Jac Zinder
Chairs I Have Known
(Catasonic 006)
Rarely does one find a unique talent in the midst of this new crop of "Proto-lounge". Many are simply replaying the sounds of years gone by; few are creating something new in the style. Then along comes Jac Zinder. His vision pours forth from every track in this disc. Not simply and homage to the exotic style, this represents a new exotica. Zinder described this music as "'60s Italian spy movie soundtracks done by a fifth grade jazz-rock combo." Perhaps accurate, this music contains much more than cheesy instrumentation and amateur chops. It breathes the genius of Zinder...a twisted genius taken from us all on Thanksgiving eve 1994 by a drunk driver.
This CD will be Zinder's only release, and bittersweet for that...we will never know where this might have lead. Jac was born on February 27, 1961. When Zinder was in high school, when everyone was buying Eagles and Aerosmith, Jac was in 99-cent bins with Mike Douglas and Liberace records that no one but a few housewives from Woodland Hills understood. For years he kept a crumpled photo of Jerry Lewis on his dashboard. His columns for the LA Weekly gave press to world music, jazz, and lounge when no one else would. His clubs would be the first of the new lounge wave. As promoter of Fuzzyland, he was the first in L.A. to book such acts as Combustible Edison. His stints as a DJ still remain legendary.
Chris Handsome, Jac, Kira Vollman
The music on this CD documents Jac's stints with Stay Home and Bufadora. Jac's cheesy keyboards infuse the loose jazz-rock sounds of these combos with a sort of "lounge noir" feel. Not fond of rehearsing, Jac's performances here carry a sense of spontaneity and improvisation. This collection spans a number of years and styles, but Jac's presence connects all the tracks like a demented twisted thread.
The Musicians in and around Stay Home and Bufadora
Jac Zinder - Lowery, Yamaha DX-21 synth, Mellotron, Casiotone, vocalsAlex Boehm - guitar, sitar, mandolin, lap steel guitar, trombone, accordian, tenor sax, trumpet, banjo, bass, guitar
Joseph Berardi - percussion, hand drums, finger cymbals, drums, castanets, wood blocks
Spencer Savage - drums, wood blocks, percussion
Kira Vollman - bass, background vocals
Jon Huck - bass
Robert Hirschberg - drums
Lucija Kordic - vocals
Meena Nanji - sax
David Alex Settle - bass
Mauricio Figuls - drums
Chris Handsome - guitar, percussion
Kip Boardman - bass, guitar
Keith Mitchell - drums
Celeste Moreno - oboe
Mark Marcum - drums
KK Barrett - percussion
Track Listing
Intro/Real Cool Moslems...The Dentist...What Makes Kurt Weill?...The Partial Elegance Of Burnt Toast...Tango (1989)...Holiday For Mooks...It's Hot On Mondays...Pet Sounds...5/4 Of A Man...Walt's World...Hawaiian Block Party...When In Rome, Stay Home...Please Don't Offend Me...Cutting An Onion...Everybody Dance With Me...Dear Hearts And Gentle People...Tango (1984)...7 Theories Of Human Nature...Nirvana Breakdown...Wait...Cool...Filth...Children's Wire...Birdhouse...Pussy Boythe CD also contains a wonderful booklet with many loving essays from Jac's friends
Ten Things Jac Must Do Before Leaving The Apartment
Blow noseMake a phone call
Go pee
Have some toast
Go Back for wallet
Play a record
Go back to get flyers
Play another record
Fart
Turn off toaster
Bonus Things (depending on time and/or day)
Play one more recordRedesign flyer
Call Dentino
Turn on answering machine
Pick out or change jacket
Yet one more record