Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox - Gunhild Carling: Jazz Bagpipe!

[thewayne]

Watch on YouTube

We saw Postmodern Jukebox in El Paso on December 2, and they are freaking AMAZING! Highly recommend them. Gunhild was one of three vocalist performing, and she is absolutely a hoot. I'm in the process of ripping six CDs that I ordered a week ago. For whatever reason, I pulled up some PMJ on YouTube and found her name and came across this particular vid and had to post it.

Among the pieces that she did in El Paso, she simultaneously played a trumpet AND an upright bass! She balanced the trumpet on her lips - I can't even bend my back/head back to do that - while picking the bass!

Very cool and impressive.

Anyways, if you like big band jazz, and modern(ish) songs set to big band jazz-type music, you really ought to go see Postmodern Jukebox if they swing by your neighborhood. From what I understand, they have two bands sweeping through the USA and one through Europe and the rest of the world!

Comments

[disneydream06]

OMg, that lady has energy. :o :o :o
Amazing talent on those bagpipes. :)
Hugs, Jon

[thewayne]

She's absolutely nuts!  I was looking at her web site, and her entire family is crazy talented in music.

[gingeriana]

I wonder how many "teams" they actually have... She was not in Montreal this last summer. Though the three ladies we've got were quite impressive too

[thewayne]

I have nine albums now, though one is kind of a waste: it was a double CD set of Christmas set, and one was solo piano jazz and not to my taste.  ANYWAY, I made a quickie play list of possible favorites and listened to them as I drove us back from the dentist this evening across the valley, it was quite nice.  Will definitely be buying more and keeping half an eye out for them returning.

[kaishin108]

I don't always like Big Band but she is really amazing! WOW, talk about being in tune with her band. Impressive!

[thewayne]

I absolutely love big band jazz from the '40s, it's always been a fave of mine.  And PMJ taking modern music and recasting it just really hits a sweet spot for me.  I'm going to be posting more of their vids as time goes by.

[felisdemens]

Oh yes! I didn't make it to any of their recent shows, but they put on a great show. If you like them try Pink Martini, if they come through your area.

[kaishin108]

Great!

[silveradept]

PMJ has an excellent show, and many of their pieces are hits and well-designed covers. They did a TED talk at one point about how what they're doing is playing the style, and it's a bit on the singers to figure out how to make the lyric work with the new style. It's not a simple trick, by any means, but PMJ and bardcore are basically doing the same thing.

[thewayne]

Interesting, a PMJ TED Talk!  I'll have to look for that.