From New York to London and now to Los Angeles…
The duo project, from Annabel (lee) and Richard E, invokes the haunting classicism of Claude Debussy and Erik Satie, intermingled with the quiet folklore of Nick Drake and Joni Mitchell, drenched with the classic jazz of Miles Davis and Billie Holiday.
Annabel and Richard met via opposite sides of the globe; she, a New York-based, self-proclaimed lost creative soul, was searching for a way out of the madness of monotony, singing jazz and cabaret standards by the numbers; he, a London-based Yorkshireman, was a highly respected though discontented dance music arranger/producer who knew it was only a matter of time when he would chance upon the river of uncharted waters.
Finding one's true voice can take what feels like centuries, although well worth the wait. Is it more appropriate' for jazz, classical, folk, or some mysterious type of cabaret? The answer lies perhaps somewhere in the midst. From the layers of the symphonic to the intimacies of the acoustic, Annabel (lee) suffuses all with melancholy magic.
Explore Annabel (lee)’s and Richard Further Out’s music through the videos below plus a couple free song downloads immediately below! Prepare to fall in love.
After the videos please check out an interview Jazz Tonic did with Annabel (lee) and Richard E!
Just click on the following links to go to the downloads.
Richard E & Annabel (lee) - Wishlist - Further Out.mp3 (11.1 MB)
Jazzanova - I Can See (Richard E Mix) mp3 (12.5 MB)
Annabel (lee) London Trio Videos
This is actually a world premier of sorts as this video was finished just this week and this is the first place it has been posted. Richard E's Further Out Recordings presents the haunting biographical story of love lost resulting in inevitable self-destruction.
"1849"
"Far"
"I Will Lead Us"
"Move With Me"
"I Heard"
"My Mistake"
About the "My Mistake" Single:
During the course of writing and recording their upcoming debut album for the Annabel (lee) project of mellow, moody jazz, classical and folk stylings, (www.myspace.com/seachild) Richard and Annabel took a little time to explore their shared love of dance music.
My Mistake builds from a cooking jazz loop into a deep, club bossa tune featuring clavinet, flute and Annabel’s beautifully plaintive vocals. Already tested on the Jazz Cafe dancefloor by Dom Servini it caused quite the funky buzz!
Remixes come courtesy of a trio of unfeasibly talented multi-instrumentalist producers.
Scrimshire Mix: Producing music that fuses all his influences in jazz, soul, Latin and folk the rising star of Wah Wah 45s took time from working on his next album to create this wonderful mix for us. It emerges from earthy acoustic guitar and bongos into an Afrobeat journey with a pathfinding organ solo that will really take you there. Check his runnings at www.scrimshire.com and www.wahwah45s.com
Cortes Bossavantgarde Mix: Already appearing on Brazilution 5.6: Winter Edition and Girafe World Lounge, this warm, funky bossa nova version was created by Cortes, which is the mix-de-plume for Peter Shallmin, head of Kolonki Records based in cool Siberia! A seriously good label pushing a diversity of sounds from latin, funk and deep house to jazz lounge and electronica. Brushes, percussion, cuica, guitar and bass all played by the man himself. www.kolonki-recordings.com
Young David Mix: Having played piano, keyboards and guitar in various groups, including a jazz orchestra and a 10-piece soul band, Young Mr D hails from Birmingham but now spins his magic out of Stockholm. Here he conjures up a hypnotic deep house mix pulsating with warm technology. Check out his awesome new Bubble EP on Universal Vibes. www.universalvibes.com
The following are several videos from Richard E. Further Out's other published work on Further Out Recordings plus some remixes and edits from Richard.
"Hear Me Now" - A funky Afrobeat re-working.
