http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RX25C0/ref=dm_dp_adp?ie=UTF8&qid=1255498422&sr=8-3 At once villain, hero, and observer, Ezra Axelrod is a gay cowboy falling in and out of love as he searchers for his place in the world. Ezra explores the universal themes of his generation—from identity and sex to politics and violence—by painting intimate, realist portraits of individual experience. He calls his style Vernacular Realist Song: vivid narratives characterized by gritty soulfulness and the stylings of a classical pianist.
Ezra grew up in a small, isolated town in the American West, privy to the stark contrasts, conflicts, and contradictions typical of such places. From an early age, he made sense of his complicated environment through music, engrossed in the works of Bach, Chopin, Albeniz, Ives and even John Cage. He realized that music could be a vehicle for discussing the controversial issues of his community and started penning songs at age 10. He established himself as a gifted songwriter early on, performing for his middle school, high school and at the local university, standing out as a social commentator committed to addressing serious issues in his music.
Ezra studied voice, composition and piano at Middlebury College, in Vermont, before moving to London in 2008. Upon arrival in the UK, Ezra soon found himself swept up by a career as a songwriter, recording artist and performer. He recorded his first EP, The Enfield Sessions, with former Jamie Cullum bassist Jules Jackson in November of 2008. He spent the following months giving concerts around London with a small band consisting of cello and guitar. Longing to be in front of his piano again, Ezra returned to a solo piano-vocals arrangement during the summer of 2009 and signed with manager Aubrey Dobson.
In July, he recorded his second EP, Patria, and a single entitled Around Here. A compilation of Ezra’s London recordings was released by his manager’s record label Nicely Done Records in October 2009, the launch held at the prestigious Green Carnation Club in Soho. Ezra has also performed at other landmark London venues like 93 Feet East in Brick Lane, The Cobden Club and the George IV Jazz Club in Chiswick.
Ezra Axelrod delivers a set, (actually two sets, but they go together pretty well), of songs for piano and voice. On most tracks, he adds stand-up bass and drums. There are some overdubbed vocals, which allow him to add chorus vocals. And that’s it. This results in songs that are subtle but intense. My regular readers know of my bias against oversinging, and that would be a disaster here, in such a spare setting. And given that Axelrod has studied opera performance, he certainly could do it. But Axelrod knows that this is his setting, and he knows how to make this work brilliantly.
The piano is featured, with the bass adding depth and occasional counter melodies. The drums are mostly played with brushes, providing a subtle pulse. Axelrod’s voice is a smooth baritone with a bit of a catch to it, that he controls perfectly. He also uses a light falsetto here and there. Axelrod puts over quite a range of emotions with his singing. Signal presents a man who has been injured and is drifting into shock; Axelrod’s singing makes this believable. Reinvention presents a man who is on the outs with his lover, but in the course of the song, they are reconciled and there is the promise of a new beginning; you can hear all of the intermediate shifts in emotion in Axelrod’s performance. Elsewhere. Axelrod conveys irony, resignation, anxiety, and even bittersweet nostalgia.
Axelrod conceived the three songs that make up Patria as a song cycle. The setting is some unnamed Latin American country. The songs are about the human cost of war. They are not political. There is no mention of what the war is about. Rather, Axelrod is interested in what the war does to those who become caught up in it. There are details missing, which make these songs impressions rather than stories. A man who has left his own country to join “the cause” reaffirms his loyalty to that cause after his capture; the people of his native land are now the enemy. Two brothers, one seriously wounded, emerge from a shelter into a city that has been bombed out of existence, and wonder if their signal for help has been heard. And a group of men find themselves on the losing side of a revolution fought to undo the revolution that was won by their fathers. These are big issues, but Axelrod narrows them down to the affects on individuals. He avoids the trap of sermonizing about the evils of war; he simply presents his characters and lets them speak.
The Enfield Sessions is a set of five songs with no overarching theme. But some of the songs echo each other in theme, and even have thematic connections to the Patria songs. People leave their familiar settings. We saw this in Patria, with the man who goes to join the cause. Now, in Father, we meet a son whose been trying to reunite with his father; the father seems to be a man who can never stay in one place for very long. And This Town gives us a man whose parents have been taken away after the father committed a murder; the son must leave the town himself, or live with the damage to his reputation. And just as Patria suggests broken dreams, Southern Way tells the tale of a man who sought fame in Hollywood, but instead found a life that was all too real. But, even taking Patria and The Enfield Sessions as one album, Reinvention is the closest thing to a story. Here, Axelrod describes a pair of lovers who are both writers; they read each other, and their relationship deepens. But there comes a point where they seem to break it off; when they reconcile, their relationship seems to have gained a new strength.
So, Axelrod explores some emotional territory you don’t usually see covered. There are some great images here, but also there are songs where I supplied my own images, based on what I was hearing. That hardly ever happens to me, so it is very much to Axelrod’s credit.
Bonjour Thanks for the friendly add I like your musical universe and very god sound Best wishes from France (Follow me on twitter.com/pascal95 ) Pascal
Thank you for the friendship. You and your fans might also enjoy the music of Gabriel Kahane. I posted a review of his self-titled album on my blog, Oliver di Place. The songs are still up. Come have a listen, and let me know what you think.
WOW EZRA! Great MUSICCCCC! Really a "MORNING NEWS"...to me! I loved the vocals, the orchestration and your voice very well placed in the track! The mood of the song is perfect! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
We've got acoustic and band shows available at The Corner House in Cambridge. Message here or email acousticstage@hotmail.com if you're interested in a show or have another enquiry.
Hi Ezra! Nice to meet you! How are you? I visited your profile and I like your music, it's quiet. Ok, hope you have an excellent week! KeEp ThE MuSiC aLiVe.
Online!
