Teo Macero (1925 -2008)

Teo Macero produced various Jazz classics for Columbia Records - including the entire Miles Davis Columbia recordings as well as the first Lounge Lizards album. Magnificent!

Alain Robbe-Grillet and Alain Resnais' "Last Year at Marienbad"

Alain Robbe-Grillet (1922-2008)

A great film ...

...written by this man, Alain Robbe-Grillet, who also wrote great novels.

TamTam Books' Tribute to the Late and Great HENRI SALVADOR

Henri Salvador was one of the last links to the Boris Vian era as well as the Saint Germain-des-Prés boho scene circ. late 1940's. A wonderful singer and a great guitarist, Salvador had the charm to become one of France's top entertainers as well as the first one (with the help of Boris Vian) to make a rock n' roll record in France. And with that in mind Vian and Salvador
had a close personal and working relationship. They wrote a ton of songs together and were very close friends.


Vian with Sartre and Vian with Salvador

For me personally I have become a huge fan of Salvador's music via the world of Vian. The following albums down below are some of my favorite recordings of his:



The first mighty recordings of Henri. He meets Vian during these years.



Henri before he enjoys the rock. More jazz and pop mood.



The first collection of Henri doing 'rock n' roll' with a few Vian/Salvador tunes plus Vian's A&R on this album.



An early EP by the great man.


This maybe my favorite Henri album. It is just him, his electric guitar, stand-up bass and light drumming. Kind of laid-back and very sexy. Vian A&R on this record as well.



Sort of a greatest hits collection but focusing on his jazz recordings.



A tribute album to his friend Boris Vian. Recorded sometime in the 60's. Essential of course.



Another cool single by Henri.

And now see Henri move and shout:


Juanita Banana


Le travail c'est la santé


Minnie Petite Souris
Twist


Pubblicita americana (pretty funny)


Henri Salvador, you shall be missed!

The Dead All Have The Same Skin (Book Cover)

Boris Vian's (Vernon Sullivan) THE DEAD ALL HAVE THE SAME SKIN

TamTam Books is proud (as usual) to announce the publication of Vernon Sullivan’s (or better known as Boris Vian) masterpiece of noir-gone berserk – “The Dead All Have The Same Skin” (Les morts ont tous la meme peau).

Written one year after the controversial (putting it mildly) “I Spit on Your Graves,” you think Vian would have known better. But no, he decided to do another violent shocker that is ripped out of today’s (or was it all in my head?) headlines. This surreal masterpiece of ‘dark’ writing is about Daniel Parker who is a bouncer in a drink hell bar hole somewhere in New York City (Vian, a French man never been to the States) who is blackmailed by his long lost brother who is black and threatens him to tell the truth about his brother’s racial blood. Parker is not going to take that. His life, by that admission, becomes a tipsy topsey one-way ticket to hell.

If that is not enough it also includes a short story by Vian “Dogs, Desire, and Death” which is an erotic tale of a bad girl, a helpless driver, and the need for destruction and sexual release.

And no not even that is not enough; we have a small essay or more like a rant by Vian regarding the history of his first controversial shocker “I Spit on Your Graves.” And not only that, but also a thoughtful and informative introduction by Marc Lapprand.

Translated from the French by Paul Knobloch. Tom Recchion did the design work.

The book is 122 pages.

978-0-9662346-5-7

“The Dead All Have The Same Skin” will be released April 2008

TamTam Books' Tribute to Shuji Terayama (Part One)

Shuji Terayama is probably one of the most interesting figures to come out of Post-War Japan. He’s up there with Yukio Mishima, but I don’t think one could separate Terayama from his time period.

At the time Tokyo arts were going big-time in the sixties. A lot of great stuff was being produced during this period, and Terayama was one of the great figures of that era. He was a writer, playwright, filmmaker, poet, visual artist, graphic artist and essayist.

For information on him in English, go here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuji_Terayama

Here are some of his artworks and images.













Here are some of his films. And don't be afraid of the language, they're visual treats. Trust me on this!


Emperor Tomato Ketchup (Excerpt 1) (1971)


Emperor Tomato Ketchup (Excerpt 2) (1971)


Emperor Tomato Ketchup (Excerpt) 1971


Movie Guide For Young People Blue Screen (1974) A masterpiece!
Trailer for "To Die in the Country (1974)


A still from one of his films


A shrine to Shuji Terayamam

TamTam Books' Tribute to Korla Pandit

Korla Pandit maybe a required taste type of artist, but there is something so powerful in his music and of course image. While working on my memoir I often play the album down below that just came out on El Records. It's a superb collection of his music that was recorded sometime in the early 50's.



I have a faint memory of seeing his TV show, but it must have been a dream of some sort. As a family we didn't have a TV set till the late 50's or early 60's. So I must have seen some of this footage on a TV show about early programming. I am not sure but I think the footage down below was a show only for the Los Angeles market.



The opening number to his TV show.

They said women were under his spell while watching this show. I would like to think that was true.


