Thursday, December 01, 2011

New TenGooz Album: LET IT GO released- Listen to it for free on Jamendo

The LONG wait is finally over- and all for a mere four songs!
Sorry, but its been a long hard, surgery, earthquake, house-moving,
picking up the pieces type of year.
Still we dont think you will be disappointed ( at least we HOPE not)!

On the first and third tracks we have beside Thomas, HaseG and myself- Julien on sax, and Mario on keyboards.

The last track- Oh, Yeah - is an old live recording we did with Jon Hicks on drums, Sagara Kenya on trombone, and Fumi Tanaka on guitar ( with HaseG and me, as well).


Have a listen and tell us what you think


You will find LET IT GO here:


http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/101825

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Lyrics to new TenGooz song- NO PLACE TO CALL HOME

As I have already reported, Hase G dropped by my place ( affectionately known as The Ice Palace),
with his bass and effect board and started improvising. The mood, as we sat amid the post-earthquake mess
was somber- or should I say solemn.

Anyway, we came up with a song (we have already recorded it in studio) for which I have written these lyrics.


No Place to Call Home

By HaseG and Avi Landau


I heard it comin`
first as a hummin`
Then like bass-strings strummin`
and now I dont have a place to call home


After that rumblin`
things started tumblin`
Now Im sittin` mumblin`
cause I dont have a place to call home

But no- you wont hear me cryin`
you wont find me poundin` on the floor
Guess I`ll pack up my ol` suitcase
and put my nameplate up on some new door


That night was freezin`
dust had us wheezin`
Those stars weren`t even pleasin`
now that I dont have a place to call home


No time for weepin`
with all that needed sweepin`
So few thinks left worth keepin`
and I dont have a place to call home

But no- you wont hear me gripin`
you wont hear me poundin` on the floor
Guess I think of myself lucky
compared to those who live nearby the shore

It all happened in a blinkin`
and it got me to start thinkin`
but I still aint got no inklin`
and I dont have a place to call home


Want our children growin`
dont want `em glowin`
Guess we should be goin`
and we dont have a place to call home


But its not easy leavin`
with all the memories and all I know
but those things will live inside me
and I`ll take them with me everywhere I go

(c) 2011

Saturday, May 14, 2011

New TenGooz Song? on Utube

Just about every time the Tengooz get together we come up with
new material.
I had been in New York for a week and had just gotten back to my eathquake damaged place in Tsukuba when HaseG,
The TenGooz singular bassist, popped over with his bass and synthesizers.

Sitting among the boxes and debris ( you can see the tv and computer on the floor so that that dont get thrown around by aftershocks),

G started to by something reminiscent of folk blues- on his bass!

I improvised a melody ( and some embarrassingly half-baked lyrics) with which we felt we captured the mood of these times- grim, yet hopefull.

We had a video recorder running, so you can hear the new piece, which will of course be transformed into something better ( especially lyrically),when we effectually record it in earnest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REzM-mUg0Hg&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Monday, March 14, 2011

The Ice Palace

The Ice Palace- Cracked but Still Standing

With its majestic views of Mt Tsukuba, and its mountains of books and ethnic knick knacks,
my house in Tsukuba, the Ice Palace, is always an exciting place to visit.
It also reeks of TenGooz and Xenophonia history, as Ascelin Gordon, Tom Debor and I first jammed there
back before September 11th.
Tengooz/Xenophonia classics such as Running, Infatuation, Kanashibari, Ofuro, Autophobia were all conceived of there and in fact some were recorded right in it Japanese ( TATAMI) room.

Last weeks earthquake left the old place looking as if a bomb hit it, on the inside and out! Inside the books cds and other memorabilia were scatters over the floor, while outside there were long cracks and fissures.

Fortunately however, city officials decided that there was still no danger of the beloved abode collapsing yet, so rest assured- more inspiration lies ahead for future songs.

Here is one of my favorites out of those we recorded in the house.
It features Ascelin Gordon on guitar and Ashish on tabla.
Enjoy Ananda:

http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/17121

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Books thrown off the shelves by the great earthquake at Tsukuba's Central Library

The TenGooz are safe and sound- though others, less fortunate are not

Greeting TenGoophiles around the world! Thank you for the outpouring of concern regarding our welfare since the terrible events of March 11th ( the earthquake).
Fortunately, we are all unharmed ( though we were VERY inconvenienced!).
We are, however, very distraught about the situation of others, especially in Miyagi Prefecture where damage and casualties have been the worst.

I have written a detailed report of what it has been like here in Tsukuba which can be seen at TsukuBlog:

http://blog.alientimes.org/2011/03/tsukuba-and-everyone-in-it-greatly-shaken-up-by-strongest-earthquake-ever-recorded-in-this-area/

You can also read about my gall bladder surgery!


Once again, thanks for your concern

and hope to hear from you soon!

Stay grounded in the groove


Avi Landau

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Welcome to the world Noemi !

The TenGooz are VERY PLEASED to announce the birth of Noemi Nova Frei who was born at the beginning of February to Michael and Rachel!
We wish the Freis all the best for a wonderful future!

What a great way for the TenGooz to start off the year!

We will post photos soon!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

RUNNING- The TenGooz (Xenophonia) Song that started it all

One night Ascelin Gordon of Melbourne Australia and Tom Debor of Pittsburgh, USA came over to my house in Tsukuba, which is affectionately and very justifiably known as the ICE PALACE.]

Tom played a bass line, Ascelin joined in on guitar, and then I joined in with an improvised lyric.
We knew we were onto something right away and the song eventually became a staple of our repetoire and a fan favorite with everyone running about the venue whenever we hit the chorus,

I guess the songs greatest moments were when Xenophonia turned to The TenGooz and we had Sagara Kenya on Trombone and Dr Ryutaro Kawakami on sax going head to head with Tanaka on the guitar.

Here are the lyrics:


Running


For days on end I had been cooped up in my room
My head enshrouded in dark clouds of gloom
The anguish that I felt
Was beyond description
Until my friend,my doctor,
Filled out a prescription

And I'm running
Running down the street
Running


Blisters tear my feet
And you're not gonna catch me
No you're never gonna snatch me
You're not ever gonna nab me
I don't think you're ever gonna grab me
I've gone far away
Sprinting all the way down Broadway

Up North in Tokyo Town the skies were dark and gray
And just like the wind-blown trash
My mind was in disarray
My woman I know she loves me but she driving me insane
So I bought a ticket and I boarded that jet plane

And I'm running
Running on the beach
Running
Hot sand burns my feets

Chorus

And we are running
Running in the driving rain
Running
Blood pulsing in our veins
Running till we fade away


Lyrics by Avi Landau

Listen to the Tengooz perform the song in this one-take recording:


http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/5858

HJ