Kesang Marstrand

review[-]by Mark Deming
Born and raised in a multi-cultural household in Woodstock, NY, Kesang Marstrand had been writing and playing music for ten years by the time she recorded her album Bodega Rose, and even though it's her first full-length release, she displays the intelligence and polished skills of a seasoned musical veteran on these sessions. Marstrand's songwriting style suggests an updated variation on classic era singer/songwriters such as Joni Mitchell and Laura Nyro, deftly drawing eloquent emotional sketches with her words, while her vocals boast the sensuous undertones of a jazz artist, a feeling reinforced by the artfully unobtrusive arrangements (which feature Karl Berger on piano and vibraphone). Bodega Rose occasionally recalls Norah Jones' early work, not so much that Jones appears to be an influence but simply because Marstrand has a similarly effortless gift as a vocalist and performs with an easy grace and confidence that make this music sound second nature to her. Along with 11 fine originals, Marstrand also includes a cover of the Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney hit "Say Say Say," and she reveals an impressive gift as an interpretive singer, finding some unexpectedly potent edges in a song that in its original form sounded like well-crafted fluff. Bodega Rose's greatest strength is its simplicity -- it's the work of an unusually gifted singer and composer that gives her plenty of space to show off her talents, and whatever else is here adds to the songs, rather than distracting from her performance. It's a superb debut, and a clean, sharply focused portrait of an artist with an impressive degree of potential. - All Music

Elle est jeune, belle et Américaine vivant à Tunis. Kesang Marstrand a vécu la révolution du peuple tunisien qui a forcé l'ancien président Ben Ali à fuir le pays. Elle est l'invitée de la VOA.

Kesang Marstrand vit depuis un an en Tunisie avec son mari, rencontré en Inde.

Elle était témoin de la révolution tunisienne qui a chassé du pouvoir Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali. Le 14 janvier, jour où celui qui dirigeait le pays d’une main de fer depuis 23 ans a fui en Arabie Saoudite, Kesang Marstrand s’en souvient. « J’étais à la maison, je me suis dit ce n’était pas juste, ce n’était pas le moment de rester à la maison, mais le moment d’être dans les rues avec le peuple tunisien, parce que c’est historique, c’est important de soutenir cette lutte pour la liberté », m’a confié la jeune chanteuse de 29 ans depuis son domicile à Tunis.

Durant notre entretien en anglais, Kesang Marstand a souligné qu'elle avait peur au départ, peur de l'incertitude, de l'insécurité. Mais ses amis l'ont rassurée. «Ils m'ont demandé de les joindre, ils ont dit viens! c'est la fête c'est comme le festival de jazz! Alors j'y étais avec mon mari, j'ai même préparé des pancartes sur lesquelles j'ai marqué "Yes we Can" "Le pouvoir au peuple"


Un manifestant tunisien et le visage effacé de l'ancien dirigeant de la Tunisie
Elle a connu les deux visages de la Tunisie : celle de Ben Ali et celle d’un pays qui apprend à reprendre en main sa destinée et retrouve le goût de la liberté. « Après Ben Ali, il y avait quelque chose qui a disparu. Une lourdeur. Des nuages sont passés. Je ne sais pas si c’était une lourdeur politique ou quoi, mais je l’ai sentie. Il y avait un blocage, un blocage créatif même pour moi, ma musique. Après la révolution cela a disparu complètement »

Et comment avez vous vécu ce blocage? « C’est le fait de ne pas avoir le droit de s’exprimer. C’est dans l’air et c’est subtil. Et en tant qu'artiste je ne sentais pas cette liberté et je n'avais pas cet espace dont j'avais besoin pour créer», dit la jeune artiste de sa voix douce.

Kesang Marstrand est Américaine, née à Woodstock, New York, d’une mère danoise et d’un père tibétain. Elle a découvert, très jeune cette passion pour la musique, entre les murs d’une école au Colorado, où elle a appris à jouer du piano. Elle a nourri le rêve de devenir pianiste et compositeur, mais au lycée, Kesang Marstrand a dû troquer le piano pour une guitare acoustique lorsque ses parents ont élu domicile à New York.