"Sometimes I"
Solar Apple Quarktette - "Soho By Night"
Solar Apple Quarktette - "Music Is Our Universe"
Solar Apple Quarktette - "Do You Love Me To"
Fabio Nobile - "Back With You" (Richard E Mix)
Bossa Futura - Sol y Luna (Sidewinder Paulistano Version)
Alessandro Oliviero - "Higher Skies" (K-Scope Mix)
Jung Collective - Disappear (Richard E Mix) - Nanny Tango
Jazz Tonic jumped at the opportunity to ask Annabel (lee) and Richard E. about their music, Jazz and where they are taking their music. Learn more about these extremely talented recording artists in their own words.
Jazz Tonic: Where do you think the re-emergence of Jazz music within electronic music comes from in the last couple of years and where it's headed in 2011?
Richard E: I wouldn’t necessarily say it re-emerged in the last couple of years inasmuch as it’s constantly been around since the late 60’s, like a calm but steady wave with currents that, every now and then, come forth to the shore. Mr Scruff with his ”Get A Move On” track helped create a new genre of electronic swing jazz music followed up by the likes of Parov Stelar. St Germain sampled Blue Note in a house context to wonderful effect. Jazz references inject a little something extra, some earthy spice into modern productions.
Current artists like Amy Winehouse help solidify the importance of its continuance, when collaborating with guys like Mark Ronson. If anything, he learns from her how vital the history of jazz is and how effective and distinct the combination can be when presented to a younger, pop-laden audience. As a little heads up for my dj set at Jazz Tonic I’m gonna be dropping the original track that Scruff sampled for his tune….
Jazz Tonic: Annabel, your influences seem to run deep, you can hear the depth in your voice. What are some of your top Jazz influences and what are some of the more obscure or unlikely influences?
Annabel: Thanks...my top jazz influences are primarily instrumentalists (not that the voice is NOT an instrument...but you get what I'm saying!) Artists such as Coltrane, Bill Evans, Miles (they each bring tears, which is perhaps where the “depth” comes from)...I'm heavily influenced by the brilliant Betty Carter (highly underrated, an overall magnificent 'vocal composer'/arranger)...As a youngster, the obvious were the blueprint: Sarah, Ella and Billie...then along came Joni Mitchell (good God!)...I believe it's that vulnerability I identify with...along with the combination of jazz and folk (audio bliss, I call it)…Nina is a mainstay, a big ‘duh’. Of course when this interview is over, I'll remember someone else and curse myself while scratching my nails on a chalkboard...lol
The obscure/unlikely? Definitely Erik Satie, Claude Debussy (my resting pulse is 43, what can I tell you?!)...Nike Drake (big time), Jeff Buckley, John Martyn, whose music and vocal approach I love dearly...I find Robert Flack 'peacefully powerful'...along with Donny Hathaway (I learn how to 'breath notes' from them both, particularly Donny)
Jazz Tonic: Annabel, where and how did you first start to realize that you had this amazing voice?
Annabel: Wow...that's a frighteningly imposing question...I'll gladly accept the compliment, though!...Actually when I started on myspace, posting songs...particular comments (aside from the usual...'you sound great' that every singer reads!) such as someone saying something to the affect that my voice was like water pouring down a quiet stream (i've had a couple of 'water' references/comparisons); someone else equated it with Absinthe (that can't be bad!)...but the one that always sticks with me is when someone said that i sounded like a 'sad ghost' who went through so much suffering, but underneath there was a hint of faith that things would get better (not in the lyrics, but in the actual sound of my voice) and that it made this listener feel hopeful...I then realized that, rather than 'amazing', it had an emotional impact...which I find more complimentary.
Jazz Tonic: Richard, you seem to slip into much of your production a spaciness or ambience. Where does this aesthetic come from?
Richard E: I love atmosphere in music and being “transported” to other worlds. So I think part of it must be aspiring to those moments of other’s music that has sent shivers down my spine.
A big influence on that would be my love of film soundtracks. There’s a particular freedom in composing for film which promotes experiment and ambience. One is allowed to be creative without the commercial constraints of normal song/tune structure. Some of Quincy Jones’ most amazing work was for film. Marvin Gaye’s soundtrack for the film “Trouble Man” stands alongside “What’s Going On” as his greatest achievement and the project he was most proud of.
