Let's Go See Her: 8½ Souvenirs and "Chez Yvette"

Today's random tune, Chez Yvette, is by 8½ Souvenirs. 8½ Souvenirs was an Austin band of the 1990s that disbanded about 2000. While called an American swing jazz band led by French turned American lead guitarist Olivier Giraud, it was clearly influenced by gypsy jazz and other European and Latin American styles. It's name came from the Fellini movie 8½ and the Django Reinhardt song Souvenirs. Chez Yvette is from 8½ Souvenirs' 1997 album Souvonica.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8%C2%BD_Souvenirs

Step Step Crazy: 8½ Souvenirs and "Tango Lunatico"

Today's random tune, Tango Lunatico, is by 8½ Souvenirs. You'll hear the typical tango beat, aggressive and lush reflecting the sexuality and machismo also associated with the dance, with a very prominent lead guitar (though electric, unlike the traditional tangos). 8½ Souvenirs was an Austin band of the 1990s that disbanded about 2000. While called an American swing jazz band led by French turned American lead guitarist Olivier Giraud, it was clearly influenced by gypsy jazz and other European and Latin American styles. It's name came from the Fellini movie 8½ and the Django Reinhardt song Souvenirs. Tango Lunatico is from 8½ Souvenirs' 1997 album Souvonica, and features Austin singer Julianna Sheffield on vocals.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8%C2%BD_Souvenirs

Major if Minor: 8½ Souvenirs and "Minor Swing"

Today's random tune is by 8½ Souvenirs, an Austin band of the 1990s that disbanded about 2000. While called an American swing jazz band, this group led by French-turned-American lead guitarist Olivier Giraud was clearly influenced by gypsy jazz and other European and Latin American styles. The band's name came from the Fellini movie 8½ and the Django Reinhardt song Souvenirs. This song, Minor Swing, is from 8½ Souvenirs' 1995 album Happy Feet.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8%C2%BD_Souvenirs

Always Love: 8½ Souvenirs and "L'Amour Toujours"

8½ Souvenirs, an Austin band of the 1990s that disbanded about 2000, is the performer of today's random tune. While called an American swing jazz band, this group led by French-turned-American lead guitarist Olivier Giraud was clearly influenced by gypsy jazz and other European and Latin American styles. The band's name came from the Fellini movie 8½ and the Django Reinhardt song Souvenirs. This song, L'Amour Toujours, is from 8½ Souvenirs' 1999 album Twisted Desire.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8%C2%BD_Souvenirs

Making Tortillas: Tish Hinojosa and "Las Marias"

Our random tune for today is by Tish Hinojosa, a south Texas Mexican-American singer-songwriter originally from San Antonio. Hinojosa sings traditional Mexican folksongs and her own compositions in both Spanish and English. She accompanies herself on guitar, playing right-handed even though she is naturally left-handed. This song, Las Marias, can be found on her 1995 album Frontejas.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Punching Holes: 8½ Souvenirs and "Le Poinçonneur Des Lilas"

Today's random tune is by 8½ Souvenirs, an Austin band of the 1990s that disbanded about 2000. While called an American swing jazz band led by French-turned-American lead guitarist Olivier Giraud, it was clearly influenced by gypsy jazz and other European and Latin American styles. The band's name came from the Fellini movie 8½ and the Django Reinhardt song Souvenirs. This song, Le Poinçonneur Des Lilas, is from 8½ Souvenirs' 1995 album Happy Feet. It was originally written and performed by the famous French performer Serge Gainsbourg. Released in 1958, it was his first successful song.

A Square in Brussels: 8½ Souvenirs and "Place de Brouckere"

Today's random tune is by 8½ Souvenirs, an Austin band of the 1990s that disbanded about 2000. While called an American swing jazz band led by French-turned-American lead guitarist Olivier Giraud, it was clearly influenced by gypsy jazz and other European and Latin American styles. It's name came from the Fellini movie 8½ and the Django Reinhardt song "Souvenirs." This song, Place de Brouckere, is from 8½ Souvenirs' 1995 album Happy Feet, and was originally recorded by Django Reinhardt. The song is set to this video of birthday parties of people I don't know - I'm just using the video for the song as it's the only version out there on the internet.

Love and Betrayal: Carrie Rodriguez and "Perfidia"

Our random song today is a Mexican classic. The artist, Carrie Rodriguez, comes from an artistically accomplished family - her father David was a Texan singer-songwriter, her mother Katy Nail is a painter, and her grandmother was Texas essayist Frances Nail. Carrie Rodriguez is a multi-instrumentalist, playing fiddle, mandobird and tenor guitar as well as singing vocals. She took up violin at an early age, and eventually won a scholarship to Oberlin Conservatory but it was on tour in Europe with her dad, and sitting through a sound check with Lyle Lovett, that led her to quit the conservatory and go out on her own. She has recorded with too many roots musicians to list in this short blurb, and has been honored by the city of Austin with a special yearly day for her work in advancing Austin's place as the "Live Music Capital of the World." This song, Perfidia, is a Mexican standard of love and betrayal that has been covered by numerous Mexican and American musicians. You can find Perfidia on Rodriguez' newest album Lola, released in 2016.

But Still Roots: Gina Chavez with Eliza Gilkyson and "Todo Cambio"

A Texan bilingual Latin folk singer, Gina Chavez is the 2014 John Lennon Songwriting Contest winner. Her range of styles include cumbia, bossa nova, vintage pop, reggaeton, and folk. Shye did a volunteer year in El Salvador and continues her work with the people there. She is joined on this song, Todo Cambio, by Austin-based folk singer Eliza Gilkyson, You can find Todo Cambio on Chavez' 2014 album Up.Rooted.

Tango Crazy: 8½ Souvenirs and "Tango Lunatico"

One my my current co-workers went through a tango phase. Once or twice each week he'd go to tango lessons. Part of the motivation was to meet people, especially single women, and part of the motivation was just love of the movement and dancing. He got to be relatively good - probably a mid-level tango dancer - but he would tell me the stories of the hierarchy that developed among tango dancers. The advanced students danced with the advance students, and would get annoyed at having to dance with a lower level student. The mid-level dancers would feel lucky if they managed to score a dance with a higher level dancer, but annoyed themselves if they got a beginner. And beginners? They were s*** out of luck unless a set of circumstances all came together in a perfect storm. This hierarchy of tango, along with its reputation as a dance associated with a more sophisticated, upper class set, seems to clash with the origin of the tango, which was developed in the slums of Argentina and Uruguay. But there is no denying its global reach. It is danced in various forms throughout the world, and some tangos even have countries' names associated with them or are very regional, such as the Finnish tango or the tango camacupense popular in Angola. Putumayo World Music devoted one of its world music compilations to tango from various parts of the globe. Even I learned a couple of tango moves, though the sum extent of what I know would last about 3 seconds on the dance floor.

So, tango's the reason for the big lead up to today's random tune, Tango Lunatico by 8½ Souvenirs. You'll hear the typical tango beat, aggressive and lush reflecting the sexuality and machismo also associated with the dance, with a very prominent lead guitar (though electric, unlike the traditional tangos). 8½ Souvenirs is an Austin band of the 1990s that disbanded about 2000. While called an American swing jazz band led by French turned American lead guitarist Olivier Giraud, it was clearly influenced by gypsy jazz and other European and Latin American styles. It's name came from the Fellini movie 8½ and the Django Reinhardt song Souvenirs. Tango Lunatico is from 8½ Souvenirs' 1997 album Souvonica.