Slamsterdam // 2011 Meditations On Eurydice // Fokker5000

So Zuluwannsago made it back from Morocco.
All in all, it was an absolutely un-believable/life changing experience.
Sooooooo many lessons;;;
As always, I learned 10 ‘don’ts’ for every 1 ‘do'<<
Here’s a short snippet of Zuluwannsago from the outdoor show at the Tanjazz festival 2011…
At this ‘universe moment’ I was filming AND playing trumpet — as you can see/hear!
Only after the camera goes down (on my trumpet case) can you hear me playing.
Tooooo bad it wasn’t the SoulPower2011line. That would’ve been epic. (I’ll put that line up in a later post so that you have some idea about what I’m talking about)
ANYWAY, this clip is very near and dear to my heart; it really documents a place and time.

The sub plot of the Tanjazz experience was that I met this fashion designer from Philly named Taji Naal. We met, We talked, We did a session, I did the music for his fashion show. Now it’s being turned into a documentary. More on that later.

It was an absolutely incredible trip in so many ways, but I’m actually really glad that it’s over! BECAUSE…

I came back to Slamsterdam and jumped right into the second segment of the Live Cinema residency at STEIM studio. I worked (a little too) hard to present 2011 Meditations on Eurydice (October 2nd, 2011 ).
So so so so much can be said about this performance.
I will have to go further in depth at a later date.
Highlights included; the string 4tet sounding amazing, late night conversations with jos about trusting artistic decisions, refining/smoothing the live cinema process into a science, the toe, the rug, the beverage being involved, and the toe.

Eventually, there will surely be an overload of propaganda concerning this performance on my official live cinema website:::
<< www.seanwinters.com/livecinema >>

Now I have officially transistioned into what I have come to term Fokker5000.
I’m back in Studio1, finishing the microtonal piece composed for the Fokker Orgel entitled “Ode Aan Het Ij” (premiered at the Gaudeamus Muziek Week in 2010.
I’m working on a stereo piece (1 for speakers, 1 for headphones), and a full on electro-acoustic 8 channel version.

Holy Moly.
Just writing all of this down has fried my egg.
Tomorrow is another big day.
must rest.
Tot ziens.

 

Morocco // Zuluwannsago

Zuluwannsago made it to the Tanjazz festival in Tangier, Morocco…
That to me is proof that G-d exists!
Traveling with this band is really like being part of a circus.
Only one bag, and allllllllllmost one passport were lost on the way here.
Thank the lord for that beautiful Spanish flight attendant.
Because of her one musician avoided being introduced to Africa by the police!
Oh yeah; how could I forget? We almost missed the first flight that left from Amsterdam.
I have no idea how road-managers do their job!?
Fortunately I’ve traveled enough to feel confident navigating HUGE airports and complicated scenarios encountered en-route…
Me, my trumpet, my crucials, and my luggage all made it here safe and sound.
Here’s Yusufu (I found out he actually has a ‘u’ at the end of his name on the plane) at the palace showing the ladies some dance moves. great moment : )

Maintenant, je vais parle francaise parce que je suis dans le morroc.
No no no no no, not enough energy for that right now.
demain peut etre.

Tomorrow night we play at the Tangier palace at 1am.
I really think it’s going to be one of the best shows we’ve ever played.
I’ve decided to make it my new mission to bring as much positivity to this group as I can.
I’m the youngest cat in the group so I can still get away with being a little naive ; )
It’s just sooo difficult being surrounded by sooo much negativity sometimes.
A few of the guys in the group are really religious, and I think it’s starting to rub off on me!
This morning the guitar player, Sam Sawadego, and I were discussing life…
It’s really easy to say that people SHOULD be a certain way;
It’s another thing to actually live your life like that.
Being kind, compassionate, trusting, and optimistic can actually be quite difficult!
There’s just so much stress/drama in this world sometimes!
It’s hard to know when to speak up, and when to just keep my mouth shut.
check this extract from the meeting we were having earlier today…
(yes, the meeting was on the beach; yes, it was glorious; yes, yes, yes)

my impression is as follows;
Yusufu is the fire; raw/un-tamable.
his energy is so intense that usually it just causes confusion.
but that is not HIS fault.
being a good listener can be invaluable when someone is trying to explain their ideas.
especially when they’re from a creative space.
listen.
listen.
LISTEN.
again, it’s easier to say than to do.

Anyway, www.zuluwannsago.com is officially online!
I put it up the day before we left.
It’s very far from perfect, but it’s up and running.
I hope it makes Yusuf’s life easier.
That guy works so hard; it’s about time he starts getting some back.

