist has written about her works in this exhibition: "In the globalise world we live in, advertising is a very powerful tool in selling a product and building customer loyalty and confidence. The use of symbols, colours, text and sound is of vital importance in developing an image in the consumer's mind.

As a visual artist, I am interested in pushing these boundaries further, and by using symbols of some very recognizable products, presented them from my perspective." Vijitha Bandara's intention has been to transform to transform the functional handcraft items into exotic objects by adding totally different material that is usually not associated with them, while retaining its original structural form and texture.

Vijitha Bandara was born in Anuradhapura. He works at the National Design Centre in Sri Lanka.

It's a world of books!

LITERATURE: Books... They are your companions in isolation, a partner in adventure, a doorway to exotic and foreign lands, and a transporter to fantasy.

Books are one of the most remarkable creations of man. A stack of books can be compared to a pillar of knowledge. They are immortal time machines voicing ideas and transporting us years back, to the time when dinosaurs walked the earth and to predictions of the future.

For me there is nothing better than to spend a leisure day curled up in bed with a book from one of my favourite authors. There is always a wide selection to choose from.

If you are in the mood for adventure there are the mystery and detective novels. Feel the need for romance? Then pick up a love story. In the spirit to explore foreign lands?

Turn to a book taking you in a tour around the world. Are you a science and technology person? Leaf through the pages of a science fiction novel. Whatever the need is books today are there to sustain your insatiable needs.

So grab a book and bury yourself among the ecstasy of its pages. It well worth the effort. Let your mind enter the world of imagination, join a character on his or her ventures or else take the challenge of being the character itself. Watch events unfolding before you, scenes painted with the most vivid of colours and belies and ideologies swarm out of the word, shaping ideas and brushing up your own skills. That is why I would say books are one of the miracles in our life. Happy reading!

Inspiration

Experimenting with sensations:

PAINTINGS: A solo arts exhibition by Artist Amal Shantha Munindradasa titled "Inspiration - Experiment with sensations" will be held at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery from September 14 to 16.

The exhibition will comprise oil paintings and print making. 'Oak Thuru Arana' a collection of poetry, translated by him will also be released as a Surasa publication.

Amal Shantha Munindradasa, who is exposed to almost all Orient and Western arts theories, has engaged in designing book covers, posters and logos as an experienced graphic artist. He also writes to the newspapers on art. He is also a graduate from the Aesthetic Studies affiliated to the university of Kelaniya.

He is a regular contributor of articles on "Art History" to the Sri Lankan newspapers and periodicals. He translates works of foreign poets into Sinhala. Munindradasa is a painter whose works are firmly enriched with western and oriental traditions, but rather his works evidence the vivacity he possesses to build his own genre without inclining to any of those traditional currents. A close scrutiny of his paintings will witness the way he pursues the simplicity of the oriental art while embracing the formal studies of western modernism.

Works of his brush and pigments depict a vivid world of visuals. Virtually it is a translation of the physical world - the nature he has imbibed with his emotion and has seen on his own mirror.

The landscapes, human figure compositions etc., all reflect his sole and own self expression. In the visual elements of the structure of composition in his paintings we could listen to the perspectives and three dimensions speaking his inner eloquent language with a tone of intimate delicacy.

Sometimes he begins the composition by sketching with collage techniques and later shaping his work turning to charming poetry and tranquil beauty. In handling of colours Amal Shantha is fervent to harmonise subtly the brightness and undertones to enhance the theme with fascinating richness. It seems that he has found inspiration from semi-abstract forms.

Apart from oil painting Amal Shantha trotted a long way in the field of watercolour drawings capturing miscellaneous subjects and has achieved a wide success. For print medium he designs posters, book-jackets, and draws illustrations for educational textbooks and press articles. He is also a reputed logo designer. He has designed logos for many established commercial Institutions.

The appearance of poetry elaborated with his illustrations at regular basis in the newspapers and periodicals evidence his acceptance as a master for the subject. The exclusive features of his elaborative drawings are visible in the rhythmical lines of his own style and in the smooth lyrical expression that highlights the perception he absorbs from the poet's feelings and vision.

As a gifted print maker, he engraves woodcuts and creates most excellent reproductions. In these areas also he has managed to emulate to distinctiveness with the influence of the Japanese woodcut printing method.