Take on Music - Introducing Gachpaj Jazz Band

My last post was on photography. I got carried away though...and talked about everything, as if that never happens! Let me touch on music a bit...

I want to focus on a new band from Sharif University in Tehran. They only have a few track at this point. Let me warn you if you don't like Jazz, or Jazz fusions, you may not enjoy them. They are called G.CH.P.J (gachpaj) and they are neither professional, nor famous. There is one song though...Funeral...that just (Here's the link to download the music from their page.)

It's quite interesting the first couple of times that you listen to it...the lyrics seem satiric with a skeptical attitude towards life...the lead vocalist shouts: "Che Fayede, che fayede" which I guess best translates to: "Alas, alas, it's no use anymore. It's gone."

There is strong dry humor present seemingly from the cries, shouts and moans. It's in a recording room, but it's obviously a practice session. Still all that even makes it more real, more honest, and more into your face...It seems a lot like something that Namjoo would do (I got more on why Namjoo would probably never again do something as good, but that for later.) The tunes are catchy, and they get into your head...and in the few seconds after the last note is played the bunch shout and laugh loudly. There are countless elements of genuine feelings and impressions that you can get from this piece. It makes sort of connect easier with the artists's mood through their artwork.

There is another version of the same song, Live outdoor performance somewhere on University campus. This time, in the end of this version the lead vocalist says: "[we] dedicate [this song] to Amir, who is no longer among us."

Suddenly things 'make sense'...Notice the phrase I used here spontaneously...and quite carelessly. Things have started to fall into a logical framework when we found out that...all that general mood of frustration towards something that could not be changed that the track transfered the first time is indeed because the artists are frustrated at something that they can't change back. This is what I meant before when I said: "whether an art-form is about something or not, its artistic nature is not tied in what the art-form is actually about."In the case of former track, the emotions are strong enough, though the music composition is certainly not the best, that combined with the general mood of artists, and laughters after the practice, the piece conveys a feeling to you, it shows off, moving you slightly at least.

The song did make sense from the beginning, it's just that for a piece of art or music to make sense it doesn't have to be logical. It is just supposed to transfer its mood to you. It just has to show off to you its 'being' an art-form either with the mood of the original artist, or in the mood that your context of facing the art-form creates for it (Rap music track chiz is an example of this latter case, considering that it was made before the elections in Iran, but rose to prominence after when people started joking for Mousavi's lack of fluency due to his overuse of the half-word 'chiz.')