Où a-t-elle puisé son inspiration ? Dans la musique de David Bowie, Patsy Cline, Ani DiFranco, et d’autres artistes classiques, occidentaux et orientaux. La Tunisie vient aussi enrichir son répertoire. « Surtout maintenant, il y a cette liberté dans l’air! Et le paysage : je n’ai jamais habité au bord de la mer, ca m’inspire aussi ».

Tout comme la musique tunisienne, d'ailleurs. « J’ai entendu une chanson tunisienne Aman Aman (qui veut dire s’il te plaît en arabe), la mélodie était charmante pour moi » et dans la version anglaise de cet entretien, Kesang Marstrand nous rappelle que c’était une chanson triste, chantée probablement lors de la deuxième guerre mondiale..une affaire de coeur.


Une plage de Hammamet
La jeune artiste séduite par l'ancienne province romaine a réussi très vite à séduire le cœur des Tunisiens lorsqu’elle a interprété l’hymne national du pays, en arabe. C’est ce qui a d’ailleurs attiré mon attention un soir de février où je regardais Al Jazeera en arabe, ensuite une TV tunisienne et le journaliste, ému, a bouclé son émission sur la voix de Kesang Marstrand.

Pourquoi, l’hymne national ?

« En fait le 14 janvier on était tous dans les rues, (les manifestants) ont chanté l’hymne national et on disait DEGAGE ! Mais je ne pouvais pas chanter avec eux, car je ne connaissais pas les mots. Et je voulais le reprendre pour offrir quelque chose au peuple tunisien ». Eh Oui! l’artiste a accepté de fredonner les premiers mots de ce texte qui a aussi soutenu les revendications du peuple pendant les semaines de contestation.

Kesang Marstrand travaille en ce moment sur un troisième album en collaboration avec le musicien compositeur allemand Karl Berger. Son premier est intitulé Bodega Rose (2008) qui reprend le single Say Say Say signé par Paul McCartney et feu Michael Jackson au début des années 80. Hello Night est son second album sorti en 2009.

« Contemplation, réflexion, intimité, acoustique, simplicité » c’est ce qui caractérise la musique de la jeune artiste, qui pense à organiser des concerts à Tunis, en Italie et en France.

Entre temps, la vie continue à Tunis pour cette jeune américano-tibéto-dano-tunisienne qui dit tout simplement son attachement à son deuxième (ou premier peut-être!) pays. «J'aime les gens, j'aime la vie quotidienne, j'aime aller au marché, j'aime les légumes qui sont délicieux et bio! J'aime la manière de vivre. C'est tranquille. C'est un bon endroit pour moi», m'a dit celle qui la veille me demand - VOA La Voix de l'Amérique

Kesang Marstrand is an American folk singer living in Tunisia. Lisa talks to Kesang about how and why Kesang’s version of the Tunisian national anthem became a hit in that country. - PRI's The World

Kesang Marstrand's kids' music debut album is touching and playful, mysterious and warm, and is certainly one of the most beautiful lullaby albums you'll ever hear. Hello Night deservedly finds a place amongst the best kids' music of 2009.
The Artist

Marstrand is an NYC-based singer/songwriter whose debut album of grownup music, Bodega Rose, was released in 2008. Her initial CD of self-penned folk tunes displays none of Marstrand's Danish or Tibetan roots, but Bodega Rose is just as captivating as Hello Night: you just gotta hear her slow, somber version of the Paul McCartney/Michael Jackson duet "Say Say Say."
The Music

With simply her voice and acoustic guitar, Kesang Marstrand creates 12 perfect examples of "Naptime Music," tunes that encourage relaxed contemplation rather than a comotose state of slumber. Marstrand's breathy vocals give you the sense that she's on the verge of telling you a cosmic secret, which, combined with her fingerpicking style, brings to mind kids' music star Frances England, early James Taylor, folksinger Sandy Denny (Fairport Convention, The Strawbs, Fotheringay), and singer/songwriter Nick Drake (particularly on the tune "Carry On Crickets").

Hello Night is full of pastoral scenes of water and wind, flowers and insects, setting suns and rising moons. Highlights include the absolutely beautiful waltz "Hush;" a song called "Rest," on which Marstrand trades her guitar for a kalimba; and the James Taylor-like title tune, which could accompany Margaret Wise Brown's classic picture book Goodnight Moon.

