Paris Anthem aka
La suite de “Paris Anthem” 16mm film,
A life event on the invitation by Emma Lavigne & the Paris Jazzfestival

avec Mike Ladd & Magali Léger
+ special guests :

Alain Mabanckou (ecrivain)
Nelly Oyonno (soul singer/ chanteuse de soul)
Pascale Obolo (filmmaker)
Damfe Diallo (musicologue/photographer)
Raphaëlle Bassene (actrice)

Présenté dans le cadre de JAZZ à la Villette
Samedi 13 septembre 2008

Communiqué de presse (pdf 64 ko)


Dans un hommage à Miles Davis, Caecilia Tripp réactualise le regard passionné que les artistes plasticiens n'ont cessé de poser sur le jazz.

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4 musicians from different musical universes but all living in Paris
play an interpretation of MILES anagram SELIM
from his album dedicated to the African-American boxer Jack Johnson,
the first black world champion who as Miles left US States
of segragation to live some time in embracing Paris.
SELIM also relates to a composition by the Brazilian composer
Pascual Hermeto.

The performance goes from spoken word artist Mike Ladd
who comes from experimental jazz and afro-punk,
to the challenging young opera singer Magali Léger.
Miles ghost is accompanied by the John Coltrane soul of saxophonist
Jean-Jaques Elangué and the sweet voice Nelly Oyono soul singer .

Miles has always been about innovation,
New forms and new sounds
He saw box as a form of art
And art as a form of box,
to GO AHEAD.

A film installation of two projections accompany the performance
which captures two different moments : “Off-Screen” the act of creation
backstage with the musicians and “Go Ahead” with a repeated boxing
gesture as the base between protection and opening of the space in between
oneself and the world.

The two actors from “Paris Anthem” film dedicated each one a poem to “Paris Anthem aka”: Pascale Obolo (filmmaker) wrote a poem about African cinema related to Miles involvement into Cinema by his film score for Louis Malle “l`ascenseur pour l`échaffaud” and his film score for the documentary on Jack Johnson. Damfe Diallo (musicologist & photographer) wrote a poem on the crossed histories of “jazz” between African roots and European music.

An extract by Mike Ladd (NY/Paris):
“History, I'll say it again
history is the whale, the ocean
never forgotten
not within us. when ignored
it shudders, the quakes
it is our sea our tectonic plates.”