"Miserlou" 1951


"Kumar"

I met him briefly in the 90's Both of us were at a party for Buzz Magazine. I felt strange meeting an icon from my childhood.

TamTam Books' Tribute to Glenn Gould

Glenn Gould is an artist that has been pretty much part of my life. I don't think I have ever lived in a household where there wasn't a Glenn Gould recording somewhere within 10 feet away from me. The intense beauty of his piano playing is hypontic as well as sensual.

As you can see in this film footage:


Young Glenn Gould Plays Bach

Gould refused to play for a live audience sometime in the late 50's. He felt the live stage wasn't the proper place to make music. Instead he focuses on making music in the recording studio (his favorite medium), radio broadcasts, and some TV work


Gould - Bach's Brandenburg Concerto

Watching Gould play Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto you can see all the passion in his face. It sort of reminds me of the famous Georges Bataille image in "Tears of Eros" of the Chinese man being tortured to death and his face has that bliss expression.




Gould has the same expression. See the film:


Glenn Gould: Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto

Glenn Gould talks about the process of the recording studio and how recordings are so different from the live perspective.



Probably one of the most interesting articles Rolling Stone published was the interview with Glenn Gould by Jonathan Cott.
Soon after the publication of the interviews in the magazine it became a book.




One of the many interesting things he brings up is his love for Tony Hatch's "Downtown" performed by Petula Clark.



It seems to be the only pop song he liked....

TamTam Books' Tribute to Edgard Varese

While shopping at a record store, I came upon a CD that brought memories to me. It was Edgard Varése's "Complete Works of Edgard Varése, Volume 1." My parents had this record in their collection and played it all the time.



So I have been playing this album non-stop, and I just want to share this experience with you. The record label is él Records out of London. Meanwhile here are some visuals with Varése's great music.


"Poeme Electronique" Music by Edgar Varése; film by Le Corbusier/Xenakis. 1958


"Ionisation" Edgar Varése


"Ionisation" Edgar Varése; peformed by Pierre Boulez & Ensemble InerContemporain


"Density 21.5 (1936) Edgar Varése; (Not sure about the performer or where it took place)

Merry Xmas from TamTam Books

There is something so beautiful with these short films, I just want to share them with you on this holiday morning.

Ciao,

Tosh
TamTam Books



Bonzo Dog Band "Hunting Tigers"


Jacques Tati "Playtime" (Excerpt)


Jean Cocteau's "Blood of a Poet" (Excerpt)


Sparks's "Dick Around" (classic music video)

Actual Film Footage of the great French Poet Guillaume Apollinaire

With music by Léo Ferré



Apollinaire reading his poem le pont Mirabeau


Apollinaire's Poetry

TamTam Books' Tribute to Serge Reggiani

Serge Reggiani was very much a huge movie and stage star in France. But I am also a huge fan of his music. His voice sort of reminds me of Bryan Ferry. But that's a very superficial observation! What we have down below are some documentary footage as well as Reggiani singing one of his great songs, "Le Petit Carçon."



Serge Reggiani singing Boris Vian, plus other footage


"Le Petit Garçon"


A Documentary on Serge Reggiani


"Ma Liberté

My Favorite Music For the year 2007

It is that great time of the year when we all make the best of 2007 list for films and music. Which in theory is great, but honestly I don’t like any of the new stuff that much. I could list David Lynch’s “Inland Empire” as one of the best films, but in reality it was THE ONLY NEW FILM that I thought was interesting. So I am going to do a two-part thing. I am going to list my favorite albums this year…. That was actually recorded years ago, except for a couple of exceptions. This is music that was played in my studio while working away on projects, etc. I will do films tomorrow or the next day

Music:


Les Rita Mitsouko “Variéty”


Idil Biret “Chopin: Complete Piano Music (Etudes)


Andre Hodeir “L’écume des jours” Soundtrack to Boris Vian’s “Foam of the Daze”


Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band “The History of the Bonzos”


V.A. “Le Meilleure De Boris Vian”


Chantal Goya “Les Ann+Es 60”


Charlotte Gainsbourg “5:55”


Cream “The Very Best of Cream”


Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich “The Legend Of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich”


Dirk Bogarde “Lyrics for Lovers”


Electric Light Orchestra “No Answer” (with Roy Wood)


Ennio Morricone/Gruppo Di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza “nova musicha n.9; Musica su Schemi”


Graham Gouldman “The Graham Gouldman Thing”


Jack Nitzsche “Chopin '66”


Jacques Dutronc “Madame l'Existence”


Juliette Greco “Si Tu T'imagines”


Michel Legrand “Le cinéma de Michel Legrand (Nouvelle Vague)”


Scott Walker “And Who Shall Go to the Ball? And What Shall Go to the Ball? – EP”


Sparks “Hello Young Lovers”


Sigue Sigue Sputnik “21st Century Boys”


Thurston Moore “Trees Outside The Academy”

...And not in any order mind you!