The album is painted with lyrics like "wrapped in a blanket of starlight and moonbeams / it's bedtime in our sleepy town" ("Sleepy Town"); "how lovely it is to wonder and wander / in the land of dreams ("In the Land of Dreams"); and "don't be fooled by sounds of the wind / wildflower seeds are scattering / and even when the clouds form, even in a big storm / your bed is safe and warm" ("Among the Green Leaves").

The Verdict

Beautiful, tender, and full of dreamy imagery, Hello Night should be on everyone's "must hear" list despite, or maybe because of, the fact that it's a "kids' album." A prime example of the power of simplicity, Kesang Marstrand's debut children's album is definitely some of the best kids' music of 2009. - About.com

I have been on kind of a roll lately for female artists. With that being said, I was more than happy to receive the “Bodega Rose” album from Kesang Marstrand this last week. 12 digital drops of melancholic acoustic beauty.

Bodega Rose was released late last year on North Node Records and is a contemplative journey through life’s soundtrack, as soundtracked by her – and that is a good thing, it is stunning. While often a solo artist with a great voice that knows their way around song arrangements can get away with a pretty good song, but to put together a full album with the texture and consistency is a real feat. While you can get visions of artists in your head while listening (like Feist, Ani DiFranco) you still get the impression that it is all her on this release. There is a hush across the album, while mostly being acoustic guitar, there are inspired moments of harmonica, piano and what sounds like an accordion.

Backstory:

After discovering her passion for music via a piano in the common room of a schoolhouse in Colorado, Kesang Marstrand knew that it would be an inseparable part her life. As a teen, she entertained the hope of one day becoming a classical pianist and composer, but her family’s move to New York City while she was in high school prompted her to exchange the piano for the ever-more-mobile acoustic guitar.

I am glad she took the path of the folky coffee house vibe (sorry, inside joke on the journey of any folk/singer-songwriter) instead of the “classical pianist/composer” – but I don’t know if that is behind her yet. From reading over her bio over on her website, it gives the impression of someone who thrives in the creation/creative process. Her next project will be a collection of original lullabies! I must say with that voice and guitar, she just might be the perfect person for something like that! With this album, I for one think she has a future in whatever she may put her energies into. - Slowcoustic

I’ve lamented before the unreliability of CD new release lists. Self-released records, despite all the hullabaloo about how that’s the next big thing, are most likely not listed anywhere on the net. That’s the case for the new record by Kesang Marstrand. Her new record Bodega Rose is more accomplished and more enjoyable than the bulk of the music I usually encounter.

Kesang lives and records in Woodstock, NY. So it’s probably been hard not to be influenced by the folk traditions of this now mythic location. But her music, at least lyrically and sometimes musically, is more of a travelogue than an ode to her hippy hometown. There’s an exotic nature to her songs that goes far beyond just her unusual name. She seems as comfortable with jazz as she does with folk, which gives her music an appeal similar to that of Norah Jones. And that’s clearly an appeal that is wide and deep. And I have tremendous respect for music like this; music that is beautiful, delicious, effortless and almost floats on air.

I hope the major media pick up on Kesang. I bet she has an amazing story to go along with her beautiful songs.
- songs:illinois

A meno di un anno dalla pubblicazione del sorprendente esordio “Bodega Rose”, Kesang Marstrand torna a far parlare di sé con un album di inediti ispirati all’ora della buonanotte. “Hello Night”, dedicato alla madre dell’artista e dalla stessa mirabilmente illustrato, raccoglie un pugno di ninnenanne scritte, suonate e prodotte da Kesang: dodici delicate ballate notturne eseguite “chitarra-e-voce” (con l'eccezione dell'esotica "Rest" cantata con il solo ausilio di una kalimba) per cullare bambini e adulti di tutte le età.

La formula della cantautrice statunitense, fatta di sommesse ballate e di limpidi accordi, è rimasta sostanzialmente la stessa dell’esordio, ma questa volta il rassicurante calore della vocalità di Kesang e la delicatezza del suo picking cristallino sembrano trasportarci nel cielo incantato di una notte profonda, impreziosita da stelle candite e da una luna di marzapane, quasi che questo lavoro permetta all'ascoltatore un’escursione nel mondo dei sogni.

