Évidemment, les victimes, leurs familles, les sauveteurs auraient à objecter sur l’effet de réel. Le disque de quatre plages consacré à l’événement par Janelle Donovan (en compagnie de Tony Perrino, Joe Mele et Tom Murphy)12 est ainsi au plus près du terrain. Cet enregistrement de circonstance (dont les recettes d’exploitation seront reversées aux fonds ouverts au profit des familles des pompiers de New York victimes des attentats) évoque la cendre chaude sur les vêtements et les cheveux, le sacrifice humain des sauveteurs, le travail sur les ruines. When ladder 5 come through the door propose le témoignage d’outre-tombe, par l’une des victimes, de la mort des onze firemen qui, désobéissant à l’ordre d’évacuation, ont tenté de sauver une femme assise sur un fauteuil roulant : « In shaking walls and crumbling glass / They stayed with me until the last / And the last thing I could clearly see / Was a fireman trying to cover me ». Monahan’s old blue truck évoque le retour de leurs compagnons vers les ruines dans un vieux pick up fourni par l’un des leurs, pour rechercher les disparus. Si à son tour, la musicienne se réfère aux couleurs du drapeau, ce n’est pas comme Keith dans l’exhibition d’un étendard guerrier. C’est le recours au premier emblème auquel se rallier, quand il ne reste que ruines et désolation : « Blue is the colour of loyalty / And blue is the colour they rode / Red is the blood from the hands that dug / And white buckets carried the load ». Dans ce monde de souffrance et rédemption, la musicienne égrène ces mots avec sa voix si caractéristique : suave quand elle est maintenue dans le registre medium, aigre dès la montée à l’aigu, rêche lorsque le haut de la tessiture est associé à un léger forçage de l’émission. Ce ralliement à la bannière (ou la Cloche du souvenir qui retentit onze fois) doit être pris comme le God bless America que les personnages entonnent spontanément dans les dernières images de The deer hunter (Cimino), dérisoire ciment communautaire lorsque tout se fissure. De quoi contredire Lorca, qui voyait en New York le symbole de l’absence de toute fraternité (« mundo de ríos quebrados y distancias inasibles »13).
Si Janelle Donovan dit l’ici et maintenant du drame, Bruce Springsteen, dans une perspective consolante et une élévation mythique, rejoindrait plutôt la manière d’un William Styron, y compris dans l’emphase, par sa tentative d’exorciser le mal14. L’image sacrificielle de la disparition (Into the fire : « The sky was falling and streaked with blood / I heard you calling me, then you disappeared into the dust / Up the stairs, into the fire »),Obviously, the victims, their families, the rescuers would have to object on the effect of reality.English Translation (kind of...)
The disc of four songs devoted to the event by Janelle Donovan (in company of Tony Perrino, Joe Mele and Tom Murphy) 12 is thus closest to the ground. This recording of circumstance (of which the receipts of profit will be donated to the families of the firemen of New York victims of the attacks) evokes hot ash on clothing and the hair, the human sacrifice of the rescuers, work on the ruins. When ladder 5 as through the door proposes the testimony of in addition to-falls, by one of the victims, of died of the eleven firemen which, disobeying the order of evacuation, tried to save a woman sitting on a wheel chair: “In shaking walls and crumbling knell/They stayed with me until the last/And the last thing I could clearly see/Has fireman trying to cover me”. Monahan' S old blue truck evokes the return of their companions towards the ruins in an old man pick up provided by one as of their, to seek the missings. So in her turn, the musician refers to the colors of the flag, it is not like Keith in the exhibition of a warlike standard. It is the recourse to the first emblem to which to join, when there remain only ruins and desolation: “Blue is the colour off loyalty/And blue is the colour they grinds/Red is the blood from the hands that dug/And white buckets carried the load”. In this world of suffering and redemption, the musician shells these words with her so characteristic voice: suave when it is maintained in the register medium, sourness as of the rise with acute, rough when the top of tessiture is associated with a light forcing of the emission. This rallying with the banner (or the Bell of the memory which resounds eleven times) must be taken as God bless America which the characters spontaneously entonnent in the last images of The deer hunter (Cimino), ridiculous Community cement when all fissures. What to contradict Lorca, which saw in New York the symbol of the absence of any fraternity (“mundo of ríos quebrados there distancias inasibles” 13). If Janelle Donovan says here and maintaining drama, Bruce Springsteen, in a comforting prospect and a mythical rise, would rather join the manner of a William Styron, including in the emphase, by its attempt to exorcize the mal14. The sacrificial image of disappearance (Into the fire: “The sky was falling and streaked with blood/I heard you calling me, then you disappeared into the dust/Up the stairs, into the fire”),
Donovan Mele & Perrino: Press
Janelle Donovan Has The Holiday Spirit
By Don Wilcock for The Record, Troy, New York Merry Christmas!