Jazz Tonic: Why the move to Los Angeles from London and what do you hope to accomplish here?
Annabel: I'd been away from L.A. (my place of birth) for what seemed like a hundred years...and simply wanted to 'come back home' and be near my family (although I'm having second thoughts about that now...just kidding!). But I also wanted to know how residents here would receive my sound. I'd often been told that I'd be more successful in Europe (which is not a bad thing, believe me!), but I saw the success of artists like Goldfrapp (I'm speaking of their Felt Mountain debut). Even though they're Brits (like Richard), American audiences and critics loved them...and I felt we are on a similar creative wavelength (ala Felt Mountain), so why not?! Plus I've apparently got that Billie Holiday thing, so that combination made sense to spread my wings Stateside.
Richard E: From the West Coast jazz scene to artists like The Doors, Crosby Stills Nash and Young and Joni Mitchell, LA has always held a fascination for me as a place where musicians seem to find a place of inspiration and freedom. And I’ve already lived four UK summer’s since arriving in May 2010!!
Jazz Tonic: What is Further Out Recordings about, what is its focus?
Richard E: Further Out began as a club night in Soho, London in the late 90s. I was listening to a lot of 70s jazz fusion and finding some heavy breaks with a mix of traditional jazz sounds and (for the time) cutting edge electronics. Tracks I’d never heard in a club but felt people would really dig if they came with an open mind. I also felt there was a direct link between jazz drumming and the electronic sounds of fusion and the complex beat programming of drum & bass and wanted to explore that also in a club setting. Check Herbie Hancock’s Death Wish soundtrack (http://www.youtube.com/watchv=Dc4w79zqF60) as one of my big influences and also a HUGE influence on me was a UK jazz fusion band called Nucleus led by trumpeter Ian Carr. He was grounded in traditional jazz but totally open minded about it’s future. www.iancarrsnucleus.net
I had the honor of getting to know him, and organizing and promoting two Nucleus concerts in 2000 and 2006. He made possibly his last recording for my band Solar Apple Quarktette in 2001 for our track “Kali Yuga”. The main break is actually from one of his own tracks (which he was totally cool with) and his playing is sublime! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IqOU10IcwQ
He also happens to have written what is considered by many as the best biographies of Miles Davis and Keith Jarrett. Check this Nucleus tune, Roots… he always worked with heavy rhythm sections… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crmCSnPxWAo
My music partner, Martin Christy, and I put on the club nights and at the same time were composing and sending out demos to record labels. We recorded under the names of Solar Apple Quarktette and Neptune Alpha Base Massive. They were all complimentary but cautious, so we decided to put up the money to press up 250 seven inch singles and I personally took them to a dozen of the best independent records stores in London. From that we got a distribution deal with Kudos for our future releases.
Suddenly we had our own label! So really the label reflects what we were doing with SAQ… honoring our influences while trying to be original. Exploring our love of jazz, bossa, house, broken beat, lounge, hip hop, downtempo, soundtrack, soul, funk, folk, African and world music etc... Mixing and matching genres and trying to create music that lasts beyond the “in-thing”. In 2005 Martin retired from music production to focus on fine chocolate! Check his site www.seventypercent.com.
Since then I’ve put out releases by a couple of other great artists, Bossa Futura and Alessandro Oliviera, but the main focus is having a conduit for my own music without having to compromise. I like being in charge of the whole process including artwork and promotion. The music I’m now making with Annabel is what I’m most proud of. We are separately very good, but something special seems to happen when we collaborate. I could die tomorrow feeling happy that I have created something of worth in the world.
-JT
To find out more about Annabel (lee), Richard E. Further Out and Further Out Recordings explore the following links.
http://www.reverbnation.com/seachild
http://www.myspace.com/richardefurtherout
http://www.myspace.com/seachild
http://www.myspace.com/furtheroutrecordings
http://www.myspace.com/solarapplequarktette
http://www.myspace.com/djsaturn06