Ciò che sorprende, in un lavoro di fatto poco ambizioso e forse interlocutorio nella carriera della Marstrand, è la perizia che Kesang dimostra nel modellare tra le sue mani una materia altrimenti piuttosto trita, riuscendo con abilità e classe a realizzare brani semplici, senza scadere nella banalità o nel patetismo, confermando ancora una volta le proprie peculiari doti di scrittura.
Dal punto di vista delle liriche anche gli argomenti più "scontati" sono affrontati con delicatezza e trasporto, così che ogni singolo brano contenuto in “Hello Night”, pur conservando la propria essenza e la sua potenziale funzione di lullaby, allo stesso tempo assume caratteristiche uniche che ne elevano il rango ben al di sopra della semplice "canzone della buona notte".

“Hello Night” è una collezione di bozzetti acustici dove nulla è lasciato al caso: i ricami chitarristici sono disposti con amorevole cura sul pentagramma, rifiniti in ogni singola nota, e l’interpretazione è sentita, personale e ricca di sfumature, a volte anche impercettibili. Merito anche di una registrazione casalinga, ma di assoluto nitore e pulizia, sembra quasi di sentire la giovane musicista che ci sussurra le sue dolci parole all’orecchio, seduta, con la fedele chitarra, ai piedi del nostro letto. E’ infatti la ammaliante voce di Kesang la protagonista incontrastata di “Hello Night”: una voce sussurrata, sottilmente roca, che trasmette tranquillità, posandosi dolcemente sulle corde della chitarra e vibrando all'unisono con queste.

Ancora una volta, ascoltando queste canzoni sincere e genuine, sorge spontaneo il pensiero che spesso una grande bellezza possa celarsi nelle piccole cose.

- Francesco Amoroso, Alessandra Reale - Ondarock

Girando per le strade di New York capita di frequente di imbattersi nelle “Bodegas”, piccole botteghe aperte anche di notte che vendono di tutto, dai pretzel ai biglietti della lotteria, dal beef jerky al cibo per gatti. Talora, fuori dall’ingresso delle Bodegas, coloratissime rose incorniciano col loro profumo le vetrine ancora illuminate. Ed è proprio a questa immagine che si ispira il titolo dell’album d’esordio di Kesang Marstrand, una giovane cantautrice di origini euro-asiatiche (madre danese, padre tibetano) nata e cresciuta a Woodstock, tra le verdi vallate della Ulster County, e trasferitasi con la famiglia nel caos della frenetica New York quando era poco più che una bambina. “Bodega Rose” prende spunto da questa scelta che ha segnato il percorso personale e musicale di Kesang e dalla necessità di riconciliarsi con essa per estendersi in maniera più generale a tutte le scelte di fronte alle quali la vita ci pone quotidianamente, sottolineando come in ognuna di esse non ci sia solo sacrificio ma anche, in qualche modo, bellezza.

Bastano poche note iniziali del primo brano per essere immediatamente rapiti e trasportati, senza preamboli o sovrastrutture di sorta, nel mondo incantato di Kesang Marstrand, che sciorina il proprio repertorio in maniera lineare e diretta. Un picking gentile e una voce suadente e morbida rappresentano il cuore di “Bodega Rose”, album registrato a Woodstock presso il Sertso Studio di Karl Berger, acclamato jazzista e compositore statunitense. Kesang dosa con parsimoniosa grazia tutta la strumentazione di cui si avvale: un delicato tappeto di percussioni, poche note del pianoforte di Berger e i caldi raggi della sua melodica si posano sulla voce e sulla chitarra di Kesang, intente a disegnare raffinati bozzetti acustici.
“Bodega Rose” è una profumata ghirlanda di undici rose bianche intrecciate con amorevole cura, alle quali si aggiunge una deliziosa cover down-tempo di “Say Say Say”, brano già portato al successo dall’inconsueto duo McCartney-Jackson.