One Live,
sean

The making of Zuluwannsago.NL with Yusuf Nuweku

Went to Zaandam yesterday to work with Yusuf… spent all night filming him and working on the website. I’m realizing more and more how crucial it is for ALL artists to be able to wear ALL hats these days. Web development has become an almost everyday affair. SHED the modes, SHED the scores, and SHED html/css::: I really can’t stress this enough to any “artists in training” out there in the universe who might be reading this.

I’m working on www.zuluwannsago.nl for Yusuf so that the world can really see what a bada*s he is. Once the site is online the first thing you’ll see is the fruits of our labor last night in Zaandam in Yusuf’s basement. This guy has so many instruments in his arsenal. Would’ve taken two days to document him playing them all. I really learned a lot about Yus’s background in the process of making this video; turns out that he’s descended from a royal family of healers in Ghana. People would come from all over Ghana to be healed by his family. The best part was definitely learning that they actually use drums/rhythms (or “languages” as he calls them) to heal people who are in need.

After we finished the filming I turned on a mic so that Yusuf could record a voice-over for the video. Turned into a pretty deep moment. It was about 2am and a lightning/thunderstorm was slowly rolling in. At that point I wasn’t sure if I was recording a voice-over or deep wisdom that should surface in some type of dubstep crusher! It’ll probably end up in both : ) After I turned off the microphone, it was raining and Yusuf was in a really reflective mood. I started to type snippets of what he was saying:

——–>
sacrifice different things.
the drum holds everything.
you don’t understand it.
we don’t know nothing about it.
that’s how it works spiritually.
spiritual fighters, spiritual killers won’t shoot you.
they’ll find you when you’re sleeping.
the skin is slipping, it’s week.
only if you have that code,
that will fight your body back.
serious dreaming.
heart is beating.
that’s how things go.
it’s my house.
no monsters in my house.
hehehe.
sometimes people play the music with me.
but they don’t know who I am.
I teach them how to live live.
how to be faithful.
how to love one another.
don’t ever think bad about nobody.
be free minded.
live until you can’t live no more
if you see someone whose  95 years old.
it’s just the free mind, and the free heart.
no disease will come near the tent ever.
the free mind is powerful.
the free heart is powerful.
slowly the heart is getting weaker.
the mind is getting weaker.
not developing to be stronger.
you that you’re week.
very serious sickness.
nothing is going to happen.
be free in the heart and mind.
the worshiping.
who is the powerful?
——–>

ez,
sean

Amsterdam, Zuluwannsago, Morocco, Live Cinema, Microtonal Schenanigans

Well, here we go; the first official post on my brand spankin’ new blog — mixed feelings.
serious love/hate relationships with technology pervade my everyday life…
A sentiment that is shared by countless cats in my generation.
however, i’m usually more on the love side; hence the blog : )

Annnnyyyywwwaaaaayyyy,
I’m back in the slamster-dam, gearing up for Morocco with Zuluwannsago.
Yusuf Nuweku (the composer/bandleader) is one of the best musicians I’ve ever worked with.
He’s the fire. raw, un-rated.
Unfortunately, a lot of this world works off of more than universe juice.
I’m in the process of building www.zuluwannsago.nl with Yus so that he can start REALLY hustling the band.
a brief moment of poetry;;;

——>
feelings of entitlement lead to anger and frustration.
be thankful for what you have; not angry about what you don’t.
——>

Everyone in the band seems to be ready to bring the heat to the Tanjazz festival…
I just hope that we can all put aside our egos and play yusuf’s music how it’s supposed to be played.
You can see yus playing the sh*t out of a bunch of instruments in the below video… (Zuluwannsago is rehearsing at Hippo records’ headquarters in Amsterdam)
I really have nothing but respect and love for that man.
I once saw him eat an entire RAW ginger root (the size of a big hand) in the course of one rehearsal.
I’m definitely excited to go to Morocco with these cats.

In other SW related news…
I’ll be doing a two part Live Cinema residency at STEIM studios (www.steim.nl) in September/October…
And then another session at STEIM to finally finish what I’ve come to call “Fokker5000”
Right now I’ve just gotta end this post so that I can warm down on trumpet before I make tempura with Enrique Mendoza (enriquemendoza.net)
mmmmm… tempuraaaaa

vibrations to whoever might be reading this blog in whatever dimension they might be in.
One Love Universe!

ez,
sean