“Should I be politically correct about this,” asks Janelle Donovan who’s just put out an album called Christmas Eyes? On the cover she smiles like a Cheshire cat dressed in red and surrounded by mistletoe and snow flakes. The packaging is all politically correct and generic, but the message is Christmas with a capital C. “Happy holidays” may be all encompassing, but the Janelle’s heart is bursting with a very specific Christian message.
“There are a lot of traditions going on this time of year,” explains this former Capital Region performer who now lives in California. “We have a huge global audience right now. So I certainly want to be as inclusive as I can, but I do love to say Merry Christmas.”
The album does just that. Half the songs, including “Christmas Love,” were recorded in 2001 with guitarist and bass player Joe Mele and keyboardist Tony Perrino at Perrino’s studio. The other half was recorded on the West Coast with violinist Mark Cargill and keyboardist Greg Cook.
One of the new songs, “Dancing Around the Tree with Santa” was inspired by a little girl in Janelle’s family. “She was two years old last Christmas and just the song in her heart made her prance about like a little reindeer. From her prancing is where I got the rhythm for the song. I just thought about how much fun she’d have if Santa actually showed up and could join her.”
“Christmas Eyes” offers a yuletide answer to the pain and suffering in a world reeling from economic hardship. “I was looking around me and noticing that everybody was feeling financial stress, and my hope was I really believe people in their hearts already know this about what’s important and about what’s really something worth treasuring in their life. That is their loved ones and the times they have together.”
She was inspired to write the song by watching the news on TV which has become a blame game. “I can’t feel very spiritual or very loving or connected if I’m embroiled in resentment and in trying to find people to blame. To be honest with you one of the people I was thinking of who seemed to get a lot of heat from the blame was President Obama. I was thinking about him and just how difficult it must be to hold up under all of that pressure from the first minute he walked into office.”
Janelle is a multiple Northeast Country Music Association award winner locally for her collaborative efforts with Tony Perrino and Joe Mele. She’s just as proud of her relationship with Mark Cargill and Greg Cook, pointing specifically to her scatting performance on “Good King Wenceslas.” “I looked at Mark with the headphones on my head, and he said, ‘Try some scatting at the end.’ I looked at him and said, ‘I can’t do it. Last time I did it, people laughed at me. People made fun of me.’ He said, ‘No, no, you can do it. I believe it. You can do it.’ It was very powerful to have him believe in me.”
Janelle’s Christmas spirit is pervasive and not merely a seasonal smile she turns on but rather a gift for the entire calendar. Past efforts have included Monahan’s Old Truck, a CD featuring interviews with fire fighting vets of 9/11 where proceeds went to the fallen firefighters’ families. She’s also does private tutoring for children with cerebral palsy and brain damage. “I get really enthusiastic responses. Music doesn’t feel like work to them suddenly. Just like for myself, it feels like a hot fudge sundae.
“Despite some of their many limitations they put a tremendous amount of effort forth working with a melody line or to use an old familiar melody and create lyrics to it. I’ve had some great moments in my life with those kids doing that.”
Janelle plans to put out a jazz album in the spring. Again, half of the project is with Tony and Joe and half with Mark and Greg. Neither pair has actually met each other, and Janelle feels like she’s got one foot in the east and one in the west. She admits she’s homesick for the northeast and says it’s her brother who works in TV in California who convinced her to move out there. As a child she used to follow him around everywhere.
“When he and his friends were playing Army, I wanted to join him and be a soldier, but he told me to go sit in the barn and be the nurse and wait for the wounded, but nobody ever showed up. I fell asleep in that barn waiting for the wounded.”
That should have been a clue right there.
“I guess so,” she laughs. “I used to try and play football with him and his friends, and I was so little the only thing I could do was jump on his friends’ back and hang there.”
See the video for “Christmas Eyes” on YouTube.
Callout:
“We have a huge global audience right now. So I certainly want to be as inclusive as I can, but I do love to say Merry Christmas.”
Don Wilcock
Editor-in-chief - BluesWax
Editor-in-chief - FolkWax
Contributing Editor - Blues Revue
Music writer - Troy Record
2008 The Blues Foundation's Keeping The Blues Alive in Print Journalism Award
518-347-1751 (office) 518-258-4373 (cell)
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Scotia, NY 12302
Story:
Joe Mele debuts regional super group
"It's just what I do," says Trojan guitarist Joe Mele about his new group, Joe Mele
Blues Band, debuting Saturday night at Troy's Ale House. "All the music you listen
to. It always reverts back to the blues.
"I'm not meant to sit in an office all day. I'm meant to be a musician." Mele's
partner in this new venture is Gary Brooks, who's been a professional musician since
he quit college in 1969 to go on the road with a Jersey rock band called The
Whispers.
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