Di fronte al candore di un lavoro come “Bodega Rose” diventa arduo, se non addirittura impossibile, riuscire a definire esattamente gli elementi grazie ai quali questo album resta sin da subito così indelebilmente impresso nella memoria. Sarà per via della splendida voce di Kesang, delicatamente roca e speziata d’Oriente? Sarà per la levità del suo fingerpicking? Per gli arrangiamenti scarni e misurati, eppure così efficaci? Oppure per le capacità compositive che la cantautrice statunitense dimostra in ogni brano di questa sua collezione d’esordio? Poter dare una risposta definitiva (e unica) sembra davvero poco plausibile.
Eppure qualcosa di “speciale” deve esserci in questo album, poiché difficilmente, in altre circostanze, il lavoro di una esordiente songwriter la cui voce non si discosta troppo da quella di tante altre “colleghe” (Simone White, Norah Jones) e il cui stile ricalca in maniera piuttosto fedele i classici del folk a stelle e strisce (pur venandoli di una nuance jazzistica) si è rivelato capace di suscitare immediatamente emozioni così forti e persistenti, oltre che una sensazione tanto netta di trovarsi davanti a un piccolissimo, importante “evento”.

E sarà, in qualche modo, la percezione di qualcosa già sentito, di stilemi e melodie che risultano familiari e perciò rassicuranti, a rendere l’ascolto di “Bodega Rose” un esercizio del tutto appagante e soddisfacente. Ma non può certo trattarsi (e in definitiva non si tratta) solo di questo: è quasi come se Kesang sia entrata in punta di piedi nel casolare della tradizione folk, in cui si sente evidentemente del tutto a proprio agio e, senza procedere ad alcuna ristrutturazione, senza neanche cambiare in maniera sostanziale l’arredamento, sia riuscita nell’intento di rendere l’atmosfera ancora più confortevole, più calda e accogliente. Forse limitandosi a spostare qualche oggetto, forse appendendo alle pareti qualche quadro dai colori vividi e avvolgenti. O forse, più semplicemente, con la forza della sua sincerità. - Ondarock

A subtle warm breeze drifts in through the open paned window of the Coach & Horses. Red, green and yellow light bulbs glow from different nooks and corners around the room, while a ceiling fan whirs idly above. Just in front of a small makeshift stage sits a modest assemblage of people – some in chairs, others legs crossed on the floor – listening reverentially to American folk singer-songwriter Kesang Mar-strand. Her guitar jangles sweetly, nails plucking the steel wound strings. Her voice blooms with silky warmth and withers in a hushed rasp.
And just when you think the moment couldn’t get any more “Sofia Coppola”, a boy and girl ride past on a bicycle in the road beyond the pub’s window: girl holding on to boy’s shoulders, hair blowing in the oncoming wind.
This is the second of Marstrand’s two-night stint at the Coach & Horses, and another opportunity for the folkster to share her delicate songs with a new audience in person. From opening number Grow a Garden she loses herself to her performance, making you believe that even if it were solely you in the room she would still deliver each song with the same wholeheartedness.
“You have my special permission to download my latest album Our Myth for free,” says a smiling Marstrand, after she has been informed that Malta has yet to be granted access to Apple’s iTunes store. Brushing her long chestnut hair back behind her ear, she continues with It All Comes Back and Any Kind of Blue, whispering a rather timid “thank you” in-between.
Marstrand has a knack for covering the most unlikely material and making it not only work, but wholly her own in the process. Her version of the Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney duet Say Say Say, included on her 2008 debut Bodega Rose, was a great example of how inspiring covers could be when there’s actually some thought and effort put into it.
Perhaps with even more daring, tonight she performs Far From the Home I Love from the musical Fiddler on the Roof; a song that “parallels my life a lot.” The transition from extra-vagantly-arranged musical number to skin-and-bones acoustic rendition is so seamless that it must get other female folk artistes wondering how they had never thought of that before.
For the most part Marstrand’s lyrics can be safely filed under the love category. Avoid the happy-ever-after Disney section though; these are more the Polaroid film version: grainy, spontaneous, prone to fade over time with just a scribbled line remaining below to remind you of what once was. On Today Next Year she croons, “Now I’m thinking that I should’ve sung you Happy Birthday softly with my lips against your ear/So I’ll do it in my mind now/And I’ll do it in the flesh if we’re together today next year.”
From her flower-child good looks to her humble disposition, everything about Kesang Mar-strand is beautifully understated and captivating. She draws her set to an end with the romantic-ally melancholic Bodega Rose, with its images of endless nights, entangled bodies and freshly-cut red flowers. With another quiet “thank you” that is barely audible over the affectionate applause, she unplugs her guitar, leaving those present to slowly come out of her dreamy spell. - Times of Malta